Souhan: In Minnesota men’s sports, sequels just don’t measure up

You are a discerning Minnesota sports fan. You have done your research. You have discovered, thanks to the Freedom of Information Act and extensive internet sleuthing, that our state’s most prominent men’s sports teams have not won a title in many months.

You have drawn a conclusion: We are not good at winning championships.

This is true.

This is not the whole story.

The rest of the story, one that is less obvious but just as annoying, is that Prominent Twin Cities Men’s Sports Teams also have failed miserably at sequels.

When was the last time a PTCMST followed a playoff run with a satisfying performance?

Let’s review.

The 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves won the hearts of fans with their unexpected run to the Western Conference finals. Because their best player would be just 23 at the beginning of the next season, and the rotation was losing only one player (Kyle Anderson, in free agency), this was a time to dream big.

Or not. The 2024-25 Timberwolves traded their second-best offensive player as training camp began, are struggling to stay over .500 and entered Friday ranked eighth in the 15-team conference. Their best chance to be great this season was to kidnap Karl-Anthony Towns in New York on Friday night.

The 2023 Twins surged into the playoffs, then earned their first playoff series victory since 2002, fulfilling the dreams of those who envisioned Target Field as the ideal place to watch cold baseball. With a slew of youngsters on the roster, and All-Stars at ace, closer, shortstop and center field, this team seemed to be on the cusp of something big.

Then the Pohlads slashed the payroll, the kids choked down the stretch in 2024 and the Pohlads decided to sell, meaning the front office has been able to make zero notable free-agent moves this winter.

The 2003-04 Timberwolves went to the Western Conference finals and looked capable of beating the Lakers before Sam Cassell injured himself celebrating. The 2004-05 Wolves missed the playoffs and got Flip Saunders fired.

The 2022 Vikings won 13 regular-season games under a new regime. In 2023, essentially the same team won seven.

The 2000 Vikings went to the NFC title game. The 2001 Vikings won five games and got Denny Green fired.

The 2019 Gophers football team finished 11-2, won the Outback Bowl and rose as high as seventh in one poll. The 2020 Gophers football team went 3-4 during COVID.

The 2017 Vikings went to the NFC title game. The 2018 Vikings signed Kirk Cousins to a record-breaking contract in terms of guaranteed money, then won eight games and missed the playoffs.

The 1998 Vikings went 15-1 and made it to the NFC title game. The 1999 Vikings benched quarterback Randall Cunningham in October, won 10 games, beat the Cowboys in the playoffs, then allowed 49 points to the Rams in the division playoffs.

The 1996-97 Gophers basketball team went to the Final Four. The 1997-98 Gophers went 6-10 in the Big Ten and won the NIT.

The 1991 Twins won the World Series. The 1992 Twins fell apart down the stretch, and they wouldn’t make a playoff appearance for another decade.

The 1990-91 North Stars went to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 1991-92 North Stars lost in the first round. Then the team moved to Dallas.

Women’s basketball, as usual, offers a counterpoint to such pessimistic developments. The Lynx won four titles in seven years and came within a second of winning a fifth.

From 2002 through 2005, the Gophers women’s basketball team won nine NCAA tournament games and made it to a Final Four.

As for the men, well, when the PTCMSTs raise expectations during one season, they’re usually setting fans up for a fall in the next.