MINNEAPOLIS – It is a rite of passage, an inevitable reality for all the greats who pass through the Association.
Anthony Edwards recognized that a moment was needed and took advantage of it. He didn’t flinch, looked the defending champions in the face and dealt them a massive blow, one that would have put lesser teams on their collective rears.
Edwards is the new darling of the NBA, and rightly so, and has earned all the praise that has and will be heaped upon him. Edwards pulled off a one-man feat in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The 22-year-old understood that he could win a series on Sunday night, even if he didn’t say it out loud.
Edwards showed up, but on the other side he found a proud champion who seems to have found his charm and rhythm in the most adverse of circumstances. One day, Edwards will be where the Denver Nuggets are today, looking down on a charismatic new jack with nothing to lose, and remember the time he most efficiently scored 44. He will remember that not everyone on his side lived in the moment.
Edwards has found his nemesis in the Nuggets who, for now, stands in his way. The way the Detroit Pistons stood in the way of Michael Jordan, preventing his coronation. The way the Boston Celtics initially stood in LeBron James’ way.
The Nuggets tied the Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece thanks to a 115-107 victory Sunday before another wild crowd at Target Center. The series will return to Denver on Tuesday, where the Timberwolves made a definitive statement a week ago with two wins.
But what a difference a week makes!
Edwards has done nothing to dim his star, dropping 40 for the second time in this series and averaging 33.2 in four games, adding 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals per game. He attacked the Nuggets at every turn, getting to the basket, absorbing contact in an increasingly physical series, but staying upright, hitting 3-pointers and increasingly learning the effect he can have on high-stakes basketball.
Edwards was not only good, he was spectacular. He was steady in his movements, tiptoeing down the lane like the late Gregory Hines. If the Nuggets have figured out everyone else in this series, they have yet to conjure up an answer for this man.
“He came out with a very aggressive mentality and maintained that throughout the game, regardless of what his teammates weren’t doing,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “But there were a lot of other plays to make that could have complemented it that we didn’t make. And, you know, those are the things we have to try to do and the things we’ve been doing throughout the playoffs.”
Maybe tiring him out is the Nuggets’ best chance of stopping him. Edwards, who spent time as a shutdown cornerback with every Nuggets scorer, including Nikola Jokić in the fourth quarter, ran out early in the final 12.
He called a timeout to recover, having played 37 of the first 39 minutes. While walking to the bench, Nuggets reserve Christian Braun hit a three-pointer to put his team up by 13. In the two minutes and 40 seconds that Edwards was on the bench, the Timberwolves were outscored by 13 points (Edwards had a plus-5 on the scoreboard). evening).
“I have to figure it out. “I’m young,” Edwards said with a smile. “So I guess I can look tired and still be effective. But he was definitely a little tired, a little exhausted. But I will be ok”.
He doesn’t have to be the next Michael, or Kobe Bryant, or anyone else in that lineage. In fact, he’s acting like he’s ahead of the game: taking the Game 3 loss, taking responsibility and promising a better performance in Game 4.
What he learned is the margin of error when playing against a championship team in their prime, as there is no margin for error. You can’t fall asleep on an inbounds pass or a pocket pass, or the Nuggets will pounce because their concentration is at peak levels.
Edwards’ turnover late in the first half led to a Michael Porter Jr. dunk with 1.6 seconds left, and then Jamal Murray intercepted an inbounds pass on the other side of halfcourt before launching a 50-foot shot at the buzzer, making it a seven-pointer. The Nuggets lead with 20 seconds left by 15 points before halftime.
“This is a great team. “They’re not going to beat themselves,” Finch said. “It’s inexcusable to have, you know, a segment like that where they have eight points in seven seconds or something, whatever to close the quarter.”
The Timberwolves are learning that there are levels to this, and as Edwards continues to rise, the onus will be on the front office to surround him with teammates who will know him by now, because he looked at a team that knows itself better. than any team left in the playoffs and saw calm instead of panic.
Jokić, whom Edwards unhesitatingly calls “the best player in the world,” again put his stamp on the series when the Nuggets picked up some smelling salts on their flight to Minnesota a few days ago.
Jokić punished Rudy Gobert, who received his fourth Defensive Player of the Year trophy just before kickoff, and who the Timberwolves kept ahead of him all night. He scored 35 with 7 assists and 7 rebounds, so many of those passes found the capable hands of Aaron Gordon, who hit his first 11 shots en route to a 27-point, 6-assist, 7-rebound performance.
Gordon has sacrificed himself and immersed himself in victory, in becoming the perfect running mate for Jokić, the most altruistic player in modern football. When Gordon was asked if he was selfless, Jokić walked into the narrow interview room and Gordon smiled.
“Great transition, you saw a big guy walk into the room,” Gordon said. “There I learned to be selfless, I learned it from him. He is the best basketball player in the world, three-time MVP, and he is the most selfless and humble guy. If the three-time MVP can do it, I can do it too.”
Gordon can do more and in other situations he would be tasked with doing more, but he seems happy in his role. The same goes for Murray, who is increasingly finding his way, and the Nuggets received timely contributions from Justin Holiday and Braun, who combined for 22 off the bench.
Edwards doesn’t yet have that guy who fills a role like Gordon, or that player hasn’t yet evolved into one who accentuates all the things he needs. After all, Edwards is still evolving.
Karl-Anthony Towns had the worst game at the worst time, missing his first seven shots en route to a 5-for-18 night, scoring 13 as he entered the night with a 20.3 average in the series. There was extra weight, not only because of what was at stake, but also because it was Mother’s Day. Towns lost his mother, Jacqueline, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Things weren’t falling today. I take responsibility for that,” Towns said. “I put in the effort, so I feel good about the work I did. It’s unfortunate that on Mother’s Day she has a filming performance like that. This is how the game goes. “Sometimes it’s not a fun game.”
Who knows if Towns, for all his talents and gifts as a great shooter, is the right complement to Edwards. Edwards, true to form, will not abandon him.
“I mean he’s a superstar. You get paid to put the ball in the hoop,” Edwards said. “I told him never stop throwing the ball, I don’t give a damn. To win, we need you to score. I’m happy he was aggressive all night. Like it’s a win for us tonight.”
It’s noble of Edwards to offer grace in the moment, but no such sentiments were offered in the final seconds, when he watched Murray clap a little in satisfaction. Unfazed by losing two home games over the weekend, Edwards responded.
“I just told him, we love it, keep talking about it,” Edwards said. “Well, I love it. He didn’t answer anything, but I’m sure he heard me, they heard me.”
They saw it, they realized they couldn’t stop it and maybe in this series they won’t have to.