2025 NBA PLAYOFFS West First Round: #3 LA Lakers vs #6 Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN leads 1-0)

[cupcakesnake]

You really don't consider DFS, Vando as physical defenders adequate to guard Ant? really?
You don't notice that Lebron has been diverting most of his first half energy on defense since Luka and Reaves have been leading the offensive attack?
Also note that Gobert has no perimeter shooting ability so his defender would usually camp inside and clog the driving lanes against Ant.

What defender? Hayes? Smith? Exactly who is gonna protect the rim from Ant? Nobody on your team can do a damn thing about Ant going inside. Literally nobody. And no DFS and Vando cannot check Ant. You think we don't know about Vando? Who do you think brought him up in this game?Finney Smith...

We're just going to double Ant or zone up on him. he's already made it clear he doesn't know how to play from the double, and doesn't like to. We just gotta stop ant. You gotta stop 3 guys and find a replacement for Gobert. Good luck with that.

Hard to zone up on the Wolves just because they have shooters. Our weak shooters (not counting Gobert) are Randle and Jaden, but they're dangerous enough if you leave them wide open.

You're correct that the Lakers will undoubtably show extra bodies against Ant and make him pass the ball. If you force Ant into a ton of complicated reads, you can get him to have a bad game. However, in the second half of the season, Finch built counters into the offense for all the attention Ant was getting and made the Wolves very hard to guard that way. Basically, we keep a secondary driver (preferably Randle but most of the team can drive) one pass away from Ant, so the moment he sees the help come, he just makes that simple pass, and the secondary driver can drive (and kick) against a scrambled defense. Also, since Ant is a dangerous shooter, you have to extend the help pretty far out.

I'm resonably optimistic that throwing extra help at Ant wont be the Wolves demise this year, unless a team figures out how to do it in a new way. The Lakers are a weak rim protection team, so they're going to be desperate keep that paint packed. Ultimately, I don't think the Lakers can protect the rim and the 3 at the same time, but we'll see whether or not the Wolves can punish them enough for that to win.

The Lakers have some able-bodied Ant defenders. DFS is a really good start, and Vando can spell him some. Rui maybe a little bit. The Lakers get slow after that, and whoever switches on screens is liable to get cooked. It will be more about the help than the point of attack.

[cupcakesnake]

Towns is a turnover machine too. Whaddya gonna do?

Randle will be fine if we can keep him moving within the offense. Randle is great when he plays with speed, catches on the move, goes straight into drives, and looks to pass. If he ends up in lots of post-ups or isos against the Lakers, I think that will go badly.

I definitely started this season a huge Randle hater, but he's won me over with how he's played since returning from injury. If he can keep it up in the playoffs, he'll become a pretty beloved Timberwolf.

I feel like a chunk of why people are leaning so heavily toward LA is a misunderstanding of a guy like Julius Randle.

Newsflash for people: This isn't the iso-ball-heavy Knicks who are coached by a guy who doesn't know how to draw up an offense. Yeah, Randle sucked in New York because Thibs had him playing like Zach Randolph or Al Jefferson. That's not the style Finch has Julius playing anymore. Sure, sometimes he may revert to it for a possession or two, but he is hardly spending any time in the low block anymore. He is a jumbo forward whose bread and butter is the drive and kick game. The key for Julius will be to be smart with his passes and try not to telegraph them, but he's been pretty good at this for most of the season.

His scoring is down this year, only because his FGAs are way down. His FG% is the highest its been since his year in New Orleans. He's shooting a better percentage on 3s than he has since 2020-21, and on his lowest volume since 2019-20. He is not playing like a black hole in this system.

Watch on YouTube

I think people's Randle concern is more that they've seen him have all-nba calibre regular seasons and then meltdown in the playoffs. In reality, he's had only 1 healthy playoff series... but man was that series a doozy. I agree the different playstyle means he's not going to fail in the same way, but until he proves, people will wonder if he'll fail in a new way!

Randle's play and fit as the season went on has been a big bright spot in our season. Here's hoping that spot stays bright. I'm more worried about his defense than his offense in this series. Offensively, he's perfectly positions to punish a scrambling defense if they overplay Ant. Defensively, I worry about the Lakers high-IQ off-ball guys taking advantage of Randle's poor focus.

[TrustFundBaby]

Getting flashbacks to everyone saying PHX would beat MIN, and then Minny punked them.

I expect the same thing here. I'm thinking Wolves in 6. They are 17-4 in their last 21, they're coming into the postseason hot. They have the size advantage, and although the Lakers are big all around, they are undersized with regard to their bigs. DFS and Hayes are not an NBA contender frontcourt, they are getting humiliated this series.

MIN are physical defenders, and it's true they struggled with Luka last time around. I expect those struggles to continue, but I think Kyrie being a tough cover for Ant was wearing him down, and he was worn down after DEN. This time around, he's pretty fresh for LA. I think Ant 40 bomb and Wolves steal game 1 today

[DonaldSanders]

The Wolves will prove to be the more athletic, defensively capable team and take this one down in 6 or 7. The Lakers have a +1.2 point differential (8th in conference, one spot above the Kangz), while the Wolves have a +5.0, good enough for 2nd in the conference, I weight that more than the 1 game difference between the two.

