Remember when Wolves Nation was pumped after we earned win number 50?

It was the first time we hit the 50-win mark since 2004. 20 years ago. Some of you might not have been Minnesota Timberwolves fans yet. Some of you might not have even been born yet. For those that weren’t along for the ride, here’s a quick refresher:

Armed with a MVP and one of the faces of the league, the No. 1 seed Wolves advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Their reward was a Sacramento Kings team, in their last hurrah, who could’ve should’ve won a championship two years earlier. The Wolves prevailed.

Fast-forward to today: A potential MVP and face of the league is leading a No. 1 seed caliber Wolves team to their third straight playoff berth. Their reward is a Phoenix Suns team, featuring an aging former MVP, who could’ve won a championship three years earlier.

Don’t tell me basketball isn’t poetic.

The time for doomsday pessimism or unbridled enthusiasm is over. All the talking heads making their “informed” predictions doesn’t matter anymore. Forget the 82 regular season games because every team is lining up from the same spot on the track now.

The race to 16 wins begins.

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Game Info

• Who: #3 Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0) vs #6 Phoenix Suns (0-0)
• When: Saturday, April 20 at 2:30 PM CT
• Where: Target Center (Minneapolis, MN)
• Local TV: Bally Sports North (Michael Grady, Jim Petersen and Lea B. Olsen)
• National TV: ESPN (Mark Jones, Hubie Brown and Jorge Sedano)
• Radio: KFAN FM 100.3, Wolves App
• Line: Wolves -1.5 | Total: 214 (courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

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Injury Reports

Minnesota

Nothing to Report

(Jaylen Clark, who is still recovering from a right achilles tendon rupture rehab, is not listed because he is on a two-way contract and thus ineligible for the postseason)

Phoenix

OUT:

• Damion Lee (right knee torn meniscus surgery)

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What To Watch For

First and foremost, if you have not had a chance to check our Jack Borman’s incredible series preview piece, I encourage you to do so. He breaks down the most key matchups, digs deep into the numbers, and analyzes the styles differences which will educate you for the next couple weeks of basketball.

In the meantime, here are a few additional things that I will be specifically watching.

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

KAT’s Cradle: Mind Versus Body

Karl-Anthony Towns is used to having all eyes on him. He is used to the criticism. He is used to the pressure. No matter how you slice it, whether or not KAT has performed to your liking, he’s not new to any of this. Many pundits have called this a legacy series for Towns. I agree that these may be the most important games of his basketball career.

That said, I’m most interested in seeing how he conquers his inner battle between mind and body. The easy lazy headline is that KAT gets in his own way. Whether that’s brazenly charging into a sea of defenders with his limbs flying about, or screaming out “Foul!” as he falls to the floor during a live-ball situation. But what us Wolves fans also know is that KAT is an extremely intelligent human being, let alone basketball player, who has a great sense of awareness about who he is.

How will Karl come out in Game 1? Will he have the mindset to “shut doubters up” with an overly aggressive style of play? Will he be overly emotional in an physically elevated environment? Or will we see the “Super Saiyan” level KAT which we haven’t seen yet, playing with a level of calm, yet passionate excellence.

In conjunction to his mental preparedness is his physical preparedness. If anyone watched the 7/8 Play-In Tournament game between the Philadelphia 76ers and Miami HEAT, then you can see just how much a knee meniscus injury can sap a star big man’s ability to move. Sure, reigning MVP Joel Embiid was out about twice the amount of time as Towns was, but he also had twice as many games to ramp up before postseason action began.

Towns returned to the court ahead of schedule and has had mixed results in his two games back, to say the least. Just because he might be in the right head space doesn’t mean his body will be aligned. However, I could only imagine that KAT’s body is only getting closer and closer to what it was prior to his knee procedure. I’ll be cautiously watching his movement and activity as he continues to ramp back into game shape.

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Is Bradley Beal the Real Deal?

In Bradley Beal’s two games against the Wolves this season, he’s averaged 25 points per game on a sizzling .800 effective field goal percentage. That eFG% number is his best against any opponent that he played against at least twice. That number doesn’t stray too far away from his career-best .582 eFG% and .430 3P% on the season.

But how sustainable is his deadeye scoring?

Beal has dealt back, finger, hamstring, and ankle injuries during his first season with the Suns. The injury bug has bitten the soon-to-be 31-year-old for the past few seasons, barely playing 50% of his games in his last three seasons. That has certainly impacted his ability to get into a consistent rhythm this year, and Phoenix’s record suffered because of that. If you look at the splits, you’ll see that his numbers are all over the place in 2024. Here are his scoring averages and eFG% in this calendar year:

January (16): 18.4 ppg — .539 eFG%

February (6): 22.0 ppg — .592 eFG%

March (15): 16.7 ppg — .601 eFG%

April (8): 21.0 ppg — .732 eFG%

That begs the question: Which Bradley Beal are we gonna get to kickoff the series? The sharpshooter led the league in scoring three years ago? Or the injury prone guard who fails to string together long periods of consistency?

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Size Matters — Who Counters Who?

A lot of talk has been about how Phoenix is the most difficult style of team for Minnesota to deal with. They love, and are good at, shooting midrange shots. They have multiple elite shot creators.

But what if I told you that Minnesota, when ramped up correctly, will be the most difficult style of team for Phoenix to deal? A large, lumbering center, who has dealt with constant serious injuries, has to rumble with the biggest, roughest team in the frontcourt? A huge team that has the most elite defense in the league, featuring an array of All-Defensive caliber perimeter and interior defenders?

The narrative of the Suns having the edge over the Wolves is tired. One team will most likely have to play out of their comfort zone to deal with the other. Who will it be?

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Predictions

• Dan Devine (Yahoo! Sports) — Suns in 6
• Shaun Powell (NBA.com) — Suns in 6; “They’re spooked by the Suns.”
• Jerry Zgoda (Star Tribune) — Suns in 6
• Bright Side of the Sun (SB Nation) — Suns in 5 or 6
• Colin Cowherd (FOX Sports) — Suns over Wolves
• Sam Quinn (CBS Sports) — Suns over Wolves
• Jeff Zillgitt (USA Today) — Suns over Wolves
• Scooby Axson (USA Today) — Suns over Wolves
• Anonymous NBA scout (The Athletic) — Wolves in 7
• Anonymous NBA coach (The Athletic) — Wolves in 6
• Anonymous NBA executive (The Athletic) — Suns in 6
• Canis Pulsus (CH audience) — Wolves in 6

I predict that KAT will have a strong, if not pedestrian, performance. Something along the lines of 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three turnovers. Fans and/or media will criticize him because he didn’t make at least four 3-pointers and though he only had three turnovers, “It was another offensive foul at a crucial point in the game!”

Wolves piss off everyone and win: 108-94.