To be down 2-0 in the Western Conference finals places a sense of urgency and separation for any playoff team, and such is the case for Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. The third-round series now heads to Dallas and the two-time NBA All-Star has something special in store after coming out short in the previous two games.
If the Timberwolves plan to come out of the West, they will need their superstar player to do more than a subpar 30.0% shooting. With his team's back up against the wall, Anthony Edwards has the perfect opportunity to remind the league of who he is.
His comments were shared by ESPN's Dave McMenamin on X as Game 3 in Dallas' American Airlines Center is scheduled tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
"Ya'll going to see tonight," Edwards said. "It's going to be a lot of shots. I'm going to be super aggressive. I mean. I haven't took more than 16 shots each game so I'm going to be ultra aggressive coming out for sure."
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Compared to how he looked in the matchups against the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, Anthony Edwards has not played up to his standards. After his eyebrow-raising "I got Kyrie" comments, Edwards has come up short in walking the talk.
Be that as it may, it'll be interesting to see how the young superstar responds amid all the pressure of the NBA Playoffs.
Anthony Edwards isn't getting ahead of himself with 2-0 WCF series hole against Dallas Mavericks
Following Friday night's 109-108 loss, Anthony Edwards told reporters that he did not play his usual brand of basketball. Judging from what he displayed in Game 2, he was more conservative in his shot selection compared to previous matchups, as per Ben Stinar from FN Nation's "Fastbreak."
"I'm turning down a lot of shots," Edwards said, "like my midranges and stuff. I'm turning a lot of those down. ... We've been here before. I don't think anybody in the room is panicking. I hope not. Just come out and play our brand of basketball. I feel like we come out Game 3 ... minimize the game plan mistakes I think we'll win that game."
It was puzzling enough to see "Ant-Man" pass up his usual shots but it was further disappointing to see another inefficient shooting performance from him. In a pivotal game where his team needed him to come out strong with his offensive production to protect their 12-point lead, Edwards was nowhere to be found.
However, the postseason presents different challenges and opportunities for superstar players who are under the limelight. If Anthony Edwards is truly ready for the spotlight under the intensity of the postseason, Game 3 is a must-win for his team, coupled with an electric bounce-back performance.
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