THE OPENER: Let’s go right to coach Chris Finch’s postgame summary from minutes after the Wolves took an odd route to eliminating the Lakers by winning Game 5 of their first-round playoff series: “We're gonna celebrate this because this team took a lot of shit through the season.”
THE ODD ROUTE? After scoring 43 points in Game 4 and averaging just under 30 through the first four games, Anthony Edwards took on a supporting role because his shot-making skills went on leave. He missed all 11 of his three-point tries, which would have been hashed, mashed and smashed in the media (legacy, social and elsewhere) if the Wolves had lost Game 5. Instead, the Edwards takeaway is about adapting when things aren’t the usual. In this case, it was a near triple-double: 15 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Another takeaway? Edwards’s postgame humility when he talked about the Lakers and LeBron James: “We beat the best player in the world. The best player ever.”
GOBERT GOES WILD: In the first four games of the series, center Rudy Gobert had a total of 14 points and 25 rebounds. He looked awful at times and was benched during many key stretches. In Game 5, he had 27 points and 24 rebounds. The Lakers opted to bench their main inside player, Jaxson Hayes, and Gobert not only took advantage of that tweak, but made up for Minnesota’s awful three-point shooting.
HOW AWFUL? The Wolves took 47 three-pointers and missed 40 of them. The Wolves offense compensated by going old school — shooting almost 70% on two-pointers (29 for 42.)
THE OLD MAN AND THE THREE: Via Jon Krawczynski at the Athletic. 37-year-old Mike Conley scored only eight points in Game 5 but he also scored the knockout blow with a three-pointer from the corner, with an assist by Edwards, with 1:22 remaining to turn a tense three-point lead into a 100-94 advantage. Afterward, he talked about how it didn’t much matter than the Lakers were the No. 3 seed and the Wolves were No. 6 after their up-and-down season. VERBATIM: “To see that it wasn’t a fluke, that we came in and did this, to see that we were the team that we think we can be regardless of who they had over there, it just says a lot about our resiliency and patience through this whole deal. Not getting chaotic, not making a big trade or all this stuff because things weren’t as pretty early on. Just really proud that we stuck with it.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/conley0501
VIEW FROM L.A.: Via Bill Plaschke at Los Angeles Times. VERBATIM: “They lost because Minnesota was everything they wanted to be, but were not. They lost because Minnesota was tougher in the clutch, out-scoring the Lakers by 42 points in the series’ five fourth quarters. They lost because Minnesota wasn’t about the hype, the Timberwolves were about the struggle, the battle for each possession, doubling their second-chance points on Wednesday, competing in each individual battle as if it were their last. . . . Minnesota was more of a team, more collaborative, more together, more committed. ‘They were just the better team this series, to be honest,’ said Lakers veteran Dorian Finney-Smith. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lakers0501
CRACKING THE RANDLE CODE: Via Will Eudy at Dunking With Wolves. Some people wanted Julius Randle’s adjustment to the Wolves to happen more quickly than it did. Others, who loathed the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, thought it would never happen. With the help and support of Finch, Randle has become the standout the Wolves hoped for when the trade was made. VERBATIM: “Randle gives the Timberwolves an offensive floor that keeps them more consistently stable than they were last season. Many were skeptical of how Randle would elevate this team in the playoffs, but so far, the experience has been better than most could have envisioned. Julius has been a more consistent performer than Karl-Anthony Towns with everything on the line. Finch and the coaching staff deserve credit for finding ways to keep Randle comfortable and to maximize his talents. Julius has done the rest, and he has quickly become a Timberwolves fan favorite over the last several weeks.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/randle0501
SETTING YOUR CALENDAR: If Golden State beats Houston on Saturday and end s their series in six games, the conference semifinals will start Monday and Wednesday at Target Center. Games 3 and 4 will be a week from Friday and a week from Sunday in California. If that series goes seven games, the dates will be Tuesday, next Thursday, a week from Saturday and a week from Monday. If the Rockets win that series, the series would start in Houston. More dates, if needed, will be announced later. So will starting times.
NEED A PODCAST? Via Michael Rand at Star Tribune. RandBall stayed up late to record a midnight-hour version of Daily Delivery with Strib sports editor Ryan Kostecka, whose previous job was with the Utah Jazz. So if Kostecka sounds a bit giddy about Gobert, who was traded here from Utah before the 2022 season, that’s why. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/podcast0501
THE BURN: Via Derek Hanson at Canis Hoopus. VERBATIM: “The Timberwolves didn’t just beat the Lakers. They ended them.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hoopus0501
THE TAKES: Via Freezing Cold Takes. Nice work, ESPN. https://fluence-media.co/predictions0501
THE FLEX: if you see someone in Brooklyn today wearing a Joe Ingles jersey, it could be a family member.
WILD IN 7? Yeah, I think it can happen. A sloppy pass by Wild defenseman Jake Middleton resulted in the winning goal for Vegas in Game 4 and all kinds of mistakes, capped by confusion in front of the Wild net, led to the Golden Knight’s game-winner in Game 5. If the Wild cleans up their play tonight (6:30 p.m. FDSN and ESPN), we could well be looking at Game 7 on Saturday in Las Vegas. This series has the feel of the Wolves-Nuggets conference semifinal in last year’s NBA playoffs, when Minnesota rallied from a 3-2 deficit and won the deciding game in Denver. I’d be pessimistic if the Wild were playing over their heads right now. But they’ve messed up many times over and are still hanging in. They can do better.
MEANT TO BE? Via Sarah McLellan at Star Tribune. Will the pain of Game 5 spark the team to make a dramatic comeback? VERBATIM: “There’s still time to do what they’ve done all season long, and that’s downgrade the gut punches to gut checks. ‘We’re made for it,’ Marcus Foligno said. ‘The pesky Wild will persevere in this case, and we have a really good mindset coming into Game 6. Nothing’s been easy this year. I know our slogan’s ‘Hard,’ but it’s meant to be. It’s meant to be. I truly believe that we can get back in the series and win it, and so does everyone.’ ” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gamesix0501
SHOVE YOUR MORAL VICTORIES: Via Tony Abbott at Hockey Wilderness. VERBATIM: “If the Wild lose, it's not going to be hard to spin this series and season as a moral victory. GM Bill Guerin did have $14.7 million less in cap space than almost every other team. Minnesota did have Kirill Kaprizov out for half a season, with Joel Eriksson Ek out for nearly half a season, and a pile-up of injuries. The Wild were the underdog, and that didn't stop when they took a 2-1 series lead. Had it not been for a ticky-tack offside call, Ryan Hartman did score a go-ahead goal that would have delivered them Game 5. All of these things are true. But so is this: They had the Golden Knights on the ropes, but were too gassed to put them away in Game 4. Then, in Game 5, with the chance to set up a closeout game at home in Game 6, they fell flat again. Talk about the overturned goal all you'd like. That doesn't change the fact that you can list several things leading up to that moment, which put Minnesota in that position to begin with.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/noexcuses0501
GAME 5 MISTAKES: Via Chip Scoggins at Star Tribune. The loss was especially painful because the Wild’s Ryan Hartman looked to score a tie-breaking goal with 1:15 left in regulation, only to have it nullified on review by an offsides call on Gustav Nyquist, which happened away from the play. There has been a lot of revisionist refereeing about the call on social media — mainly that it shouldn’t have been made because it had nothing to do with the actual play — but offsides is offsides. But there were silly penalties, a weak second period and a first-period flub by Kirill Kaprizov that led to a shorthanded goal by Vegas. VERBATIM: “The Wild spent the entire game working to overcome mistakes.” COLUMN: https://fluence-media.co/mistakes0501
1,280 WORDS, ONE DECISION: Via Jesse Granger at the Athletic. This is a very deep and interesting dive into how Hartman’s goal was ruled good on the first video review — and disallowed on the second. SHORT VERSION: While almost everyone was focused on whether Hartman had kicked the puck into the goal, Vegas video coach Dave Rogowski saw that Nyquist was completely over the blue line and informed head coach Bruce Cassidy. VERBATIM: “It was a great pick up by him and it saved our ass,” Cassidy said. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/review0501
