Anthony Edwards Is Here
Anthony Edwards joined the TNT postgame coverage right after the 98-90 win in Game 7 against the champions of the defending championship Denver Nuggets. Charles Barkley
By Andrew Dukowitz
Anthony Edwards joined the TNT postgame coverage immediately following a 98-90 Game 7 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Charles Barkley started to ask Edwards a question: “I have not been to Minneapolis in probably 20 years,” he said.
Edwards interjected, “Bring ya ass.”
It was yet another sensational event for Edwards. But, that’s exactly how the Minnesota Timberwolves will expect from the national media, the opposing fans as well as their rivals, the Dallas Mavericks, mainly due to Edwards his brilliance during the playoffs.
“I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years” — Charles Barkley
“Bring ya ass” – Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/MOtzSzZ7QA
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
Game 7 could be differently from previous Edwards actions. He didn’t score 40 points. He didn’t steal six points and wasn’t quite as good from three. Edwards just played the right way which is remarkable for a player who is 22 and close to becoming an all-time star.
However, Edwards was able to score the game-winning three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
After an Naz Reid put-back after a Naz Reid put-back, the Wolves increased its lead up to seven points, at 89-82. Jamal Murray then switched the ball around on the half court as a result of the Mike Conley double team and a steal. Conley moved around the left side before handing the ball over to a frenzied Reid who walked two steps to the rim before throwing his pass towards the right corner, from where Edwards was standing on his own.
Edwards was just 1/8 of three in the moment. He was dribbling and double-checked he was in the middle of the line, then lined the shot, and then hit just the net. This caused the Nuggets to call a timeout. They were down to 92-82 with just 3:07 left. Edwards exclaimed while joking with a fan within the crowd. The 10-point advantage would be the beginning of a 20-point run during the 3rd quarter.
Mike Conley steal, Anthony Edwards 3 OH MY GOD pic.twitter.com/y15aCRroUO
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
Prior to that, Edwards was 1/8 on three-point attempts, and he found scoring a struggle throughout the game. Despite his struggle scoring the ball, he delivered an impressive performance of making best decisions and creating the conditions to ensure his team’s success. Beginning in the very first quarter Edwards tried to influence the game in whatever way it was possible.
The first quarter was a rock battle. Edwards got his first point around the 8:46 mark in the quarter, scoring a hard pull-up jump shot, which resulted in a 4-3 win for the Wolves. The game continued at a slower pace, and amazing defense from both teams. Edwards began to slowly determine Denver’s defense.
Denver took a determined effort to prevent Edwards to take advantage of his scoring. They doubled him in every pick-and-roll and gave him help with every move and forced defenders to push him to the side of the rim. Edwards was faced with a similar situation in Game 5 and was subjected to the greatest amount that he’s ever faced throughout his career. The distinction with Game 7 was the fact that Conley had been playing and dramatically improving his spacing.
With more distance, Edwards moved the ball faster than he did the game 5 which his play was displayed twice during the opening quarter. At 7:16, Edwards swung the ball towards Conley who hit an uncontested three to bring the score 7-5. After four minutes, Edwards again faced the double after Reid took the ball off a post-up pass to Edwards.
Edwards drove while Reid lost his footing to the corner. Edwards gave the ball for three to Reid for three times, giving the Wolves the advantage 15-12 at the time of 3:19.
Naz Reid post-up + relocation corner 3 pic.twitter.com/mKMyuD4CzK
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
The first quarter concluded in The Nuggets scoring eight consecutive points and outscoring against the Wolves 24-19. Edwards scored just two points, and was shooting only 1-1/2 from the line. Two assists from him were awe-inspiring. However, it seemed Edwards had found increasing pressure difficult to control and settled for three three-point shots.
The Wolves lost controlling the contest just four moments into the second period as Denver increased their lead from 12 to 32-20. Chris Finch subbed Edwards out and then brought in Kyle Anderson off the bench to start an offensive that had only scored one point in the five minutes that followed. Anderson as well as the Wolves ended up cutting the deficit to six, but the Nuggets increased their lead to eleven. Finch substituted Edwards in however that did not hinder Denver from expanding their advantage.
In the end the Nuggets increased their lead to 15 heading into halftime. 53-38. Edwards only scored four points in the first half and was just 1/7 in the paint. Edwards his three assists were positive but he had trouble trying to figure out Denver’s approach on him. In the postgame interview Edwards stated that Finch kept his comments simple, advising him that to make faster decisions.
“He wasn’t really mad today,” said Edwards. “It was more of”I know we’re will win this game We just need to get it done to beat the opponent. He didn’t seem to be mad. It was like the video clips that were on screen”This is what we have to accomplish to be successful in this contest. If we accomplish it then we’ll be winners. If we don’t win, we’ll lose.”We did it.”
