Western Conference G5 Preview: Alexander strives to eliminate the Timberwolves 4-1 Huazi or the final game of the season

At 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on May 29, the Western Conference Finals will continue, and the Thunder will play the Timberwolves at home to start the fifth game of the series. In the first four games, the Thunder led 3-1 on aggregate, and one more win could advance to the Finals. Alexander will be aiming to knock out the Timberwolves at home, in what could be Edwards' final game of the season.

In a post-match interview at G4, Alexander admitted that it's hard not to look to the future. But the Thunder star also said the lessons from Game 3 will help the team stay focused in Game 5 at home. "If I say I don't want to (the prospect after winning), I'm definitely lying. You know how close you are to your goal, but it's actually far away. ”

The Thunder, who currently lead 3-1 in the Western Conference finals, are just one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Thunder head coach Daigneault said he believes the team is capable of focusing on the task at hand.

"It's hard to stay focused," says Daigneault, "and it's easy to get caught up in looking back on the past or fantasizing about the future, but we're always trying to be in the present and deal with the next challenge, the next game." ”

After a heavy 42-point loss in Game 3, the Thunder won Game 4 128-126 in Minneapolis to push the Timberwolves to the edge of a cliff.

The Thunder's Big Three — Alexander, Jalen Williams and Holmgren — combined for 95 points in this win.

Alexander said the Thunder's trio is not yet close to the cap. "We still have a lot of room to grow, and that's the scary part." He said.

The Timberwolves eliminated the Lakers and Warriors 4-1 in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but now they face a similar situation to their first two opponents.

If the Timberwolves want to keep their promotion hopes alive, Edwards and Randle will need to contribute more. The pair combined for just 21 points on 6-of-20 shooting in Game 4, while they scored 54 points on 21-of-32 shooting in Game 3.

"We've been in this situation before, and we've been through phases like this," Timberwolves head coach Finch said of the pair needing to take on more, "and we knew we had to open up the space, create more opportunities in the transition offense, and give those players more opportunities near the baseline — for a number of reasons." Adjustment should be simple, you just need to put in the effort...... They [the Thunder] managed to give the three cores a big win, and we need to get more energy out of the starting lineup. ”

Finch was pleased with Edwards' aggressiveness, especially in the second half of Game 4.

'We hit the inside and he got into the box and created a lot of good chances for his team-mates,' Finch said, "and I think there were some chances in the transition that we didn't find him in time...... Getting him to move more off the ball and do some of the tactics that we used early in the series that we didn't do last night. ”

Regardless, the Timberwolves need Edwards to play more aggressively, otherwise, Game 5 could well be their last game of the season.

List of injuries and illnesses

Timberwolves: All players are available

Thunder: Topic is out

ESPN predicts the win rate: Timberwolves 29.0%, Thunder 71.0%