GAME SAVERS? Via Jon Krawczynski at The Athletic. Before the start of the NBA playoffs, Krawczynski profiled Jeff Newton, the Timberwolves’ 33-year-old video coach, whose work included the Game 4 challenge against the Lakers that reversed a key call in the final seconds. The story captures a scene near the end of the regular season when the Wolves played Orlando and Anthony Edwards was pleading for a review. VERBATIM: “Newton looked at the replay on his computer, looked up at the lava of emotion erupting out of Mount Edwards and calmly shook his head. The replay video showed that Edwards did grab Paolo Banchero’s arm. This was a losing battle. As Edwards continued his lobbying efforts, Newton nonchalantly waved his hand, as if he were Obi-Wan Kenobi talking to a Stormtrooper. This is not the challenge you’re looking for. Move along. Edwards slumped his shoulders and headed back to play defense.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/coach0501
GRADING THE DRAFT: One of the things we typically ogle after the NFL Draft are the team-by-team grades from “experts.” I’m not going there with you this year because reactions to the Vikings draft are skewed by the team only having five picks, including only two in the first four rounds. The Athletic, for example, ranked them last among the 32 teams and noted they “were destined to appear low on this list” for that reason. I think there’s more constructive stuff to share.
DRAFT CHOICE BIOS: https://fluence-media.co/picks0501
COMMITMENT TO J.J.: Trading during the draft for Seattle’s Sam Howell, who threw 14 passes in two games last season, made it clear that J.J. McCarthy is the Minnesota quarterback and — for now — there will be no serious challengers. Howell started all 17 games for Washington in 2023 when the Commanders went 4-13 and was rated by ESPN 24th that season among the league’s starting QB. His stats show that he brings neither experience nor achievement to his role. If the Vikings need a potential replacement, let’s assume they’ll turn elsewhere as the season nears.
McCARTHY SAYS: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. McCarthy worked out Tuesday in Eagan with wide receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. He also met the media and talked about how being diagnosed with ADHD has been to his benefit. VERBATIM: “People with ADHD, they find calm in the chaos and chaos in the calm. I’ve always felt, ever since I was a kid, just any competitive environment I was in, I felt like I was at home. Playing at Michigan, there’s 110,000 [people] and you’re at one of the most prominent universities out there. That’s where I feel most comfortable, is when the lights are the brightest, the stage is the biggest stage out there. And I know it’s going to be a lot more of that to come.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/jj0501
GOOD ON THE MEDIA: McCarthy’s ADHD diagnosis and how it has shaped him as a football player has been part of the story, as opposed to a headline. That’s all the more important in the current political climate. A sweet story from his time at Michigan by Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom is worth the look back. VERBATIM: “Mental health is paramount to McCarthy. He could teach a yoga class, guest lecture a breathing seminar, or make a video for positive visualization exercises. When I ask the kid to describe himself, he says, ‘joyful, blissful and loving.’ Is this a Big Ten quarterback or the Dalai Lama?” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/albom0501
ENDORSEMENT: Via Kevin Seifert at ESPN.com. VERBATIM: “Veteran safety Harrison Smith, the longest-tenured player on the roster as he enters his 14th season, spent time with McCarthy in Mexico during an NFL Players Association event. ‘He's a guy that I enjoy being around a lot. He's his own person and kind of speaks his mind. Has his own way of thinking about things. He's very smart, very invested in football and winning and competing. . . . I enjoy my time with him. He's an interesting fellow, and a little smarter beyond his years.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/smith0501
RISK AND REWARD: Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. Linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel signed with the Vikings last year, when salary-cap issues were front of mind, for two years at $20 million. He played well enough to make the Pro Bowl for the first time and, more importantly, earn a fat raise to $23 million for this season — all but $600,000 guaranteed. VERBATIM: The impact that Van Ginkel has made since arriving in the Twin Cities can’t be overstated as defensive coordinator Brian Flores has used him in a variety of different ways to put stress on opposing offenses. Sometimes he rushes the passer off the edge. Sometimes he drops back into coverage in the middle of the field. Sometimes he does both in the same series. That versatility helped Van Ginkel take the next step in his career last season as he finished with 79 tackles, 11½ sacks and a pair of interceptions that he returned for touchdowns.
