The Timberwolves beat the Clippers 109-104 in the playoffs to qualify for the playoffs as seventh in the West, and their "like celebrating winning" after the game also illustrates how difficult it is for this young team. However, it is no accident that the Timberwolves locked up qualification for the playoffs this season, they have won four more games than the Clippers in the regular season, and many of the averages in the regular season are ranked first in the league.
Not many people would have thought that the Timberwolves would compete with the Clippers for a playoff spot in the playoffs before the start of the season, and no one would have thought that the Timberwolves would be able to squeeze the Lakers out of the playoffs; however, if you have watched the Timberwolves many times this season, you would not be too surprised that this team will be on the playoff stage for the second time in nearly 18 years.
In the regular season, the Timberwolves have a record of 46 wins and 36 losses in the seventh place in the West, four more games than the Nuggets, who rank eighth in the West, 10 wins ahead of the ninth in the West, 13 more regular season games than the title-contending Lakers, and two more regular season games than the Nets, which were predicted by the General Manager Survey to have an 81% chance of winning the championship before the start of the season. In the face of such a record advantage, it is not surprising that the Timberwolves advanced to the playoffs, not to mention that they have a number of statistics in the regular season this season to rank first in the league.
The Timberwolves have played a number of high-scoring games in the regular season this season, averaging 115.9 points per game in 82 regular season games, the most of the league's 30 teams, and setting a new record for the highest scoring per game in a single season in the history of the Timberwolves. In addition, the Timberwolves averaged 14.8 three-pointers per game in the regular season this season, the most of the league's 30 teams, raising the record for the Timberwolves by 1.5!
The Timberwolves have played the league's top offensive performances in the regular season this season, and their performance on the defensive end has not been as bad as before. Although the Timberwolves have averaged 113.3 points per game, it has improved from the previous two seasons when the Timberwolves' opponents have scored more than 117.0 points, and this season is also the first time in the past 10 seasons that the Timberwolves have made their opponents shoot no more than 46.0% of the shooting, and this season the Timberwolves have made opponents average 16.3 errors per game, which is the most of all teams in the league.
In addition to scoring per game, three-point shooting and opponent turnovers, the Timberwolves have also averaged first in the league in the league in the regular season using opponent turnovers. In the regular season, the Timberwolves averaged 19.8 points per game on opponent errors to score the most points in the league's 30 teams, breaking the record for the Timberwolves.
In addition, the Timberwolves' record in 38 regular season games this season with higher shooting percentage than their opponents is a staggering 38 wins and 0 losses, while only 3 teams in the league this season have not lost in the regular season with higher shooting percentages than their opponents, except for the Timberwolves, the Lone Rangers and Grizzlies.
The Timberwolves have had a good season, and their promotion to the playoffs is well deserved, and I look forward to their second playoff performance in nearly 18 years of team history!