Anthony Edwards joined the TNT postgame protection instantly following a 98-90 Recreation 7 win over the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Charles Barkley began to ask Edwards a query: “I’ve not been to Minneapolis in most likely 20 years,” he mentioned.
Edwards interjected, “Convey ya ass.”
It was one other viral second for Edwards. Nonetheless, that’s precisely what the Minnesota Timberwolves will anticipate from the nationwide media, opposing followers, and the Dallas Mavericks, primarily on account of Edwards’ brilliance within the postseason.
Recreation 7 could look statistically completely different from different Edwards heroics. He didn’t rating 40 factors. He didn’t have six steals and wasn’t excellent from three. Edwards merely performed the precise approach, which is spectacular for a 22-year-old on the verge of changing into an all-time celebrity.
However Edwards nonetheless had the game-ending three within the fourth quarter.
After a Naz Reid put-back, the Wolves prolonged their result in seven, 89-82. Jamal Murray then turned the ball over at half courtroom on account of a Mike Conley double group and steal. Conley weaved to the left wing earlier than dumping the ball off to a sprinting Reid, who took two steps in the direction of the rim earlier than whirling a cross to the precise nook, the place Edwards stood alone.
Edwards was 1/8 from three on the time. He took a dribble, double-checked that he was behind the arc, lined the shot up, and hit nothing however web. That pressured the Nuggets to name a timeout, down 92-82 with 3:07 remaining. Edwards yelled earlier than celebrating with somebody within the crowd. That 10-point lead would mark a 20-point swing early within the third quarter.
Up till that time, Edwards was 1/8 on three-point makes an attempt and located scoring arduous to return by for a lot of the recreation. Regardless of his struggles scoring, he placed on a masterclass of creating the precise choices and main by setting the desk for his teammates’ success. From early within the first quarter, Edwards was trying to impression the sport in any approach he might.
The primary quarter of the sport began as a rock combat. Edwards scored his first factors on the 8:46 mark of the quarter on a tough pull-up soar shot that made it 4-3 Wolves. The sport would plod on with a gradual tempo and great protection by each groups, and Edwards would slowly begin to determine Denver’s protection.
Denver made a concerted effort to not enable Edwards to beat them together with his scoring. They doubled him on each pick-and-roll, despatched assistance on each contact, and had defenders lean his method to crowd the paint. Edwards confronted an identical look in Recreation 5, essentially the most he had ever been pressured in his profession. The distinction in Recreation 7 was that Conley was taking part in, drastically bettering the spacing.
With the elevated house, Edwards moved the ball faster than in Recreation 5, as he displayed twice within the first quarter. On the 7:16 mark, Edwards swung the ball to Conley, who drilled a 3 to make the sport to 7-5. 4 minutes later, Edwards once more confronted the double as Reid handed out of a post-up to Edwards.
Edwards drove as Reid drifted to the nook, and Edwards handed out to Reid for 3, giving the Wolves a 15-12 benefit on the 3:19 mark.
The primary quarter ended with the Nuggets scoring eight straight and main the Wolves 24-19. Edwards scored solely two factors, capturing simply 1/5 from the sector. His two assists had been encouraging. Nonetheless, it appeared Edwards was discovering the elevated stress difficult to handle, settling for 3 three-point pictures.
The Wolves began shedding management of the sport 4 minutes into the second quarter when Denver grew its result in 12, 32-20. Chris Finch subbed Edwards out and turned to Kyle Anderson off the bench to attempt to kickstart an offense that scored just one level up to now 5:05 of gameplay. Anderson and the Wolves finally lower the result in six earlier than the Nuggets prolonged the lead again to eleven. Finch subbed Edwards in, however that didn’t cease Denver from constructing on their lead.
In the end, the Nuggets prolonged the result in 15 going into halftime, 53-38. Edwards solely had 4 factors on the half, going 1/7 from the sector. Edwards’ three assists had been encouraging, however he was nonetheless making an attempt to decipher Denver’s protection on him. Within the postgame interview, Edwards mentioned that Finch stored it easy, telling him he needed to make faster choices.
“He wasn’t actually mad at present,” mentioned Edwards. “It was extra like, ‘I do know we going to win this recreation, we’ve simply acquired to do that to win the sport. He wasn’t actually mad. It was identical to his clips on the display had been, ‘That is what we’ve acquired to do to win this recreation. And if we do it, we’ll win. And if we don’t, we’ll lose.’ And we did that.”
