The Lakers couldn’t beat the Wolves, and now LeBron James sees them as a team that can win it all.
When the Lakers were set to play the Wolves in the first round, few expected Minnesota to come out on top, much less win in five games.
Yet, that’s exactly what happened as the Wolves proved to be far and away the better of the two teams.
With some days to reflect on the loss, LeBron James spoke about the defeat and how good the Wolves are on his “Mind the Game” podcast with his co-host Steve Nash.
“I’ve had all those emotions, to the point where it’s like, s–t, we entered the season well, but like you said, when it comes to the postseason, man, matchups sometimes doesn’t determine how well of a regular season you had, it’s the matchups.”
And we ran into a d–n good matchup, a team that’s been battle-tested, a team that’s hungry, a team with a lot of youth but also experience at the same time, and another team that’s trying to make the next step. And, they were a worthy opponent, that’s for sure.”
Perhaps the collective basketball world underrated the Wolves. They only lost one more game than the Lakers during the regular season. They clearly have great depth, size and a superstar in Anthony Edwards.
They proved too much for this year’s Lakers to handle, and that’s why they are still playing.
Later in the podcast, Nash asked LeBron how far he thinks the Wolves can go this year and he didn’t put any limitations on Minnesota.
“I could see them for sure getting to the Western Conference Finals, if not the [NBA] Finals. Obviously, health is wealth in the postseason. They have all the makeup. They have shooting, they have toughness, they have size, they have foot speed, they have playmaking, they have experience, they have defensive versatility, which you need in the postseason. They play extremely hard.”
It’s hard to argue with Lebron on the Wolves’ potential to go on a run here. They are currently down 1-0 in their series against the Golden State Warriors.
However, with Steph Curry out for a week with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, the Wolves can still win the series and make at least another Western Conference Finals appearance.
I’m not sure if knowing they lost to an elite team gives Lakers fans solace or makes them feel more frustrated that they couldn’t maximize their playoff run.
In the end, the better team won, and now it’s time for president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka to put the pieces around LeBron and Luka Dončić to ensure next year ends differently.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.