Whether they pull off a comeback against the Dallas Mavericks or not, the Minnesota Timberwolves have already done enough for this season to be considered a monumental win for them.
They finished the regular season with a top three record in the Western Conference and eliminated the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in an epic seven-game series to enter the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004.
The Timberwolves fell behind 3-0 against the Dallas Mavericks though and are now trying to become the first team in NBA history to overcome this deficit. They’ve managed to pull off one win so far in Game 4, but still have a long way to go before they can make history.
Nonetheless, the experiences of these past few weeks should prove to be invaluable to this Minnesota team and speed up the growth of their 22-year-old superstar Anthony Edwards.
The 6’4 Edwards averaged 28.9 points on 50.4% field goal shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals over the first two rounds of this postseason, including three 40-point games, as he looked next to unstoppable against the Phoenix Suns and Nuggets.
However, he began to struggle with shooting the ball, beginning with a six-of-24 showing in Game 7 versus Denver, as opposing defenses relentlessly tried to slow him down. Dallas has been quite successful in containing Edwards so far in the West Finals too as he has averaged 23.8 points on a meager 40.2% shooting through four games.
Instead of turning passive though, Edwards has instead found other ways to contribute. He has focused on playmaking in this series–a facet of his game that he has yet to fully showcase in the NBA–which has led to him averaging 8.3 assists per game. Edwards has had at least nine assists in three of their four games with the Mavericks and if he keeps this up, it will only help him maintain his status as one of, if not the, best young player in the league today.
Edwards’ performance–both as a player and leader–in Game 4 versus the Mavericks was crucial in setting the tone for the Timberwolves and he must continue to lead them if they are to become the first team to ever overcome a 3-0 deficit.
The manner by which Edwards has responded to the high pressure situations that he has encountered during this postseason run only proves his caliber as a player and it is hard to believe that there is still a long way to go before he even enters his prime years.
If it wasn’t already clear before, Minnesota has the foundation of its franchise for at least the next decade in Edwards and the future is definitely bright for this long-suffering franchise regardless of the outcome of this series.
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