“It starts with Ant, you know, he struggled early, and then you could just kinda see the light go out for a while.” Chris Finch did not stutter and called out his superstar, Anthony Edwards. After all, Ant-Man struggled in the first half, and it was a debacle performance from the entire team. The 3x All-Star tried to rally a comeback, but it wasn’t enough to power his side to a win against the Golden State.
He was 0-for-8 from the field in the first half and 0-for-3 from 3-point range. The team also collectively scored just 31 points in the first half. It was also the game when Stephen Curry played only 13 minutes and scored 13 points. Because of an apparent hamstring strain, the Warriors’ superstar did not return to the court and seems doubtful about Game 2 in Minnesota. Speaking about doubts, Wolves HC did not leave any with his blunt opinion.
“No, I mean, what is there to talk about. I mean you’re the leader of the team and you got to come out and set the tone, you know, in all ways that happens.” During the press conference, Finch made it clear that Anthony Edwards has to come out of the gates stronger.
Dec 21, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch talks with Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
That too as a leader of the locker room. “And if it’s if your shot’s not going like you still have to carry the energy, you know. So, you know, I don’t think there’s you know, if I got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into opening second-round game. Then you know we’re not, you know, we’re not on the same page.”
But how does Ant view his game, or his team’s performance? The 23-year-old wasn’t as critical as the coach. “Just keep shooting. I mean, yeah, that’s the name of the game, you can’t worry about the last shot. You know, shoot to take the next one. Shoot it with confidence.”
But Edwards did own up to his mistakes and even covered up for his teammates. “And I think we’ve been doing that like you said, I think we just we just didn’t play well today. And you know, people are going to try to blame whatever, blame whoever. They can blame me. I just didn’t play good enough.”
There were plenty of reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves fell short in their series opener against a Warriors team that lost Stephen Curry mid-game, but one thing in particular that didn’t help was Edwards, the offensive engine of the team, entering halftime with one point to his name. The three-time All-Star bounced back enough in the second half to finish the night with 23 points (on 9-of-22 shooting) and 14 rebounds, but the Timberwolves never got closer than nine points in a 99-88 Warriors win.
TNT analysts support Wolves HC and call out Anthony Edwards for his behavior
It wasn’t far-fetched to say the Timberwolves lacked the energy that a tired and older Warriors team somehow mustered in Game 1. Without Stephen Curry—the offensive engine who fuels everyone else—the Warriors still out-hustled Minnesota, grabbing 10 more rebounds despite being the smaller, more fatigued squad. A staggering 18 of those were offensive boards.
Even with Anthony Edwards sparking a late push and trimming the lead to single digits with under three minutes left, Golden State’s poise and playoff experience sealed the deal. It’s the kind of composure the Wolves simply can’t afford to keep chasing. Something that didn’t haunt them against the Lakers.
Not many predicted the Timberwolves to beat the Lakers. In fact, the shouts for Lakers in 5 were the loudest. But those shouts turned to silence as Minnesota delivered a power-packed performance throughout the series. After the first round win, Anthony Edwards was trolling the Purple and Gold fans in the streets of LA, but that energy in court was missing today.
May 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) speaks in a press conference after game one against the Dallas Mavericks in the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
“I was impressed with Coach Finch. He called Anthony out,” Charles Barkley said on the recent broadcast of Inside the NBA. “First of all, he brought all this smoke, he said he wanted the smoke. He wanted the Warriors, and he got them. He had one point at halftime, and his energy level was down. That, to me, is what coaching is about. You can’t come out and talk all that and have one point. Plain and simple.”
So, Chuck and Coach Finch agree that the Wolves’ superstar will have to set a better tone from the beginning. The Timberwolves can still turn things around and remain the favorite in the series despite the Game 1 loss. Part of that is because of uncertainty around Warriors star Stephen Curry, who exited in the first half with a hamstring injury.
The post Chris Finch’s Harsh Words Have No Effect on Anthony Edwards as Star Sends Strong Message to Timberwolves Locker Room appeared first on EssentiallySports.
