The Minnesota Timberwolves have not made the postseason for 12 years, but according to a forecast from 538 Sports, the team could be primed to make it’s return to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The website predicts the Wolves will win 46 games this season and gives them a 72 percent chance of reaching the post season.
By counting the teams with higher percentages the Wolves would be roughly the seventh seed in the west.
538 says the predictions are based on a complicated formula that uses 50,000 simulations of the NBA season. The formula blends things like team fatigue, travel distance and home courts with higher altitudes with future projections of individual player performance to determine game results.
It does not predict a lot of playoff success for the Wolves this year. According to the forecast, the Wolves have just a 1 percent chance of being the top seed in the west, and a 2 percent shot of winning the NBA title.
The teams most likely to contend for the championship again this year are Golden State and Cleveland. The Warriors have a 55 percent chance of winning the title, while the Cavaliers have an 11 percent chance to repeat.
