Farewell to the last great dynasty in NBA history

Golden State Warriors visited the Target Center on Wednesday night, not only to play for a win-or-go home game, but also to face, if they lost, their own demise.

Everything comes to an end, and sooner or later, the end of the last great NBA dynasty had to come. Four rings, six Finals, 73 regular-season wins, and countless records and milestones grind to a halt.

A team that enjoyed a sweet extension with the 2022 title, but has been completely unsustainable ever since. The departure of Bobby Myers in the front office and a diminished Klay Thompson on the court was only the confirmation that a group of veterans who were paid more or less millions (Chris Paul last season, Jimmy Butler this year) were insufficient to win a title again that seemed much more distant than a few years ago.

False dawn against the Rockets

The first-round victory over the Rockets was a well-deserved joy, proof that there was still plenty of talent left in those tired legs. But it was also the certainty that moments of happiness were becoming increasingly scarce and that the years accumulated weighed more than the feats of a past that can’t always be lived up to.

There was an even greater measure of that well-deserved hope, the last one that is lost: the victory in the first game against the Timberwolves, who came invigorated after finishing off the Lakers of Luka Doncic and LeBron James with a resounding 4-1.

That was as far as the Warriors went, seeing how Stephen Curry was injured in the first round (the one they won) and the Minnesota team took advantage of his absence to win two consecutive games in a Chase Center that has never vibrated with the energy of the the old Oracle and because dreams are dreams. And you can’t always live off them. Not even a franchise that has made the unthinkable possible for so long.

New kids on the block

The Wolves represent that other side of the coin, a team of revolution and change. The trade of Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle at the beginning of the season foreshadowed more problems than they ultimately ensued, and it was a victory for both teams, with one triumphing with the Knicks and the other resembling a good basketball player for the first time.

But, for the Wolves, it’s all about Anthony Edwards, who penetrates, posts, and shoots jump shots without giving up the three-pointer, as the rules say. An all with an overwhelming attitude in victory and defeat, one that shows he has nothing to lose even if he loses. A singular, special player, one of a kind and full of talent only comparable to his bad temper. His future will depend on that: on how he manages those two variables.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Stats

3 Jaden McDaniels
30 Julius Randle
27 Rudy Gobert
10 Mike Conley
5 Anthony Edwards
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
22 Jaylen Clark
4 Rob Dillingham
0 Donte DiVincenzo
55 Luka Garza
7 Joe Ingles
33 Leonard Miller
8 Josh Minott
11 Naz Reid
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
3 Jaden McDaniels	41	14	4	1	3	2	3	4	0	2/2	6/11	0/3	0	3	0
30 Julius Randle	42	29	8	2	6	5	5	0	0	1/1	11/12	2/6	0	1	0
27 Rudy Gobert	27	17	8	0	8	0	0	0	1	1/4	8/9	0/0	0	2	0
10 Mike Conley	26	16	6	1	5	8	2	1	0	2/2	1/1	4/6	0	3	0
5 Anthony Edwards	41	22	7	1	6	12	7	1	3	1/2	3/6	5/9	0	3	0
9 Nickeil Alexander-Walker	13	2	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0/0	1/2	0/1	0	2	0
22 Jaylen Clark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Rob Dillingham	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Donte DiVincenzo	26	13	2	0	2	6	1	4	0	1/2	3/3	2/4	0	3	0
55 Luka Garza	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
7 Joe Ingles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
33 Leonard Miller	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
8 Josh Minott	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Naz Reid	21	8	4	1	3	1	1	1	0	2/2	3/3	0/2	0	2	0
0 Terrence Shannon Jr.	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

Golden State Warriors

Stats

10 Jimmy Butler III
23 Draymond Green
32 Trayce Jackson-Davis
7 Buddy Hield
2 Brandin Podziemski
12 Braxton Key
31 Kevin Knox II
0 Jonathan Kuminga
5 Kevon Looney
4 Moses Moody
0 Gary Payton II
21 Quinten Post
15 Gui Santos
61 Pat Spencer

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
10 Jimmy Butler III	41	17	6	3	3	6	1	3	0	9/11	4/8	0/3	0	2	0
23 Draymond Green	35	10	6	2	4	6	3	1	0	1/2	3/5	1/6	0	4	0
32 Trayce Jackson-Davis	6	2	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
7 Buddy Hield	29	8	4	2	2	1	4	2	0	4/4	2/5	0/4	0	5	0
2 Brandin Podziemski	38	28	6	2	4	4	2	2	0	2/5	7/13	4/6	0	3	0
12 Braxton Key	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
31 Kevin Knox II	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Jonathan Kuminga	32	26	3	1	2	0	2	2	0	1/3	8/14	3/9	0	2	0
5 Kevon Looney	5	0	3	1	2	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Moses Moody	12	12	1	1	0	2	1	2	0	4/5	1/3	2/3	0	2	0
0 Gary Payton II	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
21 Quinten Post	9	3	3	0	3	0	2	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/4	0	1	0
15 Gui Santos	15	2	5	3	2	0	0	0	1	0/0	1/1	0/3	0	1	0
61 Pat Spencer	5	2	1	1	0	1	2	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/1	0	1	0