No more excuses. Timberwolves simply must find a way to win

Rudy Gobert said he shouldn’t have suited up Sunday against New Orleans due to the back spasms that limited his mobility.

“I tried to be a superhero, but I couldn’t move,” the center said. “If I’m out there and I can’t move, I can’t be myself.”

Gobert admitted he likely wouldn’t have played Tuesday against the Lakers because of the back, which took quite a bit of the bite out of the one-game “team suspension,” and also put some doubt into the center’s status for Friday.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said Gobert still looks “a little tight, a little bound up,” but he did participate in Thursday’s practice.

“He got, today, a good chance to get out there with the guys and then (Friday) too, so we’ll see,” Finch said. “We’ll keep working on it.”

Finch hopes Gobert can play, but wouldn’t commit to as much Thursday. If there was a game Thursday night, Gobert said he would’ve tested the back out pregame to see if he could go.

“I can’t move like I would like to be moving,” Gobert said. “But every day has been better. Hopefully (Friday) is better.”

Minnesota could certainly use Gobert’s presence Friday, especially against an athletic Oklahoma City team with a number of ball handlers capable of attacking the rack. Size would be Minnesota’s No. 1 advantage against the Thunder. In its lone loss to Oklahoma City this season — all of the matchups came in the first half of the season — Gobert was ejected in the first quarter.

“Obviously with Rudy on the floor it’s all about protecting the rim, protecting the paint,” Finch said. “That’s going to be important (Friday).”

But if Gobert plays, then he needs to have an impact. There can be no slow trotting or missed assignments. Not in a single-elimination, do-or-die contest. The time for excuses is long gone.

Anthony Edwards understands that. He was reportedly well iced and wrapped up after Minnesota’s loss to the Lakers. The guard suffered a shoulder injury during the game that caused him visible discomfort. He admitted that was bothering him “a little bit,” but gave far more credit for his struggles in that contest to Los Angeles’ defensive scheme that greatly mitigated his impact.

“I got to play better,” Edwards said. “I don’t make excuses. Just an off night.”

That needs to be the mentality carried forward by this team for whatever remains of its postseason — be it one game or multiple series.

Finch noted the late-game offensive stagnancy was at least somewhat a product of fatigue. But Minnesota didn’t have a single player log more minutes than LeBron James. The Wolves’ starters were on pace to play workloads in the high-30s for minutes until the contest went to overtime. That’s standard operating procedure in the postseason.

Oklahoma City had three guys play north of 40 minutes in its play-in victory over New Orleans — a contest that did not go to overtime.

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“I don’t think it’s a case of overall team fitness. I still do believe KAT’s not at 100 percent there, although he looks better and better every day,” Finch said. “Three games in four nights. From Thursday to Monday we went New York (to) Texas (to) Minnesota (to) LA. We’re not complaining but all these things add up. Long shifts, physical game, very physical game with LeBron and AD out there. All those things took a piece out of us.”

Well, Minnesota’s game Friday comes off the heels of two days of rest. Down at least two rotational pieces, Minnesota’s prominent players should be ready to nearly go the distance, if that’s what’s required to extend the team’s season. And if Gobert plays, he should be determined to make a positive impact.

Sure, quite a bit has worked against the Timberwolves this season. But none of that matters at the moment.[related_articles

Because if Friday doesn’t go as the Timberwolves hope, no one will remember the laundry list of excuses the team could provide. They will simply remember this season as a failure.

“Come out and give it everything you got. I can’t control if shots go in. I can’t control if I have a great night, but I can control if I can play defense. Get rebounds. Make the right rotations,” Edwards said. “Just give effort, and I think that’s the main thing.”