SUMMARY
- Charles Barkley gets roasted by Anthony Edwards for not visiting Minnesota in 20 years.
- The 22-year-old gave credit to his teammates for making the right plays and trusting each other.
Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves certainly deserve to be in the Western Conference Finals after the incredible run they’ve had so far. They defeated the Denver Nuggets on the same day they beat the Sacramento Kings 20 years ago when they made their last WCF appearance. The start of Game 7 saw an extremely slower Timberwolves team that gave the Nuggets a 20-point lead in the third quarter.
However, it was a moment of equal effort from the Timberwolves that led to a major comeback victory in the fourth. During the post-game interview, Charles Barkley took a chance to congratulate Edwards while making a bold admission to the guard. Barkley admitted to not visiting Minnesota in 20 years to which Ant-man replied by saying, “Bring ya a**.”
Charles Barkley: “I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years.”
Anthony Edwards: “Bring ya ass.”😂😂😂
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2024
The hilarious exchange concluded with Chuck requesting Edwards to keep a list of good restaurants ready for him when the TNT crew visits Minneapolis for the WCF series against the Dallas Mavericks.
Anthony Edwards reveals what helped the Timberwolves win in Game 7
All five players of the starting lineup scored in double-digits with Karl-Anthony Towns leading the team with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert had slower starts to the game. Eventually, Edwards picked up pace and began converting more shots while shutting down the Nuggets’ offense fairly well.
“It was tough, man. Cause I couldn’t find myself, my rhythm tonight. So I just had to trust my teammates, man. They kept trapping me even though I was off. So I just had to make the right play throughout the rest of the game. I did that and my teammates made shots, man. So big shout out to those guys,” he told Vince Carter while speaking to the crew of Inside the NBA.
Edwards also took pride in the defense he played against Denver during the second half of the game. “I’m not one-dimensional, I’m not just a guy who can score. I’m a guy who can go to whenever their best guard is, I can go lock them down,” he added. He revealed how coach Chris Finch kept pushing the Wolves to up the pace after going down 15 in the first half.
Once again, Anthony Edwards places himself among greatness
Anthony Edwards didn’t have the greatest series against the Denver Nuggets. He had two 40-point performances in Games 1 and 4 while scoring under 20 thrice in the series. However, Edwards managed to average 27.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game against the Nuggets this series. He became the only 22-year-old besides LeBron James and Kobe Bryant to average such a stat line moving into the WCF.
The only players age 22 or younger to average 25+ PPG • 5+ RPG • 5+ APG and reach the Conference Finals:
Kobe Bryant (2001)
LeBron James (2007)
Anthony Edwards (2024) pic.twitter.com/GS0Ipz1cUe— StatMamba (@StatMamba) May 20, 2024
Additionally, the Timberwolves also pulled off the largest comeback playoff victory in the last 25 years. Quite the record-breaking night led by KAT while Jaden McDaniels followed with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Gobert finished with 13 points after an explosion in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves often claim that they trust each other on the floor to make the right plays. It’s a common idea that the entire team carries while they go out on the floor.