Even when the Timberwolves were down 3-0 to the Mavericks, Anthony Edwards was in the team's locker room in Dallas saying he still felt like the Wolves were the better team.
What happened Thursday night ended any idea of that being true, as the Mavericks made quick and lethal work of the Wolves and ended their season with a 124-103 win to clinch the Western Conference finals 4-1.( )
The Wolves experienced all kinds of heartbreak in this series; Dallas star Luka Doncic quickly ripped it apart in Game 2 with a game-winning three-pointer. On Thursday, Doncic and company stomped it into oblivion from the opening minutes when he began the game with 20 first-quarter points.
A playoff ride that featured plenty of highs — sweeping Phoenix and a Game 7 comeback against the defending champion Nuggets — deserved a better ending than what the Wolves gave in Game 5. But any time an exciting ride ends, there's inevitable letdown after the adrenaline rush drips out.( )
The Wolves made their bed to make Game 5 possible earlier in the series, when they couldn't win one of the first two games at home. Their biggest regret of the postseason will be how they performed in front of their home crowd. They were just 3-5 at Target Center in the postseason. They shot just 43% while Dallas shot 55%.( )
The Mavericks did to the Wolves what the Wolves did to the Nuggets in Game 6 in the only Wolves home win of the final two rounds — completely took the life out of them.
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