"I'll lead the Timberwolves to the playoffs!"
This is the flag that Beverley made after joining the Timberwolves last summer, when no one believed Beverley's boast of "Haikou", and even many fans just listened to it as a joke.
After all, for fans, the Timberwolves basically follow the following routine every season: every year to get a high pick, one after another, every year looks like the talent explodes, and then every year the lottery signs.
However, who would have thought that with seven games left in the regular season, the Timberwolves would beat the Lone Rangers and the team's record would come to 43-32, far ahead of the Lakers and Clippers, and only 0.5 wins behind the Nuggets, who are sixth in the West. This is the transformation of the Timberwolves.
Beverley appears to have become a "catalyst" for the Timberwolves. After he was traded to the Timberwolves, he immediately showed his loyalty to the "10,000-year-old" team, and since Beverly had never missed a playoff in his career, he promised the Timberwolves that he would lead the team to the playoffs.
Although Beverley looks like a clown to the outside world, the young and talented teammates around him are convinced of him. After all, they had longed for that moment for a long time.
"In 2004, when the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals, I was only 3 years old, which was the last year the Timberwolves made the playoffs for eight consecutive years." Edwards said.
"The Timberwolves are no longer the uncompetitive team they were after 2004. I brought a lot of stuff with me, and I instilled that into my teammates, and so did Beverley, who brought the spirit of non-abandonment to his teammates."
So, in every game, we can see Beverley chattering at opponents, referees, teammates and coaches.
"We know who we are and will never give in to anyone."
The Game against the Lakers on March 17 was like a microcosm of the Timberwolves' performance this season — Beverly, Edwards, Downs and their teammates were fearless both on and off the court, and the "Husky" that was once ridiculed by people is now the big bad Wolves that tore at the Purple and Gold. They contributed countless "famous scenes" in this game.
For example, Beverly successfully steals Westbrook's pass from three meters away, and the Timberwolves cause the Lakers to foul the lakers after pinching his nose and taunting: "Garbage, he is really too garbage."
And directly provoking James in the game, not only was he very emotional, but he also showed his muscles, and even walked directly over and patted James's ass.
Towns also responded to Wei Shao's three non-sticks with a funny action in the game, and mocked James and Wei Shao in the live broadcast after the game: "He also ridiculed others, and now I fight back and I have no taste? I really don't want to hear anybody talk.
This season's Timberwolves, facing the Lakers, have an overwhelming advantage, winning 3 in 4 meetings, averaging 20.7 points per game. It is this kind of achievement that gives Towns the courage to speak harshly.
In March, the Timberwolves also scored a six-game winning streak, their longest winning streak since the 2003-04 season. For a team at the top of the league, a six-game winning streak may not be enough, but for the Timberwolves, their six-game winning streak has been waiting for 18 years!
They also began to beat the strong teams, finishing the season sweep against the Bucks, for the first time since the 2013-14 season; and against the Heat, they also completed the sweep, facing Jimmy Butler's provocation, Edwards hit back: "He only scares rookies, I don't eat this set." ”
Today, the Timberwolves are among the top leagues in several stats, including first in the league in points per game (115.4 points), first in the league in terms of three-point shooting per game , third in blocks per game , third in the league with average steals per game , fourth in the league with steals per game , and fifth in the league with offensive rebounds per game (11.4).
Admittedly, the Timberwolves have not disappointed the fans today.
Once upon a time, we were able to see timberwolves fans like this on the sidelines, taking off their clothes and dancing to pay tribute to Garnett.
Once upon a time, we could see that the Target Center was packed.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the Target Center had its own glorious moment.
However, with Garnett's departure, for nearly 20 years since, the Timberwolves have only made the playoffs in the season Butler joined.
"Soft eggs", "dropped chains", and "talent in the mouth" have become lingering labels for timber wolves.
As one of the oldest arenas in the league, many Minnesota citizens always look at the Target Center with some prejudice: "a symbol of the Timberwolves' failure every year."
Over the past 18 years, the Timberwolves' home stadium has struggled to attract a large number of fans to watch the game, and the price of tickets has dropped to the lowest in the league, only less than $20 (about 123 yuan), and even the attendance rate has always been the bottom of the league. It was the Timberwolves' rival teams that determined attendance — fans were concerned about whether LeBron, Curry and Durant would come to the target center.
However, with the rise of this season, the stadium can now welcome more than 17,000 fans on match days, including celebrities such as boxing champion Mayweather and hip-hop king Kanye West. The US media described the transformation of the target center this way: "Fans have seen a young and charismatic team rise from the ruins of the past few years, they stride high, smile and steal the heart of every fan."
At present, the Timberwolves have surpassed the team's record in single-game ticket revenue since the beginning of this season. Web traffic grew 200 percent, and TV ratings climbed. The Timberwolves began campaigning for next season's season in early March, selling 100 percent of next season's side-side tickets in the first week, a record high in sales.
Veteran Timberwolves reporter Jon Krautszynski was startled when he saw the team's home stadium audience on television: "Is this a Timberwolves game?" So many people! So hilarious! ”
The influx of Timberwolves fans has paid off, with the Timberwolves having a home record of 15 wins and 3 losses since 2022, second only to the Grizzlies in the league. Fans on the sidelines will be roaring at every turn, even excited about a small thing. Even if the game has lost its suspense early, the fans will still accompany the team until the last moment of the game.
Entering his fourth year of career, Okoji said: "I really liked it when I saw the tickets sold out at home and the crowd cheered after the team played a beautiful attack and defense, because of the boos for dissatisfaction with the referee's decision. Because in my memory, our home stadium has never had such an atmosphere. ”
At the same time, when the rise of the team is driving the sale of tickets, even the bars next to the stadium are showing a prosperous side under the cold epidemic.
The Donovan bar next to the target center has been hit hard by the epidemic, and the dismal business has numbed the boss. However, with the Timberwolves' record booming, the bar business has now tripled.
The owner of the bar said: "The city center that was once a dead city under the epidemic, now has a big party every week, and seeing fans bustling in and out of the stadium with smiles on their faces, what could be happier than this?" ”