Nearly all of the matchups in the upcoming 2025 NBA Playoffs are set in stone, including the battle between the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds in the Western Conference. LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers will take on Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves, with Game 1 of that series scheduled for Saturday night.
The Timberwolves and Lakers have crossed paths in the playoffs just twice in their history, and Los Angeles came out on top in both matchups. The last time was in the 2004 Western Conference Finals. This will be their third playoff meeting.
With the start of the Lakers-Timberwolves series looming, former Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley said Edwards has long been waiting for an opportunity to play James in the playoffs.
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“This is what he’s been waiting for his entire life,” Beverley said. “I know the kid personally. To be able to go against the King, first round in the playoffs, mano a mano, this is what he’s been waiting for. This is gonna be a elite series.”
This year, Edwards is hoping that he can lead the Timberwolves to a similar amount of success that the team enjoyed in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
It’s not hyperbolic to claim that Edwards helped Minnesota go on one of its best playoff runs in franchise history, as the Timberwolves reached the 2024 Western Conference Finals. That marked just Minnesota’s second conference finals appearance in team history and its first since 2004.
However, the Timberwolves have a different team now compared to the squad that reached the Western Conference Finals last year. Karl-Anthony Towns is no longer with the team, but Julius Randle has helped to fill the hole left by his departure. He averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest in the regular season.
An interesting storyline in the upcoming series between Edwards’ Timberwolves and James’ Lakers is that Edwards is facing off against a player in Doncic who sent him home in the 2024 conference finals. The Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Timberwolves in five games, and Edwards might be looking for revenge against the Slovenian, even if he plays for a different team now.
Considering the star power of both teams, folks shouldn’t be surprised if the first-round series between Los Angeles and Minnesota has some thrilling moments and lasts a little while.
