3 Things Wolves fans should root for, 2 things to root against to close the season

Root Against: A Thunder One Seed

Of course, the Timberwolves would prefer the number one seed for themselves, but if they cannot obtain it, the Denver Nuggets should be the team to root for—not the Oklahoma City Thunder. A Thunder one-seed would mean that should the Wolves win their first-round matchup, they would most likely be faced with the defending champion Nuggets in round two.

The Timberwolves match up well with the Nuggets, thanks to Rudy Gobert’s help defense off of Aaron Gordon, the multitude of perimeter defenders they can throw at Jamal Murray, and Denver’s lack of ideal matchup to guard Anthony Edwards. However, at the end of the day, the Nuggets are still the defending champs, led by the best player in the NBA who is likely to win his third MVP.

The more the Timberwolves can prolong their rematch from last year’s playoffs the better. For one, this will give Karl-Anthony Towns, who is an important part of the Nikola Jokic matchup puzzle, more time to recover and reintegrate. Secondly, should the Nuggets ultimately be too much for the Wolves to handle, their marvelous season would be remembered more fondly if they discover this in the Western Conference Finals rather than the second round.

The Thunder should certainly not be underestimated, and a Wolves-Thunder series would undoubtedly be competitive. However, given their inexperience and lack of interior size, they seem to be a more favorable second-round matchup than the Nuggets, whether that be as a two-seed or a three-seed. However, this whole hypothetical still hinges on round one.