Every NBA playoff game is difficult to win, and Mike Conley knows Game 3 in Phoenix will be “especially” difficult for Minnesota.

Because the veteran guard has been in the shoes the Suns stand in right now.

“When you get home, you get back to your routine and there’s a lot of emotion. Their fans are going to be rowdy, it’s going to be a hostile environment,” Conley said. “They’re going to be ready to go.”

No one has ever rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series in NBA history. Phoenix’s season is on the line Friday. The Suns figure to play with a desperation level they’ve not yet exhibited in this series.

How do the Wolves combat it?

“Be the most desperate team. We still haven’t done what we set out to do, which is win the series,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “Everything is there, we know it’s coming. We have to be ready for it. Got to guard against human nature, keep the hunger and the edge and the willingness to prove ourselves.”

Minnesota hasn’t backed down from a fight all season. The best thing you can say about the Timberwolves is they’ve been up for any challenge. And they’re playing well enough at the moment to weather an early Suns storm.

“For us to go in there and try to get Game 3, it’s going to take a lot of the same stuff we’ve done at home, but just notched up a couple levels,” Conley said. “Our emotional capacity has to be at an all-time high where we can not talk to the refs, not talk to the fans, not talk to the other team. Be about ourselves and try to handle our business.”

The earlier Minnesota can handle business, the better its chances. Phoenix-based podcasts and video channels currently show a fan base shrouded in frustration. It’s been an up-and-down season for a Suns team that entered the campaign with high expectations, and the rollercoaster apparently has taken its toll on the fan base.

A strong start from the Wolves could very well not only silence the Phoenix fans on Friday, but potentially cause them to air their grievances with the home squad. The Suns will surely do everything in their power to prevent that.

“I expected their best shot the first two games. It’s the playoffs. Teams are going to come out with their best hand and put their best foot forward as well and try to make things happen,” Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “It’s about us staying together. In the playoffs it’s about team basketball and who is going to be the better team and play together, have guys that step up and be ready to come out and play.”

That’s what Minnesota did in the first two games of this series, and it resulted in a pair of convincing victories. But Conley noted the Wolves can’t simply expect history to repeat itself in Game 3.

“We’ve got to go in there knowing that they’re going to put up a fight and give everything they’ve got to try to get this series back in a manageable area,” Conley said. “So, we’re going to try to do what we do.”

Allen questionable

Phoenix sharpshooter Grayson Allen is questionable for Friday’s bout after re-injuring his sprained right ankle in Minnesota’s victory on Tuesday. Allen told reporters in Phoenix on Thursday that his ankle felt “better than (he) thought” it would after suffering the injury.

“Thought it was going to hurt a lot,” he said. “Feels pretty good.”

Suns coach Frank Vogel said Allen wasn’t able to do much at Thursday’s practice, but Allen noted he did some work on his own ahead of practice. Allen — who shot 46 percent from 3-point range this season — said he was hopeful he’d be able to do more Friday morning after another night’s rest.

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Besieged by creditors, developer Craig Cohen filed for personal bankruptcy protection this month, the latest fallout from the troubled redevelopment of the Schmidt Brewery’s keg house on West Seventh Street into the Keg and Case marketplace. Cohen listed $11.6 million in financial liabilities, most of it in the form of 50 unsecured claims held by vendors, contractors and other “non-priority” lenders, against his $1.5 million in assets.

Among the listed debts is $500,000 owed to the city of St. Paul’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and $1.6 million owed to Rethos, a St. Paul-based nonprofit dedicated to the reuse of historic structures. Also owed is more than $5.5 million to MidWestOne Bank related to the Keg and Case property, and $3 million to JTS Capital related to the neighboring Rathskeller building.

Cohen, who lives in St. Paul, converted the brewery’s 168-year-old keg house into 22,000 square feet of commercial space, which opened to heavy fanfare in September 2018 with upwards of two-dozen retailers and food vendors.

Following $10 million in improvements, Five Watt Coffee, the fine-dining establishment In Bloom, the southern-themed Revival restaurant, Sweet Science ice cream and Clutch Brewing became inaugural tenants, alongside a mix of art vendors and specialty booths such as Forest to Fork, which installed a tower of mushrooms stretching more than a story tall.

People sampled the offerings at the then-new Keg and Case indoor market on West Seventh Street on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

On Thursday, the marketplace’s website listed three vendors, the largest of which is Starcade video games. The brewery and other primary tenants had all closed shop or relocated.

Court filings

MidWestBank One took title to the Keg and Case deed last October through a special purpose entity, SKH SPE LLC.

The neighboring Rathskeller building was sold at a sheriff’s sale in May 2023, with a one-year redemption period ending May 13 of this year. The title will officially transfer to JTS Capital, a Texas-based asset acquisition and management company, on that date.

Court filings show that on April 3, a scheduled mediation between JTS Capital, Craig Cohen and his father Jeffrey Cohen — a guarantor on his loan — failed to reach a settlement over the outstanding debt related to the Rathskeller building, which houses the ROK music lounge, a bread bakery, a basement event hall and the offices of the West Seventh/Fort Road Federation. Craig Cohen, who is named as a defendant on the outstanding loans, did not make an appearance, and JTS then filed a legal motion for default judgment.

