Preview capsule on the Minnesota-Golden State Western Conference semifinal series that starts Tuesday:
No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (49-33, 4-1) vs. No. 7 Golden State Warriors (48-34, 4-3)
Season series: Warriors, 3-1.
Schedule: Game 1 at Minnesota, Tuesday; Game 2 at Minnesota, Thursday; Game 3 at Golden State, Saturday; Game 4 at Golden State, May 12; Game 5 at Minnesota, May 14 (if necessary); Game 6 at Golden State, May 18 (if necessary); Game 7 at Minnesota, May 20 (if necessary).
How they got here: Both were lower-seeded in their Round 1 matchups, and both won closeout games on the road to get to Round 2. The Timberwolves topped LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers in five games; the Warriors won a Game 7 at Houston to advance after losing closeout chances in Games 5 and 6 of that matchup.
Story line: There's a few of them, notably whether the Timberwolves can get to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year — and if they do, will it be one of those passing-of-the-torch moments on that side of the league? Wolves star Anthony Edwards might say he doesn't want to be the face of the league; if he leads Minnesota to a win in this series, he might not have a choice in the matter. The Warriors have to rest and regroup quickly after a total grinder of a series versus Houston.
Key matchup: Golden State's Draymond Green vs. Minnesota's Julius Randle. Green is still an elite, all-world defender (not to mention someone with history against Minnesota's Rudy Gobert) and will have to lead the Warriors' quest to not let the Wolves dominate the paint. Green was sensational in Game 7 against Houston; he needs that to carry over to this one.
X-factors: Golden State's Jimmy Butler vs. Minnesota. All of Minnesota. Wolves fans don't remember him fondly; Butler loves being in those situations. He wasn't with the Warriors for any of the four games against Minnesota in a super-tight regular-season series (Golden State won 3-1, but points, rebounds, shooting, assists and turnovers were all basically even.)
Prediction: Warriors in 7.
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AP NBA:
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
