The Wolves tried. They tried so hard. They did everything just perfectly to turn a 21 point lead with six minutes remaining into a game in which they needed every single one of Kevin Martin's six made free throws in the final 16 seconds. They made an effort to turn a certain win into the kind of loss that would have killed the season for good.
But they couldn't quite do it. They had just enough left in the tank to finish off the Nuggets 132-128 last night, even as they dangled precariously in a position where one missed free throw in the end would have given Denver a real chance to tie.
As such: a win is a win is a win.
More so, it was the team's sixth win in seventh games, it completed a 4-1 road trip and ... we know ,we know, why do we do this, but ... look out: this season isn't over yet.
The Wolves have five of the next six at home, and all six of the games are winnable. If they can put together a 5-1 stretch, which really isn't unreasonable, they would be 35-30 going into a game at Dallas in two weeks.
Golden State, Phoenix and Dallas are all within shouting distance. The Wolves still have to move past Memphis as well, but if Minnesota stays hot and two of those four teams falter, this thing is not over. Not by a long shot.
So check those smoke detector batteries. We're feeling optimistic again.