The Lakers may turn a new page in the summer after filling in weaknesses post-Luka trade, but as-is I don't think they can keep up with the Wolves who are deeper. We've also seen LeBron fade in 2nd halves of the playoffs after dumping all his energy in the 1st as he has aged, so that's also something to watch when playoff basketball ratchets up the energy demands on a 40 year old who is also nursing a groin injury.

I agree with the Minny fans talking about Randle's fit improvements -- look at his 2nd half of the season impact, watch the games, and he's just not the guy everyone saw to start the year. There's a fit now, and I think he'll have a solid positive impact. I also think Edwards benefitted from last year's big run, and will have an awesome series.

[bisme37]

Today’s four-game day culminates on ABC (8:30 ET), where for only the third time ever, the team that originated in Minneapolis (the Lakers) will face the team that plays there now (the Wolves) in the NBA Playoffs.

The last time they met? The 2004 Western Conference Finals.

How long ago was that?
LeBron James had just wrapped his up his rookie season
Luka Dončić had just turned 5 years old
Anthony Edwards was a few months shy of turning 3

Luka Elevating L.A.: The Lakers were 5th in the West when they acquired Luka on Feb. 2. They finished 3rd in a competitive race, marking the first time L.A. entered the Playoffs above the 7 seed since their 2020 title run

With LeBron James (24.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 8.2 apg) continuing to defy Father Time in Season 22 and Austin Reaves (20.2 pts, 4.5 reb, 5.8 ast) having a career year, the Lakers will open a Playoff series in L.A. for the first time since 2012

New To The Pack: The Wolves added Julius Randle (18.7 ppg, 48.5% FG) and Donte DiVincenzo (2.8 3pg, 39.7% 3P) in the offseason, adding a boost of offense (8th in NBA) while maintaining an elite defense (6th) built around Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Major Impact: The Wolves are 44-25 (.637) with Randle the lineup – a win percentage that would rank 2nd in the West

The Wolves and Lakers split their four-game season series, but L.A, took the only game following the Luka trade – a 111-102 win on Feb. 27 with Luka posting 21 points and 13 boards in his 6th game as a Laker.

[BruttoNostra]

Lakers in 5
Rockets in 6
Thunder in 4
Nuggets in 7

Celtics in 4
Cavs in 5
Pacers in 5
Knicks in 6

Let's go!

[PistolPeteJR]

The Wolves will prove to be the more athletic, defensively capable team and take this one down in 6 or 7. The Lakers have a +1.2 point differential (8th in conference, one spot above the Kangz), while the Wolves have a +5.0, good enough for 2nd in the conference, I weight that more than the 1 game difference between the two.

The Lakers may turn a new page in the summer after filling in weaknesses post-Luka trade, but as-is I don't think they can keep up with the Wolves who are deeper. We've also seen LeBron fade in 2nd halves of the playoffs after dumping all his energy in the 1st as he has aged, so that's also something to watch when playoff basketball ratchets up the energy demands on a 40 year old who is also nursing a groin injury.

I agree with the Minny fans talking about Randle's fit improvements -- look at his 2nd half of the season impact, watch the games, and he's just not the guy everyone saw to start the year. There's a fit now, and I think he'll have a solid positive impact. I also think Edwards benefitted from last year's big run, and will have an awesome series.

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with your take on who wins the series, but I do disagree with your take on LeBron’s energy. Since Luka’s come on board, in addition to Reaves emerging even more this season, LeBron has been letting those guys take the reins on O during the first half often, taking a step back and playing a lot more off-ball. That has resulted in a different LeBron in the second half of games.

[bledredwine]

Every year he's played in the playoffs,

he's been 1st or 2nd best player alongside Jokic.

I'm curious if that playoff Luka will show up this year and if Lebron will marginalize his presence or not. If he does, LAL can beat anyone on any given night.

[TimberKat]

OMG! How can you not have Luka in the picture. He is twice the star LBJ is

[TimberKat]

The Wolves will prove to be the more athletic, defensively capable team and take this one down in 6 or 7. The Lakers have a +1.2 point differential (8th in conference, one spot above the Kangz), while the Wolves have a +5.0, good enough for 2nd in the conference, I weight that more than the 1 game difference between the two.

The Lakers may turn a new page in the summer after filling in weaknesses post-Luka trade, but as-is I don't think they can keep up with the Wolves who are deeper. We've also seen LeBron fade in 2nd halves of the playoffs after dumping all his energy in the 1st as he has aged, so that's also something to watch when playoff basketball ratchets up the energy demands on a 40 year old who is also nursing a groin injury.

I agree with the Minny fans talking about Randle's fit improvements -- look at his 2nd half of the season impact, watch the games, and he's just not the guy everyone saw to start the year. There's a fit now, and I think he'll have a solid positive impact. I also think Edwards benefitted from last year's big run, and will have an awesome series.

