The most intriguing first-round series of the NBA Playoffs in the Western Conference is between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers. One season ago, Anthony Edwards took his team to the Western Conference Finals. Now, to make it out of the first round and keep the Wolves' championship dreams alive, Edwards must find a way to get past LeBron James and Luka Doncic.

Los Angeles enters the postseason with a lot of momentum. James and Doncic led their team to the 3-seed in the West after hovering around the play-in region of the standings earlier this season, and the Lakers are the popular choice among NBA fans to advance past Minnesota.

Edwards is no stranger to all of this noise which is why he isn't surprised by everyone wanting the Lakers to win. But Edwards thrives off this type of energy, and this is extra bulletin board material for him to use as extra motivation entering the playoffs.

“I just love it. It’s dope. I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win,” Edwards said on Wednesday, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it.”

Any team that is set to face the Lakers will be viewed as the underdog in terms of the popular vote simply because of Los Angeles' vast fanbase. However, Edwards doesn't care about the Lakers' record or their fans calling for Minnesota to lose because he knows what his team is capable of.

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With their backs up against the wall, Edwards and the Timberwolves won eight of their last nine games of the regular season to avoid the play-in tournament and earn a playoff spot in the West standings. Having a chance to play the Lakers in the first round is something the Wolves wanted, and Edwards is ready to lead his team to postseason success again.

The Timberwolves and Lakers split their four regular-season meetings this year, as Los Angeles won the most recent game 111-102 on February 27 in LA. James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves combined for 77 points in this battle.

Edwards never backs down from a challenge, and he loves being in big-time games like the ones he will face in this series against the Lakers. However, the three-time All-Star struggled against the Lakers during the regular season, averaging just 19.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40.0 percent from the floor against them.

The first game of this series will be played in Los Angeles on Saturday night.