"Western Conference Finals Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder vs Minnesota Timberwolves"

What a crazy NBA postseason this has been and highly entertaining! 
We're down to the final four teams who'll face off to claim their spot in 
the NBA Finals. Before we go there, one more round waits and which of 
these two western conference teams can prove they belong. 

1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs 6. Minnesota Timberwolves 

Oklahoma City is back in the West Finals since 2016; which included 
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This version of OKC is a mesh of 
young talent and tough nosed coaching led by MVP candidate Shai 
Gigeous-Alexander. Winning 68 games and boat racing Memphis, a 
tough second round series versus Denver have propelled the Thunder. 
This team has proven to be a threat, but can they put together a well 
rounded series of good basketball? With Chet Holmgren, Jalen 
Williams, Jaylin Williams, and a strong supporting cast, it plays into the 
Thunder's favor. They'll have home court advantage and try to send 
Minnesota back to the forest and howl under a full moon early. 
Minnesota... The team nobody thought would be back to back West 
finals appearances. Beating the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State 
Warriors, and now Oklahoma City stands in their way in reaching the 
NBA Finals. In a short period of time, the Wolves have slowly built their 
team to knockout the "legends" in Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, LeBron 
James and Steph Curry.

Led by superstar Anthony Edwards, Minnesota will need him to be 
aggressive from start to finish. With Julius Randle playing out of his 
mind, his role is bigger than before. The one-two punch of Edwards and 
Randle will have to rise above and keep it within reach. Yes, the Wolves 

have their work cut out in this best of seven games. Head coach Chris 
Finch will have to push all the right buttons and get all he can from his  
bench.

If you're the road team and underdog, winning the first game sends a 
message to the home team. Getting a split versus falling 0-2 early on 
eases the pressure. This team has their flaws, but we've seen 
Minnesota claw and howl their way to this point of NBA postseason play. 
They'll have to be focused on defense and maul OKC when the game 
becomes close. No room for errors and excuses to win this series. 
This series will be nip and tuck; whoever can play their best basketball 
while rising above the unknown will take the West finals. Role players 
become more valuable and superstars must take it up another notch. 
Expect this series to have plenty of high-flying plays and suffocating 
defense from both teams.