Timberwolves-Thunder WCF Game 1: Referee assignments, TV info

The Western Conference Finals gets underway this evening in Oklahoma City, with the top-seeded Thunder taking on the sixth-seeded Timberwolves. The Wolves will look to use their rest advantage to steal Game 1 on the road, while the Thunder will look to protect their home-court advantage in what should be a raucous environment.

This has all the makings of a fascinating, highly-competitive series with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. It's got star power, depth, elite two-way players, and all kinds of matchup/schematic elements that will make coaching and execution essential.

Another thing that will be worth watching? How the games are called. Back in February, Minnesota head coach Chris Finch said it's "so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton" ... "and then you can't really touch Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander)." Just this week, the mind games have already begun in regards to addressing the officiating factor of this series.

Referee assignments

Veteran official James Capers is the crew chief on Tuesday, with Tyler Ford as the referee and Mark Lindsay as the umpire.

The good news? The Wolves are 5-0 in games called by Ford this year, including two postseason wins. The bad news? They were 0-4 in regular season games called by Lindsay, with an average point differential of -7 that was tied for their worst with any specific referee. However, he was part of the crew for their Game 3 win over the Lakers. Capers called only one regular season Wolves game, a win, but he was the crew chief for their Game 2 loss in the first round.

So that's a total record of 7-5, playoffs included, with these officials. However, as always, it's such a small sample size — and such a relatively minor part of winning or losing — that it doesn't mean much, even if it's interesting to note.

Lindsay called shooting and personal fouls at a very high rate during the regular season, compared to other officials. Ford was also relatively whistle-happy, while Capers was more down the middle.

TV info

It's a 7:30 p.m. CT game on ESPN. That really means a tip-off in the 7:35-7:40 range, but conference finals games are no longer at risk of sliding even later since they'll always be the only game of the night. ESPN's lead team of Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson, and Doris Burke will call all of the games in this series.

There will also be an "InsightCast" on ESPN2, featuring Ryan Ruocco, Tim Legler, and Kirk Goldsberry calling the game from ESPN's Bristol (CT) studios. That broadcast "will serve as an in-depth, data-driven exploration of the NBA Western Conference Finals, featuring expert statistical analysis and compelling visuals."

TNT/Max (Kevin Harlan, Reggie Miller) has the Knicks-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals this year.

Timberwolves-Thunder coverage