What is the absolute first thing the Minnesota Timberwolves need to narrow the gap between themselves and both Oklahoma City and Indianapolis now that we've seen what it took for the Thunder to win?

(Of course, the excruiciating achilles injury to Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton helped OKC take the deciding Game 7, but would they have still won?)

One player the Wolves won't add to the mix is future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant, who is headed to Houston after Minnesota was left off his list of a preferred trading partner with Phoenix. Did the Wolves miss out on what could have been the key piece to push them over the top? Will the Rockets now become a bigger obstacle to Minnesota's title hopes now that KD is there?

These are all intriguing questions that our Happy Hour with John Gaskins hoops analyst Chris Johnson has zesty answers. Plus, some insight into the brain of Wolves GM Tim Connelly and the unique background of OKC star Chet Holmgren who, like Johnson, is a Twin Cities native.

This leads to a discussion on the current state of an outgoing heated youth sports topic — specialization vs multi-sport athletes. Prep and college coaches say they want their players to participate in at least one other sport, yet every sport at the youth level is available to play almost year-round, with more opportunities to catch coaches' eyes if you specialize. So, how do coaches like Johnson navigate that?

And, how much do coaches spend time at and evaluate sanctioned high school games and performance vs AAU events?