Schedule luck gives Spurs yet another major advantage angle

Let's get into the nitty-gritty of the Spurs/Timberwolves series. The NBA has decided that every game in the Western Conference Semifinals will be played every other day, starting Monday, May 4. That's brutal for Minnesota and adds another advantage to San Antonio's margins, considering their best player won't be available in Game 1.

Based on what ESPN's Shams Charania said in the video clip above, it sounds like there's a possibility that Edwards doesn't come back for the series at all. That development would certainly remove any hopes the Timberwolves had for an upset. If the Spurs bring their A-game, this series ends in a sweep. That means Edwards has until Sunday, May 10, to show his face on the hardwood.

His team won't escape that silver and black broom without him.

The Timberwolves' offense won't work on the Spurs

Most NBA fans were locked into the Denver/Minny matchup. It's compelling basketball. That's the third time in four years those teams have faced off in the postseason. Their rivalry is exactly what you want to see in the playoffs. But while the game was giving hoops heads everything they asked for, Spurs fans should have been checking boxes off in their minds for their potential opponent.

The Nuggets looked pretty good offensively in stretches, but their defense was awful. That was something San Antonio could take advantage of. The Timberwolves also found ways to disrupt Denver's offense. They did it by playing with relentless energy and physicality, plus they forced the Nugs' perimeter guards into a crowd. Putting length on Jamal Murray bothered him, too. Check.

The Silver and Black can do all of those things and pull off certain coverages better than Minny because of Wemby's ability to cover so much ground. As for the Timberwolves, their offense was mostly predicated on attacking the paint. That's not going to work against the Spurs.

Don't get it twisted; they didn't shoot a phenomenal percentage from outside, but they were pretty good in the regular season. You can't put getting hot past them. But San Antonio's strategy will be to plaster themselves to Minnesota's players anyway. Force them into the paint where the 7'4" monster dwells and make their lives miserable.

Attacking the Spurs won't be like challenging Jokic in the paint

I just went back and watched every shot the Timberwolves made in their last two wins of that series, and the number of times they just ran down the lane for a layup in Joker's face was, and excuse the pun, a joke. Chris Finch's ball club will have a difficult time finding points with enough consistency to keep up with the Spurs.

That means their best shot is a low-scoring series. They were down to an eight-man rotation in their Game 6 win over Denver. 38-year-old Mike Conley logged 26 minutes. Dylan Harper is going to wear that man out. The Alien is going to drag Rudy Gobert to deep water and abuse him, and if they put the Stifle Tower on Stephon Castle, expect big nights from the sophomore guard.

That strategy didn't work out so well for Portland and Donovan Clingan. To Gobert's credit, he's a much better athlete and defender than the Trail Blazers' center, but the results will be the same. The Spurs have counters for that strategy, and if last series was any indication, this coaching staff is skilled at finding the right adjustments and implementing them effectively.

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