Prophetic words from Anthony Edwards ring true in Game 4

With the Minnesota Timberwolves reeling and on the brink of oblivion, there was little hope for something positive to happen. Down in Round 1 in the NBA Playoffs, with the Timberwolves having dug a deep hole by falling to 0-3 against their opponents, the Denver Nuggets, the team, and its players needed a rallying point.

Anthony Edwards may be a 21-year-old shooting guard with a lot of his NBA career lying in the future. But for now, he is the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was a 2023 NBA All-Star. He continues to set NBA records at the tender age of 21. He has fought through adversity all season long. And when the team needed leadership in postseason competition, Edwards stepped up.

But as all of the NBA legendary greats do, it was Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards that drew the line in the sand, all alone and dared the Denver Nuggets to try and cross it.

Anthony Edwards throws down the gauntlet

Sure, the NBA Playoffs series record to that point in time has been:

Minnesota Timberwolves 0
Denver Nuggets                   3

But since he threw down the gauntlet?

Minnesota Timberwolves 1
Denver Nuggets                   0

So what were those prophetic words that Anthony Edwards dared to utter?

A rage against the inevitable. A daring to fight the battle, not in the hope of winning, but purely from the essence of knowing that it is a battle that must be fought. Anthony Edwards did not make any bold and flamboyant promises. He did not call out the Nuggets nor did he call out his teammates.

This was not an easy win. The Nuggets rallied back from a 12-point deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime. But by now the rest of the Timberwolves roster had begun to rally to Anthony Edwards’ side. Center Rudy Gobert scored. Then PG Mike Conley Jr. scored from the perimeter. Next up was SG/SF Nickeil Alexander Walker who drained a three-pointer.

The Timberwolves extend the series to Game 5 in Denver

In fact, he had so much fun doing so that he did it again. Finally, Edwards waded back into the action, scoring the next five points for the Timberwolves before Conley sealed the win with a pair of free throws.

Strategically, this game means the world to the Minnesota Timberwolves and likely does not carry much value to the Denver Nuggets. For the Nuggets, a loss gives their team a chance to win at home and advance to Round 2 in front of their own fans. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, a win breathes new life into a team that, until now, has not given much in the form of competition against the Nuggets.

Curiously, in the first three games, the Minnesota Timberwolves had only outscored the Nuggets in one of their first 12 quarters of competition. In this game, the Timberwolves outscored the Nuggets in three of five periods of play.

The Minnesota Timberwolves remain in a deep deficit in this one with a Round 1 playoff record of 1-3. But this win does extend the NBA Playoffs, and the Timberwolves have been a very streaky team this year. In fact, the Timberwolves won the final three games of the 2022-23 NBA season to get to this point.  As Anthony Edwards said above:

“This series is not over. It’s the first to four, not to three. I promise you it ain’t over. Everyone’s counting us out. It ain’t over. I promise you.”

The Timberwolves may not be to four wins yet. And the Timberwolves remain counted out by almost everyone, even after this win. But the Minnesota Timberwolves just defeated the best team in the NBA Western Conference, and are one game closer to four wins.  Each journey has to start with the first step forward.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by Anthony Edwards, have just taken that first step.