After eliminating the Golden State Warriors in the second-round of the playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been left embarrassed in a Game 5 loss that's seen the Oklahoma City Thunder advance to the NBA Finals.
Facing elimination on the road, the Timberwolves never gave themselves a chance in a dismal first-half that had Warrior fans even more disappointed with the circumstances of Stephen Curry's hamstring injury.
The Warriors could have put up a bigger fight against the Thunder
Minnesota had just nine points in the opening period and 32 total in the first-half, having found themselves down by 33 after a 24-minute period in which they committed more turnovers than they had made field goals.
The Timberwolves put up a little bit more of a fight in the third-quarter, but the damage was already done as another 34 points from MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lifted the Thunder to a 4-1 series win and a trip to the Finals for the first time since 2012.
While OKC would have been heavy favorites against Golden State, it's hard to envisage the latter not being able to put up more of a fight than what the Timberwolves did in Game 5 and across the course of the West Finals.
It makes the Curry injury all the more frustrating, with the 2x MVP playing 13 minutes in Game 1 against Minnesota before going down and missing the remainder of the series. The Warriors were outgunned without the 2x MVP, losing four-straight games as Curry sat helpless on the sidelines.
The 37-year-old was expected to return for a potential Game 6, with the Timberwolves collapse against the Thunder only elevating frustration of Golden State's inability to win one game without their franchise superstar.
It's hard to argue that the Warriors would have been able to take down what's clearly been the best team in the West, but they did win two of their three matchups against the Thunder during the regular season.
Curry, in particular, has a remarkable record against OKC over recent years. The 11x All-Star has averaged 29.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his last 10 games against the Thunder, shooting an extraordinary 50.5% from the floor and 50% from 3-point range on over 12 attempts per game.
In the end it wasn't to be for Curry or the Warriors, with the Thunder fully deserving of their spot in the Finals after winning 16 games more than any other West team during the regular season.