Ant. SGA. With a trip to the Finals up for grabs.
The 2025 Conference Finals tip off tonight. For the two teams that make it through? Unforgettable Awaits.
- Tuesday, WCF Game 1: Wolves at Thunder (8:30 ET, ESPN)
- Wednesday, ECF Game 1: Pacers at Knicks (8 ET, TNT)
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
May 20, 2025
West Finals In 1 Minute: The top stories entering tonight’s Game 1 (8:30 ET, ESPN)
How The Wolves Got Here: A lesson learned, a lineup revamped and a promise kept
How The Thunder Got Here: With its season on the line, OKC’s young core took the next step
Ant vs. SGA: Two superstar scorers, two unique styles – one can’t-miss matchup
Driven By Defense: On the other end, two of the game’s toughest units collide
1. WEST FINALS IN 1 MINUTE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
It’s a fresh matchup out West, led by young superstars seeking a new echelon of success, elite defense and clutch performances.
After dispatching the conference’s last two NBA champs, the Thunder and Timberwolves open Game 1 of the West Finals tonight (8:30 ET, ESPN).
OKC rolled through the regular season, leading the league in wins (68) while setting the NBA record for point differential in a single season (+12.9).
- A Machine: Powered by the Kia MVP Ladder leader, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder rank third in scoring (117.1 ppg) while posting the lowest turnover rate (10.7%) among all Playoff teams
- Heart & Hustle: OKC tops the Playoffs in deflections and loose balls recovered, fueled by Alex Caruso and a deep rotation that makes up the league’s top defense
- 9 Years In The Making: The Thunder defeated the 2023 NBA champion Nuggets in seven games to advance to the WCF – marking their first appearance since 2016
- “This series really tested our resolve,” said coach Mark Daigneault after ousting Denver. “It really showed the character of the team, the character of the guys.”
Zach Beeker/NBAE via Getty Images
Minnesota has dominated during this Playoff run, led by Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle (23.9 ppg in the Playoffs).
- Meeting The Challenge: The Wolves are the first six seed to reach the West Finals since 1995, when the Rockets did so on their way to an NBA title
- Coming Up Clutch: Minnesota leads the Playoffs with a +7.3 point differential in clutch games, leading to a 4-0 record
- Back Again: The Wolves beat both the Lakers and Warriors in five games to reach the West Finals – marking their second straight appearance and their third in franchise history
- “We still have eight wins to go to our ultimate goal,” said coach Chris Finch. “You can sense the hunger in the team.”
West Finals Reads: Dive into some of the top WCF stories from the NBA world before tonight’s Game 1.
- Superstars Collide: ‘Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards? This series is irresistible’ – Vincent Goodwill, Yahoo
- Diverging Roads: ‘The teams squared off in a play-in game two seasons ago, but their trajectories before and since couldn’t be any different’ – Chris Hine, Minnesota Star Tribune
- Next-Level Showdown: ‘We’ve always known the Wolves and Thunder were ‘Next.’ But which one is now?’ – Jace Frederick, Pioneer Press
2. HOW THE WOLVES GOT HERE: ANT’S EVOLUTION & A MINNY REBUILD
David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
One year ago, Anthony Edwards and the Wolves watched as the Mavs built a 29-point halftime lead in Game 5 of the West Finals, cruising to a series clinching win at the Target Center.
It was Minnesota’s first trip to the WCF in 20 years — but ‘The Finals’ hats handed out that night weren’t for them.
After the loss, Edwards made a promise to Wolves veteran Mike Conley, assuring him, ‘we’ll be right back here.’
- “He believes everything he says. No matter what it is,” said Conley last week on Ant’s promise. “And at that moment last year, I believed him.”
355 days later, the Wolves are indeed back, carrying the scars from that night and using it as fuel.
- “He’s been working all summer for that,” said Conley on Ant keeping his word. “He’s worked all season for that. And he’s led us to this point…
- “Him, Julius, Donte – all the people that have followed along and added in, piece by piece as we go. It all starts with him.”
