May 18, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; The center of Oklahoma City Thunder Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and the Cason Wallace Guard (22) celebrate a basket against the denver nuggets in the second half that turn the game seven of the second round for the NBA playoffs of the NBA of 2025 in PayCom Center. Mandatory Credit: Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn The Oklahoma City Thunder had a lot of free time before its first two playoff series.
Now, in the western conference finals against the Timberwolves of Minnesota, it will be the Thunder who comes in the series after a break, while his opponent has much more time to recover.
The series begins on Tuesday in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder come from a 125-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets visitors on Sunday in game 7 of their second round series.
The Timberwolves refuge played in six days after closing the Golden State Warriors in five games.
Oklahoma City had a week between games before his first round series against Memphis and then nine days between games before the series against the Nuggets.
In the first round, the Thunder opened with a 51 -point victory over the Grizzlies, but dropped the game 1 to Denver after fading late.
Minnesota had a dismissal of six days before each of its first two series, winning game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers and the fall of game 1 to Golden State. The Timberwolves won each series in five games.
The Timberwolves are in the finals of the conference for the second consecutive season and the third time in their history. Minnesota has never advanced to the finals of the NBA.
Oklahoma City has been in the late west conference for the first time since 2016 and seeks its first appearance in the final since 2012.
The series presents two of the main defenses of the NBA, both the regular season and in the playoffs.
The Thunder has a defensive qualification 101.6, points allowed per 100 possessions, in 11 playoff games, better this postseason. The defensive qualification of Minnestas 106.8 is second.
It also presents two of the best young stars in the league in Shai Gilgous-Alexander by Oklahoma City and Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves.
Gilgous-Alexander average 29.0 points, 6.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds this postseason, while Edwards is averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
Gilgous-Alexander, the leader for the honors of more valuable players, expects the confrontation against cousin Nickeil Alexander-Walker or Minnesota.
The two players were born less than two months apart in Toronto and both attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanoga, Tenn.
“It will be very fun,” said Gilgous-Alexander. “It’s hard to explain. If you know how close we are, it is literally as my second brother. He is on his leg at each stage of life with me, collecting a basketball school to do the school to do the NBA, we have gone to the special toos, to compete with each other even more special.
“But I’m trying to take my head.”
In a game of 2023, Alexander-Walker helped keep his cousin a shot night of 5 of 19.
Alexander-Walker said that the consistency of Gilgeous-Alexander has led him to a different step.
“That comes from diligence, hard work, seeing it first hand and discipline that the sincere I host in any other person,” said Alexander-Walker. “I do not have a Sene discipline like yours. So I think that is the main reason why people think they have jumped when the real bone can consistently be that, because it is such a disciplined leg in its approach.”
The teams divided their four -game season series and divided their two games into Oklahoma City.
Rudy Gobert de Minnesota played in just one of those games, a loss of New Year’s Eve, while Chet Holmgren appeared in two of the games for Thunder.
“Apples to apples, I don’t know if those games are the perfect frame to look at the series,” said Thunder Mark Daigneault coach. “It will be different.”
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