Following an intense seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets, the Oklahoma City Thunder have just a single day to prepare for their Western Conference Finals matchup against the hottest team in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Two of the league’s best young stars in Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will face off for a spot in the NBA Finals, something that both franchises combined have only accomplished one other time.
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The 68-win Thunder squad is favored to win the series, but Edwards and the Wolves went 2-2 against the Thunder this season and have already proven themselves as fierce competitors in the face of adversity. Let’s look closer at the DNA of this matchup.
The Headline
Edwards and SGA have both proven to be the future of their respective franchises, but this series could certainly have an impact on which one of them is considered the new face of the league.
As iconic vets like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant reach the end of their careers, the NBA needs a new young superstar to be the face of the league. Stars like Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic have also been candidates for the role, but their careers have been hampered by injuries.
Both stars are going to be eager to knock the other out of the playoffs and more importantly, keep their title hopes alive. If either of them win a Championship in the next month, we may have found our candidate.
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The Matchup
While some of the previous series’ have been impacted more-so by individual matchups, the matchup to watch in this series is different. Both the Wolves and the Thunder are extremely strong defensively and will make scoring as hard as possible to accomplish.
How these two defenses fare against the other squad will be the most important matchup in the series. The Timberwolves attack offenses with length, size and athleticism on defense, while the Thunder have assembled one of the best perimeter defenses in league history.
These defenses are vastly different, with the Wolves being known as a defense that protects the paint, while OKC’s defense is notoriously tough out on the three-point line.
The X-Factor
OKC has more depth than any other team in the NBA, which is why Minnesota’s bench players could be the X-factor in this matchup.
Players like Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo will need to be at their absolute best if they want to compete with OKC’s bench. If Minnesota’s second unit can weather the storm of OKC’s quick defense, the Timberwolves will have their best chance of winning the series.
But if the OKC Thunder do what they do best and convert turnovers into fastbreak opportunities, the Wolves will be in trouble.
Regardless, this series will likely be a physical battle of defenses and could easily go to seven games.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
