MINNEAPOLIS — It’s 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 faced it. He didn’t shy away from it, he faced the defending champions and delivered a huge blow that would have put lesser teams at a collective disadvantage.
Edwards is the NBA’s newest darling, and rightly so, earning all the accolades that have and will be heaped his way. Edwards was a one-man tour de force in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. The 22-year-old understood that a series could be won on Sunday night, even if he didn’t say it out loud.
Edwards appeared but was met on the other side by a proud champion who appears to have found his mojo and rhythm in the most adverse of circumstances. One day, Edwards will be where the Denver Nuggets are today, facing a charismatic new valet with nothing to lose — and he’ll remember the time he scored 44 in the most efficient way. He will remember that not everyone beside him knew the moment.
Edwards has met his nemesis in the Nuggets who, for now, stands in his way. The way the Detroit Pistons hindered Michael Jordan, preventing his coronation. The way the Boston Celtics initially hampered LeBron James.
The Nuggets evened the Western Conference semifinal series at two games apiece by virtue of a 115-107 victory on Sunday in front of another wild crowd at Target Center. The series returns to Denver on Tuesday, where the Timberwolves made a definitive statement a week ago with two wins.
But oh, what a difference a week makes.
Edwards did nothing to diminish his star, dropping 40 for the second time in this series and averaging 33.2 in four games while 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 on his feet, hitting triples and increasingly learning the effect he can have on high-stakes basketball.
Edwards wasn’t just good, he was spectacular. He was rigid in his movements, tiptoeing around the floor like the late Gregory Hines. If the Nuggets have figured out everyone else in this series, they still haven’t found an answer for this man.
“He came out with a very aggressive mindset and maintained it throughout the game, regardless of what his teammates weren’t doing,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “But there were enough other plays that could complement it that we didn’t make. And, you know, these are the things that we should try to do and that we’ve been doing throughout the playoffs.
Maybe tiring him out is the Nuggets’ best chance at stopping him. Edwards, who spent time as a cornerback on every Nuggets scorer — even Nikola Jokić in the fourth quarter — was eliminated early in the final 12.
He called a timeout to compose himself after playing 37 of the first 39 minutes. While walking to the bench, Nuggets reserve Christian Braun hit a 3 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 another 5 on the bench). night).
“I have to find out. I’m young,” Edwards said with a smile. “So I think I can look tired and still be effective. But I was definitely a little tired, a little sick. But I’ll be fine.
He doesn’t need 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 curve — taking the Game 3 loss in the face, taking responsibility and promising a better performance in Game 4.
What he learned is the margin for error in 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 attack because your concentration is at peak levels.
Edwards’ turnover late in the first half led to a dunk by Michael Porter Jr. with 1.6 seconds left, and then Jamal Murray intercepted an inbounds pass on the other side of midcourt before launching a shot from 15 yards at the buzzer – turning into a seven – point Nuggets lead with 20 seconds remaining for a 15-point halftime difference.
“This is a great team. They’re not going to beat each other,” Finch said. “It’s inexcusable to have, you know, a segment like this where they score eight points in seven seconds or something, whatever it is to close out the quarter.”
The Timberwolves are learning there are levels to this, and as Edwards continues to ascend, the onus will fall on the front office to surround him with teammates who will meet him in the moment — because he looked to a team that knows itself best. than any team remaining in the playoffs and saw calm instead of panic.
Jokić, who Edwards calls “the best player in the world” without hesitation, once again left his mark 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 was awarded his fourth Defensive Player of the Year trophy just before kickoff, and whoever the Timberwolves put in front of him all night. He scored 35 with 7 assists and 7 rebounds, many of those passes finding the capable hands of Aaron Gordon, who hit his first 11 shots on the way to a 27-point, 6-assist, 7-rebound performance.
Gordon sacrificed himself and dove into victory, becoming the perfect running mate for Jokić – the most selfless player in football today. When Gordon was asked about being selfless, Jokić entered the cramped interview room and Gordon smiled.
“Great transition, you saw a big guy walk into the room,” Gordon said. “That’s where I learned to be selfless, I learned from him. The best basketball player in the world, three-time MVP and the most selfless and humble guy. If the three-time MVP can do it, so can I.”
Gordon can do more, and in other situations 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 points off the bench.
Edwards doesn’t yet have that guy who plays a role like Gordon, or that player hasn’t yet evolved into someone who will accentuate 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 on the way to a 5-for-18 night, scoring 13 as he entered the night averaging 20.3 in the series. There was an extra weight, not only because of the bets, but because it was Mother’s Day. Towns lost his mother, Jacqueline, in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Things weren’t going down today. I take responsibility for that,” Towns said. “I tried hard, so I feel good about the work I did. It’s a shame on Mother’s Day, I have such a filming performance. This is how the game works. Sometimes it’s not a fun game.”
Who knows if Towns, with all his talents and gifts as a great shooter, is the right complement to Edwards. Edwards, true to form, isn’t giving up on him.
“I mean, he’s a superstar. You get paid to put the ball in the hoop,” Edwards said. “I told him to never stop shooting the ball, I don’t give a fuck. To win, we need you to score. I’m glad he was aggressive all night. Like that’s a win for us tonight.”
It’s noble of Edwards to offer grace in the moment, but no such sentiment was offered in the final seconds, when he saw Murray clapping his hands a little in satisfaction. Undeterred by losing two home games over the weekend, Edwards responded.
“I just told him, we love it, keep saying it,” Edwards said. “Well, I love it. He didn’t respond at all, but I’m sure he heard me, they heard me.
They saw him, they just realized they couldn’t stop him – and maybe in this series, they won’t have to.
