The events of the last two weeks have been highly poetic for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After taking down Luka Doncic and the favored Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves are moving on to the conference semifinals for a second consecutive season — marking the first time Minnesota has achieved that feat in franchise history.
In doing so, Edwards got some needed revenge over Doncic after Luka and the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Timberwolves in last year's Western Conference Finals. On top of that, LeBron James became the latest NBA legend to fall in the playoffs to Edwards, following Kevin Durant last year and setting up what feels like a passing of the torch between Ant and the greats. Now, Stephen Curry could be next.
Golden State still has to take down Houston in Game 6 on Friday night to advance, but the odds of the Warriors being the Timberwolves' next opponent feels high given Curry's star power and the vast experience advantage that team holds over the young Rockets. If and when Golden State does advance, it feels clear that Minnesota would have an advantage in that potential matchup.
First off, it may seem like a hot take, but it's not a stretch to say Anthony Edwards would be the best player on the floor in that series. Yes, even better than Steph Curry. The Timberwolves' star has made it clear the kind of level he's currently playing at, and he's wholly unafraid of anyone he lines up against.
Minnesota should be the favorites against Golden State or Houston
That alone will give Minnesota a tremendous mental edge of knowing they have *the* guy in the series who can take over a game and tilt any contest in their favor. But in the modern NBA, having the best player certainly isn't always the most important factor. The Milwaukee Bucks lost their opening round series in five despite having a top-three player on earth in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Depth also matters a lot, especially in this day and age with how deep the league's talent pool is. That was one of the main reasons the Timberwolves made such quick work of the Lakers in round one. It wasn't always Ant, sometimes it was Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and others that overwhelmed Los Angeles.
Golden State's top-end talent in Curry and Jimmy Butler is a solid match for Minnesota's top two in Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. But from there, the Wolves' depth far outpaces that of the Warriors.
Even if you want to explore the alternate possibility and say perhaps Houston comes back from down 3-1, it feels hard to say the Rockets would have a great shot of upsetting the Wolves. Houston is athletic and they can get out and run, and that's probably the best argument for their chances against Minnesota.
But the Rockets lack the top-end talent and the go-to scorer necessary to produce points consistently enough in the half court to put real pressure on the Timberwolves' defense. No matter how you slice it, Minnesota's path back to the Western Conference Finals is relatively clear. They can always get in their own way, but the Wolves should come in as favorites no matter who wins Warriors-Rockets.