It’s been years since the iconic series that saw LeBron James and Kyrie Irving win his first and only championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthony Edwards, 23, was only 14 years old at the time but he still remembers the moment like it was yesterday.
“Kyrie hit a shot… Do you know how many players dream of that situation? In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, that’s all I can think about right now. Kyrie was calm about it,” said Edwards. “If I hit some sh*t like that… I might pull my pants down on their ass.”
As a top 10 player in the NBA and a star for the Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards has been in plenty of big moments before. Just last season, he led his team to the Western Conference Finals after averaging 25.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 44.6% shooting.
The young star lives for the clutch moments but he’s never done anything like Irving did back in 2016. The star point guard was still just a few years into the league then but he was able to string together one of the best playoff performances in NBA history.
After cruising through the Eastern Conference, Irving, and his co-star, LeBron James, faced their toughest challenge yet: a Finals matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who had just beaten them a year before winning their first championship in franchise history.
With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and veteran leader Andre Iguodala, the Warriors won 73 games in the regular season and began the playoffs as the overwhelming favorites to win it all.
Kyrie’s historic shot came in Game 7 after the Cavaliers battled back to tie the series after falling into a 3-1 hole. With the series, and a championship on the line, Irving and LeBron carried the Cavaliers to two straight wins to set up an epic finale.
In a close game, Irving rose for a late-game three at the buzzer that ended up sealing the critical win. To this day, it’s recognized as one of the greatest shots in NBA history and it’s a moment that will define Irving’s career forever.
At the time, Kyrie was relatively tame after that shot despite the implications of hitting it. Had it been Edwards, though, he would have celebrated at a level we’ve never seen before.
Since getting drafted first overall in 2020, Edwards has never been shy about celebrating his victories on the court. He’s been seen getting hype during games on several occasions and he’s always quick to show his emotions on the court.
Edwards may not be keen on being the face of the league but he surely wants to win and we already know the joy he will experience if/when he ever has a playoff moment as great as Irving’s.
This season, at seventh in the West, the Timberwolves are not yet where they want to be as a team but Edwards is committed to getting them as far as he can. As an elite young athlete, Ant has the talent he needs to pull off something special but he won’t be satisfied until the job is finished.