CURRENT VIKINGS CONTRACTS: https://fluence-media.co/deals0501
YOUR KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER IS . . . For many of us, the Kentucky Derby is the one horse race we pay attention to during the year. I know this from my time at the Star Tribune because of the readership that handicapper Jay Lietzau’s Derby predictions received. The Strib has decided not to keep Lietzau, so I asked him to tell Sports Take how he’d bet this year’s race. Here’s how Jay sees it:
Most Likely to Win: Sovereignty — Has done little wrong since his debut at Saratoga last August. Is racing for the third time off his winter layoff and ran great off the shelf capturing the Fountain of Youth. Guessing Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott didn’t have him fully cranked for the Florida Derby but will have him primed for his best effort on Saturday.
Best Betting Value: Final Gambit — Bred to run all day and sent out by connections who know how to win big races. If the anticipated hot early pace develops, this colt will be flying late. Not sure what he beat in the Jeff Ruby Stakes, but if he takes to the dirt, he could be a factor at a huge price.
Solid Contender: Burnham Square — Has improved in every start and just keeps running no matter the obstacle. If his jockey can work out a favorable trip, he may find himself in the winners circle in consecutive years.
Betting favorite: Journalism — The likely favorite has an impressive resume but the competition he’s faced can be questioned. He’s only beaten 12 other horses in his last three starts and many of those starters were the Bob Baffert “B” team.
Minnesota Angle: Sandman — Looking for a local/sentimental rooting interest? This strapping grey colt was bred by Canterbury Hall of Famer Bob Lothenbach who passed away in 2023 before he could see this fast horse run.
From Overseas: Luxor Cafe —Japanese based starters have been making an impact in big races all around the world. Is this the year they capture the Run for the Roses?
Here’s a $50 Wager: $10 win and place — Sovereignty ($20 total); $5 win/place/show — Final Gambit. ($15); $5 exacta — Sovereignty over Final Gambit. $2 exactas — Sovereignty over Burnham Square, Sandman and Luxor Cafe. ($6) $1 exactas — Final Gambit over Sovereignty, Burnham Square, Sandman and Luxor Cafe. ($4).
How to bet (legally): Canterbury Park opens at 8 a.m Saturday for betting. You can make a bet and leave. The track’s Derby Party starts at noon. Post time is scheduled for 5:57 p.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/canterbury0501
DERBY LIVE ODDS AND FIELD: https://fluence-media.co/odds0501
MORE PLAYOFF HOCKEY? The Frost’s task is simple to understand. Win their PWHL regular-season ender on the road Saturday vs. the Boston Fleet (noon on FDSN) and they make the playoffs based on having more regulation victories than the Fleet. If Ottawa wins in overtime and there’s a three-way tie, Ottawa and Minnesota would get the playoff spots. (PWHL wins are worth three points, overtime wins are worth two). The Frost set the scene Wednesday night by beating Ottawa 3-0. Losing will keep the Frost from having a chance to defend the title they won last year and making the playoffs by finishing fourth in the six-team league.
