On the day that his $224 million extension became official, Karl-Anthony Towns declared a "championship or bust" urgency for the Timberwolves in the aftermath of a blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert.
"I'm not trying to sugarcoat," Towns said that July 2022 day. "Let's be real. The standards are high. The pressure is high."
Those words have never felt more relevant than they do right now at the conclusion of the second-most successful regular season in the franchise's 35-year history. The march to 56 victories entering Sunday's finale has been an awakening that has stoked the fire of a fan base deserving of something nice after enduring more than its fair share of nonsense.