Doubt is settling in early for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ chances against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. A recent ESPN predictions story displayed 10 analysts favoring Los Angeles to advance to the conference semifinals.
But this might actually work in Minnesota’s favor. They were underdogs in their first two postseason series last season, both of which they won. They swept the Phoenix Suns before taking the defending champion Denver Nuggets to seven games.
The Lakers are among the favorites to win the title, thanks to dominant seasons from LeBron James and Austin Reaves and the acquisition of superstar Luka Doncic. However, Minnesota can bank on splitting the series between the Lakers last season. Their defensive intensity can make things difficult for Los Angeles, with star guard Anthony Edwards spearheading the offensive attack with Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid.
Edwards expressed confidence in Minnesota’s chances, reflecting on its progress in the final weeks as the postseason approached. Around a month ago, they were pegged as a play-in team but now sit at the sixth seed with a one-way ticket to the postseason instead of fighting for a spot.
“We’ve come long way,” Edwards said after the regular-season finale against Utah Jazz. “[Coach] Finch said a great thing. He said the whole year, we didn’t trade anybody, we didn’t fire any coaches, we figured it out upon ourselves. So, that was a great point that he made.”
The Timberwolves kick off their postseason in Los Angeles over Saturday night.
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