Austin Rivers last played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2022-23 season. Therefore, he has had a close look at the third-year version of Anthony Edwards, who was then already being touted as the future face of the league. Rivers recently took to his The Off Guard podcast to discuss the difference in expectations between Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum in this year’s playoffs. The former Timberwolves Guard was listing out superstars during the show and opined that while Tatum is already a superstar, Edwards is “on his way” to becoming one. He then explained why.
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As Edwards heads to his third straight playoffs, Rivers discussed how fans are still willing to give a bigger window to ANT for playoff success. However, this doesn’t hold true for Tatum because he has already attained postseason pedigree, leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals and an NBA Finals series as well in the past seasons. As per Rivers, NBA fandom now expects Tatum and his Celts to take it to the next level, so much so that it is a ring-or-bust year for them.
“If ANT loses in the first round or second round, if Ant goes to the Conference Finals and they lose, they’re gonna be like, ‘Good job, bro. You’re coming.’ Jayson Tatum goes to the Conference Finals and loses. They’re going to say, ‘It’s not good enough’” Austin Rivers stated on his pod
These observations by the former NBA guard have a lot of substance. Since the beginning of the season, fans are expecting the Celtics to win it all. They have been one of the best Regular Season teams for a long time now and have had deep postseason runs. On the other hand, Ant is yet to lead the T-Wolves out of the first-round.
The tale of two elite teams
The Boston Celtics are going to be the only team to finish over 60 wins this season. They are by far the number one seed in the East and are going to earn the home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Therefore, anything below an NBA Finals berth won’t impress many NBA fans. Last season, the Celtics lost in the WCF to the Miami Heat in what was one of the strangest series of all time.
The Green Machine trailed 0-3 but made a comeback to tie things at 3-3, only to lose in the deciding game. Such inconsistencies have kept Celtics fans up at night. On the other hand, the Wolves fans have had a comfortable time this season. With 55 wins and 24 losses, their team is on the top of the West and will at least finish in the top three.
With a core of Rudy Gobert, Edwards, Towns, McDaniels, Reid, and Conley, they are one of the best two-way teams in the league. While Rivers opined that the expectations are not high on ANT and Co., many NBA fans will be disappointed if the team doesn’t make it to the WCF. A first-round exit would surely not sit well with the hooping world considering that the bar has been raised.
