‘We didn’t built habits’: Timberwolves weren’t disciplined enough for championship contention

A year ago, at the conclusion of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, Wolves guard Anthony Edwards marveled at the connectivity of Oklahoma City’s defense, noting it was five guys playing “on a string.”

A year later, Minnesota was done in by a very similar level of execution on that end, performed by a different opponent. San Antonio – a team flush with guys in their early 20s – was ultra sharp with its rotations and gameplan discipline.

It’s no mistake the Spurs and Thunder will now square off in the West Finals, which start Sunday in Oklahoma. They’re playing the sport at the highest possible level at the moment. Not only due to their talent, but the way the talent works consistently works together to achieve a team result, even under duress.

Which begs the question: Why isn’t that the Wolves? Minnesota may not have a perfectly blended roster, but it has oodles of playoff experience and a deep, fairly talented roster led by a top 10 player in the world in Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was asked how Minnesota can evolve into that team that’s playing “on a string.”

“We’ve just got to listen to the coaches,” he said. “We had a hard time with like processing stuff and going out there and doing it, trying to do stuff on our own. I think that’s our problem.”

The issue is the Wolves are always trying to process on the fly come the playoffs. The Spurs and Thunder are hardwired to execute by now, thanks to the coding inputted during the regular season. Minnesota? Not so much.

“I feel like you’re supposed to build championship habits in the regular season,” Edwards said. “We didn’t build habits during the regular season.”

Much to the chagrin of Wolves coach Chris Finch and veterans such as Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert. Throughout the 82-game slate, they all lamented the team’s inconsistent performance. But Finch was routinely told by his players not to worry. Players commented multiple times that they were simply “bored” with the regular season and that, when playoff time arrived, they’d turn the dial.

But it doesn’t work that way. Maybe it can suffice for a round or two, as it did against a Denver squad Minnesota physically dominated. But the Spurs were a physical match. Which meant the series would be determined by the details. San Antonio dominated those. The Spurs executed their defensive gameplan. They gang rebounded. They ran in transition with relentless aggression.

Every advantage they possessed, they picked at again and again.

Minnesota simply cannot do that. It’s a matter of discipline, one that’s done the Wolves in twice in as many seasons. Attention to detail, not getting bored with success, these are attributes of champions, but none ones the Wolves display on a regular basis.

“I think that’s on us, it’s on me. We’ve got to meet these standards better. I think it all comes down to discipline right now,” Finch said. “Whether you’re undermanned or have matchup issues or whatever it might be in the playoffs, the discipline to execute what you need to do is way more important in the playoffs. At times, our discipline came and went. It was the same thing against Oklahoma City.