After Minnesota shredded the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of their first-round NBA playoff series on Tuesday, Suns players and coach Frank Vogel made comments that would sound alarms for any willing ear.

They were no surprise for anyone who had watched the game, because the Suns’ collective composure visibly unraveled in the second half. As the turnovers and missed defensive assignments piled up, players were bickering with officials and throwing their arms up in conspicuous exasperation.

“My frustration is just within the team. We need to execute,” Phoenix guard Devin Booker said. “We play well when we’re playing, and then we need to stick together once things turn bad. We’ve done that throughout the season. (It’s) something that has to be corrected.”

It feels a little late for that. As then-Timberwolves guard D’Angelo Russell said during the Timberwolves’ first-round series loss to Memphis in 2022: “We’re in the playoffs now. Nobody is going to change. You pretty much are who you are.”

The Timberwolves hold a 2-0 lead on the Suns in their best-of-seven series that resumes Friday night in Phoenix. Tip off is set for 9:30 p.m. Central Time.

Epiphanies generally aren’t made in the postseason; that’s what an 82-game regular season is for. The postseason tends to reveal who you are — which isn’t exactly a mystery to those who have followed your journey for the previous seven months leading up to this point. In the regular season, you establish an identity the team can lean on when times get tough in the playoffs.

For instance, it was no surprise when rebounding and late-game offense sank Minnesota against Memphis in 2022. A year ago, Minnesota was essentially a shape-shifter, changing identity depending on who was available on a nightly basis. The Wolves flexed that muscle against Denver as bodies continued to drop but ultimately were unable to do anything more than test the eventual NBA champion.

You can’t win a title if you don’t really know who you are as a team, and with a bevy of roster changes a year ago — highlighted by the major offseason acquisition of Rudy Gobert — it seemed to take Minnesota a full season to figure out which direction it would consistently lean.

The Wolves needed something to hang their hat on, and they knew it.

“When we sat down in training camp and said, ‘What team do we want to be?’ We said we wanted to be a defensive-minded team and be the best in the league,” Gobert said. “We can be unique, but it comes with a price. It comes with doing the dirty work, it comes with doing the things you don’t see on the stats sheet and doing it consistently. I really felt like from Day 1 of training camp, everyone really bought in to be that team.”

That’s never really wavered. Minnesota — which won 56 regular-season games this season, second-most in franchise history — was the No. 1 defense in the NBA by a comfortable margin. Now in the playoffs, that defense is winning the team games with relative ease. When the offense struggles, the defense keeps the ship afloat. It’s why Phoenix has never felt in control for any stretch of either of the first two games.

The Wolves are playing their game. They are who they want to be.

“We’ve been a defensive team all season,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said.

And Phoenix has been an inconsistent team all season, with a series of stops, starts and spurts of good play but no consistency. That’s been on full display over the past three weeks, with the Suns shelling Minnesota twice in the regular season only to look powerless in the first two matchups of this series.

When times get tough, as they are right now for the Suns, what can they rely upon? Devin Booker is the only member of Phoenix’s current rotation who was even on the team 15 months ago.

In many ways, Phoenix is in a similar spot Minnesota was this time a year ago, searching for solutions that aren’t quite yet apparent.

“We’re all trying to fight out there, and so far this series, once it has turned to (bad), we’ve kind of separated instead of being together, and that’s everybody — top to bottom,” Booker said. “We’ve got to figure it out.”

In the NBA, the playoffs are the test, and there is no cheat sheet allowed. By now, you either know the answers or you don’t.

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Como Friends, the non-profit partner of Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, recently announced it reached a milestone of $50 million in donation that have been invested in the zoo’s campus.

The sum is a cumulation of support that has increased every year since the group was founded in 2000, officials say. The first year saw $309,000 raised, with $2 million in the most recent one.

The funds are used to improve visitor amenities, update animal habitats and gardens, expand education programs and preserve free access to the zoo and conservatory. Como Friends’ goal is to inspire community generosity in order to ensure that Como Zoo thrives for generations to come.

