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Not very many people saw it coming, but the Minnesota Timberwolves are four wins away from going to the NBA Finals. The Timberwolves took down the Los Angeles Lakers in five games to get their playoff run started, and then they only needed five games to take down the Golden State Warriors as well. Now, Minnesota is moving on to the Western Conference Finals, and it will play the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder are the top team in the Western Conference, and they are big favorites in this series. However, the Timberwolves have been underdogs in both rounds of the NBA Playoffs so far, and they are still alive.
This is going to be a challenging series to win for Minnesota. The Thunder finished in first place for a reason, and the Timberwolves will have very little room for error in this series. They especially need to make sure that they are taking care of the basketball.
“What really worries me for Minnesota is they have to take care of the ball better than they have for years now, and so far in the playoffs,” NBA insider Zach Lowe said during an episode of his podcast. “If this is a high turnover series, they are dead on arrival. If this is an average turnover series, they have some minority chance to pull an upset.”
If the Timberwolves can keep the turnovers to a minimum, they will likely stand a fighting chance in this series against the Thunder. If they can't keep them under control, it probably won't go well.
“If this is a low turnover series for them which is extremely difficult against the handiest team in the league, they have a chance to win the series, but if this is a high turnover series, they’re dead,” Lowe continued. “They were 19th in turnover rate in the regular season and their turnover rate has been higher in the playoffs than it was in the regular season.”
One player to watch in terms of the turnover problem is Julius Randle. He has stepped up in a big way during the playoffs, but he is turning the ball over 3.1 times per game. That is the most out of anyone on the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards, the primary ball-handler for Minnesota, is turning the ball over 2.3 times per game.
According to Zach Lowe, that is the key to the series for the Timberwolves. Take care of the basketball, and they have a chance. Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals will take place on Tuesday night. The Timberwolves and Thunder will get underway at 7:30 CT from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, and the game will be airing on ESPN. Oklahoma City is currently favored by 7.5 points.
