Western Conference Finals G1 Preview: Alexander PK Edwards The two teams with the strongest defense in the playoffs meet

At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 21, the Thunder will face the Timberwolves at home to play the first game of the Western Conference Finals. Alexander PK Edwards, the peak matchup of the new generation of stars, who can win the first game?

The Thunder had plenty of rest before the first two rounds of the playoffs began. However, due to the tiebreaker with the Nuggets, the Thunder will enter the first game of the Western Conference finals with a short break, but their opponent Timberwolves will have more recovery time. The Thunder eliminated the Nuggets in Monday's tiebreaker, while the Timberwolves have not played for six days since beating the Warriors 4-1.

The Thunder have a one-week gap before the first-round game against the Grizzlies and then a nine-day gap before the series against the Nuggets. In the first round, the Thunder started the game with a 51-point win over the Grizzlies, but lost the first game against the Nuggets after a dip in form in the final quarter.

The Timberwolves had six days off before each of the first two series, beating the Lakers in Game 1 of the first round and losing Game 1 to the Warriors in Game 2. The Timberwolves won the first two series with a 4-1 overall score.

The Timberwolves reached the Division Finals for the second season in a row and for the third time in franchise history, but they never advanced to the NBA Finals. The Thunder are in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016 and are looking to reach the Finals again, having qualified for the Finals in 2012.

It's also a clash between two teams with the best defense in the playoffs. The Thunder have 101.6 defensive efficiency in 11 playoff games, ranking first among any playoff teams. The Timberwolves have the second-highest defensive efficiency at 106.8.

Of course, the matchup between Alexander and Edwards will be the key attraction of this series. Alexander is averaging 29.0 points, 6.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs this season, while Edwards is averaging 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

As the favorite to win the MVP of the regular season this season, Alexander is looking forward to a battle with his cousin Alexander Walker on the Western Conference finals stage. Both players were born in Toronto, less than two months apart, and are now going to be opponents in the Western Conference Finals.

"It's going to be funny," Alexander said, "and it's hard to explain." If you know how close we are, he's like my second brother. He and I went through every stage of life together — from picking up basketball to going to prep school to getting into the NBA, we went through every situation together. It's special that both of us have come to where we are today, and it's even more special to compete with each other. But I'm definitely going to try to make him uncomfortable. ”

In a play-off game in 2023, Alexander Walker once effectively limited his cousin Alexander, making him only 5-of-19 shooting. Walker said Alexander's consistency has taken him to a different level.

"It comes from hard work, hard work, seeing it firsthand, and to be honest I've never seen that in anyone else," Alexander Walker said. "I've never seen him so disciplined. So I think that's the main reason why people think he's made a leap and he's actually just been able to stay like that because he's been so disciplined in his approach. ”

The two teams are evenly matched in four regular-season series and two in Oklahoma City.

The Timberwolves' Gobert played in just one of those games — the New Year's Eve loss — while Holmgren played in two of those games for the Thunder.

"Objectively, I don't know if these games are the perfect frame to look at this series," Thunder coach Daigneault said. "It's going to be different."

List of injuries and illnesses

Timberwolves: All players are available

Thunder: Topic is out

ESPN predicts the win rate: Timberwolves 30.3%, Thunder 69.7%