2. The Timberwolves aren't ready
The Timberwolves and Thunder have both had wonderful regular seasons, and they made the Western Conference really interesting in the process. In fact the emergence of both is part of the reason the Suns struggled for so long. The conference is so good, and young upstarts ahead of schedule disrupted the predicted order of things.
Which is why the Suns will ultimately see off the Timberwolves in this series. Edwards is going to be one of the top five players in the league - perhaps as soon as next season - but he's not quite there yet. For all of Gobert's defensive ability, and we know how good he is at protecting the rim, he has been played off the court by opponents before while he was with the Utah Jazz.
The entire suns roster when they see the Timberwolves on the schedule: pic.twitter.com/s0e8H1OunX
— 🐺 (@CookdByCarter) April 14, 2024
Naz Reid might end up being the problem that the Suns can't solve, but an old Mike Conley and guys like Kyle Anderson and Luka Garza aren't exactly a nightmare scenario here. Jaden McDaniels is defensively excellent, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker is right there with him, and Jordan McLaughlin will offer some nice minutes off the bench.
But Booker has been to the NBA Finals, and Durant is a multiple-time champion and both league and finals MVP. They know what it takes to close out close games - and although we didn't see it during the regular season nearly enough - the Suns have the kind of roster that is built for the postseason. The Timberwolves' time will come, it's just not going to be against this Suns team on an upswing.