Chart of the eight NBA semifinalists for the 2025/2026 season.
progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – The eight semifinalists for the 2025/2026 NBA playoffs in the Western and Eastern Conferences have been selected. In the Western Conference, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder will face the LA Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs will face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks will face the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons will face the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Oklahoma City Thunder advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive season after defeating the Phoenix Suns in their first-round playoff series with a 4-0 aggregate victory in a best-of-seven format. The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the semifinals after defeating the Portland Trail Blazers with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
Still in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive season after defeating the Denver Nuggets with a tight 4-3 aggregate victory. The LA Lakers then advanced after defeating the Houston Rockets with a 4-2 aggregate victory.
Next in the Eastern Conference are the New York Knicks, who advanced to the semifinals for four consecutive seasons after defeating the Atlanta Hawks with a 4-2 aggregate. Then there’s the Philadelphia 76ers, who dramatically eliminated the Boston Celtics with a 4-3 aggregate.
The Detroit Pistons eliminated the Orlando Magic with a narrow 4-3 aggregate to advance to the semifinals. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the semifinals after eliminating the Toronto Raptors, also with a 4-3 aggregate.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are the only semifinalist who has never won an NBA championship.
Of the eight semifinalists for the 2025/2026 NBA season, almost all have historically won championships and won the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending champions, and the LA Lakers have 17 titles.
Next are the San Antonio Spurs with five titles, the New York Knicks with two titles, the Detroit Pistons with three titles, the Cleveland Cavaliers with one title, and the Philadelphia 76ers with three titles.
Only one semifinalist, the Minnesota Timberwolves, has never won a championship.
Founded in 1989, the team has a limited NBA history. Their highest achievement was reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2004. Led by Kevin Garnett (2004 MVP), the team posted a career-best 58-24 record in the regular season that year. Despite their historical struggles, the Minnesota Timberwolves have managed to rebound in the 2020s with talents like Anthony Edwards.
During the regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves also achieved an epic victory over the Houston Rockets (110-108) in overtime in March 2026. This victory is considered one of the greatest comebacks in NBA overtime history. They also dominated the Western Conference, defeating tough opponents like the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors in their previous series.
Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) will face Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) in the Western Conference semifinals.
And at the end of the 2025/2026 regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves secured the sixth seed in the Western Conference, avoiding the Play-In Tournament and advancing directly to the playoffs.
In terms of player performance, Anthony Edwards has secured his third All-Star start. Meanwhile, Julius Randle has shown significant improvement, averaging 21.7 points during the playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, who play at Target Center, are known for building a team foundation with talented players. However, historically, this team also holds one of the lowest winning percentages until 2024.
It’s certainly worth waiting to see how far this team will go when they face the second-seeded Western Conference team, the San Antonio Spurs, in the playoff semifinals. Moreover, the San Antonio Spurs are now bolstered by young French center Victor Wembanyama, also known as Wemby.
The 22-year-old, 7-foot-1 player was named the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year. Now, the question is, what strategy the Minnesota Timberwolves will employ to penetrate the San Antonio Spurs’ formidable defense, anchored by Wemby. Let’s wait and see.
Writer/Editor: Bembo
