Timberwolves’ keys to success against Golden State, and a series prediction

Golden State avoided catastrophe Sunday going on the road to beat Houston in Event to dodge the - series collapse and advance to Round So it s now No Minnesota hosting No Golden State in the Western Conference semifinals with the sixth-seeded Wolves getting unexpected home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals Here s a first look at what s to come over the next two weeks Series Schedule Battle Tuesday p m at Target Center TNT Encounter Thursday p m at Target Center TNT Event Saturday p m in San Francisco ABC Challenge Monday May p m in San Francisco ESPN Challenge Wednesday May time TBD at Target Center TNT Competition Sunday May time TBD in San Francisco TBD Match Tuesday May p m at Target Center ESPN Regular season results Golden State won the season series - The last of the matchups was played on Jan weeks before the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler Keys for the Timberwolves Win early Minnesota will be fresh off five full days of rest after dispatching the Lakers in five games Golden State meanwhile just won a hard-fought battle that went the distance in Round The veteran Warriors will have just hours between the end of their series with Houston and the opening tip of their series with the Wolves It s on Minnesota to utilize its fresh legs and superior depth to wear down Golden State in each of the first two games at Target Center to claim a commanding lead early in the series and put doubt into the Warriors heads as to whether they can withstand another -round heavyweight bout Corral Curry A big reason the Timberwolves went - against Golden State this season was how badly Minnesota was torched by Warriors superstar Steph Curry Curry averaged points and assists over the final three meetings all Golden State victories on efficient shooting nights He created offense for himself and others Yes Curry is an all-time great but Houston just dialed up a Curry-centric defensive approach that at times grounded the Warriors offense to a halt Minnesota should aim to replicate those results and take its chances betting against consistent offense coming from the likes of Buddy Hield and Draymond Green Ant show The Warriors were the best defensive association in the NBA after acquiring Jimmy Butler at the contract deadline But Golden State doesn t have a lockdown perimeter defender nor a rim protector So it wouldn t be surprising to see Golden State deploy a similar gap-heavy defensive scheme in an attempt to slow Anthony Edwards That would mean it s again on Edwards to facilitate Minnesota s offense to largely create for others while still putting pressure on the Warriors by aggressively seeking out his own opportunities when available Imposing size Houston got back into the first-round bout by leaning on its size Golden State had difficulty matching up against the two-big looks featuring Steven Adams and Alperen Sengun Conclusively in Meeting Warriors coach Steve Kerr opted for more minutes from reserve center Kevon Looney That worked well for Golden State But it s clear why Kerr didn t want to go that road Already heavily featuring Green and Jimmy Butler Looney only further clogs Golden State s spacing and limits the band s offensive upside But if Rudy Gobert Julius Randle and Naz Reid can prove to be too much for just Green to handle both defensively and on the glass then Kerr will likely be left to make the same choice again which figures to be an advantage for Minnesota in the long run of the series And even with Looney getting particular run Golden State was severely out-rebounded by Houston even in Championship Everyone saw against the Lakers just how beneficial a essential size advantage can be for Minnesota in a matchup The Green meeting Green has put Rudy Gobert in a literal headlock He s gone on national television numerous times and publicly trashed the center He ll likely do much more of the same to not only Gobert but other Minnesota players throughout the unit of a best-of- series It s on Minnesota an emotional group in its own right to stay within itself and keep its focus on the Xs and Os within the lines Prediction Timberwolves in Credit the Warriors for showing their championship DNA by mustering up enough fight to beat the Rockets on the road in Championship but Golden State s aging core looked tired in the latter stages of the series before Houston s Event brick-fest And now the Warriors are staring down another deep physical opponent that can make their lives intricate in just about every way Related Articles How Anthony Edwards cracked the NBA s codes I think he s a genius Julius Randle looks like the Timberwolves perfect Robin Five reasons the Timberwolves beat the Lakers in five games Narrative-busting Timberwolves knock out Lakers advance to West semifinals Frederick Anthony Edwards is NBA s next must-see star whether he likes it or not