Connelly’s compensation from Minnesota is expected to be large, as the Timberwolves will empower him to run their basketball operations as he sees best fits.
series was essentially determined by which team was not more talented — that might have been the Timberwolves — but mentally and physically tougher. That was the Grizzlies, in a knockout.
A team that outscored its opponents by 2.7 points per 100 possessions in the regular season finished with a negative net rating in clutch time this season
Clarke — who finished with 21 points and nine offensive rebounds — is largely responsible for the fact that Minnesota heads back to Minneapolis in a 3-2 hole in this best-of-7 series.