EXPANSION COMING: Via John Wawrow at Associated Press. Seattle and Vancouver will be joining the league for next season and the league plans to expand to 10 teams for 2026-27. VERBATIM: “The PWHL plans to grow to 10 teams for its 2026-27 season, a person with knowledge of discussions told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were to remain private. The person said the league is accelerating its plans based on the strength of responses and feedback received during its eight-month expansion search in which the PWHL considered more than 20 markets. . . . Neutral-site stops this season in Denver, Detroit, Quebec City and Edmonton each topped 14,000 fans.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/pwhl0501
NOT MUCH NEW: We’re taking a break from diving into the Twins this week because there’s really not much new to tell you, all the more when compared to everything else that’s going on. The Twins are still on a hamster wheel. Sweeping the last-place Angels has been followed by losing two of three at Cleveland heading into today’s game (Noon, Twins.TV). After going to Boston for the weekend, the Twins will hit the 40-game mark of their season during next week’s homestand. The offense is still inconsistent, the pitchers still botch fielding plays, the bench is still woefully weak, the fans are still staying away.
MORE: There’s not much to see here. Despite their mediocrity, the Twins are still only six games out of first place — and a hot streak can reverse the current narratives. But my skepticism is ongoing because every step forward has been muted by a step in reverse. I’m willing to be patient and see if that changes — for now.
HOW MUCH TO SEE MESSI? A couple of months back, I wrote about the steep ticket prices to see Minnesota United play Inter-Miami and superstar Lionel Messi a week from Saturday. The team uses market-sensitive pricing for single-game tickets and some season-ticket holders are looking for a big score instead of seeing the game. Right now, if you’re looking for two together, the cheapest tickers are in the standing-room supporters section at $289, including fees. The high end? $7,114 to sit in the front row near the Inter-Miami bench. Hey, both those seats include food, beer and wine. Keep in mind that some listings are precociously high just in case someone wants a sweet seat that badly. STORY TIME: I listed a pair of Lynx tickets for Sylvia Fowles’ final home game in 2022 at a price I didn’t think anyone would pay. They were gone in a day.
NEW LOONS ARRIVAL: Julian Gressel has been acquired on waivers after Inter-Miami told him that he was no longer part of their plans. The 31-year-old midfielder started 31 games last season after several seasons of part-time play for Columbus, Vancouver and D.C. United. Gressel started his career with Atlanta, so Minnesota will be his sixth MLS start. Coach Eric Ramsay said that Gressel should be fit to play and could make his debut Saturday. He’s likely to play wingback, where he can be both part of the attack and help out on defense. VERBATIM: “I feel like the plus point for him is that he can do both,” Ramsay said. “I think he’s a player that does take a lot of pride in his versatility, from the conversation I had with him.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gressel0501
TWO-WAY HELP NEEDED: The Loons were suspect on both ends of the field during Saturday’s 3-1 loss to first-place Vancouver, which ended an eight-game unbeaten streak during which scoring was an issue. The Loons are tied for third in the Western Conference; Miami is fifth in the East.
LYNX RADIO: Sloane Martin will be the radio voice of the Lynx this season. All 44 games will be broadcast on KFAN and the iHeart app. The regular season opener is May 16 in Dallas against Paige Bueckers and the Wings. The home opener is five nights later vs. the Wings. Martin was the Lynx play-by-play voice for much of the 2010s and will be doing her seventh season on radio. She was part of the TV broadcasting team in 2024.
PAIGE BUECKERS 2.0?: Via Cassidy Hettesheimer at Star Tribune. Hill-Murray’s Ashlee Wilson has been offered a basketball scholarship by Iowa, which has also made an offer to her sister Mya, a 10th-grader. Ashlee is playing for All-Iowa Attack, one of the nation’s top AAU teams. VERBATIM: “Though national recruiting services don’t attempt to rank the Class of 2030 yet, Wilson is regarded as a top prospect in Minnesota and nationwide. Wilson averaged 13.8 points per game for the Pioneers last season. She scored a season-high 29 points against Holy Angels in January. Wilson was the second-leading scorer for the Pioneers behind her sophomore sister, Mya, who averaged 24 points per game.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wilson0501
FAVRE SCORCHED IN DOCUMENTARY: Via Jon Blistein at Rolling Stone. Netflix will debut its “Untold” documentary about Brett Favre on May 20. It ranges from Favre’s alleged role in diverting welfare funds in Mississippi to allegations of sexting and leaving inappropriate emails for a New York Jets gameday host when Favre was with the team. It was directed by Rebecca Gitlitz, whose previous work includes films about the 2023 U.S. women’s World Cup soccer team and disgraced former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. VERBATIM: “In a statement, Gitlitz said of the doc: ‘This story about one of the greatest quarterbacks in history goes beyond touchdowns and epic wins and lifts the lid on how, when fame rises, sometimes accountability falls. It was made with the intention of laying out patterns of behaviors, told by the people who lived with the consequences of Favre’s actions, to ask audiences to consider if success should be a shield for harmful behavior.’ “ TRAILER: https://fluence-media.co/favre0501
U BASEBALL STUMBLES: Minnesota’s chance to make the 12-team Big Ten postseason tournament took a hit when the U was swept by USC in last weekend’s three-game series. The Gophers dropped to 14th place with a 7-14 conference record, two games behind four teams that are tied for 10th at 10-12. The Gophers have nine games left, three apiece with Nebraska, Maryland and Michigan State. The once-exceptional program last made the conference field in 2019.
