Western Conference Finals Preview

Minnesota versus Oklahoma City. Two small market teams. Both deep, athletic, and defensive-minded. Both have two of the best guards in the league. I am so hyped. I see many people online who think this series is OKC’s for the taking, and I honestly disagree for reasons I’ll get into later. Unlike the Eastern Conference matchup, I do not have a clear-cut favourite. However, one thing I’m certain of is that this will be a long series. Barring any injuries, this will be at least six games. In this piece, I want to discuss the pros and cons each team will face during this Conference Finals matchup and tie it together with my prediction for the winner. Let me know who you think will make the NBA Finals down below.

The Minnesota Timberwolves:

How about this Julius Randle renaissance? I mean, this guy went from looking like he was going to be forced to opt-in to next year’s player option back in January, and now he looks like he can hit the open market and get a near-max deal somewhere. Where does this rank among the greatest one-season player renaissances of all time? It’s not a John Travolta in ‘Pulp Fiction’ comeback where he was out of the league, but more of a Matthew McConaughey in 2013/2014 complete reinvention of his career type. Instead of Rom-Coms to Dramas Randle has gone from a ball hogging post up big man to a legitimate number two guy on a contender. This year for Minnesota seemed like it was going to be a reset year back in October. They traded their second-best player after a WCF appearance for a me-first second option strictly for financial purposes. Somehow, this team is here again. All credit to Chris Finch and co.

Now, I personally really like Minnesota’s chances against Oklahoma City. They match up favourably against the Thunder. They have their own star player who can go bucket-for-bucket down the stretch with SGA, Ant. They have their own big men to help protect the paint against Chet and Hartenstein, Gobert and Reid. They have their own second scorer big man to match against J-Dub, Randle. And finally, I truly believe they are deep enough to do battle against the Thunder in a 7 game series. Now, OKC may have ten/eleven guys to turn to, but come playoff time, all you need is eight. And Minnesota has its eight. Conley, Ant, McDaniels, Randle, Gobert, NAW, DiVincenzo, Reid. The only player who gives me any concern among those eight listed above would be Mike Conley. His lack of size and speed against a high-flying team like OKC could be disastrous. However, when the veteran point guard is on the floor, I expect Minnesota to hide him on defence in the corner against guys like Lu Dort , with the Wolves sending help when he is put in a pick and roll.

The Oklahoma City Thunder:

Every game 7 can be remembered as ‘The ____ game’. The KD-toe-on-the-line game. The Curry-50-piece game. The Wolves’ comeback game. Just some recent ones of note. Sunday’s game 7 between Denver and OKC will be remembered, in my opinion, as the Alex Caruso game. All credit to SGA and J-Dub, too, but holy Caruso was everywhere. Caruso is currently in the first year of a 4yr/$81M contract, and if you ask me, he earned every penny of that $81M yesterday afternoon. Side note to the NBA, don’t have game 7s in the middle of the day — play them in the evening. Watching the Thunder pull away in the second quarter, beating down and hounding Jokic, seemingly knock away every pass the Nuggets tried to make, just absolutely bully Denver on the fast break; it reminded me of the beginning of ‘Rocky IV’, the Nuggets were like Apollo Creed — just getting the absolute shit kicked out of them by Drago and there was nothing anyone could do. All credit to OKC.

There is one problem I have with the Thunder that may hurt them in this series, and that’s how worn down they might be in comparison to their matchup. They just went seven games in a physical series, flying everywhere on the defensive end. Now they have to immediately turn around and be ready for Tuesday, whereas their opponent has had the last 6 days off. Additionally, this series is a game every other day — not great for either team. On the other hand, I expect OKC to play similarly to how they played against Denver. They will throw all kinds of different looks and matchups against Ant and Randle, who will have to figure their offence out on the fly. As a result, Minnesota will need to find offence from some of their other key guys — something Denver could not repeatedly do. Can the Wolves get offence from NAW, Naz Reid, or Jaden McDaniels? I guess we will have to find out.

Honestly, you can call me a hater of OKC, but I think it’s Minnesota’s time. I mean, they’re 30–6 in their last 36 games with Julius Randle. That is a legit stat. I love the way Minnesota matches up against the Thunder, and I trust Ant, Randle, and Chris Finch to make the right adjustments on the fly. Either way, this is going to be an incredible series.