Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves gained their opening playoff recreation towards the LA Lakers.
Probably the most feared gamers within the NBA, Anthony Edwards was the architect of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ run to the Western Convention Finals in 2024.
Edwards embraced the problem towards the LA Lakers within the T-Wolves’ 117-98 street win, even along with his 22 factors a comparatively reasonable displaying by his excessive requirements.
The win has left the Lakers making an attempt to determine what went fallacious, with one clear takeaway being how their lack of dimension got here again to hang-out them.
Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch spoke post-game and was requested if he had any particular phrases for Anthony Edwards on the inner.
He responded to say that Edwards had already figured the sport out, and spent the break motivating his teammates.
Finch defined: “He was actually vocal at half-time, he knew what was occurring by that point, I feel he had gotten comfy with it.
“I feel among the stuff that we noticed early, we weren’t fairly anticipating it from them, however I feel he was simply surveying within the first half quite a bit, he let that sluggish him down, and I feel he was extra aggressive and he had that look in his eyes that he will get, and he was actually good.”
Finch spoke about Edwards’ 22-9-8 efficiency to say he felt it was an instance of Edwards taking part in his finest well-rounded recreation.
He mentioned: “I all the time say the very best model of Ant is when he’s flirting with a triple double and tonight he had 9 assists, eight rebounds, and I believed made some well timed photographs like he all the time does.
“Obtained his teammates concerned with much more well timed passing, once they have been beginning to make a bit of run, or once they have been beginning to commit two or three to him.”
Edwards had spoken early within the season about his frustration at being double-teamed. He later claimed he had watched Luka Doncic to check how he coped with comparable therapy.
Finch additionally paid tribute to Jaden McDaniels, who he felt set the tone for his workforce’s successful efficiency, with sturdy offense and protection.
“Enormous, his hustle performs early on, his first shot went in, his hustle performs saved us hanging round.
“Each ends of the ground. We’d like that sort of effort, we’ve seen that by the center a part of the season when he’s taken a large step.
“We noticed it final yr within the playoffs too, it was nicely timed for us.”
McDaniels was tipped as a breakout star of the sequence, he scored 25 factors and had 9 rebounds and two assists within the win.
