♪♪ >> IT'S BEEN A BIG ROLLER COAST COASTER WEEK FOR PLY IN.

SPORTS FANS WITH NOT ONE BUT TWO TEAMS IN THE PLAYOFF HUNT.

BAD NEWS FIRST.

LAST NIGHT, WHICH WAS THURSDAY THE WILD WERE ELIMINATED AGAINST IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE NHL PLAYOFFS.

THE GOOD NEWS, WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE TIMBERWOLVES BEAT HEAVILY FAVORED L.A. LAKERS AND NOW HEAD TO THE NBA CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS.

LARRY FITZGERALD SENIOR IS HERE.

WHEN HE'S NOT ON THE ALMANAC SET OR ATTENDING PLAYOFF GAMES HE DOES RADIO WORK FOR THE NATIONAL PROGRAMMING NETWORK.

WELL, GOSH, FITZY, EVIDENTLY THE WILD HAVE THE WORST PLAYOFF RECORD, MOST LOSSES IN FIRST-ROUND PLAYOFF ACTION OF ANY MAJOR SPORTS LEAGUE, LIKE ACROSS THE BOARD.

BASEBALL, HOCKEY, FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL.

WE HAVE THAT TO LOOK AT.

>> THAT'S DISAPPOINTING, YEAH.

REMEMBER, THE TWINS HAD, IT'S LIKE TEAMS IN THIS TOWN TAKE TURNS CARRYING THAT TYPE OF THING.

BUT THE TWINS ENDED IT A COUPLE YEARS AGO GETTING OUT OF THE FIRST ROUND BEATING TORONTO AND AS YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING THIS YEAR IS NOT GOOD.

>> Eric: THE WILD, THEY DIDN'T GET OUTPLAYED THAT BADLY.

>> NO, THEY DIDN'T.

REMEMBER, THEY HAD CONTROL OF THE SERIES AFTER WINNING TWO GAMES 5-2 AND THEN THEY LOSE IN OVERTIME.

I WAS AT THAT GAME.

THEY LOSE 4-3, THAT GAME COULD HAVE BEEN THEIRS AND OF COURSE GAME FIVE, ONE OF THEIR GUY GUYS ON'T GO OFFSIDES THEY WON THAT GAME IN OVERTIME.

BUT YOU CAN'T MAKE MISTAKES AT CRITICAL IMES AND THEY DID AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE A PRETTY GOOD SEASON HAS COME TO AN END.

THEY HAVEN'T ADVANCED IN THE FIRST ROUND SINCE 2015.

>> Cathy: THAT'S RIGHT.

>> SO A LONG TIME.

>> Cathy: I WONDER WHAT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR.

WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO DO NEXT YEAR IN ORDER TO GET BEYOND THE FIR ROUND?

>> I THINK THE LONGER YOU KEEP KIRILL KAPRIZOV HEALTHY, YOU'RE GOING TO BE GOOD.

HE MISSED, HE DIDN'T PLAY A GAME AFTER DECEMBER 1ST, HE WAS OUT.

HE DIDN'T COME BACK UNTIL THE PLAYOFFS, AND HE'S BEEN SENSATIONAL, HE HAS NINE POINTS, FIVE GOALS.

JUST UNFORTUNATE, HE'S THAT BIG A PIECE TO THEM, THEY'RE PAYING HIM 9 MILLION A YEAR, HE'S ANTICIPATING MAKING A WHOLE LOT MORE AND HE WILL, BECAUSE HE'S ONE OF THE GREATEST PLAYERS THAT CAN PLAY THE GAME BUT THEY'VE GOT TO KEEP HIM ON THE ICE.

>> Eric: WHERE ARE THESE GENIUS NBA PUNDIT MISREADING THE LAKERS AND WOLVES?

>> WHEN YOU COVERS TEAMS AS I DO AND DO NATIONAL STUFF AS I DO, YOU LISTEN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS ARE DOING AND SAYING AND I'M LISTENING AND WATCHING, ESPN HAD 11 GUYS THAT SAID THE LAKERS WERE GOING TO BEAT THE TIMBERWOLVES, I SAID WHAT ARE THEY WATCHING?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

HAVE OU SEEN THIS TIMBERWOLVES TEAM, THE WAY THEY'RE BUILT, THE WAY THEY PLAY FOR EACH OTHER, YOU'VE GOT AN ASCENDING SUPERSTAR WHO'S ONLY 23 YEARS OLD IN ANTHONY EDWARDS WHO'S AN OLYMPIAN AND YOU'VE GOT TO START LOOKING AT THAT AND I DON'T THINK THEY WERE.

>> Eric: DO WE GET THE WARRIORS OR ROCKETS?

>> WE COULD FIND OUT AS SOON AS TONIGHT BECAUSE GAME SIX IS BETWEEN HOUSTON AND GOLDEN STATE.

IT'S IN SAN FRANCISCO, SO, WARRIORS HAD FOUR CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS, I THINK THEY KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO IN THAT BRAND NEW ARENA TONIGHT, THEY'RE GOING TO WIN.

>> Cathy: WHAT DO THE OLVES HAVE TO DO IN?

>> TO BEAT EITHER ONE OF THOSE TEAMS, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU BOTH A NOTE MANY PEOPLE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT.

BOTH OF THESE TEAMS WHETHER IT'S HOUSTON, NUMBER TWO SEED IN THE WEST, AND GOLDEN STATE NEITHER ONE OF THEM MADE THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR.

THAT TELLS ME THE TIMBERWOLVES ARE NOT ONLY A BETTER TEAM, A EXPERIENCED TEAM AND HARDENED TEAM.

>> Eric: BATTLE TESTED.

>> THAT'S CORRECT AND WHOEVER THEY PLAY I PICK THEM TO BEAT WHOEVER COMES OUT OF THIS GOLDEN STATE-HOUSTON SERIES.

ALTHOUGH GOLDEN STATE'S GOT A HALL OF FAME COACH, HALL OF FAME PLAYER IN STEPH CURRY, AND MINNESOTA IS BETTER BECAUSE ANTHONY DAVE -- ANTHONY EDWARDS -- I'LL GET IT RIGHT -- IS GOING THIS WAY.

AND THEY FOUND RUDY, THEY FOUND THE ORIGINAL RUDY.

27 AND 24?

HE LOOKED LIKE WILT CHAMBERLAIN THE OTHER NIGHT.

>> Eric: OF COURSE LAKERS ARE WILL A LITTLE MALL.

>> THEY ARE, BUT THAT'S COACHING, JJ REDDIC OVER WITH THE LAKERS, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LAKERS THIS, LAKERS THAT.

YOU GOT TO COACH, YOU GOT TO GET PEOPLE TO PLAY THE WAY YOU NEED THEM TO PLAY AND HIGHER LEVEL THAN A REGULAR SEASON.

>> Cathy: BEFORE YOU GO, TWINS.

I KNOW, NOT GREAT, I WANT TODAY BRING IT UP.

>> THEY WON 4 AND 0 SO THEY HAD ME EVEN BELIEVING THEY COULD COME AROUND BUT, MAN, THEY HAVE A WAYS TO GO.

IT'S A TOUGH DIVISION, THREE TEAMS MADE PLAYOFFS, CLEVELAND, KANSAS AND DETROIT AND MINNESOTA DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO HELP IN THE OFF SEASON.

>> Eric: I'M GETTING THE