The Timberwolves made history Sunday, not just in terms of their franchise, but the Minnesota sports scene at large.

By taking out Phoenix in four games, the Wolves became the first Minnesota franchise to sweep a best-of-7 playoff series, which goes to show how rare it is to beat a fellow playoff team in four consecutive bouts. What makes the feat all the more impressive is that Minnesota lost all three contests to Phoenix during the regular season.

The Suns actually entered the first-round series as the betting favorite to advance.

So what changed? What keyed Minnesota’s unparalleled first-round success?

ANT

Should the Nuggets advance past the Lakers, Denver will likely be favored over Minnesota. Part of that is because Denver has home-court advantage. Part of that is because the Nuggets have the respect that comes with being the defending NBA champions.

And part of it is because Denver has the advantage of the best player in the series, and in basketball, Nikola Jokic. But that gap likely isn’t as large as perceived because Anthony Edwards is closing it.

Before they started, Durant likely would have been considered by many the best player in the series with Phoenix. But Edwards thoroughly outplayed him over the course of the series. He’s a high-end on-ball defender with a jumper and an ability to attack the rim that require the eyes of multiple defenders to be glued on him.

And, when a defense commits to him in that way, Edwards evolved to the point where he’ll make the right read to free others. His mere presence put Phoenix at a massive disadvantage from the jump.

“Each year as a young kid, he’s 22 years old, and you see it, every year, things start to slow down,” Wolves assistant coach Micah Nori said. “What I mean by that is they’d put two on him at times. And now, he’s constantly making the right play. And I think as things slow down, he sees where he’s open from.

“I think a lot of it is that experience, but I think the other thing is … that I think the USA Basketball (last summer) was good for him to be around that level of competition all summer and continue to play. At the end of the day, I think it’s his experience, being around Mike, Rudy, Karl, pros and those types of guys have continued to talk to him and help him. He’s making the right play, and he’s got that ‘it’ factor.”

PHYSICALITY

Phoenix possesses as much offensive firepower as any team in the NBA. It has three all-star scorers in Durant, Brad Beal and Devin Booker, a skilled center in Jusuf Nurkic and a few shooters to place around them. Those lineups gave Minnesota fits in the regular season.

But Wolves wing Jaden McDaniels noted Minnesota did two things particularly well on the defensive end in the first-round series.

No. 1: The Wolves stuck to the gameplan. There were a few slippages in Game 4 — Phoenix’s most profitable offensive contest of the series — McDaniels noted. But, by in large, the Wolves were locked in.

No. 2, and perhaps most important: The Wolves ramped up their physicality.

“Like picking up the pressure full court,” McDaniels said. “Always making it hard for them.”

Any team with Rudy Gobert patrolling the paint will tout an inherent baseline of physicality. But Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and McDaniels were super handsy and consistently got into the bodies of the likes of Booker and Beal.

Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns dominated the glass, as Phoenix didn’t have the grit or size to compete for rebounds. Minnesota out-rebounded Phoenix 185-130 over the four games.

That will physically tire just about any player over the course of a game, and series. Eventually, you just run out of the juice required to make a defensive rotation or win a race to a 50-50 ball. McDaniels noted the Suns wearing down in the infant stages of the series.

“I knew, shoot, the first game, to be honest,” McDaniels said. “They was kind of crying about the physicality and stuff.”

And that’s when the Wolves likely had them beat.

“We just was more physical and played harder than them,” McDaniels said. “That’s what they did the first three times we played (in the regular season), and then we just flipped it on them.”

DEPTH

Nickeil Alexander-Walker was massive for Minnesota in Game 1 and Game 3. Mike Conley scored 10 points to keep Minnesota afloat in the second quarter of Game 3.

Jaden McDaniels starred in Game 2. Karl-Anthony Towns was Anthony Edwards’ Robin in Game 4. Rudy Gobert controlled the interior throughout the campaign. Phoenix got 82 points from Durant and Booker in Game 4, while no one else scored in double figures for the Suns.

It’s been a common theme throughout the campaign for Minnesota, and was again prevalent in this series. The Wolves are simply deeper than most foes. Players No. 6-9 in their rotation usually trump whatever the opponent is bringing off the bench. Foul trouble and even injuries don’t have nearly the same impact on Minnesota that those potential hazards have on others.

The Wolves come at you in waves. Phoenix’s army was nearly as large as the one Minnesota trotted out.

