The Timberwovles take on the Mavericks in a Wester Confernce Finals rematch. Can the Wolves learn from their past mistakes and overcome the team that gave them fits in the playoffs?
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks
Date: October 29th, 2024
Time: 6:30PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: TNT
Radio Coverage: Wolves App/iHeart Radio
Alright, Wolves fans—do you feel that in the air? It’s a little colder, a little sharper. That’s the smell of revenge. It’s been four months since Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving ended our season in the Western Conference Finals, and that sting still hits like a bad breakup. So when the 2024-25 schedule dropped, you better believe this Tuesday’s matchup against Dallas was the one I circled. And I bet a lot of Timberwolves players had their red pens ready, too. This is the first time these teams clash since that not-so-epic 4-1 series this past spring.
Now, I know what the casual observer might remember: the Mavericks storming into Minneapolis, snatching two games in our building, and cruising to the Finals. But let’s not rewrite history. Those games at Target Center were nail-biters. I’m still haunted by the memory of Karl-Anthony Towns tipping in a put-back dunk that was about a millimeter too close to the cylinder. Usually, refs who can’t see a foul in broad daylight somehow called that like they had binoculars from 20 feet away. And don’t get me started on Game 2—the missed foul call on Kyrie hacking Jaden McDaniels’ forearm like he was trying to chop down a tree. Instead of McDaniels icing it from the line, the refs hand Dallas the ball, and Luka drains a three over Rudy Gobert that had the TNT crew rolling on the floor.
But we’re not here to cry over spilled milk or rigged whistles. We’re here to set things right. Luka Doncic walked onto our home court, drained shots in our faces, and then had the nerve to trash-talk Rudy. And listen, I’m the first to admit I’m biased, but Rudy’s our guy. This is the same Rudy Gobert who sacrificed millions in a team-friendly deal to keep this squad competitive. He’s loyal, he’s solid, and he’s a game-changer on defense. Watching Luka try to humiliate him last season? Let’s just say it lit a fire that still burns.
And yes, this game is on TNT, so the crew—including Sir Charles, who probably already has a few digs lined up—will be primed to dissect this Western Conference Finals rematch. They’ll be licking their chops, ready to jump on the Wolves if they don’t show up. But this isn’t just another game for us. The home opener was fun, sure—a light scrimmage against an overmatched Raptors team. But this matchup against Dallas? This one’s personal.
Now, let’s talk Xs and Os for a minute. The Wolves have the scheduling advantage this time. Dallas has to host Utah before hopping a flight up to Minneapolis, while we’ve had a couple of days to rest. The injury reports look clean for us (thankfully), and the only player Dallas is missing is Dante Exum. So, with fresh legs and a grudge, there’s absolutely no excuse for Minnesota to come out looking anything less than hungry.
The Wolves struggled last season against Dallas’s big-man combo of Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. That’s ironic considering our triple-tower lineup of Gobert, Towns, and Naz Reid usually bulldozed teams with size. But when it came to the Mavs’ aggressive physicality, we just couldn’t get the same output from our bigs. Luka and Kyrie also scorched our wings on both ends, and, as he admitted later, Ant himself was gassed from the prior seven-game Denver series. There’s no excuse for fatigue now.
And let’s not forget: this Dallas team looks almost the same as last season’s, with one notable addition—Klay Thompson. Sure, he’ll add an outside threat, but does he still have the legs to defend with the intensity the Mavs need? I have my doubts. Meanwhile, our Wolves team has undergone a facelift. If last year’s “big three” lineup was designed to handle Denver’s Jokic and company, then the new-look Wolves—with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo—are set up to address exactly what plagued us against the Mavs.
Randle doesn’t bring the same size as Towns, but he adds a different dynamic to our offense. I’m hoping to see fewer open dunks for Lively and Gafford with more balanced size on the defensive end, and more gravity pulling defenders Randle’s way when he’s spotting up, giving Edwards and DiVincenzo some room to operate. And that’s what we’ll need—ball movement and shooting. The offense stagnated last postseason, so hopefully, a rejuvenated Edwards and a red-hot DiVincenzo can open things up. If Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker decide to knock down the deep shots they failed to in the WCF, it could be a long night for Dallas.
This game is going to be a grind—the toughest test of the Wolves’ young season, both on the court and in the headspace. We have demons to exorcise and pride to defend. I expect the Target Center crowd to be electric, and the team to bring their absolute best. The key will be staying composed. We’ve got to attack Dallas where they’re vulnerable and keep the offense humming. It’s about revenge, but it’s also about showing the league that this isn’t the same old Wolves.
Is this the start of something special? Tuesday night will give us our first real glimpse into whether this Timberwolves team is ready to build on last year’s foundation and take things to new heights.