“The significance of this is that over 24 years, this wonderful community that we live in has come together to generously support Como Parks and Conservatory through philanthropy,” said Jackie Sticha, Como Friends president.

Because of this support, including individuals, corporations, foundations and proceeds from the gift shop, Como park is one of the last free metro zoos and botanical gardens in the U.S., with around 1.8 million visitors annually. Donations have allowed the visitor center to open in 2005, updates to the animal habitats such as Como Harbor and Polar Bear Odyssey and new gardens at the Conservatory.

Additionally, Como has launched the Conservation Champions program to provide staff with conservation fieldwork around the world and implement initiatives at Como Park.

The zoo reports generating more than $200 million in economic impact on the region, and providing more than 2,000 jobs.

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Katie Kelton | Bankrate.com (TNS)

Perhaps your summers hold fond memories of strolling along the beach, hiking mountains or trying new foods at a destination hundreds of miles from home. If so, are you planning to keep the travel streak going this year? Would you go into debt for it?

A new Bankrate survey found that only about half (53%) of Americans are planning a summer vacation in 2024. Of those who plan to travel this summer, more than 1 in 3 (36%) are willing to go into debt to pay for it.

On the other hand, another half (47%) of Americans plan to skip their summer vacation this year, citing affordability as the main issue (65%).

Some summer travelers plan to take on debt for their vacation

More than one-third (36%) of aspiring summer vacationers said in the survey that they plan to use debt to pay for their travels.

This is par for the course when compared to another March 2024 Bankrate survey that asked Americans whether they’d go into debt to pay for fun this year. In that survey, 27% said they’d be willing to go into debt to travel, 14% to dine out and 13% to attend a live entertainment event this year overall — not just in the summer.

Ted Rossman, Bankrate Senior Industry Analyst, cautions against racking up expensive credit card debt.

“I don’t want to tell people they can’t have any fun, but I do worry about taking on debt for discretionary purchases such as vacations, especially with credit card balances and rates at record highs,” he says.

A majority of summer travelers will pay with a credit card

Credit cards are summer travelers’ preferred payment method — 62% will use a credit card for at least some of their trip expenses. Forty-three percent of summer travelers plan to use a credit card that they pay in full, and 26% plan to use a card and carry the balance over multiple billing cycles. Some people are doing both.

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Interestingly, a January 2024 Bankrate survey found that, of the 44% of credit cardholders carrying debt from month to month, 2 in 3 cardholders try to maximize rewards. If you can pay your balance in full, a travel credit card is a great way to earn while you spend and put rewards toward future trips.

Using travel credit cards can also help you to reap additional travel benefits like no foreign transaction fees or trip cancellation insurance. However, even with these rewards, it’s still worth considering the cost of carrying a balance to pay for travel.

“While the travel industry has rebounded from the chaos that immediately followed the pandemic, I’m sure there will still be plenty of delays and cancellations this summer,” Rossman says.

“It’s a good idea to pay with a credit card that offers generous travel insurance benefits such as trip cancellation and interruption insurance and stipends if your flight is delayed or your luggage is lost. Rental car insurance is another helpful benefit included on many cards.”

Domestic summer travel is the most popular option

Vacations are an important part of many people’s lives, whether at all-inclusive resorts or national parks. According to the survey, 53% of U.S. adults are planning a summer vacation this year.

Thirty-six percent of Americans plan to travel domestically, 15% plan to travel internationally and 12% plan to take a staycation (respondents could choose more than one option). Another 18% don’t know or are not sure of their plans yet.

Over four in 10 (43%) of the staycationers are also planning a domestic or international trip, so roughly 7% of U.S. adults will make a staycation their only summer vacation. If you’re facing cost concerns, making the most of local experiences may be easier on your wallet.

Younger Americans are more likely to get away — and use debt to pay for it

When school’s out for summer, students, young parents and other young people might be more likely to jet out of town than older generations.

Sixty percent of Gen Zers (ages 18-27) and 61% of millennials (ages 28-43) are planning summer vacations, versus 50% of Gen Xers (ages 44-59) and 44% of boomers (ages 60-78).

