Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves were forced to bow out of the playoffs in disappointing fashion. With the team lasting just five games against Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, many in the NBA community are beyond unhappy with the Minnesota side. However, during this time, a certain Knicks star has decided to come to their aid, even referencing legend, Kevin Garnett’s take on the matter to prove his point.
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Speaking on how the Wolves players had one major disadvantage that everyone, except Kevin Garnett, forgot to account for, he said,
“Might’ve been KG. He said these players haven’t been here before because like, their bodies and their minds haven’t played this far into the season. Like, they’re usually on vacation right now or out of the season.”
Brunson further highlighted that it was only in the last couple of minutes of every game that the Wolves couldn’t keep up with the Dallas Mavericks. Talking about why this is a big deal, ‘JB’ mentioned,
“Think about how they’ve(Minnesota Timberwolves) lost the games. Everything’s been the last couple of minutes. You can still be in great physical shape but mentally not be there. Like mental shape where you’re tired, you get quick laps the last minute or two.” [per The Roommates Show]
Jalen Brunson took into consideration what Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett discussed a while ago on his podcast. Having made it to the Finals on multiple occasions, KG pointed out how players in the league are not conditioned to play this long.
Most players and teams are out of playoff contention before the postseason even begins. So, while the Minnesota Timberwolves were full of energy in the first two rounds, it only makes sense that they came up empty against the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Given that the team hadn’t done it before, their bodies were likely shutting down on them for quite some time before they were knocked out.
Jalen Brunson’s point does seem rather accurate. After all, this young team has not seen it all just yet, and their lack of experience was bound to show up at some point. However, this young side now has something incredible to build on, which could make them incredibly scary, come next year.
Anthony Edwards’ take on the Wolves loss
Even though the Minnesota Timberwolves have been eliminated from playoff contention, Wolves fans should still be ecstatic over about the trajectory Anthony Edwards has been on. Despite being just 22 years of age, the young star was spectacular in his role as the chief of this team.
Exuding confidence every time his team needed a leader, the Ant-Man not only stepped up but also delivered on the floor. Even after being knocked out of the postseason, Anthony Edwards was beyond confident that his team had what it takes to go all the way. And so, on the topic of this year’s loss, he stated, “We’ll be back next year.”
Speaking further on why his team suffered defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, Anthony Edwards said,
“We never clicked all together as a team in this series. Not even one time. I think that was the main thing. Like in the last two series, we were clicking, at one time we was making shots and stuff.”
Without a doubt, this loss will be a disappointing one for Edwards and his team. However, they now have invaluable experience in the postseason, something that will be very telling as the years roll on. Now, the team just needs to make sure they can learn from it.
