Enjoy the day, Minnesota sports fans
By Tyler Haag
The Timberwolves and the Wild are both playing critically important games tonight and remember, it’s ok to just enjoy it.
Tonight the Timberwolves play what has become in essence, an elimination game against Denver at home and the Wild begin their quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup in Winnipeg.
As Minnesota sports fans, we have seen our fair share of heartbreak and disappointment. Years and years of losing and irrelevance from our once proud professional basketball team will be either added to or the streak stopped based on what the Wolves do tonight against Denver. If the Wolves win tonight they will end the longest playoff drought in the NBA and as a reward will most likely be carved up by the Houston Rockets in the first round.
On the ice, the Wild begin their first round series with Winnipeg tonight without their most important defenseman, Ryan Suter. Sidelined with broken leg late in the regular season, Suter has logged more ice time than any other Wild player this season and will be out for the entirety of the playoffs, which will be difficult for the Wild to overcome.
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That said, in a state where it can snow in mid-April, we tend to spin things in a glass half full kind of way. So here goes: We are looking at a playoff hockey team that has not yet lost a game in the postseason and basketball team playing relevant April basketball. The Wild have a chance to do some damage in the playoffs if Dubnyk gets hot and the Wolves are appointment viewing on the last game of the regular season. Let’s enjoy the fact that we are able to look forward to games at this point in the long winter season…even if the seasons might be over for both teams very soon.