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The Minnesota Timberwolves have completed their return the Western Conference Finals, making it two straight trips in back-to-back seasons. Furthermore, it wasn't a walk in the park in the NBA Playoffs for Anthony Edwards and crew, especially after sending home the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, both of which had championship aspirations.
But while the Timberwolves just made history, the journey to a championship doesn't get easier. But fortunately, the Timberwolves are hungrier than ever. So here are three bold predictions for the Timberwolves against the Thunder in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Edwards will give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a run for WCF's best player
The matchup between Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the spotlight of the series. Both elite players have successfully carried their teams into the Western Conference Finals despite being young stars in the league.
Although SGA has made a strong case to be the 2024-25 MVP, one can also expect Ant to give him a run for his money in this much-awaited Western Conference Finals showdown.
In the 2025 NBA playoffs, Edwards has been going on a tear. He is averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 44.5% from the field overall.
Edwards has also added more Hall of Famers to his resume of eliminated superstars in the form of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and Stephen Curry. He'd certainly love to add SGA to his decorated list of victims.
In the first two rounds, both the Lakers and Warriors had no answers for Edwards' fine play. While the Thunder will probably flaunt a tougher defensive strategy against Minnesota, Edwards announced that he isn't satisfied yet about how far the Timberwolves have gone in the postseason.
With morale up high and a ticket to the NBA Finals up for grabs, there's no shortage of motivation for Edwards to cement his leap towards superstardom. In fact, the best way for him to do so is to outclass an MVP candidate like SGA under the bright lights of the NBA Playoffs.
Julius Randle's peak will continue to flow for Timberwolves
Originally, the Timberwolves were dubbed as clear losers of the Karl-Anthony Towns-Julius Randle exchange that happened prior to the 2024-25 season. Initially, the critics were right, as Minnesota had a slow start to the season.
But fast-forward to today, Randle has peaked at the best time possible in the postseason, playing arguably the best basketball stretch of his career. As a result, the narrative surrounding the trade has changed tremendously.
Randle has been putting up a tear for Minnesota, averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game while converting 50.9% of his shots overall. In contrast to his past playoff failures with the New York Knicks, it seems like the former NBA Most Improved Player has added more layers to his game in order to fully acclimate himself with Chris Finch's system with the Wolves.
Instead of becoming an isolation-heavy scorer, Randle evolved into a versatile contributor, who does a little bit of everything for the Timberwolves.
With Randle being a great fit for the Timberwolves, it's a no-brainer that the team will count on him to once again ease the pressure off Edwards against the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
While Oklahoma's defense will probably take a hit on Randle's usual scoring ways, especially with big men Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein expected to clog the paint, Minnesota fans can find solace in the fact that he's no longer just a scorer but a potential Swiss army knife who can impact the game in multiple ways.
The Timberwolves are going to need all the help they can get to pull off the upset against the Thunder. And if Randle continues to be a revelation for the team, his presence will be a huge shot in the arm for their cause.
A vintage Mike Conley comes to play for Timberwolves
Mike Conley for the Timberwolves has been awful during the 2024-25 season. He averaged career-worst numbers, putting up 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on just 40.0% shooting from the field overall.
Without his former fine play, Minnesota had a glaring weakness in its backcourt as the team struggled to facilitate their offensive sets effectively, especially early in the season. In fact, it was easy to see why the Timberwolves ranked 18th in turnovers during the regular season, averaging 14.5 per game as a team. They've slightly increased that to 14.8 in the playoffs.
On the bright side, it seems like the aging Conley still might have some gas left in the tank. In the second round against the Warriors, the onetime NBA All-Star gave a good account of himself, averaging 8.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
Conley scored 11 and 16 points, in Games 4 and 5, respectively. But more importantly, he was a +36 in all of Minnesota's victories against Golden State.
Against the Thunder, the Timberwolves will have to be wary about the number of turnovers they have. Oklahoma's suffocating defense will probably force them to commit more, and it's sure as day that they will make them pay.
The Thunder scored a league-leading 21.8 points off turnovers during the regular season. They've maintained that feat in the playoffs, leading all teams with 24.7.
As a result, the Timberwolves are going to need Conley's ability to take care of the ball while serving as an efficient floor general. For those things to happen, his vintage form must show up rather than the one everyone has seen all season long.
