‘Keep after it, and maybe the tide turns’ is how Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves felt after this victory.

In recent days, there has been analysis of Karl-Anthony Towns’ play, his future with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and his role in this team’s transformation from NBA champions to Western Conference finalists.

The focus was primarily on the ridiculous fouls, the shooting, and the horrifying percentages. Those who have always been captivated by his skill but dissatisfied by the lack of results his talent seems to demand were suddenly dissecting the player he has been for nine years.

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Towns needed this more than anybody else on the team, perhaps more than Rudy Gobert, the team’s constant whipping child. not just to perform but also to influence the outcome of winning. In a sweep, valor would only go you so far.

Then, during a 15-minute stretch in which he was one foul from being disqualified and his team was one defeat from losing, he dug deep and traveled to a location—a zip code—that he had not been to since turning pro.

In his own words, Anthony Edwards said, “He was the reason we won tonight.”

In the conference final, Minnesota emerged victorious with a 105-100 victory, forcing the series to return to Minneapolis for Game 5 on Thursday night. Towns had finally found his shooting range at a crucial moment for the Timberwolves, scoring 25 points and grabbing five rebounds.

His three fourth-quarter three-pointers came in a three-minute stretch; the first gave the Timberwolves a 92-90 lead, and the last gave his side a six-point lead with 2:54 remaining.

“He exuded confidence,” according to Edwards. “He didn’t give a damn about shots he didn’t hit tonight. He was an incredibly talented player.”

In this series, the Timberwolves had a terrible habit of losing in the fourth quarter, and it was easy to argue that Towns was mostly to blame for their difficulties. The Dallas Mavericks decided that Edwards would not defeat them, and for the first three games, he was unable to do it.

Towns needs to be a prolific scorer given the way this squad is set up. He saw hands, feet, and eyes in his path. For the first time in more than a week, Dallas’ well-thought-out wager paid off, as the Timberwolves looked like the composed team that was first predicted.

Eight days are not too long to happen. Towns went from suppressing skeptics to seeing them all reappear in full force, with far greater stakes. Instead of putting up flashy but ultimately meaningless stats, Towns was preventing his team from taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

It was about Towns’ suitability for this team going ahead, particularly after his coach, Chris Finch, described his performance in Game 3 as “hard to watch” despite the fact that Towns only shot 5 for 18.

He has contributed significantly to every series up until this point, so Finch stated, “We knew we had to get him into this series.” “That was a really good step tonight.

“KAT is a fantastic player. His hardships would not persist indefinitely. We left him out there even though he got into serious foul trouble. left him in motion. played shrewdly and responsibly. quite pleased with him.

However, if there has been a recurring theme in these playoffs, particularly in the past two years, it has been players overcoming disappointment, questioning the NBA community’s collective confirmation bias of initial views, and creating new narratives.

as the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokić did the previous season. similar to this year’s duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić. similar to the eastern Boston Celtics.

Towns and the Timberwolves may have left it too late this season because the hole they’ve dug is probably too deep to climb out of, but they are too young to think differently. This team isn’t quite youthful; there are seasoned players who understand the importance of winning and who may influence it but not propel it.

When he hasn’t been able to make shots, veteran point guard Mike Conley (14 points, 7 assists) has been talking about Towns, according to Yahoo Sports. It’s amazing that he was able to ignore everything and concentrate on winning. It stings to see a guy put in so much effort and then not be recognized for it after three games. But if you persevere, perhaps things will change.

The Timberwolves knew they would have a party on their own court when they entered American Airlines Center; all they had to do was cooperate, give in, say “good job, good effort,” and slip into the offseason.

However, these guys are incredibly obstinate, blind to even the most evident statistics, and arrogant enough to think they’ll return for both a Game 6 and a Game 7.

“Now is not the time to be doubtful,” stated Towns. “I intend to venture out and exhibit aggression. Take my shot. Like I’ve been shooting every series, I’m confident with every photo.”

Towns fouled out with his team up by eight, since this series obviously requires more tension in a shorter amount of time. That merely made room for Edwards, who appears to be gradually finding his way into Dallas’ defense to make an impact.

Edwards found more space, especially with Mavericks center Dereck Lively II sidelined with a neck issue. He relentlessly attacked the rim, frequently going after people without getting credit for them.

With 1:25 remaining, he missed an elbow jumper, but that didn’t stop him from trying again, this time from a greater distance. With 38.8 seconds left, he increased the height on his 20-foot shot, giving the Timberwolves a 102-97 advantage.

Towns laughed and said, “I was on the bench, I had a front row seat to watch it, yeah.” In a sense, I’m seeing Ant when I visualize it. He arrived just where he desired to be.”

Edwards finished with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, flirting once more with a triple-double. More significantly, though, this energetic group has cause to believe that they are maturing despite their setbacks and the inevitable elimination that history predicts.

Edwards, grinning confidently, suggested to his teammates in the dressing room, “We might as well shake it up.”

Perhaps an aberration this series, they held the formidable combination of Dončić and Irving to performances that were below average. Dončić was amazing, but his magic was limited to brief intervals as opposed to his complete command of the game in the first three matches.

Dončić finished with 28 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, but the Timberwolves held him and Irving to 33 percent shooting to prevent them from using the entire court as their playground.

That seems like a formula that can be used for at least one more game. Can they, however, mature even further in the course of two days, then two more, then two more?

Can we or can’t we isn’t the question, Conley said to Yahoo Sports. “We must.”