The Timberwolves’ coaching staff put together clips ahead of Game 6 on Thursday at Target Center.

No, they weren’t cut-ups of the ways in which Denver had gotten the better of Minnesota over the previous contests in the series. Quite the opposite, actually. It was essentially a hype video comprising Minnesota’s greatest hits from the first two games of the series, both Timberwolves victories.

“Just showing that we’re able to compete with these guys. Like, we’ve done it before. Like, we’ve won games,” Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels said. “Just being able to see that and trying to recreate things we seen on the video.

“Like, they showed me and Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) trapping Jamal (Murray). Just us getting out in fastbreaks, playing Timberwolves basketball. It was good video. I think it was a great idea from them.”

The intent was to re-instill Minnesota’s confidence as a team, to remind the Wolves what they can do to any opponent when they’re firing on all cylinders and playing their brand of basketball.

It certainly worked in Game 6, as Minnesota ran the Nuggets out of the gym in a 45-point victory.

“Everybody started to believe after that little edit that they put together,” Wolves guard Anthony Edwards said. “I could tell the energy shifted after that little edit.”

Those two things – belief and energy – have helped push Minnesota to where it is now: 56 wins, the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and now just one win away from the Western Conference Finals, which the Timberwolves likely would be favored to win.

All that stands between the Wolves and a stage the franchise hasn’t reached in two decades is Sunday’s Game 7 in Denver. All that stands between the Wolves and victory on Sunday is the type of effort they brought in Games 1, 2 and 6 — the harassing, relentless approach that doesn’t surrender an inch for free on defense and contests every single rebound.

Minnesota can win with that, as was again evident in Game 6.

After the Wolves fell down 9-2, the team called timeout and Wolves coach Chris Finch and assistant coach Micah Nori informed the team there was no more wiggle room. Either the Wolves would regain their identity, or they would go home.

“We all locked in and we understood the assignment. It just finally clicked. We found that desperation we’ve been looking for and we played like that the rest of the game,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “That defense was something that I think fans of Timberwolves, or fans of the NBA, have seen a lot from us this year.”

Because it’s who they have been for the past seven months, and it should be what they can fall back on in the most pressure-packed moments on Sunday in what’s sure to be a hostile environment.

As Mike Conley noted after Game 6, the Wolves believe that ultimately, they’re the team that won the first two games of this series in Denver in dominant fashion.

Minnesota sounded like a confident crew after Thursday’s thorough beatdown of the defending champs, but they must also check the second box. It’s not a given the Wolves can play “Timberwolves basketball” on Sunday, because Timberwolves basketball is one of the most taxing brands you can play. It’s highly effective, but it is also difficult.

“That takes a lot of mental fortitude, a lot of physicality. It’s not easy to do,” Conley said earlier this series. “What we do out there isn’t easy. We take the hard road, and guys are really buying into that.”

This road — requiring consecutive elimination-game victories over the Nuggets, the second in Denver — is indeed a difficult path.

Towns was asked after Game 6 how much fun Thursday evening was at Target Center.

“It wasn’t fun,” Towns said. “It was not fun.”

Those two and a half hours on Sunday won’t be, either. They’ll be difficult. But if Minnesota can emerge victorious, the feeling after should be awfully satisfying.

“It’s going to take consistency and discipline and execution if we expect to win this best-of-seven series, with Game 7 being next,” Towns said.

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Minnesota had little time to prepare for Game 1 of the first PWHL Final. After beating Toronto, 4-1, on the road Friday night, players woke up Saturday for a news conference and were quickly on their way to Boston.

The puck is set to drop on Game 1 at 4 p.m. at Tsongas Center on Sunday.

“What day of the week is this?” Kendall Coyne Schofield joked during a morning teleconference with reporters.

Maybe she wasn’t joking.

It’s been a frantic week for Minnesota, which rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to beat regular-season champion in five games over 10 days. Boston, meanwhile, has been off since finishing off a three-game sweep of Montreal last Tuesday.

The first winner of the Walter Cup will won’t be one of the top two regular-season teams. Boston and Minnesota finished third and fourth, respectively, because Boston won the season series 3-2. Otherwise, the teams had identical 8-4-3-9 records.

