Anthony Edwards and Wembanyama made the obvious impossible to ignore

Victor Wembanyama vs. Anthony Edwards is high-quality theater, and we need as much of it as humanly possible. The NBA has been enamored with pushing the San Antonio/OKC rivalry, and understandably so, but the one that the basketball world should be more interested in is the Alien vs. Ant-Man. It's just so much fun, and the Minnesota star always gets up to play Vic.

No shade to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Edwards is a more entertaining player in almost every way. He plays an explosive brand of basketball, and his braggadocious personality mixed with his lack of filter is enamoring.

He and Wemby have strong charisma, and you want to watch them play basketball—especially since they both have an ethical hoops style. They also show each other immense respect in the media. The league has almost everything it needs here for the most compelling rivalry since LeBron James and Steph Curry were meeting in the NBA Finals. Almost.

Sam Presti and Timberwolves management stand in the way

In order for this budding rivalry to truly get the prestige it needs to be elevated along with those of the past, the Spurs and Timberwolves need to meet in the playoffs. The setting needs to be the Western Conference Finals, and they need to face off more than once. Not every matchup would need to be in the WCF, but at least one of them should be.

The stakes need to be as high as possible, and that's as far as the two can go since they both reside in the Western Conference. But OKC doesn't look like they're going anywhere anytime soon. They have a damn good team, and their youth gives them a long championship runway. That's the benefit of what their general manager, Sam Presti, has built.

On top of the talented young players on their roster, they have a monopoly on the league's first-round picks. Every time you turn around, someone is reminding you that the Thunder own some poor ball club's lottery pick. It's a travesty the entire league has to deal with for the foreseeable future.

So, the Timberwolves ownership group and front office must be vigilant in building something to break through. I'm not worried about the Spurs. They also have a treasure chest of assets, youth, and they're led by a 7'5" monster from outer space. They'll be there in the end when it matters most much more often than the others.

Minnesota has done a fine job of building a roster good enough to get to the final round of the West in the past two seasons, but will they keep that momentum as the other teams in the conference catch up? That remains to be seen. I'm hoping so, though. I want to see Vic and Ant-Man in a Game 7 with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Now, that would be cinema.