Reusse: A closer study of the Timberwolves at their absolute best reveals the value of Julius Randle

Long ago, a friend in the sportswriting business in Atlanta had a colleague who would join us in the required postgame saloon stop. He would get himself full of whiskey, tell a tale of a character or a stout performance, and then bellow his personal battle cry:

“And that’s what makes sports great!”

George was his name, long deceased, but we could have used him with a snoot full and at a Target Center microphone at the conclusion of Saturday night’s Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference finals — a rollicking, 143-101 romp for the Timberwolves over the Thunder.

Indeed, this was what makes sports great, because the sellout crowd of 19,112 showed up more interested in booing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City’s newly crowned league MVP, for his ability to draw fouls than with confidence that the home team would get itself back in the series. …

And then, that crowd, the national TV audience, the national media members who had arrived in Minneapolis and the local media pessimists (pausing now in typing to raise hand) saw the greatest performance in the 2,968 regular-season and playoff games in which the Wolves have participated over 36 seasons.

Admittedly, the competition for that honor is not as strong with the Woofies as most major sports franchises, considering that 1,733 (58.4%) of those contests have been losses — including two decisively in OKC last week.

No such playoff blowout against a tremendous NBA team will be witnessed here again, meaning ever … not just in 2025. This was historic greatness, and the fact the Wolves won by 42 points and still remain sizable underdogs to win the series confirms that.

What we did find out for sure is that there are noble competitors on this roster, and that certainly includes the player facing so much of the challenge and so much of team followers’ doubts when he arrived at the end of September in the shocking, last-minute trade as official training camp beckoned:

Julius Randle.

Yes, guard Donte DiVincenzo also came along from the New York Knicks for star forward-center Karl-Anthony Towns, but only Randle providing excellence could make the trade palatable to the public. For sure, it was intriguing to see KAT more fully worshipped by Woofies fandom when traded than he was for most of his time here.

Mark me down among those spending four months — three watching him play, then February out with an injury — figuring Randle would be a one-and-done here. When coach Chris Finch offered his No. 1 lament, the ball being “sticky” with his team’s offense, Randle seemed to be main “sticker.”

And then he came back in March and has been outstanding.

Anthony Edwards, Randle and Jaden McDaniels … that is this team’s Big Three, 1-A, 1-B and 1-C.

Randle is a pro. We found that out again Saturday night. He had been the player to singlehandedly give the Wolves a first-half lead in Game 1 (before his team’s third-quarter collapse), then he was ineffective in Game 2 and Finch sat him for the fourth quarter.

“How will Julius handle this?” surfaced as part of the drama for Game 3.

It became apparent Finch had a much better idea of how Julius would react than those questioning the decision. The coach and the No. 2 scoring threat had a conversation, Randle’s aggressiveness became an important factor as the Wolves flew at the OKC defense from the start, and after his 24 points in 30 minutes, Julius said:

“Me and Finch been through all the ups and downs this season. He knows who I am. I know who he is … I trust him to do what’s best for the team. I know he has no evil intent.”

Randle knows that part of the reason basketball President Tim Connelly pulled the pin on this trade was this:

Finch had a belief in Randle’s talent and competitiveness dating to Julius’ one season in New Orleans (2018-19), where Finch was an assistant coach.

Randle then spent five seasons in New York. He was having an All-Star season with the Knicks in 2023-24, but a shoulder injury requiring surgery limited him to 46 games and he missed the playoffs.

Late Saturday night, Randle was in the interview room and was asked: “Starting in March, after missing a month [groin injury], has this been the best you’ve felt physically?”

Randle: “Yes, definitely … for sure. Been a last few frustrating seasons. Knock on wood [rapping table]. End of the season, I’m healthy and haven’t had surgery and those different type of things. It’s been an important focus throughout the season of keeping my body in shape and doing the things I’m able to do. So, it feels great. Now we just have to keep with it.”

Edwards also had a tremendous bounce-back performance Saturday, and he made sure after the game to add this tribute to Randle’s response to being on the bench in the fourth quarter in Game 2:

“He’s a vet. A vet knows what to do. He knows how to respond. He knows not to take nothing too personal, and that’s what he did. …

“He wanted his respect back, and he got it.”

And that’s what makes sports great.