The Lakers are the No. 3 seed with home-court advantage, and while Minnesota won 17 of its final 21 regular-season games to nab the No. 6 seed, it’s fair to poke holes in the incredibly soft schedule that contributed to that run. So the Lakers it is, at least in the minds of many. That’s fine by Minnesota.

After a grueling 82-game regular season, the NBA postseason is finally here and the Minnesota Timberwolves have a date with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. It's sure to be a compelling matchup.

In perhaps the most anticipated first-round matchup, it's LeBron James and Luka Doncic vs. Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves.