It’s too difficult for Western Conference spoilers to win the championship, and the Timberwolves team-building model has reached a bottleneck period

In the past two seasons, the Timberwolves have become a strong force in the Western Conference. They have reached the Western Conference Finals twice and defeated high-traffic teams such as the Suns, Nuggets, Lakers, and Warriors.

It is worth evaluating this kind of team. They do not have the strength to compete for the championship, but at the same time they have fearsome strength. They can achieve amazing results and defeat some strong or pseudo-strong teams. They can be called top spoilers.

There are many such teams in history:

Deron and Boozer's Jazz, Randolph and Gasol's Grizzlies, and even Butler's Heat in the past few years are all typical examples.

If we summarize the characteristics of these teams:

1. These teams have a stable and guaranteed system. The lower limit is very stable, and sometimes they can create miracles, beating strong teams that seem to be "calm and comfortable" into "hurrying and rolling".

2. These teams have fatal weaknesses that affect their ability to reach the upper limit. When they encounter their nemesis, they will be defeated miserably (the possibility of them avoiding their nemesis in the playoffs is almost impossible).

For example, Deron Boozer's Utah Jazz had a tough team and focused on the UCLA system on the offensive end. They used version advantages to defeat Yao Ming Tracy's Rockets, Black Eight's Warriors, and Anthony's Nuggets. However, this system was severely hampered by Kobe and the three-high Lakers.

The Grizzlies, who have both black and white bears, use the twin towers as the center. They are large, strong in confrontation, good in defense, tough in style, and can withstand tough battles. However, the team building model has lagged behind the era version. Therefore, facing the modern pick-and-roll offense of the Spurs, Warriors, etc., it is difficult to punish the center by misplaced names. The Grizzlies are difficult to stop.

The Heat relied on slow passing and cutting + zone defense to achieve consecutive miracles in the Eastern Conference. They once defeated the Bucks and Celtics, the favorites to win the championship. However, they reached the finals twice and faced the Lakers and Nuggets, but were suppressed by the size of their opponents and had no power to fight back.

The advantages and disadvantages of this Timberwolves are equally obvious:

The team uses a three-high inside line (Gobert + Towns / Randle + Reid) as the team building style. It is huge and highly oppressive. The style of play is very tough and the defense is top-notch. Gobert is the core of defense, supporting the team's lower limit, supplemented by defensive heroes such as McGrady, Edwards, and Walker; and Edwards is the core of offense, supporting the team's upper limit.

When the opponent does not have the ability to name Gobert and cannot match his size, the Timberwolves can suppress the opponent to death, such as the Suns, Lakers, and Warriors.

But the Timberwolves also have obvious shortcomings, which also led to them being easily defeated by the Mavericks in 2024 and the Thunder in 2025.

1. The offensive tactics are relatively simple. Only Conley can control the court, and other court control abilities are really not enough. So the team plays too many singles.

Edwards is very capable in singles, but he does not have the ability to organize and lead the team, and his ability to break double teams is not enough.

Both Towns and Randall, the second team leaders, are not strong enough in attack ability and stable enough; Maidan's firepower is even more unstable.

The opponent's Doncic and Alexander have stronger singles firepower, and can mobilize the whole team, and the firepower of their teammates is also strong.

2. On the defensive end, Gobert's defense is DPOY level, with strong rim protection ability, and the coverage area is very reliable for this size (can cover the mid-range). His base record is very reliable, but the upper limit is not high, because he moves slowly and may be called out by opponents for shooting or breakthrough.

This is Gobert's chronic illness, which has been the case since the Jazz era. Being named when facing the Mavericks in the 24th season and the Thunder in the 25th season was the reason for the Timberwolves' failure.

3. Coach Finch has shortcomings in formation and on the field.

Let's talk about this kind of spoiler team. He may not have thought too far into building the core basics of the team, but the team has achieved a record beyond imagination.

This was probably the case when the Jazz introduced Boozer, the Grizzlies introduced Randolph, and the Heat introduced Butler. The Timberwolves did not hesitate to spend money to bring in Gobert because of their poor record for many years.

These spoiler teams also have structural problems:

1. Due to their good records over the years, they did not receive good draft picks.

2. Due to a good record, the team's players are more favored by the market. In order to maintain the record, the players must be renewed, which may result in a premium.

The team's lack of championship strength affects the management's interest in renewing contracts, which may also lead to good players being headhunted by other teams. For example, the Timberwolves lost Alexander Walker during the offseason.

Due to this structural crisis, many spoiler teams are faced with the departure of good players. After playing for a few years, they naturally disintegrate as the lineup ages, such as the Grizzlies with the Black and White Bears, and the Heat with the Double Reba.

If you want to go further, you can only take a big gamble, even at the expense of changing the basic market. But this kind of gamble is not easy, and many teams have lost everything during the gamble.

Deron Boozer's Jazz were suppressed by the Spurs and Lakers all year round. After that, Boozer was replaced by Al Jefferson. The team did not advance but retreated, and the Sloan-Delon conflict broke out. The Jazz completely disintegrated after Sloan retired and Deron was traded.

What about a successful gamble?

The Celtics, with two top picks, have always been a disruptor in the Eastern Conference. Although Shuangtanhua is the core of the team, his ability is not top-notch. The Celtics have been renovating their lineup for a long time around the two-star lineup. From Irving to Walker, it was not until White Holiday and Porzingis were found that the Celtics won the championship. This depends on the superior operational level of the management.