Oklahoma City set the tone for the Western Conference Finals with a 114-88 plundering of the Timberwolves in Game 1. Things weren't quite as easy in Game 2, but the Thunder still beat Minnesota 118-103 behind 38 points from newly-crowned MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The NBA Playoffs continue with conference finals set to tip off. The NBA Finals will begin June 5.

SportsLine expert Matt Severance reveals his NBA playoff predictions for Game 2 of Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Jerome is coming off a season full of career highs. In his second season with the Cavaliers, he averaged 12.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 43.9 percent from behind the arc.

This might not be the conference finals matchup that many expected, but that just makes things all the more interesting.

And although the Timberwolves lost Game 1 of the conference finals in a blowout against the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, they've proved they aren't your average No. 6 seed. Instead, they have a solid chance to become just the third No.

LeBron James talked about the importance of role players during a recent episode of his "Mind the Game" podcast.

Here are 6 stars and 6 X-factors from the Timberwolves, Thunder, Pacers and Knicks poised to boost their teams in the Conference Finals.

The Eastern Conference finals tipped off with an epic Game 1 as the No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers needed overtime to beat the No. 3 seed New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.