“They’re a fast team and they’re looking to transition the puck, so we have to be ready for that,” Boston coach Courtney Kessel said. “But I think at the end of the day we’re going to play our game to the best of our ability, and that’s what’s going to put us on top.”

In general terms, that means Boston will try to slow Minnesota down with physical play, something Toronto tried to do.

“The physicality, it’s been an adjustment all year for every player in the league,” Minnesota forward Kelly Pannek said. “I think for our group, it’s balancing our speed and getting those bumps first, being ready to take a hit, being ready to make a play through it. I think that’s something we’ve all adjusted to throughout the playoffs, taking that hit to make a play and continue on and battling.

“Boston is physical, but I think we can match that and also bring that pace. That will get us off on the right foot.”

Two-way deal

Boston and Minnesota swapped players, to the ultimate benefit of both teams, on Feb. 11. Boston received veteran forward Susanna Tapani, Minnesota got 2023 Patty Kazmaier winner Sophie Jaques.

Jacques, a defenseman who helped Ohio State win an NCAA championship in 2022, is tied for the postseason scoring lead with three points on three assists — two in Game 5 on Friday. Tapani has two playoff goals for Boston.

“Obviously, Susanna is a great player. We were sad to see her go,” Minnesota blue liner Lee Stecklein said. “But Sophie Jaques, she’s an awesome young player, incredibly talented, and I just think we were looking for that offensive defenseman.”

All of Jaques’ 10 regular-season points this season came after the trade.

“She just has something special — that knack, that gift — and it’s been really fun to see her continue to grow,” Stecklein said. “She made an impact right away.”

Bye bye, Boreen

The Wild will be without forward Abigail Boreen in the final.

The former Gophers star didn’t make herself available for the draft in September so she could finish her pharmacy degree at the U. As a result, she could only sign a pair of 10-day contracts, one for the regular season and one for the playoffs.

The first round exhausted the latter for Boreen, who had an assist and five shots on goal in Minnesota’s three playoff wins.

“Abby played great for us. It was great to get her into the five games.” Minnesota coach Kevin Klee said. “But, you know, we knew that was going to come, and we’ve had other players stepping up all year. … She’s a good player for us, there’s no question. But we have other really good players for us who step up when she’s not in and can fill that role, as well.”
Boreen can make herself eligible for the 2024 draft next month in St. Paul.

PWHL Final

Minnesota and Boston will battle for the Walter Cup in the inaugural PWHL Final this week. Here is the schedule, all times Central Daylight:

Sunday — Minnesota at Boston, 4 p.m.
Tuesday — Minnesota at Boston, 6 p.m.
Friday — Boston at Minnesota, Xcel Energy Center, 6 p.m.
May 26* — Boston at Minnesota, Xcel Energy Center, 5 p.m.
May 29* — Minnesota at Boston, 6 p.m.

*If necessary

The Minnesota Republican Party has endorsed former NBA basketball player and 5th Congressional District candidate Royce White to run against incumbent Amy Klobuchar for U.S. Senate.

Delegates to the state GOP convention in St. Paul on Saturday voted overwhelmingly in favor of White over political newcomer and Navy veteran Joe Fraser. Two-thirds of delegates backed White in the first round of voting.

White, a former athlete and Black Lives Matter activist turned right-wing media darling and Republican candidate, was introduced at the convention with an endorsement video from former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon, whom he called a “dear friend.”

White, who played basketball for the University of Minnesota and Iowa State before being drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 16th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft, was well known for his activism and criticisms of the NBA’s approach to mental health before becoming a populist Republican with ties to the conspiracy right.

White, who unsuccessfully ran in the 2022 Republican primary to challenge Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in 2022, is known for appearing on right-wing and conspiracy theory-promoting online media programs, like Alex Jones’ InfoWars and Steve Bannon’s War Room.

GOP delegates endorsing White is an important step toward gaining the nomination, but it’s not a guarantee. Candidates don’t always honor the state convention’s endorsement, as was the case in 2022 when attorney general candidate Doug Wardlow ran in the primary against GOP-endorsed Jim Schultz. The 2024 primary is Aug. 13

Fraser’s campaign couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Saturday.

The Republican nominee will run against Klobuchar, who was elected in 2006 and comfortably won reelection in 2012 and 2018.

No Minnesota Republican has won statewide office since Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s 2006 reelection.

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