The Timberwolves were the better team all along

History will show that the No. 3 seed Lakers were eliminated by the 6-seed Timberwolves, but let the record state this was no upset. The better team won, and did so handily.

The T-Wolves were deeper, more balanced, and in the end, proved to have the best - or at least the sharpest - superstar in Anthony Edwards.

The Lakers found themselves rejuvenated after the stunning midseason acquisition of Luka Doncic, but Minnesota still outpaced them from the date Doncic made his debut (Feb. 10) through the end of the regular season.

A Timberwolves team trying to reinvent itself after its own blockbuster trade really found its two-way identity down the stretch. Minnesota was one of four teams to finish with top-10 marks on both ends of the court, joining the 68-win Thunder, 64-win Cavaliers, and defending champion Celtics. Between the regular season and playoffs, the T-Wolves lost twice in all of April.

Julius Randle was never going to replace Karl-Anthony Towns' offense, but he settled into a perfect role between Edwards and Rudy Gobert, doing just enough damage as a secondary scorer and interior bully while becoming a more consistent playmaker and defender.

The Timberwolves brought an impressive supporting cast to the playoff stage, including Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The Lakers entered the series with an ensemble so flimsy, head coach JJ Redick famously elected to play his starters 24 straight minutes in the second half of a crucial Game 4 loss. Between Doncic and Austin Reaves, two of the Lakers' top three players were easy targets for opposing offenses to pick on. The T-Wolves' rotation features no such sieves.

Los Angeles' lack of a dependable big man proved too much to overcome against Minnesota's giant frontcourt, so much so that a defensive-minded center with bad hands and no touch put up a Wilt-like stat line to send the Lakers packing.

The Timberwolves' margin for error was so great that they were able to win a road closeout game despite going 7-of-47 from deep; the worst high-volume shooting performance in playoff history.

I picked the Lakers to win despite all the advantages tilting the scale in Minnesota's favor. Quite frankly, I couldn't bring myself to pick against the team with Doncic and LeBron James in a series I thought could go the distance. The fact that neither proved to be the best player in the series (though both had their moments) was the final nail in L.A.'s coffin.

That says more about Edwards than it does about the Lakers duo. The 23-year-old picked L.A. apart on the offensive end, put forth a commendable effort on the defensive end, and generally played what felt like mistake-free basketball. Edwards had already shown us time and again that he's the special breed of superstar made for the biggest moments. And that was before he rounded out his game. He returns to the postseason this year with another game-breaking superpower, having turned himself into an elite, high-volume 3-point shooter.

If the national audience wasn't already aware, the Timberwolves served notice that despite a franchise-altering trade, last year's Western Conference finalists remain dangerous, just with some new wrinkles. I would lean Minnesota even in a potential second-round series with the Warriors and would definitely like the T-Wolves' chances against the young Rockets.

As for the Lakers, the best word to describe them at this point is incomplete. We knew that would be the case once their deadline-day deal for fragile Hornets big man Mark Williams fell through, and they ended up running into a Timberwolves team well-equipped to expose their deficiencies. Doncic, James, and Reaves are a terrific starting point, but Los Angeles has to find a competent big and more depth this summer.

The team also needs Doncic to arrive in peak condition, physically and mentally, after the most emotionally taxing year of his career. Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made a calamitous mistake in trading Doncic for Anthony Davis without at least canvassing the league for the best offer, but complaints about Doncic's defense and constant whining to the officials, among other grievances, are warranted. It says something that when he was slowed by an injured back in the second half of Game 5, Doncic's defensive mobility was barely worse than when he's at full strength.

Those are the Lakers' problems for the offseason, though. The Timberwolves have unfinished business in the postseason. The better team is still playing.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.