Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors – Game 1
Date: May 8th, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM CDT
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: TNT/TruTV/MAX
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM/Wolves App/iHeart Radio
Rock Bottom or Slingshot? It’s Time for the Wolves to Find Out
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season has been a rollercoaster—one of those terrifying Six Flags beasts with at least three vertical drops and a corkscrew that has you questioning your life choices halfway through. The highs? Unbelievable. Dispatching LeBron and Luka in five games. Ant’s fourth quarter heroics. Rudy’s resurrection game. A 22-year grudge exorcised. Pure bliss.
And the lows? Well, welcome to Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
Coming off that emotional high against the Lakers, the Wolves had nearly a week to rest, recalibrate, and prepare for a Warriors team that just barely escaped a Game 7 street fight with Houston. Then Golden State walked into Target Center, Steph Curry strained his hamstring 13 minutes into the game… and somehow, the Wolves still lost.
If you’re a longtime fan, you knew what was coming. You’ve seen this before. The Wolves are like the guy who wins the Powerball, then loses it all on Dogecoin and a failed bowling alley startup in Duluth. They build your hopes up—then nosedive into the nearest brick wall with a dazed smile.
Look, is this any different from blowing a 24-point fourth quarter lead to the Bucks? Or the time they lost to the Wizards in February? The Wolves have developed an elite skill for inventing new, infuriating ways to lose games they should win. That’s the bad news.
The good news? They’ve also developed an equally potent skill: responding when nobody believes in them.
After Game 1, they’ve officially hit rock bottom—or whatever comes just before magma. And if this team has shown us anything over the last six months, it’s that they play their best when their backs are against the wall, their egos are bruised, and everyone has written them off. Game 2 is a classic Wolves moment. All eyes on Ant. All eyes on Rudy. All eyes on Finch. Do they punch back or roll over?
Let’s talk about what needs to happen.
Key #1: Hit Your Damn Shots
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Minnesota went 5-for-29 from three. That’s 17%. Couple that with their 7-for-47 output in Game 5 and it’s not just bad—it’s historic, Hall of Fame–level futility. And it wasn’t just one guy going cold—it was an entire team effort in bricks and confusion:
- Julius Randle: 0-for-3
- Jaden McDaniels: 0-for-3
- Mike Conley: 0-for-2
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 0-for-2
- Ant: 1-for-5
- Donte DiVincenzo: 1-for-7
- Naz Reid (bless him): 3-for-7
That’s everyone. Every single guy not named Naz couldn’t throw a rock into Lake Minnetonka.
The worst part? These weren’t contested, circus-shot heaves. A lot of them were open, in-rhythm shots. Just clank after clank after clank. You don’t need to shoot 50%. Just be passable. Just revert to the mean. That’s enough.
Key #2: Lock Down Buddy Hield
Steph is out—until Game 5, 6, or perhaps beyond. The Warriors’ offensive engine is sidelined. So what does that mean? It means the Wolves cannot—cannot—let Buddy Hield play the role of budget Steph Curry and rain hellfire from deep.
He’s already done it in Game 7 against Houston. Then he drops 24 points on 5-of-8 from three against Minnesota. You think Draymond or Jimmy Butler are going to beat you offensively? They’ll make big plays, but they aren’t lighting you up. Buddy is the flamethrower. Blow it out.
Throw Jaden at him. Stick NAW on him. Maybe even use Jaylen Clark’s fresh legs in spurts. But you cannot leave Buddy open. You cannot sag off. You cannot help away. Face-guard him if you have to. Shut off the valve and let Golden State figure out how to beat you without their most potent long-range weapon and their safety valve.
Key #3: Control the Glass Like You Actually Have the Size Advantage
You’d think a frontcourt of Gobert, Randle, and Naz Reid would dominate the boards. Especially against a small-ball Golden State squad playing Draymond at center. But no, the Wolves got out-rebounded 51-41.
Unacceptable.
Yes, part of this was due to the Wolves missing so many shots, but rebounding is about effort, not just size. There were too many Warriors second-chance buckets. Too many offensive rebounds. And Rudy—who was getting yanked, held, and wrestled like he was in a WWE tag match—has to rise above it.
The league may or may not respond to Finch’s formal complaints. Doesn’t matter. The Wolves need a team-wide effort to control the boards. Grab the rock. Hold it. Don’t assume Rudy will do it for you.
Key #4: Anthony Edwards, We Need the Cape
This team takes its cues from Ant. When he’s passive? Everyone looks confused. When he’s hunting? The offense hums. In Game 1, Edwards had one point at halftime. One. He was 0-for-everything. Missed layups. Missed jumpers. Even missed a free throw.
Then in the second half, we saw a flicker. A few drives. A few stops. But by then, it was too late.
Edwards doesn’t need to go nuclear. He doesn’t need to drop 43 like Game 4 vs. L.A. He just needs to lead. Attack. Move the defense. Kick to shooters. Draw fouls. Flex. Snarl. Make the Warriors feel his presence from the opening tip.
Because as we’ve seen time and time again—when Ant gets rolling, the rest of the Wolves follow.
Game 2 might not be technically a must-win, but spiritually? It’s a must-win. You can’t drop two games at home. Not when Curry is sidelined. Not when Buddy Hield is their #1 option. Not after what happened Tuesday.
There are moments in every playoff run where the true identity of a team is revealed. This is one of them. Are these the same old Timberwolves—the lovable, infuriating rollercoaster we’ve ridden for two decades? Or are they something different now? Are they ready to be a real contender?
We find out tonight. Let’s hope the ride is headed back up.
