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After getting through one of the most physical and grueling series Stephen Curry's ever seen, the Golden State Warriors are back in the second round of the playoffs and hungry for more. But with Anthony Edwards and the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves, who are 22-9 since the All-Star break, standing in their way, the Warriors are faced with another big and athletic powerhouse that won't be as inexperienced as the Houston Rockets were.
On paper, it's a series that favors the T-Wolves. With the versatility of their big man lineup of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid, combined with the length of their wings in Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo, all led by the star power of Edwards, Minnesota looks like a team perfectly designed to counter a Curry-led Warriors team.
Not to mention the rest and fatigue factors at play. When Game 1 in Minnesota tips off, the Warriors will be just over 48 hours removed from their Game 7 road victory. That doesn't bode well for an older team already plagued with nagging injuries. Curry's hampered by a swollen thumb. Jimmy Butler's gutting through games with a deep glute contusion. And with the first four games of this series scheduled every other day, the Warriors are battling both the Timberwolves and exhaustion.
However, despite the very real basketball factors that favor the T-Wolves, the Warriors have one thing Minnesota doesn't: the incalculable heart of a champion. That goes a long way in a seven-game series. And while this might be one of the final chapters of this Warriors dynasty, if Stephen Curry's on the floor, the Warriors will always have a puncher's chance.
So, without further ado, here are some bold predictions for the Warriors heading into this highly anticipated Timberwolves series.
Kevon Looney will be the Dubs' X-Factor
Speaking of the heart of a champion, what better player to start with than Kevon Looney? He is the definition of underrated. He might not have the most beautiful offensive game, nor does he have the athleticism or height to be a true rim protector. But at the end of the day, he plays hard. Defensively, he is always in the right spots. He boxes out behemoths like Steven Adams. And he is one of the quiet leaders in a Warriors locker room full of hall-of-famers.
Steve Kerr knows it. Ahead of Game 7, Kerr talked about playing Looney more to match the Rockets' double-big lineup, as reported by the San Francisco Standard's Danny Emerman.
“I trust Loon, you know, implicitly based on being together for 10 years, seeing him perform in so many of these big games,” Kerr said.
Trust goes a long way in the NBA. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick did not trust Jaxson Hayes, which led to Gobert and Randle destroying them in the paint. That won't happen to Looney; he has Kerr's trust and confidence. What that trust translates to is debatable.
Glass-half full, the Warriors will win this series if they get the Looney who defanged Domantas Sabonis back in 2023. That's an extremely optimistic outlook. But if the Dubs can get a guy who can eat up innings for them while Green goes to the bench, a guy who can neutralize some of the interior dominance of the Wolves' bigs, it'll force Minnesota to play the way the Warriors want to play.
Contrary to popular belief, the last thing the Warriors want to do is get into a shootout with the Wolves. They have better shooters and better athletes. If the interior falls, the 3-ball will open up for the Wolves. The Warriors have to muck it up. Looney will play a big role in making this series ugly.
Stephen Curry's gravity will be more important than scoring
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Newsflash: More points do not equal more impact. Curry's 20 points in Game 7 are proof of that. Even at 37 years old, Curry terrified Houston off the ball. So many times in that series, Curry would cut through the lane, and there would be two or three Rockets players who would completely drop their defensive assignment, leading to an open layup or open 3 for another Warrior.
He was a big reason why Buddy Hield made nine 3s. Houston was daring anyone not wearing No. 30 to make a shot. Hield punished them, and it'll be up to him and the rest of the Dubs to do more of that versus the T-Wolves. Minnesota is going to tilt its entire defense towards stopping Curry. So, how the Warriors gameplan around the constant double teams, the unparalleled off-ball attention, and the potential box-and-ones will decide their fate.
That means everyone not named Curry is staying aggressive. The Warriors were too passive at times in the Rockets series. They passed up a lot of open shots, which led to overpassing and ultimately empty possessions. Green looked aggressive on offense in Game 7 with 16 points that game. But that means guys like Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski have to take advantage of the space Curry creates.
It will be kind of a balancing act for Curry and the Warriors. They still need Curry to be aggressive in hunting his shot while on the ball. Houston and Amen Thompson's defense was elite, but there were still moments when Curry needed to be more trigger-happy. At the same time, the Warriors want to use Curry's gravity to play some of these Wolves players off the floor.
Gobert's the main culprit. We'll see if the Warriors can exploit his reluctance to come out on the perimeter when Curry is both on and off the ball. But if Curry can exhaust whoever's guarding him, whether it be McDaniels, DiVincenzo, or even Edwards, that will favor the Warriors if this series drags on.
The Warriors will steal one of the first two games on the road
It would have been easy to say the Warriors will win a road game given their pedigree. The Warriors have won a road game in 29 of their last 30 playoff series. There's a reason why the Curry-era Dubs have four rings and are also called the “Road Warriors.” Their ability to steal games on the road is why they've usually been able to afford playoff duds like this year's Rockets Game 6 or that 2022 Memphis Game 6 blowout.
But in this Timberwolves series, it's never been more important to steal one in Minnesota. The fatigue's going to be a factor, but if the Warriors can get this series past five games, there will be a two-day break between Game 5 and 6. To improve their chances of getting there, it starts with taking one on the road in Games 1 or 2.
And despite the exhaustion, that's well within the realm of possibility for the Warriors. Against the Rockets, they won both Game 1 and Game 7 on the road. Not to mention, they stole Game 3 versus the Rockets without Butler. It's in the Dubs' DNA to take games they aren't supposed to win. In a lot of ways, they play better when they're discounted.
It won't be easy by any means. But betting on the Warriors in this series means betting on the intangibles. Basketball isn't played by robots. It's played by humans. With Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler, anything is possible.
