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The first-round series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies has been the epitome of playoff basketball.

Theres been a Game 1 upset, a 28-point blowout win, a historic 26- Delano Hill Jersey point comeback, a 4-shot performance from an All-Star, players and Patrick Beverley. Plus theres been your typical must-see moments of acrobatic rim attacks, poster dunks, big defensive plays and clutch shots.

In short, this series has had it all. Including an animal rights activist group that, figuratively speaking, has a bone to pick with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.

(Taylor did sell his ownership stake to Alex Rodriguez and billionaire investor Marc Lore in 2021 but they are reportedly buying the team in installments.)

Two of the more viral moments from this first-round matchup has involved (DxE), a global network of activists working to achieve animal liberation in one generation.

Why are there protests at Timberwolves games?

DxE is staging televised protests during Minnesotas postseason because of Taylors ownership of Rembrandt Enterprises, a colo sal factory egg farm located in Rembrandt, Iowa. While DxE is against factory farms in general, theyre especially indignant with Talyors Rembrandt Enterprises because of the farms use of ventilation shutdown plus (VSD+), a ma s killing method where chickens are e sentially suffocated by heat or gas.

According to a, Rembrandt Enterprises used VSD+ to kill 5.3 million chickens during an avian flu outbreak this year. Thats why theyve been protesting at Timberwolves games. DxE wants to bring awarene s to their investigation and expose Taylor.

The Sporting News cannot independently verify Direct Action Everywhere's claims.

Their methods have been disruptive to say the least. Three of Minnesotas postseason games were halted mid-game due to a DxE protest. Heres how each of those protests went.

NBA Play-In Protest: Timberwolves vs. Clippers

In the second quarter of Timberwolves Play-in win over the Clippers, the game had to be stopped because a woman glued herself to the court. Thats right, .

The woman, Alicia Santurio, a Bay Area member of DxE, glued herself Nick Vannett Jersey to the court while wearing a t-shirt that read in big letters, GLEN TAYLOR ROASTS ANIMALS ALIVE.

Santurio was quickly yanked off the court by security and police. She wasnt arrested but did receive a citation that banned her from the Target Center for a full year.

DxE immediately took Gary Jennings Jr. Jersey responsibility for Santurios protest and used the opportunity to debut their investigation through a pre s release.

It became a viral moment, spawning #GlueGirl jokes and memes that DxE believes helped to raise awarene s.

This is an i sue no one talks about and now it has a lot of attention on it, . We have to get our me sage out there and the jokes help propel it.

Game 2 Protest: Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies in Memphis

DxE continued to try and raise awarene s about their investigation in Minnesotas Game 2 victory at FedEx Forum in Memphis.

During the second quarter, a DxE organizer named Zoe Rosenberg chained herself to the basket stanchion while wearing the same GLEN TAYLOR ROASTS ANIMALS shirt Santurio wore. The game was stopped for several minutes as arena security worked at cutting the chain. Once they did, Rosenberg was expediently brought away.

Rosenberg was arrested and later released from police custody. She faces .

But just like with the first protest, this one became viral. Rosenberg became known as Chain Lady on social Duane Brown Jersey media and DxE immediately took responsibility for her actions.

Proud to be . Protesting can be scary, but being silent and continuing to live in a world where animals are abused and killed is even scarier.

Zoe Rosenberg (@Zoe_Rooster)

The NBA is no place for abusive factory farmers, . Were asking that the sale of the team -- set to transfer majority ownership to baseball hall-of-famer Alex Rodriquez and busine sman Marc Lore in 2023 -- be expedited, with Taylor immediately stepping down from day-to-day operations. The group is also requesting that Taylor -- Minnesotas wealthiest person -- donate the $11.3 million in federal subsidies he received in relation to a separate HPAI outbreak in 2015 to public health charities and animal sanctuaries.

Game 3 Attempted Protest: Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies in Minneapolis

Emboldened by their previous protests, DxE attempted to up the ante even more once the series shifted back to Minneapolis.

The plan? DxE investigator Matt Johnson would dre s up like an NBA ref and attempt to eject Taylor from the game.

Ed Dickson Jersey An ambitious goal but not for Johnson. He once appeared on Fox Busine s in 2020 and posed as the CEO of Smithfield Food, one of the worlds largest pork producers, in order to talk about how the company is a serious threat in effectively bringing on the next pandemic.

Johnson, however, didnt even get near the court. Security and police at the Target Center quickly apprehended him. He was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge and later released from jail.

Via DxE, here is video of Johnsons unsucce sful attempt:

Game 4 Attempted Protest: Timberwolves vs. Grizzlies in Minneapolis

Undeterred by Johnsons failed effort, DxE attempted to try the win.

This time, the group purchased two seats behind Taylors courtside seats and in the third quarter, DxE activist Sasha Zemmel attempted to eject from the game while wearing a makeshift referee outfit that .

Zemmel got on the court for a brief second but was quickly tackled by a security guard. The game was stopped briefly as she was taken away.

A second DxE activist, Ashley Riddle, was filming Zemmels attempt and was also removed from the game. Here is that video from DxE:

Will DxE ever stop?

With the heightened security presence and failed attempts, it seems almost impo sible for DxE to pull off another succe sful protest.

Plus during Zemmels attempted protest in Game 4, fans at the Target Center were loudly booing as they became fed up with the group's effort to disrupt the game. Once supportive social media posts turned negative as well. The novelty of their protests may be wearing thin, something which DxE Cortez Kennedy Jersey acknowledges.

There's definitely a very loud minority who are getting sick of the protests, Says Johnson via text. But I think more commonly, ordinary observers have feelings of intrigue, support, amusement and in general, support free speech.

Its definitely a challenge to both get substantial attention and effectively to leverage that attention to convey our me sage. It feels like with three big protests, its officially a campaign to really justify people giving a deeper loo