As I've explained often in the past, the Minnesota Timberwolves have never really been "my" team. I grew up with no NBA team in Minnesota so I watched the Lakers a lot on ABC when I was younger. Led by Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain, they were MY team. At one point they had a 31 game win streak on their way to a 69 win season. THEY were my example of what an NBA franchise should be. When I later found out they were originally the Minneapolis Lakers and they had simply moved to L.A., I realized I'd been following a team that was always MINE all along.
I became less interested in the NBA game with my brief love affair with the Gopher basketball team in the 1970's. The team with Mychal Thompson and Kevin McHale leading the charge. Once the Gophers started losing, I kind of lost interest in basketball. Magic and Kareem on the Lakers and Larry and Kevin on the Celtics kept me watching occasionally, but it just wasn't the same.
Golden State and Stephen Curry are starting to draw my attention to the NBA once again. If they are playing and I happen to catch part of the game, I'll usually watch it awhile. A great NBA franchise should WIN. And that's just what Golden State does. That they also have Klay Thompson, the son of former Gopher, Mychal Thompson, gives me a link to the past. There's a lot to like there.
I grow weary of the Timberwolves being just a placeholder franchise. They are there just to give the good to great teams a team to beat. They never have been fun to watch. One good year does not make a franchise worth watching. The same applies to the Twins and Vikings. You need to contend. You need to win. And you need a tradition of winning and contending year after year.
.500 just doesn't cut it in this day of 100's of TV channels, the internet, and countless good movies and TV shows. I need a franchise that's more than a placeholder.
That's why I like the Patriots and Golden State when I watch sports. They're winners. Year after year after year.
And the Twins and Vikings are starting to grow on me.
I've watched every Twolves game this year and I'd say 75% are exciting to the end. With a young group of players and a few veterans the Twolves are a up and coming team!
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