HOUSTON _ A year ago this month, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau exited Toyota Center on the season's final night muttering something about 13 consecutive fruitless seasons and how he was sick of the losing after living through only one.
On Wednesday night, he and his team left the same arena with their first playoff season since 2004 ended after a 122-104 loss to Houston in five first-round games, finally succumbing to the top-seeded Rockets' relentless three-point shooting and sheer will.
Houston advances to the second round and the Wolves head into summer two weeks later than they've been accustomed these past 14 years, eligible eventually to sign All-Stars Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns to massive contract extensions.
They were outdone for the fourth and final time this series, this time by the Rockets' 30-15 third quarter that didn't approach the historic 50-20 third-quarter drubbing they endured Monday in Game 4 at Target Center.
"We're not that good that we can just pick out quarters," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.
But it was just as damning after Houston outscored them 6-0 on threes in the quarter _ and doubling them 18-9 in the game _ and quickly turned a 59-55 halftime deficit into an 85-70 bulge by the third quarter's final 90 seconds. The Wolves had made one fewer three (7) by halftime than the Rockets despite shooting half as many, but that didn't last.
The Wolves didn't go quietly, though, until after Jamal Crawford shoved former L.A. Clippers teammate Chris Paul to the floor, earning himself a technical foul as that third quarter spun out of control.
The Rockets led by as many as 20 points in the game's final minutes and by then, Thibodeau had brought Butler, Towns, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson to the bench for the final time this season.
Rockets center Clint Capela closed a strong series with a 26-point, 15-rebound double-double. Guard James Harden also had a double-double with 24 points and 12 assists.
The Wolves were led by Towns' 23 points and 14 rebounds. Crawford supplied 20 points off the bench.
After he spent his first season evaluating what he had as coach and president of basketball operations, Thibodeau remade the team last summer. He acquired veterans Butler, Crawford, Teague, Gibson and Aaron Brooks by trade or free-agent signings and, in March, added former league MVP Derrick Rose.
By doing so, Thibodeau attempted to change the team's toughness as well as its culture, reminding reporters recently that a franchise that hadn't made the playoffs since 2004 had serious issues with both matters.
"We're still working at it," Thibodeau said when asked before Wednesday's game about that culture. "It's not something you get in a second. It's what you do every day and everything matters. It's how you approach everything. We made great strides and we still have strides to make."
Thibodeau sought change particularly by reuniting with Butler from their Chicago years together and with him providing drive, defense and direction, the Wolves won 47 regular-season games _ 16 more than Thibodeau's 31-victory first season.
They also won a play-in game on the season's final day by beating Denver in overtime for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot. By doing so, they also earned the privilege to meet a free-shooting Houston team that won 65 games and made more than twice as many three-pointers as the Wolves in the two team's four-game season series.
Now they go into their off-season aimed toward signing Towns and Butler to extensions. Rose will be an unrestricted free agent they'd like to sign and forward Nemanja Bjelica will be a restricted free agent who could command more on the open market than they can afford.
The Wolves reached Wednesday's elimination after they nearly stole Game 1, were thumped in Game 2, won Game 3 at Target Center resoundingly and then allowed 50 third-quarter points _ count 'em, 50! _ in a Game 4 blowout loss.
When they were at their best, they nearly matched _ or as in Game 3, did match _ the Rockets three-pointer for three-pointer while attempting noticeably fewer.
Ultimately, though, the Wolves too often waged their battles against three-point shooting Houston by bringing a butter knife to the fight.
In all four games the team lost _ and in Wednesday's first half _ the Wolves as often as not outplayed the Rockets only to be outdone by Rocket three-pointers and what Thibodeau assessed as two terrible quarters: A lopsided 37-17 second quarter in Game 2 and Monday's 50-22 third quarter that was one point shy of the most points scored in a quarter of a NBA playoff game 56 years ago.
