Basketball World Finally Believes in Timberwolves as Legit Title Contenders

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Minnesota Timberwolves, Kendrick Perkins
Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Are you awake? It’s time to stop sleeping on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Friday night’s wire-to-wire beatdown over the Denver Nuggets didn’t just get the Wolves back in first place of the Western Conference, they made a statement to the rest of the basketball world.

Now up to 51-22 on the season after their 111-98 win over the Nuggets, this pack of Timberwolves is proving that they’re one of, if not the best team in the NBA. They’re also one of the best teams in Timberwolves franchise history, chasing after the 58 wins Flip Saunders tallied during the magical 2003-04 season that ended with a Western Conference Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kendrick Perkins Knows Minnesota Timberwolves Are Elite

One person who’s been on the Timberwolves’ train all along is former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who now works for ESPN as an NBA analyst. Perk can frequently be seen tweeting about the Wolves, touting their willingness to defend for all 24 seconds of the shot clock before finishing with his trademark phrase, “Carry the hell on.” It’s become one of the themes of the season, and on Friday night, Perkins was back at it again.

As he’s said in the past, the Timberwolves are “on your ass like back pockets.” Damn. That’s a good one.

We’re certainly not going to argue with the 6-foot-10 former NBA Finals winner. Thankfully, we don’t have to get involved in those squabbles, as others around the basketball community are also heaping praise on Chris Finch’s Timberwolves.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the Timberwolves still have to take care of business in the playoffs. While they have shown more than capable during the regular season, there are bigger challenges ahead, and as the No. 1 seed, they now have a target on their backs. Yet, from everything we’ve seen so far, this group is more than ready for the challenge.

Related: Lore & A-Rod: ‘We’re going to own the Timberwolves, it’s just a matter of time’

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