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The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will host the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves in a matchup that will determine who will represent the West in the 2025 NBA Finals. This matchup between these two young and talented teams will not disappoint.
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Not only will that be the case, but this matchup between Oklahoma City and Minnesota is set to make history for the first time in nearly three decades.
The Western Conference Finals will be the first time in 29 years that they won't feature a team from California or Texas.
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Western Conference Finals won't have a team from California or Texas for the FIRST TIME IN 29 YEARS ?
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 20, 2025
Last time was Sonics vs. Jazz in 1996
(h/t @YahooSports, @VegasInsider) pic.twitter.com/69shscojAT
The last time two teams from outside Texas and California were poised to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals was when the Seattle SuperSonics and Utah Jazz were in contention in 1996.
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While teams beyond those states have made Finals appearances before, franchises from Texas and California consistently remained in the mix—until this season, when that long-standing trend took a turn.
Since the 1996-97 season, teams like the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings either won a title, represented the West in the Finals, or had a chance to.
Four teams represented Texas and California in the postseason: the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, and the Rockets. Three of those teams, including the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets, were eliminated in the first round, and the Timberwolves eliminated the Warriors in the second round of the playoffs.
While the Western Conference won't have a Texas or California team, that doesn't mean it won't be any less entertaining. The Thunder and Timberwolves are coming off stellar seasons. The Thunder are coming off a 68-win season that saw them at the top of many major statistical categories this season.
The Timberwolves started the season a bit shaky but ended it on a strong note. They finished the season with a 24-6 record in their last 30 games. They have only played 10 games in these playoffs, taking care of business in the first two series in five games.
All eyes will be on this matchup, and either Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Timberwolves Anthony Edwards could win their first NBA title.
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For more Thunder, Timberwolves, NBA news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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About the writer
Ricardo Sandoval is a Newsweek contributor based in Los Angeles, CA. His focus is sports content. Ricardo has been with Newsweek since 2024 and also writes ... Read more