MINNEAPOLIS — The countdown clock started around 5 p.m. Sunday and expires Saturday afternoon, a protracted gap between games that must feel like an eternity in the NBA's rhythm of life.

The playoff format grants the Timberwolves five full days to prepare for the Phoenix Suns, a Monday-through-Friday workweek that is the most important time of Chris Finch's tenure as coach.

He's got a lot to figure out.

"A coach's dream, really," Finch said Wednesday of the extra prep time. "You get a chance to tear it apart and start putting it back together and come up with some answers. It feels like a football game."

In that vein, the Wolves need Finch to channel Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid's greatness in identifying matchup advantages and constructing a winning game plan.

In no particular order, Finch and his staff must decide:

— Will a two-big-men lineup work against the smaller Suns?

— Who does Karl-Anthony Towns guard?

— How does Anthony Edwards unlock his offense against the Suns' smothering defense?

"Just figuring out what is going to be the best version of us against this team," Towns said. "We obviously haven't found that image yet with them in the regular season. No better time to figure it out than in the postseason."

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