Timberwolves vs Lakers G1 Preview: Edwards PK Eastern Emperor Combo The Purple and Gold Army face the three-point team

At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on April 20, the first game day of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers will face the Timberwolves at home. Can James and Doncic get their first win against Edwards' challenge?

The Timberwolves are 49-33 in the regular season and are in sixth place in the West; The Lakers are 50-32 and in third place in the West. The two teams have met four times in the regular season, winning two games each.

Less than three months after that basketball-shaking trade, the Lakers are heading for James and Doncic to make their first playoff season together. The problem, however, is that the superduo have only played 21 games together.

James knew that this little time might not be enough for them to build a strong enough understanding. When the two teams kick off their first-round playoff series in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, the Timberwolves may have a clearer picture of their style of play and strength.

Despite a major mid-season overhaul of their core roster, the third-seeded Lakers still won 50 games and won the Pacific Division. But beating the Timberwolves in a best-of-seven series is undoubtedly a much tougher task. James understands that to bring the Lakers' year full of uncertainties to a successful conclusion, it will not only require unremitting hard work, strong determination, but also the blessing of luck to stay away from injuries.

The 40-year-old is about to make his 18th NBA playoff game and has been cautious when it comes to the Lakers in recent weeks. A 22-year veteran of the league, he knows better than anyone how daunting the challenge lies in his pursuit of his fifth championship.

"Obviously, it's important to stay healthy before the playoffs," James said after training on Saturday, "and secondly, you've got to play at a high level for most of the season and play well in key must-win games, playoff intensity, and we did that." But at the end of the day...... I don't care how much you know about your opponents, how much they know about you, and I don't care about all kinds of comments from the outside world. It doesn't matter, it's all about how you perform when you step on the pitch. ”

A year ago, the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals and lost to Doncic's Mavericks. This spring, the Timberwolves went 17-4 in the closing stages of the regular season and advanced to the playoffs. Especially after Randle returned from injury, the team's performance was particularly impressive.

Although James and Doncic's Lakers have a higher seeding pick and home-court advantage, the advantage is not significant. The Lakers finished the regular season with a record of just 7 wins and 7 losses. The Lakers won just one more game than the Timberwolves and two more than the eighth-placed Grizzlies, but still held on to the No. 3 seed.

"It's hard to be perfect in a rush to run in the roster and adjust the tactics," Lakers coach Redick admitted, "To be honest, since the trade to get Luka, our performance has not been ideal, not only because of the schedule, but also because the roster changes from time to time. It's so hard to be perfect. ”

Sympathy

James and Anthony Edwards formed a friendship at last summer's Paris Olympics and will now meet for the first time in the NBA playoffs.

"It means a lot to be against him," Edwards said, "and he's probably the greatest basketball player of all time." Eliminating him in the playoffs will not be easy, but it will be a challenging and fun one. ”

James praised Edwards: "He's fantastic, he's a real ball addict and loves the sport. He's a great young man and it's really nice to see him achieve so much at the beginning of his career. ”

Can Edwards stay calm?

Even at just 23 years old, Edwards has never lacked confidence against the Lakers. But keeping his cool has been a challenge this season — he leads the league in technical fouls and has amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for misconduct. However, he said the Timberwolves need not worry about that.

"I'm not going to take any more technical fouls, I'm not going to say anything superfluous, I'm going to keep a low profile the whole time, absolutely!" Edwards said.

Catch and shoot

This season, the Lakers have used a lot of complementary defense tactics aimed at limiting key players like Edwards from causing damage under the basket. As a result, the Timberwolves' forward players must be prepared to take their catch-and-shoot opportunities. In the regular season, the Timberwolves ranked fourth in the league in three-point shooting percentage and fifth in three-point shooting, while Edwards led the league in three-point shooting.

"If they have Edwards with the ball and you get an open shot, you make a decisive shot. Because if you do that, you can disrupt the opposing defense and create more space for the team to attack," said DiVincenzo, who is shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range, "and it can also be a huge morale boost." Everyone on the team knows that as long as someone passes the ball, the next player to catch the ball gets a great open shot. No one in our team is going it alone, and Edwards leads by example and inspires confidence in his teammates. ”

List of injuries and illnesses

Timberwolves: All healthy

Lakers: Kleber is out, James is likely to play

ESPN Predicted Win Rate:Timberwolves 34.8%, Lakers 65.2%