Anthony Edwards Says 'It's Going to be Tough' to Beat Thunder 'More Than One Time'
Minnesota Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle aren't getting too ahead of themselves after a dominant 143-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
"We're still down," Edwards told reporters, referencing Minnesota's 2-1 deficit in the series. "It's just one win. Can't get too high on it. Don't get too low. Just got to try to win another one, man. This team, they're the best team in the NBA. So, we got to be able to beat this team more than one time, and it's going to be tough."
Randle echoed that sentiment when he said the Timberwolves "haven't done anything."
"They're a great team, so we've got to go and do it again and play even better, play harder because we know they're going to bring it next game," the three-time All-Star said.
Edwards led by example in Game 3. He played all 12 minutes in the first quarter and outscored the Thunder 16-14 in the opening frame. The dynamic guard finished with 30 points along with nine rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Timberwolves guard Mike Conley told The Athletic's Sam Amick that Edwards had "a different energy" leading up to Game 3.
"Normally, he'll just come in and he'll just work extra hard. You'll see him in there just angry," Conley said. "But this was more like he was disgusted in himself. This was, 'I'm not playing like I should.' It was almost an embarrassment kind of feeling, and we could just feel that in his energy. He still worked, and he still did his thing. But it was like he just knew that something had to change."
Randle recounted how Edwards was also a stabilizing force in the immediate aftermath of a 118-103 loss in Game 2.
"As great of a player as Ant is, and how special he is on a night-to-night basis, he's like the definition of selfless in that fact," Randle said, per Amick. "Just shortly after (Game 2), he knows I'm hot. Like, I'm upset. He seen me, (and) he was like, 'Bro, just shake that (off). You good. Don't worry about it.' And as the flight went on, I was able to start smiling and laughing again while we're playing cards and all that stuff. So he's very mature and very in-tune with the team, and as a leader of the team you need that."
A player's legacy is built in part by how they perform in the playoffs. Edwards, who's being mentioned as a possible torchbearer for the league when LeBron James, will be no different.
The Timberwolves are the clear underdogs against the top-seeded Thunder, so an exit in the conference finals won't be held against their best player too much. Should Minnesota come back after losing Games 1 and 2 and pull off the upset, however, the legend surrounding Edwards will already be reaching mythic proportions.