The third quarter began in doubtlessly the worst attainable approach. The Nuggets scored five-straight factors to extend their result in 20. At this level, the Wolves would want a historic comeback. In Recreation 7, no group had ever come again from a 15-point halftime deficit, not to mention a 20-point deficit. Minnesota would begin to chip away. Rudy Gobert‘s dunk, adopted by a Jaden McDaniels three off an Edwards help, chipped away at Denver’s lead and introduced it again to fifteen, 58-43.
Edwards ramped up his depth. He began to drive to the basket and make fast choices after pick-and-rolls, which resulted in a phenomenal layup. Nonetheless, his capturing woes continued; he missed three pictures earlier than the make. Edwards’ attacking nature opened up extra space for his teammates.
On the 6:40 mark, Edwards took the ball up after a Murray miss and burst into the lane, drawing a triple group from the Nuggets. Edwards rose towards the rim earlier than flipping the ball to McDaniels, who knocked down a nook three. The three would lower the result in 9, 59-50.
Minutes later, Karl-Anthony Cities stole the ball from Nikola Jokic, and Edwards flew down the ground for a dunk, forcing the Nuggets to name a timeout. That dunk lower the result in 4, 61-57, on the 3:05 mark. The Nuggets solely had eight factors up till this level within the quarter.
Two-and-a-half minutes later, Edwards stripped Murray and flew down the ground once more for a transition dunk. On the subsequent Wolves possession, Edwards solely had one defender guarding him because the clock ticked away within the third quarter. Aaron Gordon accepted the problem as Edwards danced earlier than stepping to the aspect, hitting a three-point shot with simply over one second left on the clock.
That may be Edwards’ first three of the evening.
Jokic missed the halfcourt heave, and the Wolves had been down only one level, 67-66, and had all the momentum.
The Wolves would take the lead simply 12 seconds into the fourth when Conley fed Gobert for a layup. Minnesota would by no means path once more after this shot, and it might be the primary lead that they had for the reason that 1:42 mark within the first quarter.
The fourth quarter was forwards and backwards, with the Wolves and Nuggets matching basket for basket. Minnesota’s recreation plan appeared easy: Enable Edwards to attract the double, then assault Denver inside. The Nuggets gave the ball to Jokic and let him run the whole offense. Each methods labored to perfection. Gobert and Reid wore down Denver’s inside protection, and Jokic performed magnificently on the opposite finish.
On the 4:49 mark, Murray hit a jumper off of a Jokic help, and the Nuggets trailed by three, 85-82. Reid missed a 3 on the next possession, and Gobert’s rebound ended up in Edwards’ palms. He missed the layup, and Reid corraled the rebound and drew a foul. With the lead again to 5, Reid blocked Jokic on the defensive finish. Edwards lined up a 3 and missed. A steamrolling Reid snagged the rebound and tipped it in to extend Minnesota’s result in seven.
That brings us to the place we began. Murray took the cross and trapped at halfcourt. Conley dribbled to the wing, Naz acquired the cross, and Edwards drilled the shot to deliver the result in ten. Within the closing three minutes, it was by no means doubtful. Edwards even waved to the group as the end result turned extra sure.
Edwards didn’t have the sport individuals anticipated. He didn’t rating 60; he shot 6/24 for simply 16 factors. However he had eight second-half rebounds. He additionally made the game-sealing three. Most significantly, Edwards confronted a number of the most aggressive double groups and hedging on protection of his profession and completed with seven assists to only one turnover. Edwards was +11 in an eight-point win.
Generally superstars have dangerous video games, however how they reply usually determines who wins the sport. At simply 22, Edwards responded with poise. He trusted his teammates, put stress on the protection, and finally led his group to victory in Recreation 7 in opposition to the defending champions and a three-time MVP.
“For me, being right here 9 years, I’ve seen all the pieces and –” Edwards interjects, “Man f*** them 9 years.” Cities makes an attempt to maintain his composure as Edwards says, “This 12 months!”
Edwards is correct: This 12 months may very well be the 12 months. The Wolves want eight extra wins. They are going to fly residence to face Dallas within the Convention Finals, one thing they haven’t achieved in 20 years.
The Timberwolves are again, and everybody should deliver they ass to Minneapolis.