The third quarter began in a potentially disastrous way. The Nuggets scored five straight points to extend their lead to 20. At this moment the Wolves could require a historic comeback. In Game 7 the Wolves were the only team to overcome a 15-point deficit at halftime or even the 20-point deficit. Minnesota would begin to take a bite. Rudy Gobert‘s dunk that was followed by an Jaden McDaniels three following an Edwards assist was able to cut down Denver’s lead before bringing the score back to 15, 58-43.
Edwards intensified his game. He began to drive towards the basket and take rapid decisions following pick-and-rolls which led to a stunning layup. But his shooting issues continued, as He missed three shots before the shoot. Edwards’s aggressive nature helped open the way the other players.
At 6:40, Edwards took the ball up following an Murray missed shot and sprinted into the lane. He drew an entire team of the Nuggets. Edwards ran towards the rim, before passing the ball over to McDaniels who sank the corner three. The three reduce the deficit to nine, at 59-50.
Jaden McDaniels corner 3, assisted by Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/vfU8Q65uWW
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
A few minutes later, Karl-Anthony towns got the ball away of Nikola Jokic Then, Edwards was able to fly through the air to score a dunk, causing players from the Nuggets to call an official timeout. The dunk cut the lead to just four points 61-57 by the time of 3:05. The Nuggets only scored eight points until this point in the quarter.
Anthony Edwards transition dunk pic.twitter.com/GoezLlepc6
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
Two and a half minutes following, Edwards stripped Murray and went down again to finish the transition Dunk. The next Wolves game, Edwards only had one defenseman to protect him while the clock was ticking away at the end of third quarter. Aaron Gordon accepted the challenge, and Edwards moved away to the side and scoring the three-pointer with just 1 second left at the end of.
This could be Edwards his first three songs of the night.
Jokic was unable to make the halfcourt heave, but the Wolves had only by one, at 67-66 and still had the momentum.
Anthony Edwards nasty isolation side-step 3, wow pic.twitter.com/nuflrtHmac
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024
The Wolves were able to take the lead only twelve seconds in the 4th quarter when Conley fed Gobert to lay up. Minnesota did not trail for a second following this shot and it would also represent the only lead they’d had since 1:42 in the first quarter.
The fourth quarter went back to back, and Wolves and Nuggets playing basket-for-basket. Minnesota’s strategy was straightforward: Allow Edwards to draw the double and then attack Denver inside. The Nuggets let the ball go over to Jokic while letting him lead through the entire offense. Both of these strategies were successful. Gobert and Reid took down Denver’s inside defense, while Jokic performed admirably at the other end.
At 4:49, Murray hit a jumper from an Jokic assist which left the Nuggets lost by three points 85-82. Reid missed a layup on the following game, and the rebound of Gobert ended in Edwards his hands. He didn’t make the layup and Reid took the rebound and was dragged to the foul. With the lead regaining the five-point mark, Reid blocked Jokic on the defensive side. Edwards made a layup for with a three but missed. The steamrolling Reid grabbed the rebound and put it over to boost Minnesota’s lead by seven.
This brings us back to the spot where we began. Murray received the ball and was got stuck at halfcourt. Conley played a dribble to the side, Naz got the pass and Edwards hit the ball to increase the lead to 10. In the last three minutes, the outcome was not in doubt. Edwards even addressed the crowd in the final minutes as the game was becoming more certain.
Edwards did not have the performance that people had hoped for. He didn’t get 60 points but he did shoot 6/24 to score only 16 points. However, he did score eight rebounds in the second quarter. He also sealed the game by scoring three. But, most importantly, Edwards was up against some of the toughest double teams as well as securing defense in his career. He ended up with seven assists and only one turnover. Edwards had a +11 rating in a win of eight points.
Sometimes, stars have bad games However, how they respond usually determines who will win the game. At only 22 years old, Edwards showed his poise. He was a team player who placed pressure on the defense and eventually led his squad to victory over the defending champions. He was also three times as MVP.
“For me, being here nine years, I’ve seen everything and -” Edwards adds, “Man f*** them nine years.” Towns will do his best to keep his cool when Edwards declares, “This year!”
Edwards is correct The year ahead could be the year of the wolf. The Wolves need to win eight more times. They’ll travel back home to play Dallas at the Conference Finals, something they haven’t done for 20 years.
The Timberwolves are back and everyone must bring their a** to Minneapolis.
Andrew Dukowitz
Andrew by day works as an RN working in the metropolitan MPLS region, while at night he is a writer on Wolves. Wolves to ZoneCoverage. Andrew has been a devoted enthusiast of the Wolves since the 90s, and have had season tickets for many years. Andrew during his spare time hosts the Vikings podcast and enjoys being with his family, including three Doberman.
