Jaden McDaniels (left), Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert earned their 2nd consecutive trip to the West Finals in the 2025 playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made 13 trips to the playoffs during their time in the NBA. They have made three Conference Finals appearances along the way. Let’s highlight each of those seasons and discuss the result of each series.
2004
Beginning in 1997, the Timberwolves had a stretch of seven straight seasons in which they lost in the first round of the playoffs. Then, they went 58-24 during the 2003-04 regular season and beat the Nuggets in five games in the first round. In the second round, they knocked off the Kings in seven games to reach the Western Conference Finals and a matchup with the Lakers. That’s where their run came to an end as the Lakers won in six games.
Kevin Garnett won the MVP award that season and also dominated when it mattered the most. Over 18 playoff games, he averaged 24.3 points, 14.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks. It was also a productive playoff run for Latrell Sprewell, who averaged 19.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.6 steals.
2024
The Timberwolves went 56-26 during the 2023-24 season, posting their second-most wins in a season in franchise history. Rudy Gobert was named the Defensive Player of the Year, averaging 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. Naz Reid won the Sixth Man of the Year award, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns both made the All-Star team.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves swept the Suns. It then took them seven games to knock off the Nuggets in the semifinals. They faced the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and lost to them in five games. Edwards was excellent in the playoffs, averaging 27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 steals across 16 games.
2025
The Timberwolves took a bit of a step back in 2024-25 but still made the playoffs with their 49-33 regular season record. With Towns having been traded to the Knicks during the offseason, Edwards stepped up to average 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.1 3-pointers per game. His main running mate was Julius Randle, who averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Gobert also anchored their defense again, averaging 12.0 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves got past the Lakers in five games. They lost Game 1 of their semifinal’s series against the Warriors but then won four straight to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Over their 10 playoff games leading up to the Western Conference Finals, Edwards averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.5 3-pointers. Randle also played at a high level in the playoffs, averaging 23.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
