MINNEAPOLIS -- After his burgeoning team upended the defending champs last year only to be dismissed from the playoffs three wins short of the NBA Finals, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch issued a directive to his group to begin this season.
"The challenge we laid down to our guys from day one was quite simple," Finch said after the Wolves' 121-110 closeout win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday. "It was one question: 'Were you a Western Conference finals team, or were you a team that just happened to make the Western Conference finals?