In a 125-93 victory vs. nugget in Game 7, the Thunder punched tickets to the Western Conference Finals. As the number one seed in the West, they prefer to win the NBA Finals.
The Timberwolves are the opponent in the Western Conference Finals. Minnesota has spent almost a week off since last playing. For the first time since 1996, WCF will not introduce teams in California or Texas. This statistic is done via Yahoo Sports ON x.
It’s been 29 years since WCF didn’t showcase a California or Texas team
It’s been 29 years since the Western Conference Finals did not feature teams from Texas or California. pic.twitter.com/m4xuxqwicq
– Yahoo Sports (@yahoosports) May 20, 2025
California and Texas have several NBA teams in their respective states. Lonely star states include Rockets, Spurs and Mavericks. Golden State has the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kings. This is seven out of 15 teams in the Western Conference. Less than 50%. This increases the likelihood that California or Texas teams will play in the Western Conference Finals every season. However, this is not the case in 2025.
For the first time since 1996, WCF will not introduce teams in California or Texas. It’s been 29 years since this happened. The last thing happened was in 1996 when Jazz faced supersonics. In 2025, the Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Timberwolves have been in WCF for the second consecutive time, and OKC has played their first play since 2015-16.
Game 1 of the 2025 Western Conference Finals is 8:30pm EST on Tuesday. Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will be a lightning showdown with Shy Gilgauss Alexander. Minnesota lost to the Mavericks in five games at WCF last year. They’ve been here before and have been playing players on the roster. Conversely, OKC has the youngest team in the NBA this season, and has yet to prove it in the postseason. Which teams will move forward to representing the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals?