Starting Wednesday, we’ve got a very interesting matchup in the Western Conference Finals with the Minnesota Timberwolves against the Dallas Mavericks. The Timberwolves won the regular season series 3-1. But now, the stakes are even higher.
Minnesota is back in the WCF for the first time in 20 years, while the Mavericks have their second appearance in the last three years. What will it take for either team to come out on top and advance to the NBA Finals?
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How the Minnesota Timberwolves can win
The Wolves are led by superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards. Most have compared him to the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant with his rise to stardom at the young, tender age of 22. He is certainly worth the price of admission.
In this postseason, Edwards has averaged 26 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. Specifically against the Denver Nuggets in the Conference semifinals, he shot 50% from the field and averaged 28 points per game, including a 44-point performance in Game 4. However, if Minnesota were to find a way to win and advance, it would take more than Edwards to get the job done.
Complimentary pieces must show up for Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards was not alone in helping the Wolves advance past the Nuggets. Karl-Anthony Towns might not have had the greatest series offensively but he was instrumental on the defensive end.
He along with Naz Reid were wreaking havoc on defense against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, holding him to fewer than 24 points in two games during the series: 16 points on 5-of-16 shooting in Game 2, 22 points in Game 6. Additionally, Jokic averaged 3.5 turnovers per game. It’s worth noting that the Timberwolves have the number one ranked defense in the NBA.
On the offensive end, KAT ended up being the biggest secondary scoring option. He averaged 18.6 points per game and was a monster on the glass averaging nine rebounds per game. Another key player is Jaden McDaniels.
Even though he only averaged 10 points per game for the series, games six and seven were his best games as he scored 21 and 23 points respectively. If the Wolves can get somewhere between 15-20 points per game from McDaniels during the Conference Finals, it will make them extremely hard to beat.
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How the Dallas Mavericks can win
The Mavericks took down the number one seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the semifinals. And by no surprise, Dallas was led by the dynamic duo of MVP finalist Luka Doncic and show stopping guard Kyrie Irving.
Both have averaged over 25 points per game during the playoffs. They will have quite the challenge going against the Timberwolves’ defense. Speaking of defense, the Mavericks have also been exceptional on that end of the floor.
Defense Wins Championships
During last year’s draft in addition to the trade deadline, Dallas made major moves to specifically challenge a team like the Timberwolves who have size. The Mavericks traded for former Wizards center Daniel Gafford and they also drafted Dereck Lively.
Before making the trade for Gafford, Dallas ranked 21st in defense during the season, as they struggled mightily with rim protection. After acquiring him their defense improved to a great extent as they finished inside the top 10 to finish the regular season.
Derek Lively has been a big spark off the bench. In game four against OKC, he had four blocks. In the game six series clinching win, he had 15 rebounds. He is a very active defender and could vauss trouble for KAT and Naz Reid.
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Final Thoughts on Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves
This series will be a physical, competitive series from the top of Game 1 until the final buzzer through game four at the very least. It will be six games if not going the full seven.
It remains to be seen who will win and advance to the NBA Finals. But regardless of who does, history will be made as one of the league’s youngest stars in Luka Doncic (27) or Anthony Edwards (22) will be in their first NBA Finals. The new era has arrived. The Western Conference Finals can be seen on TNT starting Wednesday night at 8:30PM ET.