What did the Timberwolves do with weekend practices and no set opponent?

The Timberwolves had two practice days over the weekend to prepare for their second-round playoff series with no opponent for which to prepare because the matchup won t be determined until late Sunday after Houston and Golden State play their Competition Regardless Meeting of the Western Conference semifinal series is Tuesday Yeah it s weird Wolves forward Julius Randle noted of the time spent in limbo It s definitely weird for sure Julius Randle of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Championship Five of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Crypto com Arena on April in Los Angeles California Photo by Harry How Getty Images And perhaps not as productive Minnesota s super power as a organization over the past couple of years has been using playoff prep time to prepare for an upcoming opponent With a week off to scout and get ready Minnesota swept Phoenix won Games and against Denver and then blitzed the Lakers in Tournament of this year s first-round matchup Timberwolves coach Chris Finch credited the scouting work his staff does and the squad s ability to create and convey match plans to players That extends beyond team-wide practices I think specific of the work that you do individually with your players in athlete improvement is just as crucial going through what Ant s going to see going through what Julius is going to see the reads that they re going to have to make Finch revealed I think that s really critical Our staff has done an amazing job in the time that I ve been here in preparing our guys for those moments But not knowing an opponent means you don t necessarily know what things for which you ll have to prepare and be ready Finch explained the practice plans over the weekend required thought You requested to be targeted in your approach he commented We looked at the commonalities between both teams highlighted those and tried to work on those Just selected other things that we haven t been able to work on in a little bit It s been good In terms of self assessment Wolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker noted how a great number of open shots Minnesota missed on the perimeter particularly in Challenge against Los Angeles He mentioned this weekend provided a chance for Minnesota to further familiarize itself with such shots anticipating similar looks will arise down the road as teams resort to the same schemes the Lakers utilized in an attempt to slow Anthony Edwards Rudy Gobert declared emphasizing offensive and defensive transition as well as rebounding is consistently key for Minnesota to be the squad it wants to be Finch also noted it s unfailingly an advantage to be the rested organization coming into a series Regardless of who wins Sunday that organization will have fewer than hours between the end of Meeting and the start of Battle And the rounds tend to only get more physical and draining from here So Minnesota understands the importance of using this time as a mental and physical reset I think you have to have time away from it Finch commented Put the work in prepare accordingly but I think there s times you have to step away from it and a lot of times that frees up your mind for fresh ideas or a fresh approach From a athlete s perspective that means putting an equal amount of emphasis on rest Obviously we re excited we re ready to play But whoever we play we ll be ready for Randle reported The coaches will have us prepared But in the meantime try to recover as much as you can get in the weight room get your body prepared or just try to stay prepared and focused As Gobert put it Prepare our bodies and our minds Related Articles How Anthony Edwards cracked the NBA s codes I think he s a genius Julius Randle looks like the Timberwolves perfect Robin For Wolves to win it all Rudy Gobert must be the Kingslayer s dragon The Timberwolves open the second round Tuesday But where And against who Five reasons the Timberwolves beat the Lakers in five games