Timberwolves!
We ditched our video streaming services sometime in Indonesia and signed up for NBA league pass at the start of the NBA season. We've been watching excitedly this team all year. Many game days involve us waking up and putting on the game first thing in the morning which was played while we slept. Ari is a full fledge Wolves and Ant fan. See his blog posts on the timberwolves here and here. Katie, whose only previous sports paraphanilia was a shirt with 'I just hope both teams have fun', is truly rooting for them and got a T-wolves shirt for herself in Dubai. Leo is still a Curry and Warriors fan first, but with every preposterous Ant dunk, he's a little more on the bandwagon. Today, I asked him on a scale of 1-10, where does he rate his feelings on the twolves and he replied, "7 or 8". I think part of the reason I've not been homesick much at all this year is because of my connection to this team. I've so thoroughly enjoyed this year, it reminds me of my other championship season as a fan: The '13-'14 Seahawks.
They both had the best defensive teams of the season and by some metrics you could argue historically great. They both put together seasons which made their fanbases more excited then they have been before. They both were franchises which had not won a title and spent decades nearer the bottom of the league than in the playoffs. They both play with a chip on their shoulder mentality and will let you know about it. Anthony Edwards is like a combination of Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch. He has Russell's unflinching belief that he's the best and will win mixed with Marshawn's charm and doggedness which you can't help but love even as he takes out your heart.
Now as the wolves begin the 2nd round series against the Nuggets tonight, I can't help but think of the parallels to the Hawks road that year as they played against the 49ers in which turned into one of the greatest games ever played and then steamrolled the Broncos in the Super Bowl. So, I expect nothing less than an epic 7 game series the Wolves will pull out with a Jaden McDaniels game-winning block to then bully through the next 2 rounds for their first championship.
