Many basketball fans will be trapped in a playoff matchup in the first round of the high stakes between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers.
This compelling series heads head straight for the third and sixth seeds of the Western Conference, as well as some of the brightest stars in the NBA.
For the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards will take the centre stage as Young Phenom leads Minnesota to his fourth career postseason appearance.
What makes this particular playoff run special is Edwards’ opportunity to fight LeBron James.
“That means playing against him. Man. He’s probably going to be down as the best player to play basketball ever,” Edwards revealed with genuine respect.
“It’s going to be difficult to get him out of the playoffs under my belt, but it’s going to be a fun road,” he added.
The series marks Edwards and James’ first playoff encounters, but they faced 12 times in regular season play. LeBron is currently gaining an 8-4 advantage in these in-person meetings.
Edwards has struggled historically when he faces the Lakers. His numbers tell a story of concern: a lower percentage of field goals of 40.3% and an even more worrying 32.3% from the 3-point range against Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, LeBron has been consistently effective against Edwards and the Timberwolves, averaging 23.2 points on efficient 46.8% shooting from the field in previous games.
As this anticipated series unfolds, all eyes are about how these two generations of talent work when they matter most. The pressure and strength of playoff basketball will definitely be even higher.
He will need significant contributions from teammates Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle to overcome his past struggle with the Lakers.
The challenge becomes even more difficult considering LeBron, the same player who eliminated Edwards and the Timberwolves in last year’s Western Conference Finals, is now with Luka Donsic, who is on his side.