The Big Lead

Timberwolves and Thunder break 29-year-old NBA streak in Western Conference Finals matchup

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves' meeting in the Western Conference Finals will show the NBA something it hasn't seen in 29 years.

By Divij Kulkarni

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles the ball past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dribbles the ball past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards. / Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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The NBA's Western Conference Finals in 2025 will be a battle between two of the league's biggest rising stars. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is likely to be the MVP, and Anthony Edwards has led his team past the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in back-to-back series.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves are far from heavyweight franchises. While the Thunder have been to the NBA Finals once, the Timberwolves have never managed to make it that far. And as they battle for a chance to make it, they're already breaking a significant streak within their conference.

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The Western Conference in recent memory has been dominated by teams from California and Texas. In fact, this year will mark the first time in 29 seasons that neither state is represented at this point in the NBA season.

In 1996, the Seattle Supersonics played the Utah Jazz, before advancing to the NBA Finals. Since then, one of the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, or Los Angeles Clippers has been at this stage during every campaign.

The OKC Thunder used to be the Supersonics, so some might consider this a good omen with the 1996 comparison. However, there is a lot of unresolved bad blood with Seattle losing their team, so it could be a bad one as well.

It has taken 29 seasons for this to occur, and now the hope will be that it lives up to the hype. With elite players on both rosters and some incredibly high stakes, this should be a series for the ages.

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