The celebration began as soon as Karl-Anthony Towns pulled down the rebound in the final seconds of Game 7 on Sunday night at Ball Arena. For the first time in exactly 20 years, the Timberwolves were headed back to the Western Conference finals.

It was only right that it was Towns with the ball in his hands as time expired. It had to be him. There was no other way for this euphoric moment to play out.

The man that has been scapegoated incessantly throughout his career — sometimes fairly,  sometimes unfairly — proved once and for all that the Timberwolves can absolutely win an NBA championship with him as a key piece of the puzzle.

In the most important game of his life, Towns played the most impressive game of his life, putting the Timberwolves on his back for prolonged stretches in a 98-90 win over the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

When the Timberwolves needed a lifeline in the early stages of this heavyweight fight, Towns was there to make sure things didn’t spiral out of control. When the Timberwolves needed somebody to slow down superstar big man Nikola Jokic at crucial junctures, Towns was more than up for the challenge. When the Timberwolves needed a bucket in the closing minutes, Towns was there for an emphatic putback slam that put an exclamation point on a night the state of Minnesota won’t soon forget.

In total, Towns finished with 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting, and he added 12 rebounds for good measure. He was a powerhouse on the offensive end, taking advantage of the matchup whenever there was a smaller defender on him. He was a pest on the defensive end, making life extremely tough on Jokic anytime he tried to create going toward the basket.

Never mind that Towns has posted dozens of games throughout his career that might have looked better in the final box score. He has never played better than he did in Game 7 when the Timberwolves needed him most.

It’s easy to feel good for Towns given everything he has had to endure since the Timberwolves made him the face of the franchise nearly a decade ago. He has grown up in the Twin Cities — literally and figuratively — since being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. No matter how much has changed in Minnesota in that span, Towns has been a constant throughout it all.

He has been the butt of the joke at seemingly every turn and has continued to carry himself with class regardless. He has suffered unimaginable personal loss and has continued to wear his heart on his sleeve.

He has been everything the Timberwolves could ever want in a face of the franchise off the court, and with his incredible performance in Game 7, everything the Timberwolves could ever want in a face of the franchise on the court, as well.

Sure, the Timberwolves got some help from Anthony Edwards, who shook off a very slow start on his way to 16 points, as well as Jaden McDaniels, who stepped up as a secondary scorer when nobody else wanted to be. They also got a solid showing from Rudy Gobert in the paint, a gutty effort from Mike Conley despite not being 100 percent, and a offensive explosion from Naz Reid down the stretch.

That said, Towns was the straw that stirs the drink for the Timberwolves, and the comeback win wouldn’t have been possible without him.

It’s time to give the man his flowers. He’s a Timberwolves lifer and deserves every bit of his moment in the spotlight.

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