In some ways, even with just half a season of good work, the Timberwolves have erased the idea that any one game against any single opponent carries particular significance — at least in the regular season.
By that I mean Minnesota has already shown it is good enough to belong firmly in the postseason discussion. By going 25-16 in the first half of the year — a 50-win pace that might be good enough to host a first-round playoff series — the Wolves have arrived. More than just that, doing so with a roster bolstered by veterans like Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson means there is less of a sense of having to prove things than if Minnesota was winning primarily with youth.
All that said, there are still gold standard teams in the NBA. And there is still a sense that for as well as the Wolves have played this season, they don't have a lot of signature wins against top teams. They beat Oklahoma City twice, but the Thunder has taken a while to round into shape. They beat a depleted Spurs team (and also lost to San Antonio once). They lost their only meeting with Boston and their only meeting with Golden State so far.
In the second half of the season, the Wolves have all four games against Houston, two with Golden State, two with Toronto, two with Cleveland, one with Boston and one with San Antonio.
Those are the only six teams in the NBA with a better record than the Wolves right now. Minnesota faced those teams a combined four times in the first half of the year. That number jumps to 12 times in the second half of the season — all of which, in fact, come in a 30-game span between now and March 18.
The first of those, of course, comes Monday night at Target Center against Cleveland and LeBron James. That is a gold standard opponent — second in the NBA behind Golden State, no matter what the records might say.
Oddsmakers say the Wolves are a slight favorite (one point, as of Monday afternoon, after opening with Cleveland as the one-point favorite).
Reality says this: The Wolves as a franchise are 1-20 against LeBron's Cavs and Heat since the start of the 2006-07 season. Their only win during that time was a double-overtime epic at Miami late in the 2013-14 season.
This is a much better Wolves team, of course, than any of those responsible for the 1-20 mark. This is the best Minnesota team since the 2003-04 squad went 2-0 against a rookie LeBron on the way to the Western Conference finals.
The Wolves of course can still (and probably will) make the playoffs even if they falter against the Cavs on Monday. If they want to build momentum toward not just getting there but being a team to be reckoned with once the postseason starts, though, make no mistake: This is a measuring stick kind of game.
It will be fascinating — and fun — to see how this and other meaningful games against top teams play out.
