NBA Champion Makes Bold Claim About Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been one of the best surprises of the 2023-24 NBA season.

They finished as the third seed in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record, and swept the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

Currently, the Timberwolves have a 1-0 lead over the Denver Nuggets in their second-round series.

On Monday, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins made a bold claim about the Timberwolves (h/t NBA on ESPN).

Perkins: "The Wolves are going to the NBA Finals. They weren't just built to knock off the defending champs. They were built to win the Western Conference."

The Timberwolves have looked like a team that will have a chance to do what Perkins says.

They are led by superstar Anthony Edwards, who is currently averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 53.2% from the field and 43.6% from the three-point range in his first five playoff games.

In addition, the Timberwolves have Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and a talented bench.

If Edwards continues to play at this level, more people will likely agree with Perkins' statement.

Last season, the Timberwolves lost to the Nuggets in the first round (in five games).

The Nuggets are the second seed in the Western Conference and had a 57-25 record.

Game 2 of the series will be on Monday evening (also in Denver).

Whoever wins the series will advance to the Western Conference Finals and face off against the OKC Thunder or the Dallas Mavericks.