Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was a historic night — Victor Wembanyama broke the NBA single-game playoff blocks record with 12 rejections. But in the face of victory and defeat, all records felt dim.

The finish was incredibly tense. Minnesota led by 6 with 49 seconds remaining. Wembanyama threw down a dunk on the next possession, but the Timberwolves still held a comfortable advantage. Then Anthony Edwards committed a turnover on the inbounds pass. Dylan Harper rushed in for a dunk to cut the lead to two. Julius Randle missed a mid-range jumper. And finally, Julian Champagnie's potential game-winning three-pointer rimmed out.

Just 24 hours earlier, there had been no indication Edwards would return. But hours before tip-off, his status was suddenly upgraded to available — though with minutes restrictions. Hearing that news, my first thought was: He's a superhero. Or the real-life Wolverine.

A similar injury sidelined Nikola Jokić for nearly a month earlier this season — and that was considered an early return just to reach the 65-game threshold. Edwards suffered his injury just nine days ago. No one expected him to be back for the conference semifinals. But he did it anyway.

On the defensive end, the Timberwolves made a bold adjustment at halftime. After using Rudy Gobert on Wembanyama in the first half, head coach Chris Finch switched things up dramatically in the second half — and that was the key to their victory.

Finch began the fourth quarter by benching Gobert, deploying a lineup of Randle, Naz Reid, and Jaden McDaniels against Wembanyama. While not loaded with elite three-point shooters, it was a five-out spacing unit where every player could shoot from deep. That allowed Minnesota to use its perimeter advantage to pull Wembanyama out of the paint, forcing him into exhausting rotation duty. Gone were the comfortable shot-blocking opportunities he enjoyed in the first three quarters. Minnesota opened the fourth quarter by drilling four straight threes — and making those shots fundamentally changed Wembanyama's defensive positioning.

On the offensive end against Wembanyama, the physical Randle applied relentless pressure, hounding him even before he caught the ball. He was willing to commit fouls rather than let Wembanyama receive the ball comfortably. Meanwhile, McDaniels completely locked down De'Aaron Fox.

In the final minutes, Randle used his size advantage to bully whoever was guarding him — mostly Devin Vassell — and Minnesota's forward advantage was on full display. This was a pure slugfest. Randle led the Timberwolves with 21 points, but no other Minnesota player scored 20. However, six players scored at least 12, and veteran Mike Conley buried four clutch three-pointers.

Yes, Wembanyama's defensive intimidation was otherworldly — seven blocks in the first half, five more in the second, 12 total. It didn't look human. But the Timberwolves didn't flinch. They came through the fire of the first round. There's nothing left that scares them.

Twelve blocks are terrifying. But basketball is still a game about putting the ball in the basket. And Wembanyama's 5-of-17 shooting, 0-of-8 from three — that was the Timberwolves' best defense.

Expecting a player this dominant on defense to also dominate on offense might be asking too much. But for a superstar of Wembanyama's caliber, two-way excellence is the standard. His offensive performance tonight was, without question, a disaster. He and Fox combined to go 0-of-12 from three-point range. And yet, despite that, the Spurs still had a chance to win at the buzzer. That tells you how hard the rest of the team fought.

Calling a timeout on the final possession wasn't necessary. Champagnie got a great look. It just didn't go in.

This series is guaranteed to be a long one. The Spurs got their warm-up against Portland. Now comes the real playoff test. In just his fifth career playoff game, Wembanyama broke the NBA single-game playoff blocks record. But more than that, the 0-of-8 from three — that will linger.