Tuesday provides a pivotal Game 5 matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. With the series squared up at 2-2, the winner of Game 5 in such situations has gone on to win a best-of-7 series over 80 percent of the time.
While the Spurs entered the Western Conference semifinals as heavy favorites, the Timberwolves have some clear advantages. Most notably, they are having more continuity and more postseason experience than their opponent. As Tim Bontemps stated on the latest episode of The Hoops Collective,
“You got this Minnesota team that has already proven it’s not afraid of any opponent and has some big-time upsets under its belt the past couple of years, up against a young Spurs team that hasn’t really been in a lot of these situations before.”
Will that experience advantage come in handy for Game 5?
Experience advantage largely in favor of the Wolves
The Timberwolves are in the midst of being involved in the postseason for the fifth-straight year. With two more wins, they’ll be in their third consecutive Western Conference finals. Three players who have a huge role on their team, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid, have been a part of the club for the entirety of the streak.
For as good as the Spurs were during the regular season (62-20), sometimes it can be hard to forget that it had been a while since they had been a playoff team. The last time they qualified was back in 2019. They made the Play-In Tournament twice since that time, but were unable to advance.
Entering the series, San Antonio’s starters possessed a combined 31 games of postseason experience. 19 of those come from four guys who got through their first-ever playoff series, a five-gamer against the Portland Trail Blazers (Victor Wembanyama missed Game 3 with a concussion). De’Aaron Fox participated in one previous postseason while with the Sacramento Kings. In 2023, Sacramento lost in seven games to the Golden State Warriors in the opening round.
Their top two reserves, Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson, are also in their first-ever postseason. Harrison Barnes won a title back in 2015, but he has only played 15 combined minutes in the last two outings. Luke Kornet didn’t have a huge role on the Boston Celtics’ 2024 championship team. Kelly Olynyk has a good amount of playoff experience, but he’s mostly been out of the rotation.
Besides the three longest tenured members of their roster, every other member of the Wolves who has been in their rotation for at least some part of this series has previously played in the playoffs before this year. Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley have both been members of both of their Western Conference finalist teams over the last two years.
In the two games they have lost, the Spurs entered the fourth quarter with the lead. If Game 5 is close at the end, the experience advantage in high-stakes outings could be the difference in giving Minnesota back the series lead.
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