The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs in a series that was more than intense, where many spoke of the emergence of a rivalry between the two franchises and between Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama.
Following the Timberwolves’ second-round loss to the Spurs this year, Anthony Edwards admitted the two teams were budding rivals. Still, when looking back on the series, he made sure to give them credit for a job well done, making it clear that a rivalry exists.
“Hell yeah, hell yeah, hell yeah, it’s a rivalry,” said Edwards. “I tip my hat to them young n****s, they came out to ball. Them boys balled. I have nothing bad to say about the Spurs; they balled. Like one thing about me, when you beat me, I ain’t no hating that, I ain’t got that in my blood. But we’ll be back.”
NBA rivalries may not be what they used to be, but animosity still exists between some teams and players. Today, some of the most recognized rivalries include Spurs vs. Thunder, Nuggets vs. Timberwolves, and Lakers vs. Warriors. Now, we can add the Timberwolves vs Spurs to the list, and it could produce content for many years.
Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
How the series went between both teams
At this stage in the timeline, it’s impossible to say which team will get the upper hand between these teams, but we just saw a glimpse of what their future showdowns could look like. This year, Edwards led the Timberwolves to an impressive win in the first round against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
They were underdogs in the series but still managed to pull off the upset thanks to strong leadership and balanced contributions across the roster. Coming off two straight runs to the NBA Conference Finals (2024 and 2025), the Wolves had their eyes set on making it a third, but the Spurs got in the way.
Other than Games 1 and 4, the Spurs controlled much of the series, limiting the effectiveness of key players like Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. For his part, Edwards tried his best to carry his team to victory with averages of 24.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists across the 6-game Western Conference Semifinals.
In the end, the Timberwolves didn’t have enough firepower to topple the Spurs, and Victor Wembanyama was a huge part of that. His ascent is shifting the NBA’s balance of power, and Edwards found himself cheering when he got ejected in Game 4 of the series. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that Victor’s team is currently still alive in the NBA playoff fight, while Edwards is watching from home.
