After taking care of the LeBron James and Luka Doncic-led Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be rewarded with a second-round matchup against another one of the greatest superstars of this generation in Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Considering the way the Timberwolves handled the Lakers in their matchup, it does look like they should be favored in their upcoming series against the Warriors.

Nonetheless, this Warriors team has noticeably been playing better than ever since the Jimmy Butler trade and cannot be counted out in any capacity. In fact, a member of the TNT Inside the NBA crew, Kenny Smith, predicted that the Timberwolves may run into some matchup problems against the Dubs.

“Now that Jimmy Butler's there, that's a different scenario. [Edwards] is probably going to have to guard Jimmy Butler. Now, there's a cross-matchup with Jaden McDaniels and/or Mike Conley, which will not guard Butler.

“I think the Warriors actually have a matchup advantage in this series, offensively, and they're going to be harder to guard than Minnesota for some reason,” Smith said.

Meanwhile, Shaquille O'Neal wonders if the Timberwolves have the personnel to play the same kind of defense the Houston Rockets did against Curry and doubts that they do, which is why he's picking the Warriors to win the series.

“I'm wondering what tactics Minnesota is going to go to defensively to try to stop Steph. I'm wondering how they're going to play Steph. They only got two guys that can really [deny Steph the ball]. DiVincenzo and [Nickeil Alexander-Walker]. They don't really have a lot of bodies. And when two bodies getting tired chasing around Steph, I'm rolling with Golden State,” O'Neal added.

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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) blocks a shot from Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (2) as Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) plays defense in the first half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts after making a shot against the Golden State Warriors in the first half during game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) moves the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half in game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Charles Barkley may not have the best track record when it comes to picking which team comes out on top in a playoff series, but he believes that with Anthony Edwards leading the way and the team having the requisite personnel to go small and match up well against the Warriors, the Timberwolves can get the job done.

“I'm going to take Minnesota. I think Minnesota is playing really, really well. Ant is a hell of a player. His confidence is sky-high. I think the interesting matchup is how often they're going to play small. Because if they put Rudy out there, they're going to attack him in the pick-and-roll. … Minnesota is going to have to go small a lot if they're going to beat this team,” Barkley said.