After a hard-fought first round win against injuries, ejections, and odds, the Minnesota Timberwolves are far from celebratory. From the sound of it, Chris Finch isn’t even relieved beating the Denver Nuggets. He and his team are  in a precarious position as they prepare for a high-stakes Western Conference Semifinal against the San Antonio Spurs. While the team should be celebrating in the moment, the physical toll of their previous series has left the head coach openly questioning his roster’s durability. The primary concern centers on superstar Anthony Edwards, whose status remains a dark cloud over the team’s championship aspirations.

Finch admitted that the intensity of the Nuggets series may have handed an advantage to their next opponent. “Let me start by saying before the series started here I thought the real winner of this series would be San Antonio because both of these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other and they did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing before we go down there.”

This admission of fatigue and physical depletion sets a somber tone for a team that must now figure out how to contain Victor Wembanyama and a Spurs team that’s revitalized since beating the Portland Trail Blazers. Especially when Finch is down one offensive powerhouse in Anthony Edwards.

“They have a really good player, generational talent, and they’re playing with a ton of attitude and it looked like they’re playing with a lot of fun and confidence,” Finch admitted. His only recourse is to work tactically as he said, “So we’ll start taking it apart in the film room starting tomorrow.”

He’d correct himself to say that his staff was already dissecting the Spurs film. But they’d likely have to recalibrate everything without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo.

Timberwolves worries manifested with Victor Wembanyama’s healthy return

The Timberwolves’ injury report is currently a major point of anxiety for the team and the fans in the Twin Cities. Anthony Edwards, who last played only 18 minutes in Game 4 and managed just five points, suffered a bone bruise and hyperextension of his left knee in the closing minutes. This will rule him out for multiple weeks if the Wolves do get past the semifinals.

If that wasn’t all, the Wolves starters and fans saw the brutal way Donte DiVincenzo went down in Game 4 too. He was officially diagnosed with an ACL tear and ruled out for the rest of the season.

To add to their woes, Bones Hyland is suffering with left knee soreness. Ayo Dosunmu was ruled out of Game 6 with a calf injury and he’s still questionable for the next round. Kyle Anderson didn’t play tonight because of an illness. Somehow the skeleton crew of Wolves pulled a 110-98 win over the Nuggets.

In contrast, the Spurs are entering the series with a clean bill of health for their primary star. Victor Wembanyama recently cleared the NBA’s concussion protocol after a scary fall against Portland. Even when he was absent, Stephon Castle’s and De’Aaron Fox’s swagger kept the team well in the lead.

The series also marks a definitive passing of the torch at the center position between two French teammates. It features a clash between Rudy Gobert, the understated veteran with four Defensive Player of the Year trophies, and Wembanyama, who was recently named the first-ever unanimous DPOY.

Gobert, who finished fourth in this year’s voting, now must defend his “generational” countryman while his team’s perimeter is lacking DiVincenzo’s defensive impact and the uncertainty surrounding Edwards. With Wembanyama leading the league in blocks by a massive margin, Minnesota’s depleted offense faces an uphill battle to find points in the paint.