For the second consecutive season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of elimination in the Western Conference Finals. Many in NBA circles began to crown Anthony Edwards as the face of the NBA in the regular season. Unfortunately, his inability to get over the hump has led several of those supporters to retract the label. NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes Edwards still deserves the title.
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On Monday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a pivotal 3-1 lead over the Timberwolves with a Game 4 victory. Edwards failed to put forth a performance that the basketball world has grown accustomed to seeing. He finished with just 16 points on 5-13 shooting from the field.
Game 4 was crucial for Minnesota, since they had the opportunity to tie the series. Now, the Timberwolves must go back to Oklahoma City, where the Thunder dominated the first two games.
Smith revealed his stance on Edwards in a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take. Though the Wolves have disappointed so far in this WCF series, SAS listed the impressive resume of playoff victories Ant-Man does have in his young, five-year NBA career.
“When you’re the number one option, everybody knows they have to game plan for you,” Smith said. “Anthony Edwards has answered the call over the last couple of years. He sent home [LeBron James] and [Luka Doncic] this year.”
Edwards didn’t just eliminate LeBron and the Lakers, he did so as the severe underdog. Minnesota took care of Los Angeles in just five games. That only scratches the surface of Edwards’ accomplishments.
Last season, the 23-year-old spearheaded the Timberwolves’ first-round sweep of a Phoenix Suns team that featured Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The following series saw Edwards shine against the 2023-24 MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Smith believe all of these successes confirm that Edwards wasn’t crowned too early.
The 2024-25 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the biggest factor that could derail Edwards. “SGA is somebody that we need to pay rapt attention to,” Smith proclaimed. “It ain’t about what Ant-Man is not because I think he is legit. It’s that we need to elevate the legitimacy of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.”
Though the situation doesn’t favor Minnesota, the series is still alive and well, and the Wolves could rebound. Regardless, this is a learning curve for Edwards. The next step is bouncing back from adversity to prove he is truly worthy of claiming the face of the NBA title.
