The Western Conference had a tough competition once again in the regular season. A late-season loss cost the Golden State Warriors an automatic playoff berth, and just one win separated the No. 3-seeded LA Lakers and No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves.
With how things went, some expected the first-round matchup between LA and Minnesota to be a toss-up.
However, as Chris Vernon pointed out on X, ESPN experts Jamal Collier, Tim McMahon, Chris Herring, Bobby Marks, Jorge Sedano, Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelbourne all picked the Lakers to win the series in six games. Ohm Youngmisuk and Marc J. Spears had them winning in seven.
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However, the Timberwolves only needed five games to take them down.
While the media and fans may often favor big-market teams, even when they lose, the talk is mostly centered around what they can do to get back in the series instead of highlighting what the winning team did well.
It may still be a surprise to see the series end quickly, but it’s also a testament to how good the Timberwolves were in the series.
Luka Doncic says JJ Redick coaches like European coaches
First-year coach JJ Redick has been under some heavy fire during the series. He didn’t make a single substitution in the second half of Game 4 on Sunday, and he doubled down on his short rotation in an elimination game.
However, Luka Doncic is still high on his coach.
“Sometimes it feels like I’m back in Europe,” Doncic said on Wednesday, via SI. “Not many coaches do the things he did in his first year. It’s been nothing but amazing having him as a coach.”
Redick stormed out of a press conference when asked about his rotation and whether his assistant coaches told him to give minutes to more players.
He chose not to play Jaxson Hayes and rolled with Maxi Kleber, who hadn’t played in three months, over him. Rudy Gobert finished Game 5 with 27 points and 24 rebounds on 12 of 15 shooting.
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Edited by Victor Ramon Galvez
