The Western Conference finals features the top two teams from the regular season, as the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves, having recently completed a seven-game series over the Sacramento Kings, face the second-seeded Los Angeles Lakers, who responded from a 0-2 series deficit against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs to win the series in six games. Though Minnesota won the regular- season series between the two teams, the resurgent Lakers provide adequate competition to the T'Wolves, who make their first finals appearance in franchise history.
Kevin Garnett, despite being castigated for his description of Game Seven against the Kings as a warlike atmosphere, propelled the T'Wolves into the finals with a 32 point, 21 rebound performance that overshadowed his comments. The Lakers' recent defensive triumph over the Spurs -- they held San Antonio to 81 points or lower in three of the last four games of their series -- demonstrates the need for more strong performances from Garnett and his supporting cast of Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell and the myriad role-players Minnesota uses.
The Lakers, anchored by strong perimeter defense from guards Gary Payton and Kobe Bryant and the interior strength of Karl Malone and Shaquille O'Neal, defeated the Spurs with a low-tempo style of play and will attempt to exert their superior strength over the T'Wolves. However, whereas Tim Duncan benefited the immobile Malone and O'Neal by consistently posting up and playing with his back to the basket, Garnett's athleticism and ability to play off the dribble should counteract the Lakers' strong yet static interior defense.
If the Minnesota trainers can assuage Cassell's ailing back to allow him to play 35-40 minutes a night, he can attack the Lakers' perimeter through driving to the basket. By doing so, the T'Wolves can exploit the lack of athleticism of the Lakers through lateral movement and drive-and-dish plays.
On offense, the Lakers' superior frontline size presents mismatch problems for the T'Wolves. Shaq's superior size, talent and basketball intelligence over Minnesota's centers Earvin Johnson and Michael Olowokandi require the T'Wolves to constantly use double and triple teams, as well as implementing a zone defense. Minnesota often resorted to the zone during the regular season, holding opponents to only 41 percent shooting, the fourth best number in the league.
The T'Wolves will try to replicate their defensive success against the Lakers, by denying Shaq post position and forcing the Lakers -- only shooting 34 percent from three-point range in the playoffs -- to beat them with outside shooting. While Bryant and Shaq consistently bear the majority of responsibility of offensive production Minnesota's zone defense will oblige role players like Derek Fisher and Devean George to produce more for the Lakers at the offensive end.
While the Timberwolves will attempt to use their advantages in speed and athleticism to offset Shaq's all-around strength, the desire of Payton and Malone -- who both joined the Lakers with the expressed purpose of winning a championship -- to win their first title provide the necessary psychological impetus for the Lakers to take the series. Those intangibles, coupled with Shaq's presence in the low post and resurgent shooting of Fisher and other role players in recent games, give the edge to the Lakers, who will win in six games.
