Anthony Edwards has always been a huge fan of Kevin Durant, so to knock him out of the playoffs was always going to feel quite special. After the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns, Edwards revealed just how much it meant to him.
“It’s my favorite player of all time,” Edwards said. “… It’s the best feeling in the world to send him home or whatever you want to call it. I don’t even think I outplayed him, he played great throughout the whole series but my team outplayed his.”
"It's the best feeling in the world to send him home… I don't even think I outplayed him, he played great throughout the whole series but my team outplayed his." 💯
Ant-Man speaks on matching up with KD in the First Round pic.twitter.com/xddFjXwGHJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) April 29, 2024
While the Timberwolves as a whole did outplay the Suns, Edwards definitely did outplay Durant and everyone else on the court. He was the best player in that series, finishing with averages of 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
In this closeout Game 4, Edwards had 40 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks, as the Timberwolves won 122-116. The Suns had managed to slow down the 22-year-old when the teams met in the regular season, but they had no answer for him in this series.
As for Durant, he averaged 26.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in the series. The 14-time All-Star was probably the best player for the Suns, but his efforts were in vain.
Fortunately for Durant, the next time that he and Edwards will share the court, they will be teammates. They are both on Team USA’s roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the two-time All-Star will make sure Durant doesn’t forget what happened in this series.
“Man, it felt great,” Edwards said when asked about knocking out Durant. “I got the utmost respect for KD. He comes in and compete every night. I watched every last one of his games since I been about 5. I love that guy and I am excited to play with him this summer, talk a little trash, and let him know I sent him home.”
https://twitter.com/cjzero/status/1784804287798825024
You better believe Durant will be hearing a lot about this series when the two of them are in France. While the Suns would love to gain some revenge on the Timberwolves next season, I think Phoenix is very much trending downward while Minnesota is on the up.
How Far Can Anthony Edwards Take The Timberwolves In The Playoffs?
This series victory over the Suns meant the Timberwolves had advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for just the second time in franchise history. The last time they got past the first round was in 2004, when Kevin Garnett led them all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
Can Edwards take them that far this time around? I don’t think so. The Timberwolves are likely to face the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals, as they are up 3-1 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nuggets, of course, eliminated the Timberwolves in five games in the first round last season and I would back them to emerge victorious this time around as well. I do believe it will be a lot closer, though, as Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid were out due to injury last year.
McDaniels’ defense should help against Jamal Murray, while Reid being available means they have yet another big body, along with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, to throw at Nikola Jokic. I would also back Edwards to shine against the Nuggets, as he did when he averaged 31.6 points per game in the series last year, but I think it will still not be enough to get past them.
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