Thursday Part II: Chris Hine on what's driving the red-hot Timberwolves on their playoff quest

Introduction: Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a breakdown of the Wolves' historic Game 7 comeback win over Denver. Trailing by 15 at halftime and 20 in the third quarter, the Wolves stormed back for a 98-90 victory. The heroes and big plays piled up as Minnesota advanced to the conference finals for the second time in franchise history -- on the 20th anniversary of the first time they clinched a trip. Now the Wolves will have the home court advantage against No. 5 seed Dallas, which is on its own run behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Can Minnesota reach the NBA Finals for the first time? Plus Reusse and Rand get into PWHL Minnesota and the suddenly slumping Twins. And a Reusse playoff hockey rant comes at you fast out of nowhere.

On a special bonus edition of Daily Delivery, Star Tribune Timberwolves writer Chris Hine reports from Denver and checks in with host Michael Rand to set the stage for Sunday's huge Game 7 between the Wolves and Nuggets. A series that has already seen three blowouts -- including a 115-70 Wolves rout in Game 6 at Target Center -- is undeniably hard to predict. But Hine and Rand will examine some of the keys to the game as well as what adjustments both teams might try to make. The game comes 20 years to the day after the Wolves defeated the Kings in the only other Game 7 in franchise history. Will Anthony Edwards be ready for his Kevin Garnett moment?

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the Timberwolves' Game 6 rout of the Nuggets, another twist in a strange series that now leads to a deciding Game 7 in Denver on Sunday. The final score was 115-70, with the Wolves taking control early after a sluggish start. That deciding game, by the way, will come 20 years to the day after the only other Game 7 in franchise history: Wolves 83, Kings 80 in the Western Conference semifinals. 16:00: Kent Youngblood joins Rand ahead of Friday's Lynx home opener to talk about offseason additions already paying dividends for Minnesota and a surge in league popularity fueled in part by rookie Caitlin Clark. 38:00: PWHL Minnesota has a winner-take-all game Friday, while the Twins didn't score in 26 straight innings against the Yankees.

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with a trio of games, beginning with PWHL Minnesota coming back from the brink of elimination to win its second straight playoff game against Toronto. After another shutout from Maddie Rooney, this one in a 1-0 double overtime win at Xcel Energy Center, the series is headed back to Toronto for a winner-takes-all Game 5. Plus a good draw for Minnesota United and another silent night for the Twins bats after three weeks of thunder. 8:00: Star Tribune Wolves reporter Chris Hine joins Rand ahead of Thursday's huge Game 6 at Target Center. Can the Wolves reverse momentum and even their series with Denver, or will they be sent into the offseason after a fourth consecutive defeat? What story lines will tell us which version of the Wolves we will see? 35:00: Who will be the QBs when the Vikings face the Falcons in December?

Introduction: Host Michael Rand starts with the latest in the dispute between Comcast and Diamond Sports, with MLB weighing in before a key bankruptcy hearing Wednesday with a motion that casts doubt on Diamond's ability to keep Bally Sports channels afloat without an agreement with Comcast. Where will things go from here? Plus the Twins lost to the Yankees and the Lynx won their opener on the road at Seattle. 10:00: Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins joins Rand to break down Minnesota's Game 5 loss at Denver, during which three-time MVP Nikola Jokic was virtually unstoppable. Can the Wolves, who are now on the brink of elimination, force a Game 7? 30:00: The Vikings will face Aaron Rodgers in London.

In a jam-packed episode, host Michael Rand starts with the NBA. If you wanted the playoffs to be easy, you came to the wrong place. The Wolves vs. Denver series was always destined to go at least six games, and now we will find out what Minnesota is made of in Tuesday's pivotal Game 5. Plus Rand looks ahead to the Lynx opener Tuesday and Twins vs. Yankees. 11:00: The Star Tribune's Randy Johnson joins the show from Georgia, where he is spending some time with Gophers transfer QB Max Brosmer. 29:00: Arena Football's Minnesota Myth lasted just two games, a reminder of how hard it can be to make it in a minor league. On the contrary, the PWHL is doing it the right way -- and Minnesota just got its first playoff win on Monday.

Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse joins host Michael Rand for a look back at the weekend in sports. They started, of course, with a massively disappointing set of home games for the Wolves, who came back from Denver up 2-0 in their playoff series but head back to Denver tied 2-2 after a pair of defeats at Target Center. What went wrong, and what should we expect in Game 5 Tuesday? 17:00: The Twins went 7-13 in their first 20 games and then went 17-3 in their next 20. They are just a half-game out of first place in the AL Central with the Yankees coming to town. What has sparked this turnaround -- and will fans take notice? 31:00: A proper tribute for John Anderson; will PWHL Minnesota score a goal?

Introduction: Host Michael Rand takes a look at five things he got wrong about the Timberwolves over the last few years. It's a good lesson in patience that Minnesota didn't do some of the things he was advocating. Plus some things Rand got right and the Twins wrapping up a great homestand with more superb starting pitching. 13:00: Star Tribune Gophers men's basketball beat writer Marcus Fuller joins the show to talk about Ben Johnson's team and another offseason defined by the transfer portal. With losses to the core of the roster -- moves influenced by name, image and likeness rules -- how will Minnesota look next season and how are coaches expected to build teams these days? 34:00: Caitlin Clark could fill up Target Center.

On Part II of Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast, host Michael Rand and Star Tribune Timberwolves beat writer Chris Hine break down the run Minnesota has been on in the playoffs. After sweeping the Suns, the Wolves moved on to Denver and took the first two games of that series. The most impressive feat -- winning 106-80 in Game 2 without Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert -- galvanized the Wolves and brought even more positive national attention to Minnesota. Can they sustain that in Game 3 at Target Center? And what does Denver have left in the tank?

Introduction: In part one of Thursday's huge lineup, host Michael Rand looks at what has been powering the Twins, who have won 14 of their last 16 games -- including a 6-3 win on Wednesday -- to improve to 21-15 overall and just 2.5 games back in the AL Central. A big part of it is the hitting of Ryan Jeffers, who is fourth in the majors in slugging percentage. And Chris Paddack won his fourth decision in a row in Wednesday's victory. 8:00: Bally Sports North General Manager Randy Stephens joins the show to offer BSN's perspective on the pricing dispute with Comcast that led to Bally Sports channels being removed nationwide from Comcast last week. What is Stephens' message to Twins fans, and where do we go from here? 21:00: NBA teams losing their cool.