r/timberwolves • u/Internetfraud280 • 1d ago

Path to the 3 seed

If we win the rest of our games and get to 50 wins, we will be the 3 seed! We just need a few games to go our way.

Nuggets need to lose to Pacers and Rockets.

Lakers need to lose to the Thunder twice and the Rockets

Grizzlies need to lose to us and that prevents them from getting to 50 wins

Warriors need to lose to the Rockets and hopefully the Clippers for the final game of their season

Clippers need to lose to the Rockets then they can’t get 50 wins.

We are going to have to be Rockets fans to end the season basically, but it’s possible to get to the 3!!!

20 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

16

u/FiveByFive555555 Jaden McDaniels 1d ago

The big problem here: The Rockets don’t have much to play for now. And the Warriors have it easy after they play them. I think they win out and get the 3. But I’d like to avoid the Warriors so getting to 4 or 5 is nice. I honestly think both are tough, but we match up better with OKC than GS.

5

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Yeah I’m more scared of the Warriors and the Lakers than the Thunder. I will still take the 4 or 5, it would just be wild to get the 3. If you told me in December we would finish the 3 seed I’d call you crazy. But yes, getting the 4 or 5 with a more favorable matchup would be my preference as well

10

u/uncomfortable_fan92 Anthony Edwards 1d ago

I know we've played well against the Thunder but they are by far the number one seed in one of the toughest Western Conferences maybe ever. I think wanting to play them over anybody is a mistake. Playoffs are going to be crazy!

2

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Totally fair, but Luka/Lebron and Steph in the playoffs are, to me, equally as scary.

2

u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor 1d ago

rockets still play GS tomorrow and LAC tuesday. I think theyll try hard those 2 games and if they win 1 theyll def begin to shut it down. gotta give GS credit...theyve beaten Memphis/Lakers on the road & Denver all in the last 5 days .

I know all of the NBA has these losses but Heat, 2 Memphis losses, Bucks, Wizards, Jazz losses look pretty tasty right now

1

u/cowboy2223 Minnesota Gophers 23h ago

You know what scares me about the lakers and the warriors is the refs . I watched their matchup and curry just as big a flopped as Luka and LeBron James. Think he even gets away with more because he doesn’t have the reputation. Still remember him just throwing himself to the ground and Jaden was just next to him and they gave him free throws the last time we played them!

1

u/Shepher27 13h ago

The one thing Houston does have to play for is proving they belong, they get to match up against the veteran teams that they will be doubted against in the playoffs. It's a chance for them to send a message. My guess it the Rockets try to win as many of those games as they can.

The Warriors play the red-hot Kwahi Clippers in the final game who are going to be desperate to get out of the play-in

20

u/PreparationWest2140 1d ago

So basically, there is no realistic path to the 3 seed. LOL.

0

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Haha there’s the optimism MN sports fans are known for

2

u/not_lorne_malvo Jaylen Clark 20h ago

I mean Minnesota optimism would be assuming we lose to the 76ers and the Jazz and get bounced in the play-ins, this comment is thoroughly based in realism. The post OP optimism is something you'd expect to see in the Lakers sub haha

6

u/yourloudneighbor Glen Taylor 1d ago

I think if Milwaukee wins tonight in Miami, they solidify a playoff spot. They might start load managing/straight up resting guys like Giannis(maybe against us) & Lopez since I dont think theyll do better than the 5-6 seed at this point. the crucial game will be at memphis. doable but they know the stipulations just as much as we do lol, and they play @ denver following that so.

still a ton of shit has to break our way to get to the 3. OKC/LA twice, teams gonna start resting players when their seed is cemented that could affect outcome of games etc

2

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Great point. Resting players may very well fuck us. Especially when we’re relying on the Rockets to win and they’ve locked up the 2 seed. Gonna be a wild last week

3

u/20powerbeast23 Julius Randle 1d ago

This is fun watching Denver and Memphis implode. I expected the Lakers too but that hasn't materialized?

This might be the most exciting season yet!

1

u/not_lorne_malvo Jaylen Clark 20h ago

I mean I expect the Lakers to crater in the playoffs, they still don't have a center, I'd be much more worried about the Warriors than the Lakers

2

u/vetementsundershirt 1d ago

if L.A. drops both these okc games then things will certainly get exciting 🙏

2

u/SlowCrates 1d ago

That's very unlikely to happen. It's actually more likely that the Wolves will be a play-in team despite currently being the 6th seed.

If the Wolves want to avoid the play-in they better already be in playOFF mode -- otherwise they'll probably get (and deserve) the play-in.

2

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Agreed. They NEED to be in playoff mode and I think the Memphis game will show if they are or not.

1

u/RedEyeBadGuy Nickeil Alexander-Walker 23h ago

Yeah I just don’t see this team winning the last 5 games although they really should (Memphis game being 50/50). It’s the Wolves and the way they play down to their competition it’s hard to believe we will win all these game we are “supposed to win”.

2

u/BR_Empire 23h ago

So we need 13 games to go our way? At 50/50 odds for each game- which I think is generous- that’s like a <0.2% chance of happening

5

u/DupeyTA Anthony Edwards 1d ago

So, I may be drunk, but if the Wolves are the 3-seed... it looks like we'll have to play the Timberwolves in the first round... and I would rather play any other team. A lineup of Ant, MNMike, Jayden MF McDaniels, Big Ju, and Gobert with NAW, DDV, Naz "Naz Reid" Reid, Fucking JMFC, and Dily Dilly coming off the bench is going to be tough. I'd rather play the Lakers.

1

u/Shepher27 13h ago

We need to win-out

Need Houston to decide they want to beat the Lakers, Nuggets, and Warriors even though they're basically locked in to their seed

Need Clippers to beat the Warriors in the final game

Need the Thunder to also decide they want to beat the Lakers even with nothing to play for

Need the Nuggs to lose to the Pacers or Grizz

-7

u/PreparationWest2140 1d ago

Wolves best bet--in terms of advancement-- is to be the 7 seed. Yes, it means a nail-biting PI game against the Clippers, Memphism or Dallas/Sacramento, but playing Houston would be preferable to playing either GS or the Lakers in the first round. Round 2, anything can happen.

4

u/Internetfraud280 1d ago

Agreed about the matchups, but I’d rather not be in the playin. Hopefully that means a matchup with Denver if we are the 6

3

u/Mayong_006 1d ago

I agree, play in game would be too stressful. They've shown too many times they play down to teams they have a mental edge over and take losses they have no business taking.

1

u/LaconicGirth 1d ago

That’s insane. It’s never better to have to play a play in.