It is possible to squint and imagine how the Timberwolves’ five-game Western Conference finals loss against Oklahoma City might have played out differently.
What if the Wolves had been able to build a bigger first-half lead in Game 1 at Oklahoma City? Maybe the Wolves could have won that game?
What if the Wolves had been able to secure a Game 4 win, which instead was a two-point loss in which Minnesota had plenty of offense (126 points) but couldn’t get enough stops against the red-hot Thunder?
Ultimately, though, it’s hard to imagine the series playing out much differently results-wise without imagining the Wolves playing differently instead of just better than they did.
For that sort of what-if, the Pacers are giving the Wolves plenty to think about in the NBA Finals. Indiana was a huge underdog going into the series, but a blowout Game 6 win Thursday set up a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
What exactly can the Wolves learn from the Pacers? Let’s look at a few ideas in today’s 10 things to know.