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The Minnesota Timberwolves entered their series against the Los Angeles Lakers as clear underdogs just weeks ago. But that prediction didn’t age well. The sixth-seeded Timberwolves not only pulled off the upset—they handled the third-seeded Lakers in a gentleman’s sweep. Many underestimated Minnesota, viewing the team as overly reliant on Anthony Edwards. What they failed to see was that Chris Finch’s squad boasts one of the deepest rosters in the league.
“We got a long way to go. We'll regroup, but we are certainly going to celebrate this, because this team took a lot of shit through the season,” Chris Finch remarked in his post-game interview via Chris Hine.
The dominant storyline heading into the series was that Rudy Gobert would have a tough time against the Lakers’ small-ball approach. The Timberwolves center, Gobert posted career-best playoff numbers in both scoring and rebounding, helped lead the Timberwolves to a 103-96 win that sealed the series 4-1.
It marked Minnesota’s third consecutive victory over the Lakers and secured the franchise’s first time winning playoff series in back-to-back seasons. While Gobert didn’t impose his will as much as expected earlier in the series, his teammates stepped up in a big way. Naz Reid, Julius Randle, and Jaden McDaniels filled the gap, crashing the boards and taking advantage of the Lakers’ issues defending quicker, more agile players.
Even Lakers star LeBron James had trouble keeping up with Randle, who consistently used his physicality to gain the upper hand in their matchup.
The Timberwolves evolution under Chris Finch
Many underestimated the Timberwolves, unaware of how much the team had evolved this season. While most of the 2024 core remained, the key difference was swapping out Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
The new group got off to a shaky start, but they eventually found their rhythm and seamlessly adapted to Chris Finch’s system. Randle, in particular, emerged as a major contributor down the stretch and carried that momentum into the Playoffs, where he outperformed LeBron James in several key moments.
Minnesota heads into the Playoffs as one of the most dangerous threats in the bracket, boasting a dependable eight-man rotation packed with quality. Anthony Edwards remains the team’s centerpiece, but even when his shot wasn’t falling—like in Game 5, where he missed all 11 of his three-point attempts—he still impacted the game in other ways.
Edwards shifted into a playmaking role, nearly notching a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. With Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle dominating, Edwards didn’t hesitate to take a step back, showing how unified and selfless this group is.
Head coach Chris Finch has a battle-tested roster ready for a deep postseason push. Now, the Timberwolves await a challenging second-round series against either the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors hold a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven series and can punch their ticket to the next round against the Timberwolves with a win at home in Game 6 on Friday night.
