Before Game 1 of the second-round showdown between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves got underway, many fans and analysts had their minds made up over which team would emerge victorious in this series. With the T-Wolves missing Donte DiVincenzo and superstar Anthony Edwards operating at less than 100 percent, the Spurs were pegged to run down the T-Wolves and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
However, the T-Wolves had other plans and executed them to perfection in the series-opener, which they won 104-102. Playing with poise and grit in hostile territory, they leaned on Ant's fourth-quarter brilliance and tight defense on the Spurs' megastar, Victor Wembanyama, to come away with an impressive win.
According to former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, what he saw from Game 1 was enough to convince him that the T-Wolves will take this series.
Is the Wolves vs. Spurs series over?
Predicting a series win after just one game may be an overreaction. However, Gil stood his ground and remarked that the Spurs didn't utilize any strategy that would give them any hope against the battle-tested T-Wolves.
"This series is over. I'm just going to be honest with you," Gil boldly asserted. "And I'm just going to say it—there was nothing the Spurs did that showed anything that can beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in a series."
In particular, Gil found it unacceptable that Vic couldn't get anything going, even against players he had a massive height and length advantage over. Despite being defended by Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle in the fourth, the 7'4" MVP candidate couldn't solve the riddle the T-Wolves posed and scored just three points on 1-for-5 shooting during that pivotal stretch.
Wemby finished with 11 points, going 5-for-17 from the field.
"They still don't know what their offense looks like. Victor Wembanyama still can't—he still doesn't understand guard offense. When you have a guard on you, you have an offensive book. When you have a big on you, you have an offensive book, right?" Arenas explained.
"So the fact that they can stick a shooting guard or small forward on you and you still don't know what you're doing—that is not acceptable in the playoffs against a team that went to the Western Conference Finals two times," he continued.
The Spurs have a glaring lack of experience
While the Spurs have consistently pushed back against the idea that they might falter on this stage due to their lack of experience, that narrative can no longer be dismissed; Arenas cited numerous instances in which Wembanyama could have been called for fouls while pursuing blocks.
"Wemby could have been out of the game at the nine-minute mark, right? He got a foul on Rudy Gobert. The very next play, they came down—they called it the block—but he slapped all this right here. If that's on the road, foul. Sit down," Arenas expressed.
"He puts himself in situations where he's going to be in foul trouble in this series when he goes on the road. It's just the inexperience—that's all it is really showing. It doesn't show like this team themselves can keep up and stay grounded."
At the same time, the T-Wolves played like men on a mission. Armed with a game plan to slow Wemby down and keep him away from the basket to prevent him from protecting the rim, Arenas added that the Spurs may have to consider not playing him when the T-Wolves play five players who could consistently make 3-pointers.
"Wemby might get played off the court in the fourth quarter because in the fourth quarter, he has to guard Naz Reid or Julius Randle at the five. He's not going to take advantage of them offensively, but he has to sit at the three-point line," Gil stated.
"He has to guard one of those guys, and that man is getting to it—they're just driving to the lane. He can't protect the basket with the two bigs out there shooting threes."
This series is far from over. But it's apparent the chess game has already started, and it's on the Spurs to make adjustments to counter what the T-Wolves did in Game 1.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
