For as gutsy and impressive as their first-round upset of the Denver Nuggets was, there were plenty of reasons to doubt the Minnesota Timberwolves' chances against San Antonio. That's not saying much—to point out that the Spurs are heavy favorites in this series is like pointing out that a rock will fall to the ground when released from your hand. And yet here we are, once again trying to make sense of a Timberwolves victory that did not seem possible. Without the services of Donte DiVincenzo or Ayo Dosunmu, and with a hobbled Anthony Edwards restricted to just 25 minutes, the Wolves beat the Spurs in Game 1, 104–102.
Injuries aside, Minnesota's odds felt so long going into this matchup due to a new set of variables. They found success in the Denver series through a relatively simple formula: Erase Jamal Murray with relentless defensive pressure, and drive right at Nikola Jokic and the rim every damn possession. The Spurs do not offer similar weaknesses to press on. Murray looks like a moderately athletic seventh-grader when compared to the players in San Antonio's speedy and strong backcourt; the gap in difficulty between scoring on Jokic at the rim and Victor Wembanyama at the rim is wide enough to stuff both of Jokic's brothers and one or two of his horses through.
All of these factors more or less stayed in San Antonio's favor throughout Game 1 on Monday. The Timberwolves shot just 54 percent at the rim and were cold from just about everywhere but the corners. Wembanyama finished the game with 12 blocks, and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper were able to handle Minnesota's defensive pressure fairly well. Whether you locked in on every minute of the game or are just perusing the box score this morning, it's hard to pinpoint exactly how or why the Wolves won. Julius Randle shooting 8-of-20 certainly didn't do the trick; all of Edwards's 18 points were much-needed and well-timed, but he didn't exactly take over the game. Look to the other side, and it's easy to find things the Spurs could have cleaned up: Wembanyama taking eight of his 17 shots from behind the arc (and missing all of them) is not the best use of his skills, and De'Aaron Fox might need to spend more time cheering for Harper from the bench as this series goes on.
That's all selling the Timberwolves short, though. The reason this team is able to survive so many injuries and play up to favored opponents is that their effort and identity grants them a very high floor. They can spend entire lackluster regular seasons making this fact difficult to remember, but once the playoffs start they know exactly where to plant their feet. This is a team that, no matter who is or isn't in the lineup, is going to play ferocious defense, attack the paint, and make their opponent as uncomfortable as possible. This is such a confident and committed team that the 12 blocks Wembanyama gathered in Game 1 can be read not as evidence of how overmatched they are, but of how effective their approach remains. We are used to seeing players go out of their way to avoid meeting Wembanyama at the rim, but the Timberwolves just kept going for it, and eventually some of those shots started dropping. "You just gotta act like he's not there. I mean he's gonna get blocks. He's the tallest person in the world," is what Jaden McDaniels had to say postgame about attacking Wembanyama. "Just keep consistently attacking him. Sometimes he might not be there and sometimes he might catch you, but just keep going."
Speaking of going for it, there is no better avatar for Minnesota's self-belief than Edwards, who is supposed to be in the early stages of recovery from a hyperextended knee, an injury that usually keeps players out for several weeks. He was hard on himself after the game for not boxing out on two key defensive possessions down the stretch, but who can complain about that? Eighteen points in 25 minutes might feel like a modest performance, but the timing of each of Edwards's scoring bursts were hugely meaningful. He was there in the first quarter with a quick five points and some vociferous shit-talking to let the Spurs know that they would have to deal with him, and he fired in another 11 in the fourth quarter to wrap things up.
What happens in this series from here depends on the Spurs, but that's not a knock on the Timberwolves. That's only to say that Minnesota knows exactly who they are and what they want to do, and has every reason to believe in a style of play that has brought them to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. Some teams can stand up to that, and some teams can't. The Spurs will have to show us which one they are.