“That’s the way our team is built. We’ve got Ant and Kat and these guys that can take us home. We have a very deep roster,” Conley said. “Guys who maybe didn’t play as much this series but can win us games next series. Guys who didn’t play as well right now, Game 1 or 2, but they played well Game 3 or 4. We have a bunch of ways we can win, bunch of different ways to attack you, and that’s been our strength.”

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By JOSEF FEDERMAN and SAMY MAGDY (Associated Press)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli officials appeared increasingly concerned that the International Criminal Court may issue arrest warrants against the country’s leaders, as international pressure mounts over the war in Gaza. Airstrikes overnight into Monday killed 25 people in a southern city, according to hospital records.

The deaths in Rafah included nine women and five children, one of whom was just 5 days old, according to the records and an Associated Press reporter. Israel is planning an invasion of the city — though its closest ally, the United States, and others have repeatedly warned against it, saying an offensive would spell catastrophe for the more than a million Palestinians sheltering there.

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have referred in recent days to an ICC probe launched three years ago into possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian fighters going back to the 2014 Israel-Hamas war. The probe is also looking at Israel’s construction of settlements in occupied territory the Palestinians want for a future state.

There was no comment from the court on Monday, and it has given no indication warrants in the case are imminent.

But Israel’s Foreign Ministry said late Sunday that it had informed Israeli missions of “rumors” that warrants might be issued against senior political and military officials. Foreign Minister Israel Katz said any such warrants would “provide a morale boost” to Hamas and other militant groups. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday that Israel “will never accept any attempt by the ICC to undermine its inherent right of self-defense.”

“The threat to seize the soldiers and officials of the Middle East’s only democracy and the world’s only Jewish state is outrageous. We will not bow to it,” he posted on the social media platform X.

It was not clear what sparked the Israeli concerns. A series of Israeli announcements in recent days about allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza appears to be aimed in part at heading off possible ICC action.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said during a visit to the region in December that the investigation is “moving forward at pace, with rigor, with determination and with an insistence that we act not on emotion but on solid evidence.”

Neither Israel nor the United States accept the ICC’s jurisdiction, but any warrants could put Israeli officials at risk of arrest in other countries. They would also serve as a major rebuke of Israel’s actions at a time when pro-Palestinian protests have spread across U.S. college campuses.

The International Court of Justice, a separate body, is investigating whether Israel has committed acts of genocide in the ongoing war in Gaza, with any ruling expected to take years. Israel has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and accused both international courts of bias.

Israel has instead accused Hamas of genocide over its Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war. Terrorists stormed through army bases and farming communities across southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostages.

In response, Israel launched a massive air, sea and ground offensive that has killed at least 34,488 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally.

Israel blames the high civilian death toll on Hamas because Hamas fights in dense, residential areas. The military says it has killed over 12,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has driven around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine.

Israel has vowed to expand its ground offensive to Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians have sought shelter from fighting elsewhere. Israel says Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold, with thousands of fighters embedded there.

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, which has provided crucial military and political support for the offensive, has urged Israel not to invade Rafah over fears it could cause a humanitarian catastrophe — concerns he reiterated in a phone call with Netanyahu on Sunday.

The Biden administration faces a May 8 deadline to report to Congress on whether Israel is abiding by international law in its use of American military aid, including by allowing the entry of humanitarian assistance.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to visit Israel on his latest trip to the region that began in Saudi Arabia on Monday. He said Israel needs to do more to allow aid to enter Gaza, but that the best way to alleviate the humanitarian crisis is for the two sides to agree to a cease-fire.

The U.S., Egypt and Qatar are pushing Israel and Hamas to accept an agreement they drafted that would free some of the hostages and bring about at least a temporary truce. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 100 hostages and the remains of some 30 others after most of the rest were freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners last year.

Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages without an agreement to end the war. Netanyahu has rejected that demand, saying Israel will continue its offensive until Hamas is destroyed and all the hostages are returned.

At an event in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Blinken called on Hamas to accept what he said was an “extraordinarily generous” offer from Israel. “In this moment, the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and cease-fire is Hamas,” he said.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Michael Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Matthew Lee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed.

By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Makers of medical tests that have long escaped government oversight will have about four years to show that their new offerings deliver accurate results, under a government rule vigorously opposed by the testing industry.

The regulation finalized Monday by the Food and Drug Administration will gradually phase in oversight of new tests developed by laboratories, a multibillion-dollar industry that regulators say poses growing risks to Americans. The goal is to ensure that new tests for cancer, heart disease, COVID-19, genetic conditions and many other illnesses are safe, accurate and reliable.

