10 Minnesota Professional Men's Teams Have Lost in The Conference Finals In The Last 27 Years

Minnesota sports fans are among the most loyal and passionate in the country, but they’ve also endured some of the harshest heartbreaks imaginable. A Reddit user, u/RWREmpireBuilder, recently outlined the brutal pattern of disappointment that has plagued Minnesota’s professional men’s teams for nearly three decades.

With the Timberwolves' recent Western Conference Finals loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025, it marks the 10th straight time that a Minnesota-based men’s team has reached the Conference Finals and failed to advance to the championship round.

- 1998: Minnesota Vikings lost 30-27 to the Atlanta Falcons 

- 2000: Minnesota Vikings lost 41-0 to the New York Giants 

- 2002: Minnesota Twins lost 4-1 to the Anaheim Angels 

- 2003: Minnesota Wild lost 4-0 to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 

- 2004: Minnesota Timberwolves lost 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers 

- 2009: Minnesota Vikings lost 31-28 to the New Orleans Saints 

- 2017: Minnesota Vikings lost 38-7 to the Philadelphia Eagles

- 2020: Minnesota United lost 3-2 to the Seattle Sounders 

- 2024: Minnesota Timberwolves lost 4-1 to the Dallas Mavericks 

 -2025: Minnesota Timberwolves lost 4-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

The heartbreak stretches all the way back to 1998, when the Minnesota Vikings, led by a record-breaking offense featuring Randy Moss, lost a crushing 30-27 overtime game to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. That loss set the tone for what has become a painful trend. In 2000, the Vikings returned to the NFC title game, only to be embarrassed 41-0 by the New York Giants.

It wasn’t just football. In 2002, the Minnesota Twins fell short in the ALCS, losing 4-1 to the Anaheim Angels. A year later, the NHL’s Minnesota Wild were swept 4-0 by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the Western Conference Finals. 

In 2004, Kevin Garnett finally led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, only to fall to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.

The Vikings added to the misery in 2009 and 2017, losing heart-wrenching games to the Saints and Eagles, respectively. The 2009 game is especially remembered for Brett Favre’s late interception, denying the Vikings a shot at the Super Bowl. 

In 2020, even soccer joined the list of near-misses, as Minnesota United squandered a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final and lost 3-2 to the Seattle Sounders.

Most recently, the Timberwolves have lost back-to-back Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025. Last year, it was Luka Doncic and the Mavericks; this year, it was the juggernaut OKC Thunder, whose elite defense and depth overwhelmed Anthony Edwards and company in five games.

It’s now 10 straight Conference Finals appearances by Minnesota men’s teams without a single trip to the championship round. For context, the last time a men’s team from Minnesota won it all was the 1991 Twins, who triumphed in one of the greatest World Series ever played. Since then? Nothing but close calls and crushed dreams.

On the women’s side, the story is different. The Minnesota Lynx have been a beacon of hope, winning four WNBA championships since 2011 and reaching the Finals again last year. Their success has been a rare bright spot in an otherwise bleak landscape for Minnesota sports.

At this point, it’s not just bad luck, it’s a trend that has tested the patience and resilience of an entire state. For Minnesota fans, getting to the Conference Finals has become a bittersweet achievement, more often than not ending in heartbreak.

Still, they keep showing up. Hope endures. Maybe the 11th time will finally be the charm.