The Golden State Warriors completed their first-round series upset against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night, despite the scare. Now, the Warriors are moving on to round two to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers with ease.
With the matchup looming, Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley dished his prediction on the series. As experienced as the Warriors are in tough postseason battles, Barkley doesn’t see the Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler-led Warriors getting to the Western Conference Finals.
“I’m going to take Minnesota,” Barkley said on Inside the NBA. “I think Minnesota is playing really, really well right now. [Anthony Edwards] is a hell of a player. His comfort is sky-high.”
The former No. 1 overall pick, Anthony Edwards, is regarded as one of the new faces of the NBA. As playoff success plays a major part in earning that kind of title, Edwards is gaining his stripes there. In 16 playoff games last year, Edwards averaged 28 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
This season, Edwards produced 27 points, six assists, and eight rebounds per game in five matchups in the series the Wolves eliminated the Lakers. While Barkley believes the Timberwolves have the tools to beat the Warriors, he has a suggestion for their strategy.
“I think the interesting matchup is how often they are going to play small,” Barkley said of the Timberwolves.
“If they put Rudy [Gobert] out there, they are going to attack him in the pick and roll, and that’s just going to open up spots everywhere if he’s going to just try and stay in front of Steph, which he can’t, they would have to double. Minnesota is going to have to go small a lot if they are trying to beat this team.”
Last year, the Timberwolves played a tough seven-game series in the second round and defeated the Denver Nuggets to punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals. While they didn’t overcome the Dallas Mavericks, the Timberwolves are looking to make a return, challenging the OKC Thunder or the Nuggets. But first, Minnesota has to get through the Warriors, who are looking to make a run after getting into the postseason through the NBA Play-In Tournament.
