Watching the Conference Finals is often an exciting yet unfamiliar experience for Minnesota Timberwolves fans. The team has reached the second round once in its existence, when the Wolves lost to Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 Western Conference Finals.
They’ve now made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 20 years, yet it feels as if a conference crown is unattainable. When watching the No. 8 seed Miami Heat take the first three games against the 57-win Boston Celtics, or seeing the Denver Nuggets sweep a very good Lakers team, reality becomes hauntingly clear.