Quote Me, Howie: On the Timberwolves-Lakers first round series

David Kline – “I think the Timberwolves will have some strong advantages over the Lakers during a seven-game series like rebounding and defense. It won’t be easy for either team, so I see this as a wire-to-wire series decided by a bucket or two for most games. Edwards will be in high gear, Julius Randle will have a chip on his shoulder for being largely ignored by national pundits, and Gobert and Conley are hungry for a championship as veteran leaders. Add in Naz, McDaniels, D’Vincenzo, and NAW, and you have firepower on both offense and defense to match the Lakers.”

Don Ness – "A disappointing draw, to be sure. I would have much preferred to see the Nuggets in the first round. The NBA will clearly want to see the Lakers with Lebron and Luka make a deep run. That presumption alone will have a massive presence in this series. The Wolves have to avoid the temptation to be distracted by any bias from the refs. I like the matchup between Randall and LeBron. But we don't have a good matchup with Luka. Jaden needs to stay out of foul trouble. It'll be a fun and interesting series. I really hope the officiating isn't a primary storyline, and that they let the players determine this. If the Wolves get by the Lakers, they would likely face Houston, which is a better matchup and would be a wild series. The advantage here is that you'd avoid playing OKC in the second round. This team can play with anyone in the league. It'll be fun to see how it plays out." 

Daniel Fanning – "You gotta believe. I'm calling Wolves winning in 7. When the Lakers added Luka Doncic to the roster a couple months ago, it was clear they were going all in to try to win now before LeBron James retires. No doubt they'll be a formidable opponent, but the Timberwolves seem to be hitting their stride at the right time. My son and I were at the game on Friday night. Target Center was electric and the Wolves looked highly-motivated and playoff ready. They're playing good team basketball. As dominant as Ant has been lately, many others have been stepping up as needed too including Rudy Gobert on Friday Night. The Lakers are a bit more one/two dimensional. If the Wolves can slow down either Luka and/or Lebron, the Lakers become far more vulnerable. As long as the Wolves continue to play at a high level and stay healthy, I genuinely believe they're capable of beating any team. I think this will be a close series and the Wolves can't look past the Lakers, could even see L.A. jumping out to a one or two game lead. However, I think the Wolves will find a way to keep winning and advance to live another round."

Phill Homere – "It will be a very entertaining 6-vs.-3 matchup. I think it will come down to the twolves containing Luka and Reaves. Understand that they have to force the roll guys to beat them. It won’t be an easy matchup, but I think the Twolves have what it takes to make this matchup very entertaining. I do think they will need a huge series from Rudy on both sides of the court. If Rudy can average a double-double in the series, the Twolves have a good chance of the upset. Twolves have to be able to win a few games in LA to even have a chance to steal this series. Ant and Randle can’t afford bad games."

Steve Battaglia – "Lots of star power in this series will be awesome to watch. Betting against LeBron and Luka is hard for me to do, but Ant might be able to help the Wolves pull it off."

Jordan DeCaro – "The common denominator is how we will match up defensively against LA and the other rivals we will face as we move through the bracket. The most important ingredient to the recipe is the coming out party for Jaden McDaniels and how he can handle being a top defender when you either win or go home. Anthony Edwards is going to be on his game and I think we can matchup with anyone in this bracket and would love to see us go deep and will be important to start off hot."