Copyright Star Tribune
The Wolves capped strong regular seasons with playoff runs to the Western Conference finals in 2024 and last season. Before the 2024 postseason, the Wolves had made the NBA playoffs just 11 times, with 10 of those being one-and-done series losses in the first round. And while Minnesota’s pro sports teams are in a championship drought dating back three-plus decades — on the men’s side, that is — fan playoff disappointment can be soothed a bit by a deep playoff run to at least the semifinals, rare as it is here. The Twins haven’t played in the American League Championship Series since 2002. The Vikings last made it to the NFC title game after the 2017 regular season. The Wild’s only appearance in the NHL Western Conference finals came in 2003. Before the 2023-24 season, the Wolves had but one deep playoff run in their history, a trip to the Western Conference finals more than two decades ago during the Kevin Garnett era. They missed the playoffs in 16 of the next 17 seasons. The Wolves returned to the playoffs after the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons but lost in the first round both years. A 56-win regular season two years ago led to a run to the Western Conference finals for the second time before the team fell to Dallas in five games. As the Wolves get ready to embark on a new season, the team seems set up for sustained success. Anthony Edwards, among the best players in the world, averaged 27.6 points last season. Forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo, acquired before the start of last season, are more familiar with their roles. The lack of sustained deep playoff runs means that the “Big Four” Minnesota men’s teams all have losing playoff records. But thanks to the last two years, the Wolves have vaulted to the top in terms of playoff winning percentage. However, the current men’s pro teams pale in comparison with the success of the Minnesota Lynx and two teams that have long since departed the state: the Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles in 1960, and the North Stars, who left in 1993 to become the Dallas Stars. Playoff success, while elusive for the men’s teams, has not been a problem for Minnesota’s women’s teams. The WNBA’s Lynx, with four titles during a seven-year stretch from 2011 to 2017, are a local dynasty along the lines of the Minneapolis Lakers, who won five Basketball Association of America (BBA) or NBA titles in six seasons in the late 1940s and early 1950s. And the Minnesota Frost, who won the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League title, repeated as PWHL champions this year.