Young people are also more willing to take on debt to pay for their 2024 summer vacation:

—Gen Z: 42%

—Millennials: 47%

—Gen X: 31%

—Boomers: 22%

Higher earners and city dwellers are most likely to jet set this summer

When you scroll on social media this summer, you might notice two types of friends filling your feed with travel photos — those who earn more money and those who live in cities.

Nearly 3 in 4 (74%) of survey respondents with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more are planning a summer vacation. That’s considerably more than the 68% earning between $80,000 and $99,999, 61% earning between $50,000 and $79,999 and just 39% earning under $50,000 who are planning a summer vacation.

As for where these summer travelers live:

—61% of people who live in a city are planning a summer vacation

—50% of those who live in a suburb

—48% of those who live in a town

—44% of those who live in a rural area

Nearly three in 10 (28%) U.S. adults are skipping a summer vacation due to affordability

The top explanation among those who are not planning summer vacations, by a wide margin, is that they can’t afford it (65%).

Even though inflation seems to be cooling off, the Fed still hasn’t lowered rates. Thus, credit card rates are still high, and Americans continue to feel the pain of higher prices on everyday spending.

A new credit card might help you fight inflation. But many Americans appear to be feeling wary of whether they can afford luxuries like a summer trip.

Among those not planning summer vacations, Gen Xers were most likely to say they can’t afford it (67%), followed by millennials (62%), boomers (61%) and Gen Zers (53%).

In 2023, 58% of Americans also said they couldn’t afford it. Other reasons for not planning a summer vacation include:

—24% are not interested in taking any vacations currently (versus 23% in 2023)

—13% said their health or age (versus 15% in 2023)

—11% said it’s too much of a hassle

—10% can’t take time off work (versus 11% in 2023)

—10% said too many family obligations (versus 13% in 2023)

—4% are planning a vacation for another time (versus 11% in 2023)

—1% said their desired destination is too crowded (versus 23% in 2023)

—9% said it was another reason (versus 7% in 2023)

Rossman advises “taking advantage of any credit card rewards, airline miles and hotel points you’ve socked away.”

“Maybe even sign up for a new credit card with a generous sign-up bonus that you can put toward your getaway,” he says. “Finally, if going somewhere isn’t feasible this year, at least take some time off to relax and recharge close to home.”

3 types of debt that can be less expensive than credit card debt

If you’re planning to take on debt to pay for a summer vacation, putting it on your credit card might be an expensive decision. That’s because credit card interest rates are high — currently averaging almost 21%. For every day that you carry a balance, you’ll pay interest on those vacation expenses (and you’ll also pay interest on your interest).

A word of caution that it’s not the best idea to spend beyond your means for a vacation. You could avoid going into debt for a big trip by doing things like saving, travel hacking with credit card rewards and looking for deals.

If you still want to borrow money, here are three forms of debt that might be less costly than credit card debt:

—Personal loan. The best personal loans can come with lower interest rates than credit cards. If you need a large chunk of change to pay for travel expenses up front, you could apply for a personal loan. Having good credit may increase your chances of being approved and getting a lower rate. Just keep in mind that you’ll still be paying interest as you make payments over time.

—Buy now, pay later (BNPL) service. You could use a BNPL app like Affirm, Afterpay, PayPal in 4, Perpay or Sezzle to make interest-free payments over time on large purchases like flights or hotel stays. You’d be joining the 8% of survey respondents planning to use a BPNL service to pay for summer travel.

—Zero-percent intro APR credit card

Applying for a 0% APR credit card could buy you time to make purchases that you pay off later, interest free. Just consider whether you can pay off the balance by the time the introductory period ends — usually within 12 to 21 months. After that, the card’s regular APR will kick in and you’ll start racking up interest. Also remember that applying for a new credit card can temporarily ding your credit.

Methodology

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2360 adults, of whom 1,262 are planning a summer vacation and 1,098 are not. Fieldwork was undertaken between March 19 through 20, 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

(Visit Bankrate online at bankrate.com.)

©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.