FROM THE PORTAL: Via Ben Kenney at Badgers Wire. Braeden Carrington, the Park Center standout who started his college career at Minnesota and played for Tulsa last season, has moved on to Wisconsin for his final year of eligibility. VERBATIM: “The 6-foot-4 guard projects to fill a major role on the Badgers' bench next season. . . . He and Jack Janicki slot in as the top two bench options, following a projected starting backcourt of Blackwell, Virginia transfer Andrew Rohde and San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd.
QUOTE: Badgers coach Greg Gard on Carrington. VERBATIM: "We've followed his career since he was in high school, where he won a state championship in Minnesota. He knows our program and several of our current and former players very well which made for an easy and comfortable transition for him to come back to the Big Ten.”
THAT ANDREW ROHDE? “Virginia transfer Andrew Rohde” is also “St. Thomas transfer Andrew Rohde.” He started his career with the Tommies and was the Summit League Freshman of the Year in 2022-23 before moving on to Virginia.
NEW MIAC COACH: St. Scholastica has hired Jared Drake, formerly an assistant at Division II Arkansas-Fort Smith, as its new men’s basketball head coach. UAFS went 12-16 last season but upset No. 1-ranked Washburn University. The MIAC has three men’s basketball openings: Bethel, Macalester and St. Mary’s. The Saints went 9-16 last season and are still looking for their first winning record in the MIAC, which they joined in 2021.
AND FINALLY: Via Lou Raguse at KARE11 and Jessica Armbruster at The Racket. A family moved into a house in St. Louis Park and took issue with the basketball hoop next door, which was used by the 9- and 12-year-old sons of Lilly and Ross Moeding. After the basket was moved by less than a foot, in order to comply with city zoning requirements, neighbor Julia Ramos still sought a restraining order to keep the boys from playing in their driveway. After it was dismissed, Ramos filed a civil suit against the Moedings and the city.
PLAINTIFF’S VIEW: A few months ago, Ramos told the St. Louis Park city council: “My kitchen window is right there. I have to watch them. I don’t want to have to watch them.” VERBATIM via the Racket: “Children regularly overshoot basketball hoops due to biomechanical inefficiency, excessive force application, and unpredictable shot trajectories,” the suit alleges, deploying surplus language to describe kids sucking at basketball. “Missed shots by children, particularly ‘air balls,’ often travel significantly beyond five feet from the hoop, especially those with flatter trajectories or excessive force.” GOFUNDME: The Moedings have set up a GoFundMe page to help pay their legal expenses. It had raised almost $19,000 as of Thursday morning. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/airball0501
MY TAKE: Why should children get exercise outdoors when they can be indoors playing video games all day, right? ; )
THAT’S ALL. Thanks for reading. It was great meeting some of you at The Daily Agenda’s 15th anniversary party this week. You shared some good suggestions and I appreciate your support of my work. Back with more next week.
(A previous version of this Sports Take had an incorrect date for the Loons vs. Inter-Miami match.)
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