DALLAS — A high-stakes playoff series is the ultimate mirror, revealing the revelations players can reveal about themselves and their teams.
And looking at the playoff mirror matches, a few things become clear.
Like Jason Kidd is a championship level coach with no hesitation or reservations.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are one of the most potent big-game duos we've seen in recent years, and they're five wins away from ultimate recognition.
And, more importantly, teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves understand the hard lessons they must learn in the playoffs before they can reach a championship level.
The Dallas Mavericks will likely be in the NBA Finals in the coming days, barring something historic or unexpected, and the Timberwolves will begin the evaluation process after a 116-107 loss to snap a three-game unbeaten streak.
When you lose three games in a row to the same opponent in the same way, you learn more about yourself than your opponent. Young or inexperienced teams have a harder time closing out games. That's why the Mavericks have won all three games so far and why the Timberwolves just can't seem to figure out how to win.
The Timberwolves will lament the plays they missed. They will lament the lack of on-the-spot basketball IQ in key moments where they excelled in the first two rounds of these playoffs. They will hear the roar of the American Airlines Center crowd, the “Sweep” chants that rained down in the final seconds of this loss.
Minnesota trailed 107-105 with 3:21 left but didn't make a field goal until Anthony Edwards' layup with 15 seconds left. The team missed a chance to tie the series with just one field goal in the final three minutes of Game 2.
Same in Game 1.
It's becoming a mentality here, and it's worth considering, despite all the success they've had along the way: They're not giving up, they're adjusting their defense and putting in more effort, but the little things feel so big.
“If it was the other way around — if we were winning the game, if we had four minutes left — we'd have confidence and we'd be able to think positively,” Mike Conley said. “I can't speak for everybody, but if we think positively, I think we'll find a solution. We've got to stick together and hang in there. We've got the chances and the opportunities that we've been given. We know what areas of our game we need to get better at.”
In the locker room before taking the stage after the game, Edwards was confident, even defiant. The 22-year-old talked candidly with his teammates about winning a game and making history: No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.
While he didn't score his best four points in the fourth quarter, he played well overall, including a big dunk over Daniel Gafford in the third quarter and an explosive play that gave the Timberwolves a brief lead before the quarter ended.
“Yeah, I mean, he's got to be a little more explosive,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “That's what's been missing. That's been the whole key to getting our offensive rhythm going. We've been able to get to the heart of their defense a little quicker.”
His 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists were his best numbers of the series, but he could have done more, especially with the showing from Doncic and Irving (33 points apiece) against some pretty good defense.
Edwards' teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, should have been better, and that should be the Timberwolves' focus this offseason. Towns is a talented, versatile big man who, as if Dirk Nowitzki weren't alive, much less sitting courtside on Sunday night, has called himself the best shooting big man in NBA history.
But the harsh judgment of history is upon him, and it's not pretty: Towns continued to struggle in the series, missing all eight of his 3-point attempts and going just 5-of-18 overall, shooting just 27.8 percent (15-of-54) from the field.
For this current setup to work, Towns will have to improve his decision-making, for the Timberwolves to not be satisfied with just making it to the Western Conference Finals as a franchise, or the franchise will have to consider what the future looks like without Towns, especially in a world with a luxury tax on the second baseman.
The four-year, $221 million extension Towns signed takes effect next season, placing the Timberwolves in the dreaded second apron and limiting the team's ability to strengthen its perimeter.
Towns' ability to spread the defense, grab rebounds and guard opposing big men makes him special with Rudy Gobert doing most of the defensive work, but Towns couldn't exploit the Mavericks' use of smaller defenders, especially when impressive rookie Derek Lively II left the game in the second quarter with a head injury after an inadvertent knee to the back of the head by Towns.
He became a burden.
Now, some of this could very well be a learning experience, as was the case with Edwards — Towns played well against the Suns and Nuggets, shooting the ball well and limiting silly fouls and mistakes in both — or it could be a sign that there's only so much the Timberwolves can do with Towns during this championship run.
This is not the end, it's part of NBA history. The Boston Celtics have been through a lot of changes, but maybe they're finally on the right track.
If the Timberwolves can learn from this game, this could be the start of a lot of fun for the team, but there's no guarantee for them or Towns.
“Obviously, he was struggling and it was tough to watch at times,” Finch said, “but he scored enough here and there. I was really pleased with how he played in the second half, how he rebounded pretty well, but, yeah, there's no question he's struggling.”
The Timberwolves were at their best for a few moments, as Conley and Kyle Anderson used a nifty two-man game to find small holes in the Dallas defense and provide offensive support for Edwards. Conley opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to give the Timberwolves a 90-89 lead, courtesy of Anderson's reverse-floor screen.
A few minutes later, they tried again, almost instinctively, but someone was out of place and the floor got clogged. It's little things like this, lack of momentary awareness, that are preventing the Wolves from making any real gains in this series.
When the team is on a roll, it's easy to see why Edwards is so confident, why he believes they're the better team despite their performance so far. When asked what statistic stood out to him the most, Edwards cited the free throw margin in Dallas' favor, 31-17.
While the offense certainly felt inconsistent, Dallas was more physical and aggressive throughout the series, while the Mavericks were more composed in tight situations and held the unquestioned advantage.
“A lot of my fouls were fouls,” said Conley, who picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter. “It's all about defense and defensive consistency. That's all we're looking for.”
Edwards: “That's all we're asking. If you're going to call hands-on when Mike fouls, just call it that. They did a great job tonight. We just ask for the same call (on our side).”
Conley: “Consistency.”
The Timberwolves have been inconsistent in key moments in this series, and we've seen that happen throughout this magical streak, but this disappointment doesn't negate all they've accomplished thus far.
It just makes sure everyone knows with clear eyes what they have to do to move forward further.
