The first matchup! The American media compared the Suns Timberwolves in all directions, 4-3, and the gap was a millimeter

The Timberwolves finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, the second-highest in franchise history, behind only 2004, when Garnett led the team and he won the MVP, and it looks like the Timberwolves will make a big difference this year. But their first-round opponent is the Suns, which is not very favorable, even if the Suns have a mediocre record, but they have a big three, especially Durant, and the Timberwolves have no one to match him. This is also the first time in history that the two teams have faced each other in the playoffs, and the American media FW made an all-round comparison, 4-3, with a slight difference

Previous head-to-head: Suns win

All-time playoffs: Timberwolves 0-0 Suns

This season's regular season Timberwolves 0-3 Suns

Because the Timberwolves don't have a long team history, and most of the time the team didn't make the playoffs, they actually haven't played against most Western teams, and in recent years, they have only stopped in the first round of the playoffs. In the regular season, the Timberwolves were swept by the Suns, especially the two losses in the closing stage, which not only dropped themselves to third in the West, but also sent the Suns into the playoffs to become their opponents.

Starting lineup: Timberwolves win

Timberwolves starters: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert

Suns starters: Booker, Beal, Allen, Durant, Nurkic

The Timberwolves have 2 champions, of course, the talent is not bad, Gobert is still the strongest defensive player at present, McDaniel and Conley are also high-quality puzzle pieces, and in addition to Conley, they are also in their prime. The Timberwolves relied on this lineup to play the league's No. 1 defense. The Suns' lineup is a bit deformed, no point guard, no power forward, the last 3 scoring guards, the result is poor defense, the offensive level is not high, it is hard to believe that there are 3 giants with the ability to average 30 points per game, and the offense is only 10th in the league, and even the performance in the fourth quarter is the worst in the league.

Subs: Timberwolves win

Timberwolves: McLautelin, Monte Morris, Alexander Walker, Lee Kyle, Reed

Suns: Thomas Jr., Little, Gordon, O'Neal, Eubanks, Ball, Thaddeus-Like

Reed can be said to be a replacement for Downs, who performed very well during Downs' injury, scoring 20 points at every turn, and the three-point shooting is very accurate. The Suns' bench rarely has the ball, which can certainly be solved by staggering the Big Three's playing time. O'Neal should be reused, he and Durant were teammates during the Nets era, they can defend and shoot three-pointers, and their setter ability is also good, and O'Neal should be reused in the decisive moment.

Head Coach: Suns win

Timberwolves Coach: Finch, Suns Coach: Vogel

Finch has proven himself to be a good coach, but Vogel may be a championship coach, as early as 2020 when he coached the Lakers to win the championship, he is best at the defensive system, but the Suns do lack defensive resources, which also leads to Vogel's strengths not being able to play.

The Timberwolves have a stable system, which has been implemented since last season, and the players are familiar with each other, and the depth of the roster is not bad, otherwise they would not have been able to bite the record during Towns' injury. Edwards' natural ability can determine the team's ceiling. And the advantage of the Suns is undoubtedly the Big Three, each of whom is a talented scorer, so even if their bench is poor, the roster still looks very luxurious. The Suns are more experienced than the Timberwolves, Durant has already made a name for himself, Booker has played in the Finals, and others have been through many playoff games. The Timberwolves' defense is mainly aimed at the restricted area and three-pointers, but the Suns are the best at mid-range, which happens to be the weakness of the Timberwolves, so they can be swept in the regular season. The American media FW also predicted that the gap in the strength of this round of the series was a millimeter, and the Suns would be thrilling and urgent with a score of 4-3.