Let this sentence sink: The Oklahoma City Thunder is just four wins away from reaching the NBA Finals.
Standing in the way for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and OKC are Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Paycom Center.
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What will be the four biggest keys for the Thunder to topple the Timberwolves and advance to the NBA Finals? Start with the Ant-Man.
REPORT CARD: Give Alex Caruso perfect grade for thwarting Nikola Jokic in Thunder’s Game 7 win
Limit Anthony Edwards
Much will be made about the Timberwolves’ reputation as an offense. Their early season findings have stuck with them, even though after March 1, they only trailed the Thunder among the league’s most efficient offenses.
Alas, when these two defenses break each other’s actions and grind possessions down to mush, isolation will float to the surface. Anthony Edwards will prove necessary. His volume of 3s, his shotmaking and explosiveness, which all act as get-out-of-jail free cards.
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Lu Dort has had some fairly effective games against Edwards, both in limiting his volume and in limiting his shot quality. He’ll need to help ensure that Edwards can’t bail Minnesota out.
— Joel Lorenzi, Staff writer
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Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards (5) jumps to shoot past Oklahoma City center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the second quarter during an NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.
Winning at the rim
Yes, the NBA has become a 3-point shooting league, but both of these teams love to get to the rim. In this postseason, the Thunder has outscored opponents by 8.7 points a game in the restricted area, the best differential in these playoffs. And that includes series against Ja Morant and Nikola Jokic, who have completely different games but can both do serious damage at the rim. But the Thunder has defended at the rim well and scored there itself. A 54-32 advantage is Game 7 vs. the Nuggets was big. But the Wolves are great in the restricted area, too, with the second-best differential in the playoffs (7.4 points). They had a 62-30 edge when they closed out the Warriors. Control of the restricted area will be key.
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— Jenni Carlson, Columnist
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Can Thunder force Julius Randle to cool off?
Julius Randle is playing his best basketball in a Timberwolves jersey right now. The 30-year-old forward is averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists on 50.9% shooting from the field this postseason. There have also been multiple instances where Randle has kept Minnesota afloat during the early going of a game, buying Anthony Edwards time to find his rhythm and close it out. OKC will have to contain Randle in this series. Look for the Thunder to throw plenty of guys at him such as Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, along with Jaylin Williams and Alex Caruso off the bench.
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— Justin Martinez, Staff writer
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Can the Thunder get hot from 3?
The Thunder is shooting 31.9% from 3-point range in these playoffs — by far the worst mark of the four conference finalists. And that’s on 39 attempts per game, which is the highest 3-point rate among the four remaining teams. Shooting the worst percentage on the highest volume hasn’t burned the Thunder yet, but you better believe Minnesota is going to funnel 3-point looks to OKC’s role players and dare them to shoot. Alex Caruso (41.7%) is the only Thunder rotational player shooting above 40% from 3 in these playoffs. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Jalen Williams are all sub-30% from 3. If Rudy Gobert and the Wolves wall off the rim, the Thunder is going to have to make shots.
— Joe Mussatto, Columnist
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Limiting Anthony Edwards will be vital for Thunder vs Timberwolves