Game 1 of the Western Conference finals starts on Tuesday when the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:30 p.m. ET inside the Paycom Center.
Led by league MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder advanced to their first conference finals since 2015-16 after defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 on Sunday. The Timberwolves clinched their second consecutive conference finals appearance with help from Anthony Edwards after defeating the Golden State Warriors in five games on May 14.
In Tuesday's ESPN report, 14 experts voted on who would win this series to represent the Western Conference in this season's NBA Finals. Nine have the Thunder winning between six and seven games, while five chose the Timberwolves to win the same number of games.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) defended by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9)
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (#2) and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (#9)
Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Here’s a look at some of the experts' predictions:
Jerry Bembry: Thunder in 6
Chris Herring: Thunder in 6
Jeremy Woo: Thunder in 7
Jamal Collier: Timberwolves in 7
Omar Raja: Timberwolves in 6
Marc Spears: Timberwolves in 7
On the opposite side of the nation, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals starts on Wednesday when the Indiana Pacers walk into Madison Square Garden to play the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. ET. Like the Timberwolves, the Pacers advanced to their second straight conference finals by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 with assistance from Tyrese Haliburton.
Their opponent, the Knicks, advanced to their first conference finals since 2000 by defeating the Boston Celtics 4-2 on Friday, after multiple strong performances from Jalen Brunson. Nine of the same ESPN experts have the Knicks winning between six and seven games. Meanwhile, five have the Pacers winning in the same number of games.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) guarded by Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2)
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (#11) and Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (#2)
© Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Here is a look at some of the experts' picks:
Dave McMenamin: Knicks in 7
Ramona Shelburne: Knicks in 7
Ohm Youngmisuk: Knicks in 7
Zach Kram: Pacers in 6
Kevin Pelton: Pacers in 6
Andre Snellings: Pacers in 7
Tune into ESPN for the Western Conference finals and TNT for the Eastern Conference finals to see if the experts' predictions come true.