Spurs gifted perfect chance to shut down playoff nightmare matchup narrative

The San Antonio Spurs are returning to the playoffs after seven seasons, and who they face in the first round will help determine how far they go. The Spurs obviously match up better against some teams than others.

However, according to Bleacher Report, the Silver and Black should look to avoid the Minnesota Timberwolves. To Bleacher Report's point, the Timberwolves are one of just two teams that have a winning record against the Spurs this season.

In fact, the Wolves, along with the Phoenix Suns, are the only two teams in the top eight of the Western Conference playoffs to have beaten San Antonio twice. Even then, that's missing some context.

The Spurs shouldn't be scared of the Minnesota Timberwolves

The Spurs, who were without Victor Wembanyama for their first meeting, played surprisingly well until the wheels came off in the third quarter. In their second meeting, they lost by one point after blowing a 20-point lead on the road. That loss was just brutal.

In their most recent meeting, Wembanyama dropped 39 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. That strong performance helped the Silver and Black hold on and win a close game in which Anthony Edwards dropped 55 points.

All of that is to say, the Spurs might have a losing record against the Wolves, but they have mostly played very well against them this season.

The Wolves obviously have Edwards, who is one of the best young players in the NBA. He is definitely a potential concern, as he can take over games by himself.

Then again, the Spurs have Stephon Castle, an elite defender, and several other solid defenders they can use against Ant. Better yet, they have the ultimate rim protector in Wembanyama, with his backup, Luke Kornet, also being terrific at protecting the paint as well.

The Spurs match up well against the Timberwolves in the playoffs

The Timberwolves obviously have an elite rim protector of their own in Rudy Gobert, but he's historically struggled to defend Wembanyama. Wemby's shooting ability is a rarity at center and forces Gobert away from the basket.

When matched up one-on-one on the perimeter, Wembanyama cooks Gobert. That has even resulted in the Timberwolves using Julius Randle to guard him. They've had better results, but he's a worse defender, and Wemby had arguably his best game of the season with Randle spending time guarding him.

None of that is to discount the Wolves, who have made the Western Conference Finals back-to-back seasons and are far more experienced than the Spurs. Nevertheless, San Antonio matches up much better against the Wolves than most teams do.

Spurs should be optimistic about a matchup with Wolves

For instance, San Antonio can counter the Wolves' double-big lineup by having Julian Champagnie guard Randle. He may not be their first choice, but he's big enough to bang with him in the paint, with Wembanyama behind him.

On defense, there isn't anywhere for Randle to hide. Even if he guards Wemby, then that means that Gobert would have to defend a stretch four such as Champagnie or Harrison Barnes. That would still pull him away from the basket and open up driving lanes for De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

Ultimately, Bleacher Report's suggestion that Minnesota could give San Antonio problems in the playoffs is likely true given their track record this season. However, the Spurs match up well against the Wolves and could beat them in a seven-game series.