Minnesota Lynx Gearing Up for Season, Towns/Okafor Debate Continues, Down to Four Teams in the 2015 NBA Playoffs

As the Lynx are preparing to start their 2015 season, the Wolves are also thinking ahead, gearing up for the upcoming NBA Draft after winning the lottery Tuesday night.

By Lindsey M. Young May 22, 2015, 7:00am CDT

Lynx Update

On May 17, the Minnesota Lynx opened up their training camp in the brand-spankin'-new Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Square. Maya Moore commented on the new facility, saying "it definitely matches what we bring."

The team is revving up their preseason activities, both on and off the court. On Tuesday, May 19, the Lynx started its Lynx Cares Season Kickoff events with Monica Wright hosting a Reading Time Out at Jenny Lind Elementary School. Wright emphasized the importance of academics to students and handed out team prizes and posters after the event.

The team will also be participating in the following events leading up to the season opener:

Wednesday, May 27 - Lynx staff will participate in a park-cleaning event at Lyndale Park.
Friday, May 29 - Monica Wright, Rebekkah Brunson, Amber Harris, Tricia Liston and Devereaux Peters will surprise a group of Wishes & More children and their families at the Minnesota Science Museum.
Wednesday, June 3 - Minnesota will hold its third annual Tip-A-Lynx event. The Lynx players and coaching staff will serve fans as a fundraiser at The Loop restaurant in St. Louis Park.

The Lynx's regular season will tip off on Friday, June 5 at the Target Center.

Timberwolves to Pick No. 1 Overall in 2015 NBA Draft

Just a few days removed from winning the NBA Draft Lottery, Wolves fans are already anticipating the Draft on June 25.

About six weeks remain until the Wolves pick. That's an eternity for them to make a decision.
— Jon Krawczynski (@APkrawczynski) May 20, 2015

The debate between who should go first, Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns, rages on, and it's nearly impossible to predict who Minnesota will go with come Draft night. Some speculation is that head coach Flip Saunders has a tendency toward Okafor, but statements he made following the lottery suggest he's not leaning too strongly either direction ... or, you know, it's all just a smokescreen.

Either way, fans are just thankful that David Kahn is no longer at the helm.

NBA Playoffs

Houston gave up an early, large lead over Golden State in Game 1 of the series, giving away a chance to start the series off with a road win. Last night Stephen Curry and the Warriors once again came out on top of a close game, grabbing the 99-98 win and a 2-0 lead in the series. The Rockets had a very real chance to win it at the end, but James Harden couldn't get a shot off in time. Curry scored 33 points in the win, while Harden tallied 38 for Houston.

The Hawks and Cavs opened up the Eastern Conference Wednesday. Despite the game proving a competitive one and the score being tied multiple times, Cleveland's crew pulled ahead to finish with the 97-89 win. One has to admit, it's tough to play against the intensity of LeBron James. In one play Wednesday, Atlanta's Kyle Korver ran for his life from a stampeding James. The resulting video is entertaining, to say the least:

Other Basketball News

All-NBA first team. On Thursday, the League announced lineups for the All-NBA first team. Of course, LeBron James and Stephen Curry highlighted the team. Anthony Davis (Pelicans), James Harden (Rockets) and Marc Gasol (Grizzlies) will also be on the squad.
All-NBA second team. The All-NBA second team boasts the following players: Russell Westbrook (Thunder), LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers), Chris Paul (Clippers), Pau Gasol (Bulls) and DeMarcus Cousins (Kings).
All-NBA third team. Finally, the All-NBA third team roster is made up of Blake Griffin (Clippers), DeAndre Jordan (Clippers), Tim Duncan (Spurs), Klay Thompson (Warriors) and Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers).

Lindsey's Friday Flick Recommendation

I'm throwing it way back this week, because I have recently encountered several friends who have never seen this classic Al Pacino/Robert DeNiro flick:

Heat

I was told I am "not supposed" to like this movie "because I'm a girl," but that's just too bad. Heat is an absolutely great film with a creative plot line, all-star cast and plenty of action.

DeNiro plays Neil McCauley, a long-time con man looking to pull off one more heist before retiring, but things don't go according to plan when one of his men goes rogue. Pacino plays opposite DeNiro as the cop attempting to shut him down. The two develop a mutual respect for one another however, and they discover there are more similarities between them then they might expect.

Check out the trailer below, and happy weekending!