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What is so odd about the NBA WCF? Timberwolves fans should know

By Bret Stuter

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 16: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on December 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 16: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on December 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The NBA Western Conference Finals have been decided. It will be the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers facing the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in a best-of-seven series to determine which team goes home and which team will advance to compete in the NBA Championship series. Okay, so what is the scoop about the NBA Western Conference Finals? Before we go there, let’s just compare some regular season statistics from the Timberwolves against these teams:

  • Teams    Timberwolves     Lakers     Nuggets
  • Record          42-40             43-39       53-29
  • vs Wolves        –                      1-2             2-2
  • PPG              115.8               117.2        115.8
  • vs PPG         115.8               116.6        112.5
  • FG%                 49.0                   48.2          50.4
  • vs FG%            47.1                   46.9          47.8
  • 3Pt%                36.5                  34.6           37.9
  • vs 3Pt%           36.9                  34.4           34.4

How close are the Minnesota Timberwolves to the two teams competing in the NBA Western Conference Finals? With the exception of defending perimeter shooting, the Timberwolves are right in the thick of it. And for more encouraging news, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the better team in head-to-head competition with the Lakers in the regular season and played to a standoff against the Nuggets during the 2022-23 NBA season.

Have you guessed what the oddity about the NBA Western Conference is?

An unusual fun fact about the NBA Western Conference Finals

Okay, so what’s so odd about this series? If you look at their history, the Lakers and the Nuggets were the last two NBA teams to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves. That’s right, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the NBA Play-In Tournament in a hard-fought overtime game by the score of 108 to 102.

That allowed the Lakers to face the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies and forced the Timberwolves to compete in Game 3 of the NBA Play-In Tournament against the Oklahoma City Thunder for the right to face the Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves fell to the Nuggets in that series by a record of 4-1, losing the final game by a score of 112-109.

The last two teams to defeat the Timberwolves now meet to decide who competes in the NBA Championship series. Does a Nuggets’ victory in the NBA Championship absolve the disappointment of the Minnesota Timberwolves fans in the team’s season? If not, perhaps it should. And it’s even more comforting when you consider that the last two teams to defeat the Timberwolves are now competing for a chance to play in the NBA Championship series.

Trending. 1 NBA trade clearly far riskier than Timberwolves trade for Rudy Gobert. light

Perhaps the Timberwolves are not as far off as some have tried to make you believe after all?

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