“There is no room to relax”

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Timberwolves were back to work at Mayo Clinic Square on Wednesday, fresh off their trip to Denver to begin the Western Conference semifinals and winning each of the first two games.

The series moves to Minneapolis, with a chance to close out the series at Target Center and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years. Wednesday began with everyone in the Timberwolves organization attending a press conference to celebrate Rudy Gobert’s win as NBA Defensive Player of the Year, his fourth.

Then they got to work preparing for Game 3 on Friday night. The Timberwolves have their foot on the Nuggets’ throat, and there’s no reason to take it off anytime soon. Chris Finch, Mike Conley Jr. and Kyle Anderson met with the media on Wednesday.

“The luxury we have is we’re playing the Denver Nuggets. There’s no room to relax, we know who they are,” Conley said. “We know their pedigree, so we’re going to try to match it and exceed what they bring.”

The Nuggets are the defending champions, but they were visibly frustrated by the Wolves’ stifling defense. They had their best effort of the season in the second game, ironically without Gobert, who was with his newborn son.

There are two undefeated teams left in the NBA Playoffs, and they could meet in the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves are 6-0 and the Oklahoma City Thunder are 5-0. If the Timberwolves win Game 3 on Friday night, the Nuggets face elimination on Sunday.