Pierce Believes The Timberwolves Can Beat The Thunder

Pierce is making a bold claim because the Thunder are on a historic run this season with a 66-14 record after 80 games, while the Timberwolves only have a 46-33 tally as the eighth seed.

Minnesota is a much better team than the record suggests, but he is downplaying one of the greatest regular season teams in modern NBA history.

Pierce Thinks OKC Are Vulnerable Against Minnesota

OKC beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night 136-120. It was a dominant result at the end of the day, but Pierce saw some red flags he felt he could not ignore from the Thunder.

"Last night's 16-point win by the Thunder proves the Celtics should be the favorite like I've been saying. It also proved to me that the Thunder are more vulnerable than I thought," Pierce said on FS1. "I am also convinced when I look at these standings right now, if the Thunder play the Timberwolves in the first round, they may get bounced."

Pierce is making an unpopular point because the Thunder have been the best NBA team this season. With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, the team has a well-rounded roster filled with good scorers and elite defenders.

The Timberwolves have the talent to match up, but they are not as good as the Thunder. Minnesota always has a chance to get an upset win because of Anthony Edwards and the rest of the team, but most experts would disagree with Pierce.

Anything Is Possible With The Timberwolves

Despite the difference in their records, the Thunder should be wary of the Timberwolves. They have a .500 record against each other this season, as they split the season series to two wins apiece. 

Minnesota is tied for being the second-most successful matchup against Oklahoma City with two wins, just behind the Dallas Mavericks, who won their season series by getting three victories against the Thunder.

The Timberwolves pulled off some fantastic results against the Thunder, and even the losses were close. Pierce might be talking smack about the Thunder, but he makes a good point about the matchup between the two Western Conference teams.

Even though the Thunder are the favorite to win this hypothetical series, the Timberwolves will make their lives hard. With players like Edwards, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Jaden McDaniels on the same roster, they match up well against the Western Conference favorites.

Of course, Minnesota still has a chance to climb the Playoff seedings, but if there is a matchup between these two teams, it will be hard to count the Timberwolves out.