The healthy Minnesota Timberwolves had been a buzzsaw ever since Julius Randle returned from injury. Between a starting lineup finally coalescing and an embarrassment of riches off the bench, the Wolves were setting themselves up for a rise in the Western Conference playoff standings.
It is only fitting for them to face the two seed Denver Nuggets, the team whose season they ended in a dramatic game seven comeback last year, the team that they had won ten straight against and, most notably, the team they have been tied to ever since the 2018 game 82 instant classic.