Game Thread Playoffs Round 2, Game 1: Spurs vs Timberwolves (0-0) (Mon 05/04/2026) [Start Time TBD]

[O_V]

Let’s fucking GO
He’s trolling his ass off. Trying to lull us into some false sense of security.

Saying that the San Antonio Spurs have a really good PLAYER is a great way to get bulletin board material for them.

 

[Silverheart80]

They’re definitely gonna put Gobert on Castle, Randle on Wemby, and Jaden on Fox to start out.

Might be a big series for Keldon if he shakes off the R1 performance. He’s gonna be really key and will probably see a lot of minutes when Minny goes big.

Shocked Minnesota was able to pull off the victory in Game 6, without Ant and Donte. Dangerous team. Finch is fully capable of going Don Nelson on Mitch. Gonna be a grind. Very curious to see how they try to match up with us. I think @Mugen might have it here.

Playoffs always come down to attrition + a 4th or 5th guy showing up big when it matters.

 

[Foodie2]

My calendar just autofilled with start time 6 pm.

 

[Paramore]

 

[ginobilized]

T-Wolves are tough, that's exactly what we need more of. Perfect matchup. McDaniels will be on a mission to dismantle our guards with his length and tenacity.Their physicality will be an upgraded version of what the Trailblazers brought. Finch is definitely capable of pulling the chair on Mitch to swing a game or two. Matchups will be interesting for sure. An injury free series and some improvement and we advance to the WCF in year 1 of our ascension. Spurs in 5.

 

[210XSpurs]

Gutsy win for the Wolves. But I think they emptied the clip against the Nuggets. I don’t see the hospital Wolves having anything left for the Spurs.

Not to mention I think the emotional aspect maybe underplayed here. A big reason why they played so hard against Denver is because they hated them. I don’t think Minnesota comes into this series with near the amount of animosity toward SA that they had for Denver.

 

[LeBowen]

Jokic shot just 19% from 3pt on 6 attempts, Wemby will be a way better floor spacer.
McDaniels can shut down one guard, but that won't work against us. Murray was the only competent ballhandler for the Nuggets, we have three of those.
Bench guys need to make the difference, especailly Keldon, 6ppg won't be enough.

 

[Guru of Nothing]

Jokic shot just 19% from 3pt on 6 attempts, Wemby will be a way better floor spacer.
McDaniels can shut down one guard, but that won't work against us. Murray was the only competent ballhandler for the Nuggets, we have three of those.
Bench guys need to make the difference, especailly Keldon, 6ppg won't be enough.

Gonna need you to show your work on this.

 

[LeBowen]

Gonna need you to show your work on this.

I don't understand.

He shot 7-36 in this series.

 

[Guru of Nothing]

I don't understand.

He shot 7-36 in this series.

Ah, I thought you were referencing last night's box score.

 

[mo7888]

If we're focused i expect to sweep... 5 at the most with or without Ant..

 

[Mugen]

If Wolves were completely healthy, I'd probably go Minny in 6 tbh. They're playoff tested, uber physical, and have offensive upside including a Top 6 player that the Spurs really don't have an answer for when he gets hot in Ant.

They'd also probably have done better with Rudy off the floor. Ant/Donte/McD/Naz/Randle matches up pretty well with the Spurs tbh.

Buuuut they're not healthy. I'm gonna go Spurs in 6 tbh.

 

[Manu20]

As long as the Spurs bring the appropriate energy and keep the Wolves defense moving (Please Spam the P&R!) we should be fine. Spurs in 5!

 

[The_Second_Coming_of_VY65]

They can throw several different looks at Wemby: Gobert, Randle, Jaden. They have great size too. The question I have for the Wolves is where are they going to get their offense from? Can Randle, Naz, and Jaden consistently put up 22+? They're going to need consistent output from people like Terrance Shannon, Ayo, Bones, and Rudy.

The good news is that we have the size to make Ayo/Bones/TJ's life hell with Fox/Harper/Steph. We can give Jaden different looks from DV/JC/CB. Wemby is Wemby and can sag off of non-shooters or stay in the paint if he's on Gobert and shut down Minnesota's drives. There is a lot of volatility in Min's outside shooting so that variance will be one of the keys to the series.

On the flip side, aside from JM and RG, what other defensive playmakers do they have that can slow down our guard rotation. Are they going to play Randle and Gobert together - with Randle on Wemby and Gobert in the paint? They can mix it up with Naz to some extent, but they're going to need to have Naz/Julius/Jaden (to some extent) be able to make Wemby's life hell enough to allow Rudy to stay back in the paint and deter our drives.

 

[spursparker9]

Who is going to guard Randle in our starting lineup?

Champ? Castle?

I think Mitch better play CB more in this round. Got a feeling he will be try Grandpa Barnes on Randle first over CB.

 

[couchman]

The real wildcard is when Ant can return. If he’s back by game 3 this series could go 6 or 7 games. If he doesn’t play, or comes back hobbled, we take them in 5.

 

[KDKSpurs24]

Who is going to guard Randle in our starting lineup?

Champ? Castle?

I think Mitch better play CB more in this round. Got a feeling he will be try Grandpa Barnes on Randle first over CB.

CB gonna get 3 fouls in 2 mins against Randle. He really has to fix that

 

[Exstatic]

The real wildcard is when Ant can return. If he’s back by game 3 this series could go 6 or 7 games. If he doesn’t play, or comes back hobbled, we take them in 5.

This is pretty much the injury that Jokic had, he was out a month, and wasn’t sharp when he returned. I’m not worried about a non-existent or gimpy Ant.

 

[LeBowen]

This is pretty much the injury that Jokic had, he was out a month, and wasn’t sharp when he returned. I’m not worried about a non-existent or gimpy Ant.

And the knee extension happened on his good (up to that point) knee. The other one already had a chronic injury.
He'll surely miss the first three games, Spurs have to take care of business.

 

[Uriel]

Do the Spurs have the easiest path to the WCF in recent memory?

Facing an 8-seeded Portland team with a negative point differential and now a 6-seeded Minnesota team missing their franchise player and starting SG?

 

[LeBowen]

Do the Spurs have the easiest path to the WCF in recent memory?

Facing an 8-seeded Portland team with a negative point differential and now a 6-seeded Minnesota team missing their franchise player and starting SG?

Minnesota are better than whoever OKC plays in the second round since Doncic isn't coming back.

 

[Wemby_Island]

Jokic shot just 19% from 3pt on 6 attempts, Wemby will be a way better floor spacer.
McDaniels can shut down one guard, but that won't work against us. Murray was the only competent ballhandler for the Nuggets, we have three of those.
Bench guys need to make the difference, especailly Keldon, 6ppg won't be enough.

Keldon had best series against MIN during regular season.

I think he was averaging around 17-18 pts each game.

 

[Arcadian]

Good call. When Timmy bested KG 3-1. Good times. Can't believe it's been a quarter century tbh. Wild.

It was unfortunate that TD and KG only met in the playoffs once. It should've happened in 2004; that would've been epic.

 

[Bruno]

Spurs are at -2000 to win this series and Wolves are at +950.

Spurs are heavily favorites to advance. An injured Minny is as easy as you can expect in a playoffs second round.

After that, there is the usual cautionary tale : Minnesota is a quality team that was able to beat Denver despite its injuries and games aren't won before playing them...

 

[Rafa]

This might be the earliest a game thread has ever been posted lol The boys are buzzin' for this series, feels like such a long wait.
Without Edwards we should be winning this, but Pubs have shown insane heart and still have a lot of size to bother us. Spurs in 5 is my guess assuming Edwards isn't coming back