Harden's year has been remarkable as he's posted averages of 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 44.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three.
Karl-Anthony Towns has the potential to rack up as many boards as he wants in a game, Jimmy Butler is built for taking over close games in the playoffs and despite the fact that this is the first time in 13 years that Minnesota has made the playoffs, they have plenty of veteran experience in Jamal Crawford, Taj Gibson, and Derrick Rose.
Jimmy Butler had no interest in divulging any information regarding the wrap he had on his wrist prior to Game 1 of the playoffs on Sunday.
While the Wolves may feel a desire to reflect on their accomplishment, the real work begins Sunday night, when they head south to face the team with the best record in the National Basketball Association, the Houston Rockets.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets got their first-round playoff series underway on Sunday night. The Rockets finished with a league-best record of 65-17.
Ryan Anderson, who averaged 12 points and shot 50 percent from the 3-point line in four games against the Wolves, is likely out with an ankle injury. Jeff Teague added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Also, combine the Timberwolves road scoring with the Rockets home scoring and you get 222 points per game.
Manchester City Clinches Premier League Title
Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola was all smiles when he was pictured arriving home after his golf outing. The 47-year-old has previously won league titles in Spain and Germany, as well as two Champions Leagues with Barca.
The Minnesota Timberwolves look to build on their momentum after winning five of their last seven games to clinch a playoff spot on Wednesday.
Defensively, he's going to have to play the series of his life handling Paul and Harden off the pick and roll and guarding against the lob when the Rockets' guards penetrate. Butler is now 0 for 12 this season in the final 10 seconds when the Wolves are tied or losing by three or less. Eric Gordon is putting up 18 points per contest while Clint Capela averages 13.9 points plus 10.8 rebounds a night.
Houston had Minnesota's number in the regular season, sweeping all four meetings.
The Rockets are above average offensively: they are 2 in the league with 112.4 points per game.
This is Towns' first time playing in the playoffs so he'll have to get used to a more intense game and playing on a bigger stage than he's ever seen.
