Alex Rodriguez’s love for the Minnesota Timberwolves is quite palpable. From becoming a bartender to actively fighting for its ownership, the star’s passion is slowly winning over the fans. Plus, the fact that the team is in one of its best runs in decades is also helping the matter. So before the Timberwolves’ game 3 against the Denver Nuggets, A-Rod gave his success mantra to the team. 

Though the Timberwolves lost the game against the Nuggets 90-117, A-Rod’s words showed how he’s bringing his baseball wisdom to the NBA. Channeling his inner Joe Torre, the New York Yankees legend noted the importance of games 3 and 5 in the series. More importantly, he asked the team to maintain its desperation even during good times. 

During an appearance on the Dane Moore NBA Podcast, Rodriguez shared the wisdom that Yankees skipper Joe Torre once gave him. “You got to come with a mentality almost like it’s 1-1,” Rodriguez said about the series. “I’ve always believed that the winner of game three is the winner of the series…That’s what Joe Torre used to always teach us – game three and five are the most pivotal of a seven-game series.” However, that was far from the only wisdom that A-Rod gave.

“You have to come out with the same desperation and hunger. I do believe that Denver they are the champs for a reason. We’re going to get the very best basketball in the first eight minutes of tomorrow night’s game,” Alex Rodriguez noted and he was quite right. “And we have to be ready to answer that bell with intensity, with discipline.” 

Certainly, Rodriguez’s prediction of the Nuggets coming in strong proved to be correct. After losing two consecutive games, the defending champions came out of the gate with a huge chip on their shoulder. But that doesn’t mean that the T-Wolves’ run is over. Both the team and A-Rod have a huge battle ahead of them.

The Timberwolves hope to regain momentum as Alex Rodriguez’s arbitration becomes more likely

The Timberwolves are still 2-1 in the series. They’ve been favorites to win the series, but with the Nuggets getting hot again, things have started to get interesting in this series. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves battles are coming immediately, and A-Rod has to wait for his fight to begin. 

According to the Financial Times, Rodriguez and Marc Lore are all set to go into arbitration against Glen Taylor. While the exact date isn’t known yet, it could take months for this matter to be resolved. As is known, Taylor canceled Rodriguez’s buyout right at the last moment. That left the Timberwolves ripe for a huge ownership battle. While the T-Wolves fans have grown an incredible soft spot for Rodriguez, there’s still unclarity regarding his future with the team. 

So it seems like both the T-Wolves and their owner are going into a huge fight. But will they emerge victorious in their quests? Only time will tell.