The Western Conference Finals are firing up! So far, the Oklahoma City Thunder have been the clear winners as they’ve taken care of business in the first two games. However, the next two games are in Anthony Edwards and the Wolves’ home court. They will do absolutely everything to get the series back to level terms. So, this game will be huge for the Timberwolves as they hope to get back on track. But the question is, what do you do as the Minnesota Timberwolves here? The OKC Thunder is firing on all cylinders. The first-seeded team looks locked in and has one simple goal in their mind: The Larry O’Brien trophy. What will be Minnesota’s next step?
To put it simply, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and the rest of the team will have to pull up their socks for Game 3. Well, Edwards did improve from his lackluster Game 1 performance. The 23-year-old shooting guard was solid, scoring 32 points on 26 shots, much higher than his 13 shots in the series opener. Their rotation players, such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and others, also looked better. However, that was not enough to get them through the line. This has led to Rudy Gobert urging his teammates to gear up for Game 3, because if they fall into a 0-3 deficit, they might as well call it quits.
So, Gobert has asked his teammates to live in the present and not wonder about the outcome of the series, using quite an unusual but effective analogy. “I think. That’s not helpful … If you’re on the battlefield and you’re worried about the outcome, you’ll get shot in your head.” Gobert said. The Minnesota big man stated that thinking about the outcome is not helpful on the court. Instead, he and his team should focus on how to take on the task at hand for now. Indeed, that’s a great mindset. Teams have come back from much worse, so one can believe that this Minnesota team can also do something similar.
Rudy Gobert on the Wolves needing to stay in the moment vs. considering the consequences of falling down 3-0 to OKC: “That’s not helpful … If you’re on the battlefield and you’re worried about the outcome, you’ll get shot in your head.” pic.twitter.com/DjDlrl1bfV
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 24, 2025
In fact, Rudy Gobert was not the only one who was not scared of the outcome. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid also shared a similar thought ahead of a must-win Game 3. “Whether the situation is 0-2, 2-0, 3-0, whatever you want to call it, I’m not going to really back down from any moment or any challenge,” Reid stated. It seems that the team morale is as high as ever as the Wolves get ready for an uphill battle with the first-seeded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. Meanwhile, Chet Holmgren has revealed a few unspoken details about Minnesota as they too gear up for Game 3.
Chet Holmgren reveals unknown details about Minnesota
While everyone will be focused on the battle between Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, there’s another wholesome storyline in the making. It will be a sweet and sour homecoming for the seven-footer, OKC Thunder star, Chet Holmgren. That Thunder big man has always been proud of his roots as he grew up in the city of Minneapolis and even attended the prestigious Minnehaha Academy for high school. Holmgren described how he used to go past all the arenas where he would be playing tonight against his home team.
Nov 18, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren (7) reacts after tying the score against the Golden State Warriors at the final buzzer to send the game in to overtime at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
“I used to go under the Life Time underneath this building every single day after school. I passed a lot of these buildings on my way here every day.” The OKC star reflected on his school days and how he used to commute to practice. However, this wasn’t it. Growing up, Chet Holmgren was a Minnesota fan and talked about how it was a rough time being a Wolves fan, as they were not a winning team. “ It’s great. Way back when, I could’ve never pictured this because the Timberwolves didn’t really have a winning record.” He stated.
“It’s great to see them turn things around.” Indeed, Anthony Edwards and the rest of the team have done a fantastic job of making the Timberwolves a real contender in the West, as they have successfully made it to back-to-back Conference Finals. So, it will be interesting to watch how the Wolves perform in front of their home crowd. Meanwhile, it will be a busy gameday for Chet Holmgren, who’ll have lots of friends and family to meet and greet, as he and the Thunder aim to put this series away from Minnesota’s grasp.
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