A rollicking 17-5 run to close the 3rd quarter fizzled into an otherwise easy Dallas win preventing the Timberlobos from sweeping the Mavs on the season. And yet: any Minnesotan will happily take a 2-1 record versus Dirk & the defending NBA champs in 2012.

When the Timberlobos reached .500 last week, I was here in Boston where most folks are disappointed with anything less than a championship (this was not the case when I arrived, way back in Sept 2000). Being a Wolves fan this season, I told my brother, is actually as good as it gets. After years as the NBA's doormat, suddenly we are winning games. We have dynamic young players and re-energized fans. We get to watch Kevin Amor ice victories, Ricky Rubio light up defenders, and Nikola Pekovic get beastly with KLove-esque numbers.

Yet we're not so good that we have to worry about all the pressures and let-downs of success. Sure, big games can be fun and Minnesota teams have won a few. And we all derive some pleasure out of sharing our agonizing sports anecdotes of loss. But living them sucks, let's be real.

This isn't The Year for the Timberlobos and, as a fan, that really takes the pressure off. This squad could be a contender in the coming years, if players stay healthy, if management deals smartly, and if the basketball deities smile favorably on yon 'Sota...

But before all that.

This is The Year for pure fan enjoyment. The best possible season to tune in and watch fifteen fierce, hungry Timberlobos play their guts out.