Thrilling Celtics-Timberwolves Battles Make Must-See NBA Finals Possibility

BOSTON — The Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves have met twice this season, producing thrilling battles at TD Garden and Target Center.

In November, the Timberwolves outlasted the Celtics in overtime on a Monday night in Minnesota. On Wednesday, it was Boston’s turn to storm back for an energized 127-120 overtime win on its home court.

With both home teams emerging victorious in a pair of dramatic contests, the games had numerous themes that overlapped: Minnesota takes a momentum swing in the third quarter, stars from both sides shine and the back-and-forth nature of competition brings free basketball with overtime.

With a split season series, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla loves the challenge that Minnesota creates to test his squad.

“I thought we kind of figured in out (in the first game) at Minnesota,” Mazzulla shared before the game. “If you remember, I was really excited about that game. Over the last few years, Minnesota has really grown as a team. They’re healthy for long periods of time. They’ve got a really good defensive identity. I think all of their players have gotten better. I think this is the best they’ve played. This is the team that everybody thought they were going to be. It’s always fun to play these kinds of matchups.”

In the first battle, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards dueled in a matchup of superstars, with the Timberwolves guard guiding his team to victory with 38 points.

“After the first matchup, he got the best of us,” Jaylen Brown told reporters on Wednesday. “Tonight, we wasn’t having that.”

The shortcomings of the November loss stayed with the Celtics and invigorated a response two months later in Boston.

“We got a great memory,” Tatum reflected. “We remember playing those guys in Minnesota. We remember how it felt to lose that game. We were really excited for this moment.”

Tatum and Edwards traded shots again on Wednesday. This time, the Celtics forward made sure that he would not be denied, pouring in 45 points, including 26 between the fourth quarter and overtime, to ensure a Boston victory. In addition to the star-gazing that entertained fans in the season series, both sides had standout contributions from Brown, Jrue Holiday, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyle Anderson and Naz Reid.

The latest game didn’t even feature talented bigs in Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis and Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, who both missed the meeting with injuries. Add those two back in and the anticipation for a full series would only grow.

Yes, a full series that would serve as a remarkably intriguing matchup should the teams arrive on a collision course for the 2024 NBA Finals. All of the makings for the competition are on the table: Plenty of superstars, a battle-tested season series and challenging in-game matchups for each side.

Obviously, both teams have ways and ways to go to reach the NBA’s ultimate destination. The Celtics, as they have for several years with Tatum and Brown, entered the season with massive championship expectations. If they do emerge from the Eastern Conference for the second time in three years, a number of matchups could await them from the Western Conference representative.

It could be the Oklahoma City Thunder, another young team that gave Boston a legit test in recent weeks. LeBron James and Stephen Curry could always flip the switch to bring the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors back on a postseason run, despite midseason struggles. Of course, the reigning champion Denver Nuggets will be right in the mix as well.

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Even with those possibilities, there’s just something that stands out about giving the Celtics and Timberwolves another chance to turn in a classic.

With both teams at the top of their respective conferences, it’s easy to imagine a must-see matchup if the Celtics and Timberwolves meet again to start the summer.

If that comes true, grab your popcorn.