The Wolves’ road back to the West Finals didn’t begin when they traded for Randle and DiVincenzo. Instead, it started this summer with Team USA, where Edwards – the youngest player on a squad full of legends – learned the value of chemistry and unselfishness.
- “I think last year, I played a lot of ‘I’ ball,” said Edwards on what he gained during his time with Team USA. “And I learned you can’t win without your teammates. You need the other four guys on the floor.”
Those lessons proved invaluable in integrating Randle and DiVincenzo into Minnesota’s offense.
Despite the new additions, the Wolves struggled early, slipping as low as 12th in the West and fighting to remain above .500.
But as the calendar turned to 2025, so did their season, going 32-18 after the New Year – the second-best record in the West – including a 17-4 stretch to close the season.
- The Secret? Ant stepping up as a facilitator, as he increased his passes and assists per game – helping Minnesota’s offense jump from 22nd to 9th in the NBA
- Shared Success: With Ant distributing, both Randle (+6.7) and DiVincenzo’s OffRtg (+11.9) soared. It also created more opportunities for Ant himself – boosting his scoring average by nearly 5 ppg
- “What he does every night for our team is special,” said Randle on Ant last week. “He makes the game easy for all of us.”
Now, with his promise kept and his growth on full display, Ant leads the Wolves back to the stage where last year’s Finals hats weren’t for them.
This time, they plan on wearing them.
3. HOW THE THUNDER GOT HERE: FROM TALENTED TO TESTED
Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
Last year, the Thunder became the youngest team in NBA history to earn the No. 1 seed. But their Playoff run ended early, falling to Dallas in the West Semifinals.
Despite its historic regular season, OKC’s 2024 Playoff exit came down to two reasons – size and experience.
- Outmuscled: The Thunder were outrebounded 271-243 over the six-game series, including a 73-57 deficit on the offensive glass and a -9.8 margin in games they lost
- Out-Executed: OKC also went 1-2 in clutch games vs. Dallas, including a 117-116 loss in Game 6 to end its season after leading by 17 points in the 2nd half
In response, OKC retooled over the summer, adding center Isaiah Hartenstein to patrol the paint and 2020 NBA champion and defensive specialist Alex Caruso to provide an edge.
Both established vets, Hartenstein and Caruso have become key additions to OKC’s rotation. But the Thunder also stayed committed to their young core – trusting growth would come.
And it has.
Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
The Next Step: After reeling off a franchise-record 68 wins this season, OKC found itself in the same spot as last year – down 2-1 in the West Semifinals.
But this year, with its season hanging in the balance, OKC’s 26-year-old star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, wouldn’t be denied.
- SGA Takeover: Shai averaged 30.8 points on 55.8% shooting over the final four games of the series versus Denver, resulting in three Thunder victories
- The series clincher came in Sunday’s Game 7, where SGA went 12-of-19 from the field for a game-high 35 points – marking his second straight 30-piece on over 60% shooting
Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
As SGA delivered, the rest of OKC’s young core rose with him – specifically 24-year-old All-Star Jalen Williams, who stepped up when his team needed it most.
- The Stumble: In OKC’s Game 6 loss, Williams shot 3-of-16 from the field for a Playoff-low 6 points
- The Response: In Game 7, he answered with 24 points (10-17 fg), including 17 in a decisive 2nd-quarter run, sending OKC to its first West Finals in nine years
- “His growth as a basketball player – you’ve seen it all year,” said SGA on Williams after the win. “But his growth mentally has been even more impressive. He wouldn’t have played the way he played today last year…
- “To see him take that step forward is a really proud moment for me.”
Now, SGA, Williams and OKC are four wins away from the Finals – and no longer just talented, but tested.
4. ANT vs. SGA: SAME GOAL, DIFFERENT GAME
David Berding/Getty Images
One attacks with explosive aggression, combining elite shooting with jaw-dropping athleticism.
The other finesses through defenses with ease, surgically stacking buckets with timing and touch.
Two of the most feared scorers in the NBA, Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have sliced up defenses all season. Now, they face off in a best-of-seven series with their first trip to the NBA Finals on the line.
But while they’re each eyeing the same prize, the two young guards get their points in two different styles.
The Shai Way: This year’s scoring champion, SGA leads all remaining players in ppg (29.0) and always seems to have an answer offensively, mixing precision and pace to find pockets in the defense.
Midrange Master: In the regular season, 14.0% of SGA’s points came from the midrange. In the Playoffs, that number has jumped to 19.4%.
- Pick Your Poison: With a knack for freezing defenders, SGA ranks second in pull-up shooting in these Playoffs with 12.6 ppg
- Overplay the jumper and he’ll snake right past you, as he’s scoring 12.4 ppg off drives – the fifth-most this postseason
- Defense To Offense: SGA feasts in the halfcourt. But like his team, his offense starts with defense, as he ranks third in transition scoring these Playoffs (6.5 ppg)
Ant’s Arsenal: After splashing a league-best 320 triples in the regular season, Edwards has remained deadly from deep in the Playoffs, ranking 2nd in both total 3s and catch-and-shoot 3P% at 55.2% (min. 25 3PA).
On The Attack: Overall, Edwards is shooting 38.5% from deep in the Playoffs (just 1% off from his career-high 39.5% mark this regular season). But he’s also ramped up his downhill takes, averaging 17.1 drives per game – well above his 13.2 regular-season average.
- Efficient Artist: When Ant enters the paint, he’s lethal – shooting 54.5% this postseason, the best among all guards (excluding the restricted area)
- Reminder: Edwards can also do this, and his burst makes him nearly impossible to stay in front of, as he ranks fourth in isolation scoring (5.7 ppg)
- Tie it all together and you get 26.5 ppg this postseason and one matchup nightmare
5. DRIVEN BY DEFENSE: TWO OF THE GAME’S TOUGHEST UNITS CLASH
Joshua Gateley/Getty Images
On offense, the Thunder and Wolves are each led by one of the game’s brightest young stars.
But it’s been both teams’ efforts on the other end that have taken them to another level – ranking first (101.6) and second (106.8), respectively, in Playoff defensive rating.
OKC’s defense starts with unrelenting pressure, leading all Playoff teams in opponent field goal percentage (41.2%), opponent 3-point percentage (31.2%), steals (10.6) and deflections (21.9).
- Stops To Sprints: That defense often turns to instant offense, as the Thunder also rank first in points off turnovers (24.7) and fastbreak scoring (20.1) in the Playoffs
- Closing Clamps: And when it matters most, OKC tightens the screws even more – strengthening its DefRtg to 93.8 in the 4th quarter – 7.8 points better than its standard Playoff mark
- Proving Point: That two-way intensity further came to life on Sunday, when the Thunder became the first team to tally 15+ steals and 120+ points in a Game 7
- “That’s when we’re at our best,” said SGA on OKC’s transition defense after the win. “It starts defensively and then we’re able to play in space with our athletes and the speed that we have. But it starts with defense.”
Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
Meanwhile, Minnesota’s defense – the top unit in 2023-24 – is built to wear teams down, swarming offenses as the game goes on.
- Clock Down, Lockdown: The Wolves have been stifling teams in the 4th quarters of Playoff games with a 98.3 DefRtg – an even bigger jump (+8.5) than OKC’s
- Minny Marathon: Even dating back to Jan. 1, the Wolves turned 2nd halves into a grind, allowing just 54.1 ppg on 45.2% shooting
- In the 4th Quarter? You guessed it – even more suffocating, letting up only 25.8 ppg on 42.5% shooting
- Among The Trees: Led by four-time Kia DPOY Rudy Gobert, Minnesota’s defense is especially stingy inside, allowing the second-fewest points in the paint among Playoff teams (39.6 ppg)
Now, with Gobert anchoring Minnesota and OKC wreaking havoc in transition, both teams will look to lean on their identity in hopes of winning the West.
Which unit will dictate the terms tonight? (8:30 ET, ESPN).