On April 19, Cohen responded by filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which could protect some of his assets as JTS and a bevy of other creditors seek their liquidation.

An attorney representing both JTS and MidWestBank One declined public comment on Thursday, and an attorney representing Cohen in the bankruptcy filing also declined public comment. Sources close to the transactions said it was unlikely that either company would hold onto the properties for long before another sale.

Challenges from pandemic, changing economy

Cohen could not be reached directly for comment on Thursday, but he released a written statement saying he had tried his best to bring some commercial energy to a long-vacant historic property.

“I deeply care about the community and fully committed myself to bringing the Keg and Case House to life as a place for people to gather,” said Cohen in the statement, which was forwarded by a spokesman. “While I still believe in the vision for the market, the challenges we encountered from the pandemic to a changing economy were too significant to overcome. As a result, I have had to make this important and significant decision. After years of looking at every other option, I have exhausted myself both financially and emotionally it’s time for my family to move on to a new chapter of our lives.”

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Fans stalked the staircase, peering down onto the stage for Naz Reid’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year acceptance press conference Thursday morning in Minneapolis. Reid always dreamed of having such a relationship with a fan base, particularly at this level.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 14: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns draws a foul against Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter at Target Center on April 14, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Timberwolves fans adore Reid, partially because they’ve had a front-row seat to his evolution into major piece in a playoff year that continues with Game 3 of their first-round series against the Suns in Phoenix. The Timberwolves lead the best-of-seven series 2-0.

“I changed my body, changed my mentality, changed the direction I wanted to go in life,” Reid said Wednesday on TNT’s NBA playoffs pregame show.

Reid and his family struggled financially growing up. He wanted something more in his life. But that was far from a given, particularly as Reid went undrafted out of LSU in 2019. He didn’t even watch the draft that night. Minnesota called him shortly after the show, and he committed to sign with the Timberwolves.

Still, it was a humbling experience.

“I just had to dial in at that point, I went to summer league with the right mindset,” Reid said. “I think I went into summer league with a killer’s mentality. I just wanted to show everybody that I belong.”

That’s all he has done since. Reid said he entered the NBA at around 285 pounds — more offensive tackle than basketball player. It reeked of bad habits, and habits often don’t change. But Reid went in knowing “I was going to change something.”

In reality, he changed everything. An outsider on draft night could easily have perceived Reid as lazy. Speaking at Thursday’s press conference, Wolves basketball boss Tim Connelly said the opposite.

“No one’s more deserving, nobody works harder than Naz, nobody brings the energy you bring — it’s consistent, and it’s a huge commitment to us,” Connelly said.

Head coach Chris Finch said Reid’s honor is “a reflection of the work” he has put in. Reid is viewed as perhaps Minnesota’s greatest player development success story. Every single season he has made major strides in various parts of his game.

He went from overweight to a lean, athletic build. Because of that, he can defend just about any position on the floor. But even as he has lost girth, he has become a better rounder. He’s an elite knockdown shooter and an excellent quick-decision maker who keeps Minnesota’s offense moving.

Coaches always plan for the development of young players, but the rate of Reid’s ascension has surprised Finch on many occasions.

“I remember having conversations with him to try and stay patient, that he was backing up an All-NBA center (in Karl-Anthony Towns) and that might cap his opportunities at 14 to 16 minutes a night,” Finch said. “But he kept just pushing the envelope to play, play more, find more ways to play him.

“When Tim came into the organization, he kind of circled Naz as the guy (whose role) we can grow. Since that moment in time, he took off. We’ve had to find opportunities (for him).”

Those opportunities seemed destined to dwindle with the acquisition of Rudy Gobert in 2022. Suddenly, Minnesota had two All-NBA centers, and Reid was out of the rotation to start the 2022-23 campaign. But he didn’t sulk or complain. He kept working.

“I’ve been through so much things growing up, so many moments that I’ve been able to dig myself out of, kind of grow as a person, as a basketball player and as an individual,” Reid said. “I think those tough moments you see what kind of person you are. For me, I’m going to keep showing that I belong. And I think that’s what I did.”

Every time he got a shot to play — from the preseason to early-season garbage time opportunities that fall — Reid shined. Eventually, it was clear he had to play. The Timberwolves were better when he was on the floor.

While Sixth Man of the Year is often an offensive award for reserves, Reid has developed into the total package. And yet the 24-year-old’s growth still appears to be in the infant stages.

“Who knows what’s next?” Finch said.

It’s difficult to put a ceiling on someone with Reid’s skill and drive. No one is quite sure where he’s going, but Reid knows exactly where he came from, and he was determined not to stay there.

“How hard are you willing to fight? How hard are you willing to dedicate yourself to your dream?” Reid said. “I just wouldn’t accept or allow myself to slide any way, shape or form.”

That relentless pursuit led him to Wednesday evening’s announcement, which he celebrated with family and friends who know just how far he has come. The journey made the destination — perhaps only a pit stop – all the more joyous for people like Reid and his mom.

“We both kind of know what it means to be at the bottom and now at the top. We’re just super excited to be in this position,” he said. “We can’t be more excited than sharing this with everybody else here, as well. We came a long way from where I come from to where I am now.”

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