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with your take on who wins the series, but I do disagree with your take on LeBron’s energy. Since Luka’s come on board, in addition to Reaves emerging even more this season, LeBron has been letting those guys take the reins on O during the first half often, taking a step back and playing a lot more off-ball. That has resulted in a different LeBron in the second half of games.

I watched LBJ since 1st Cavs. Clearly he isn't on the same level. If he hits the 3s consistently, he will be very effective in this series, otherwise, is just another good player.

[DonaldSanders]

I’m not saying I agree or disagree with your take on who wins the series, but I do disagree with your take on LeBron’s energy. Since Luka’s come on board, in addition to Reaves emerging even more this season, LeBron has been letting those guys take the reins on O during the first half often, taking a step back and playing a lot more off-ball. That has resulted in a different LeBron in the second half of games.

It's a very reasonable point, that's why I called his energy level something to watch. It's crucial for the Lakers for things to play out where LeBron can conserve energy.

JJ will also need to make sure he keeps LeBron at his regular season levels. The last 2 seasons his minutes elevated to 38.7 and 40.8! in the playoffs. That's too much for a 40 year old. So if we have a 35mpg LeBron like the regular season and Doncic/Reaves can take enough of the offensive load for LeBron, he could have much more in the tank to close games than we've seen the past 2 years, despite aging. However if we see 39mpg LeBron trying to take over more, it could be trouble.

[Sealab2024]

To brutish Haracio. We demand our pint of blood and pound of flesh and at that...

No sir. To tremble before consideration. That is my job.

[Loaf_of_bread]

Wolves in 7. Could be a bloodbath of epic proportions. LeBron will be exhausted and retire after the Wolves break his will.

[thinktank]

To brutish Haracio. We demand our pint of blood and pound of flesh and at that...

No sir. To tremble before consideration. That is my job.

They stole all 5 of our banners.

[scrabbarista]

Randle will be fine if we can keep him moving within the offense. Randle is great when he plays with speed, catches on the move, goes straight into drives, and looks to pass. If he ends up in lots of post-ups or isos against the Lakers, I think that will go badly.

I definitely started this season a huge Randle hater, but he's won me over with how he's played since returning from injury. If he can keep it up in the playoffs, he'll become a pretty beloved Timberwolf.

I feel like a chunk of why people are leaning so heavily toward LA is a misunderstanding of a guy like Julius Randle.

Newsflash for people: This isn't the iso-ball-heavy Knicks who are coached by a guy who doesn't know how to draw up an offense. Yeah, Randle sucked in New York because Thibs had him playing like Zach Randolph or Al Jefferson. That's not the style Finch has Julius playing anymore. Sure, sometimes he may revert to it for a possession or two, but he is hardly spending any time in the low block anymore. He is a jumbo forward whose bread and butter is the drive and kick game. The key for Julius will be to be smart with his passes and try not to telegraph them, but he's been pretty good at this for most of the season.

His scoring is down this year, only because his FGAs are way down. His FG% is the highest its been since his year in New Orleans. He's shooting a better percentage on 3s than he has since 2020-21, and on his lowest volume since 2019-20. He is not playing like a black hole in this system.

Watch on YouTube

I think people's Randle concern is more that they've seen him have all-nba calibre regular seasons and then meltdown in the playoffs. In reality, he's had only 1 healthy playoff series... but man was that series a doozy. I agree the different playstyle means he's not going to fail in the same way, but until he proves, people will wonder if he'll fail in a new way!

Randle's play and fit as the season went on has been a big bright spot in our season. Here's hoping that spot stays bright. I'm more worried about his defense than his offense in this series. Offensively, he's perfectly positioned to punish a scrambling defense if they overplay Ant. Defensively, I worry about the Lakers high-IQ off-ball guys taking advantage of Randle's poor focus.

What was your prediction for this series?

[scrabbarista]

Lakers in 5
Rockets in 6
Thunder in 4
Nuggets in 7

Celtics in 4
Cavs in 5
Pacers in 5
Knicks in 6

Let's go!

Thunder 5
Rockets 5
Lakers 6
Nuggets 7

[Dr Aki]

How has Perkins gone this long without someone at ESPN telling him it's HachiMURA, not HachiMARA

[Domejandro]

I like Udonis Haslem, but he is a bit mistaken about Minnesota's coverages against Dallas. Having Rudy play a heavy drop was intentional, but Minnesota got cooked because Minnesota's other defenders (mainly Naz Reid and Karl-Anthony Towns) were not effectively "helping the helper".

[Shaka_Zulu]

How hyped are we for the game peeps? On a scale from 1 to Cameron Payne dancing on the bench.



https://youtu.be/8jCTziE5eWs?si=pUlJxxvSd_TDoN7R

[sikma42]

Last year I feel teams figured out Anthony Edwards. Excited to see if he has adjusted.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums