
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report 'serious' abuse at Celtic Park
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report serious abuse at Celtic Park

The Timberwolves fell short in their playoff run due to a lack of discipline and execution, similar to their previous loss. Despite having talent and experience, they failed to match the cohesive teamwork displayed by the Spurs and Thunder.
A year ago, at the conclusion of the 2025 Western Conference Finals, Wolves guard Anthony Edwards marveled at the connectivity of Oklahoma Cityâs defense, noting it was five guys playing âon a string.â
A year later, Minnesota was done in by a very similar level of execution on that end, performed by a different opponent. San Antonio â a team flush with guys in their early 20s â was ultra sharp with its rotations and gameplan discipline.
Itâs no mistake the Spurs and Thunder will now square off in the West Finals, which start Sunday in Oklahoma. Theyâre 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 isnât 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 thatâs playing âon a string.â
âWeâve just got to listen to the coaches,â he said. âWe had a hard time with like processing stuff and going out there and doing it, trying to do stuff on our own. I think thatâs our problem.â
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.
âI feel like youâre supposed to build championship habits in the regular season,â Edwards said. âWe didnât build habits during the regular season.â
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 teamâs inconsistent performance. But Finch was routinely told by his players not to worry. Players commented multiple times that they were simply âboredâ with the regular season and that, when playoff time arrived, theyâd turn the dial.
But it doesnât 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. Itâs a matter of discipline, one thatâs 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.
âI think thatâs on us, itâs on me. Weâve got to meet these standards better. I think it all comes down to discipline right now,â Finch said. âWhether youâre 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.
The Timberwolves lost due to a lack of discipline and execution, failing to match the sharp rotations and gameplan of their opponents.
Anthony Edwards emphasized the need for the Timberwolves to evolve and play more cohesively, similar to how other successful teams operate.
The Timberwolves faced the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs, who are now advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
While the Timberwolves have a talented roster and playoff experience, they struggled with team execution compared to the Spurs and Thunder.

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âWe feel pretty comfortable, we know where weâre going to get our shots. We just have to be more disciplined to keep making the plays that are going to lead to getting those shots. Thatâs something that we donât consistently do. This series was not too different. I thought, as the series was unfolding, if we go down, weâre going to go down for the same reasons we did a year ago.â
It has to be corrected moving forward. Gobert said the Wolves are talented and resilient. But they need to determine their foundation and build it over the course of six-plus months if itâs going to hold up under the high-pressure postseason environment.
âThatâs something that Iâve felt very strongly about in my time with any team that Iâve been around is the habits that weâve built throughout a season, they matter so much,â Conley said. âI think that for guys that are younger, they might not understand that in the moment, but it shows up. It shows up when you need it most, when you need to make that extra play with two seconds left in the game or to go crash for the rebound, even when youâre tired, or getting back on defense, spacing the floor for your teammates, sacrifice runs, all that stuff.â
Finch despised the notion of âflipping a switchâ come playoff time, yet it became Minnesotaâs last hope for postseason success after an uninspiring regular season. Sure enough, for the second straight year, the Wolves surprised as a No. 6 seed in Round 1 after a 49-win campaign.
But when it comes time to punch at or above your weight class is when you need those habits most. Minnesota didnât have any good ones to fall back on. The Wolves couldnât suddenly start running back on defense or being more intentional and selfless with their offensive spacing when they hadnât prioritized such things on an individual level all season.
âItâs something that you just donât flip a switch for. Itâs something that you have or want to do from training camp on and it just becomes a part of you,â Conley said. âI think those are things we battled back and forth throughout the year. When we did it, we were able to beat teams. We were able to play at the highest levels. We were able to look like the team we were capable of being. And thereâd be times we just werenât doing that consistently. And thereâs just no place for that inconsistency when youâre trying to compete for a championship.â