“The final rule announced today aims to provide crucial oversight of these tests to help ensure that important health care decisions are made based on test results that patients and health care providers can trust,” said FDA commissioner Robert Califf, in a release.

Califf said inaccurate tests can lead to unnecessary treatment or delays in getting proper care.

But in a significant move, the FDA decided that the tens of thousands of tests currently on the market will not have to undergo federal review. The agency said it will essentially grandfather those tests into approval to address concerns that the new rule “could lead to the widespread loss of access to beneficial” tests.

Under the government’s plan, newly developed tests that pose a high risk — such as those for life-threatening diseases — will need to be FDA approved within 3 1/2 years. Lower risks tests will have four years to obtain approval.

The FDA already reviews tests and kits made by medical device manufacturers.

But labs, large hospitals and universities that develop their own in-house tests have been able to market them without each one undergoing agency review. The industry has resisted additional scrutiny for decades, saying it will stifle innovation and drive up costs.

There are an estimated 80,000 medical tests currently available from about 1,200 labs, according to the agency’s estimate. They include tests for complex diseases, as well as simpler conditions like high cholesterol and sexually transmitted infections.

In the 1970s and ’80s, most lab-based tests were “lower risk, small volume” products used mostly for local patients, according to the FDA.

Over time, the tests have grown into a nationwide business, with labs processing thousands of blood, urine and other samples per week from hospitals and clinics. Others advertise directly to consumers — including some claiming to measure the risk of developing ailments like Alzheimer’s and autism.

FDA officials have long voiced concerns about the accuracy of some tests, pointing to patients who have received inaccurate results for heart disease, Lyme disease and other conditions. Inaccurate tests can lead to patients getting an incorrect diagnosis, skipping treatments or receiving unnecessary medication or surgery.

More than a decade ago, the agency drafted tougher guidelines for the industry, but they were never finalized. For years, U.S. labs have successfully lobbied Congress and other federal institutions against tougher regulation.

When FDA released a draft of the new rule last September, a leading industry group argued the agency did not have legal authority to step into the testing market.

The American Clinical Laboratory Association said Monday it “has grave concerns about this rule as a matter of both policy and law. The rule will limit access to scores of critical tests, increase health care costs, and undermine innovation in new diagnostics.”

The group represents large testing chains such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, as well as smaller labs and test makers.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

A more vibrant NYCHA is on the horizon with a newly minted program that will highlight art, heritage and culture at five public housing developments. The selected artists will be paid $70,000 annually, with benefits.

Adi Talwar

The PSS King Towers Senior Center in Harlem, which reopened over the summer at 25 percent capacity.

In the effort first of its kind, the Public Housing Community Fund, a nonprofit organization that works with public housing tenants, is calling for artists to participate in a 20-month program that will brighten NYCHA campuses across the city.

“From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage,” funded by a $3 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, is creating a residency program with space within five public housing developments. The effort is part of the Housing Authority’s “Connected Communities” initiative, which is dedicated to site planning, policy, and joint work with public-private partnerships.

Artists selected for the program will be assigned to beautify one of the five campuses: King Towers in Harlem, Bushwick Houses in Brooklyn, Astoria Houses in Queens, Richmond Terrace in Staten Island and the Bronx River Houses in the Soundview section of the Bronx.

Each development will be given $155,000 for their art project, according to the Public Housing Community Fund. Selected artists will be paid $70,000 annually with benefits—or $105,000 over the 20-month residency period—and additional support to help bring their ideas to life.

Beginning in July, the residency will include a four-month community engagement portion for the chosen artists to build connections with residents through office hours, workshops, and talks, followed by implementation of the project itself, which runs through 2026.

Close to 200 tenants have already weighed in on what they’d like to see from the program through a series of events held this spring. In Bushwick, for instance, residents in a survey said they’d like art programming outside their community center and in areas such as the building lobby, entrance and playgrounds, and to include art that represents different cultures and nationalities. At Manhattan’s King Towers, residents said they would like the works to include historical references to Harlem’s history.

The application for interested artists will be available until May 19. A virtual informational session will take place Tuesday at 6 p.m. for those who want to learn more. The application process is open to all artists who meet the eligibility criteria, but NYCHA residents are strongly encouraged to apply.

“This is a clarion call to all artists passionate about making a difference in our communities—your creativity has the power to inspire and uplift,” said Alex Zablocki, the executive director of the Public Housing Community Fund. “I encourage every interested artist to apply and join us in shaping a legacy of cultural enrichment that echoes throughout our public housing and beyond.”

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Tatyana@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

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