A new chapter in the NBA will begin tomorrow evening as two future faces of the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, face off in a head-to-head matchup in the Western Conference Finals.
Young stars are ready to shine as the Thunder take on the Timberwolves
It's no secret that both SGA and Anthony Edwards are two of the most electrifying and polarizing young players in the NBA. Shai is coming off a season leading the Thunder to a franchise record 68 wins, while also averaging 32.7 points a game as he was neck-and-neck in the MVP race alongside Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
After leading the Timberwolves last season to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004, Anthony Edwards had an incredible season for the Timberwolves. Edwards appeared in 79 games, averaging a career-high 27.6 points while also leading the NBA with the most made three-point field goals (320).
OKC split the season series 2-2 with Minnesota during the regular season, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was nothing short of sensational in those games. SGA had scoring outputs of 37, 39, and 40 points in three of those four matchups. In the four games versus the Timberwolves, SGA averaged 35.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, all while shooting an incredibly efficient 51.1 percent from the floor and 55.6 percent from distance.
Anthony Edwards, on the flip side, 'struggled' to his standards in the four matchups with the Thunder, but also managed to help Minnesota split the season series. Edwards, in the four games vs OKC this season, averaged 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, while also being a part of a historic 24-point comeback against the Thunder back on Feb. 24.
This matchup between two budding superstars has the potential to be one for the ages in this new era of basketball.
Chet Holmgren makes his return
After being selected with the second pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Thunder forward Chet Holmgren has a highly anticipated return to his home state in Minnesota.
Chet Holmgren, standing 7-foot1, was the consensus number one overall recruit in the 2021 class as he played his high school ball at the Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While attending the University of Gonzaga in 2022, Holmgren sat down with Sr. NBA Writer Marcus J. Spears and talked about his upbringing and the common stereotypes he faced growing up in Minnesota.
“I was a white kid with a bowl cut,” Holmgren told Andscape. “People were like, ‘This little white boy is trash.’ At the end of the day, I’m not going to worry about it. Everybody stereotypes in one way or another, whether it’s ethnicity or how you dress, or what music you listen to, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s going to have an opinion, everybody’s going to judge you. You can’t worry about it.”
Holmgren also talked about growing up in a South Minneapolis neighborhood that was very diverse.
“That is why people can have misconceptions about one person to the other," Holmgren said. "That is why I feel I’ve been blessed to not only have been around a lot of Black culture, but other cultures in general...I was around it, and it grew on me. Now, I see it as that’s my style. That’s my type of music that I listen to. That’s the food I like. That is something that I enjoy in life.”
Many expect Chet to have an emotional and highly anticipated return to his hometown, but he will be focused on the task at hand as the Thunder prepare for a gritty Timberwolves squad.
SGA and NAW
One of the more under-the-radar, yet fascinating headlines coming into this Western Conference Finals matchup is the family relationship between two cousins in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Minnesota's Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Both SGA and NAW were born in raised in Ontario, Canada, and even played high school ball together at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy. In November 2019, the cousins faced off against one another on an NBA court together, and SGA described the moment as something the two have always dreamed of.
“It was a surreal moment,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Something we dreamed about, obviously our whole lives and for us to actually live it out is crazy.”
“I’m really fortunate to have him in my life growing up,” said Alexander-Walker. “Having him around and having Shai and his little brother around made me feel almost as if I was one of them.”
It wouldn't be the last time the two shared the court as teammates. Both SGA and NAW represented Team Canada in the Paris Olympics in 2024, before ultimately losing in the quarterfinals to France. Now the two will have a chance to compete in the postseason against one another, with a berth to the NBA Finals on the line.
Ring season?
There are many reasons that NBA fans are excited for this highly anticipated WCF, like the ones mentioned above. But one reason that may overshadow all of the others is the opportunity for some great players now, and All-Time great players to potentially earn their first ring.
For Oklahoma City, they have a very young group of guys, with an average age of 24.2 years. But guys like SGA, Chet Holmgren, and even Jalen Williams are great young players who have an opportunity to capitalize early in their career with a ring.
Thunder guard Alex Caruso was a crucial player in the success of the 2020 Lakers team that ultimately won a championship. With Caruso's veteran leadership and championship experience, he will be able to help lead these young guys in the biggest moments of their careers.
For Minnesota, they have at least three players on the roster who will be in the Hall of Fame conversation at the end of their careers in Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, and Anthony Edwards, if he continues to stay on this course.
Gobert has a litany of accolades, such as being a three-time NBA All-Star (2020-2022), four-time Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019, 2021, 2024), and seven-time All-Defensive First Team selection (2017-2022, 2024), etc. If Gobert can add an NBA Championship to his resume, it's going to be hard not to list him as a future first-ballot Hall of Famer when it's all said and done.
This series is projected to be one of the most fun and exciting playoff matchups we've seen in quite some time, and hopefully, the series can live up to the hype.