Anthony Edwards‘ incredible postseason run ended with a 4-1 series loss in the Conference Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. The Game 5 loss was in Minnesota’s Target Center and was a 124-103 blowout win for the Mavs, which led to fans digging out a video of Edwards roasting the Phoenix Suns for being eliminated in 2022 with a home blowout against the Mavs as well.
“I remember when we were playing Phoenix, talking so much sh*t and telling us, ‘We better make the playoffs.’ We are out of the playoffs, but this is a disgrace. Like, y’all got 36 points in the third quarter? This is terrible.”
Anthony Edwards was talking shit on the Suns 2 years ago just for his team to be down 29 at half vs Luka LMFAOOOOO https://t.co/knWE9TjkeM
— LEEZUS (@AndrewLeezus) May 31, 2024
There are differences in how the Wolves lost and how Dallas lost. The Suns were a 64-win buzzsaw who held a 3-2 series lead before being down by nearly 50 points in a Game 7 at home, with stars Devin Booker and Chris Paul completely disappearing.
The Wolves eliminated the Nuggets in the previous round but weren’t as polished as those Suns, and they didn’t fall down by nearly 50 points in a Game 7. The Mavericks were clearly the better team this series, though the loss has to feel embarrassing, especially when Doncic outscored their entire team in the first quarter.
Edwards didn’t pull a disappearing act, ending the night with 28 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, but the Wolves just didn’t have enough offense to keep up with Dallas. Their top-tier defense also collapsed in the face of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in this game, giving up 72 points to the star backcourt alone.
Edwards capped off an incredible season for a 22-year-old by averaging 27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, showing that he’s arrived as a superstar and will only improve from here on out.
Anthony Edwards Couldn’t Match Up To Luka Doncic
The Playoffs often come down to the battle of the stars, and Luka Doncic showed why he’s the better player compared to Edwards at this point in their career. Doncic entered the league just two seasons before Ant but was already a First-Team All-NBA selection by the time Edwards was drafted in 2020. In all these years, Doncic has proven he’s the better player.
The Wolves’ run to the Conference Finals prompted many to say Edwards had surpassed Doncic, especially with Luka’s offensive struggles in the first two rounds. But when it came time to go head-to-head, Doncic showed complete dominance of the court to pull off the first 4-1 series win of his career.
Edwards averaged 24.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists over this series while Doncic put up 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. Luka outscored the entire Wolves team in the first quarter of the game tonight, and Ant’s offensive response didn’t come close to matching up to what happened tonight.
This isn’t an indictment on Edwards, who is one of the brightest young talents in the NBA. Every top player goes through big playoff losses in their younger days, with this matchup against Luka being the same for Edwards. An NBA Finals appearance might have been premature for the 22-year-old sensation as he continues to round out his game.
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