After a wild NBA season that saw the Los Angeles Lakers start slow, add Luka Dončić and eventually surge to 50 wins and the West's third seed, they were eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Behind a monster 27-point, 24-rebound performance from Rudy Gobert, Minnesota won 103-96 on the road to end the series in just five games.

When I saw that the Lakers drew the Timberwolves as a first-round playoff opponent, I was relieved. While the Lakers are my favorite team, I enjoy watching the Timberwolves play and rooting for Anthony Edwards.

Just like that, arguably the Oklahoma City Thunder's biggest threat in the West is gone. The early elimination will surely dominate the airwaves for the next couple of days. As th