The duality of Anthony Edwards really makes him one of the most unpredictable players in the NBA. He can trash-talk and kill you on the court, but he gives credit and shows appreciation off the court that show he’s still a student of the game and possibly kind at heart. However, when the fierce competitor comes out, there’s no stopping Edwards.
After the Warriors lost Game 4 (110-117) at home and fell 1-3 in the series, they now have a mountain to climb to qualify for the next round. Anthony Edwards (30 points) and Julius Randle (31 points) torched the Warriors in the second half after a close game in the first. Edwards went 6 of 11 from the three-point range, shooting 54.55% from beyond the arc. The secret behind his impressive performance from three-point range: Stephen Curry.
Following the end of Game 4, Edwards spoke to SportsCenter and revealed how Stephen Curry helped him improve his shooting ability. He said, “It’s the same every night, man. Let it fly, I work on it, man. I told Steph I was working with him all summer. Big shoutout, big credit to him. He influenced me to be able to shoot the ball really well, so I went back in the summer and started working on it once I left him, and I got better at it.”
The Duality Of Anthony Edwards: Love Him Or Fear Him
Before the game, Anthony Edwards was spotted doing Curry’s iconic ‘Night-Night’ celebration. It seemed to be Edwards’ reminder to the Warriors that Curry’s absence will mean ‘Night-Night’ for them. Even in the Lakers series, after beating the Lakers in five games, Edwards kept mocking Shannon Sharpe’s famous “Lakers in 5” quote.
There is no player in the NBA right now who is more ruthless than Edwards. Earlier in the Playoffs, Paul Pierce rightly pointed out that the Olympics were a major learning experience for Edwards. He learned from Kevin Durant, then beat him. He learned from LeBron James, and then he beat him in the last series. And now, having learned from Stephen Curry in the summer, Edwards is on the cusp of tossing the Warriors out of the Playoffs. He’s a student off the court but a stone-cold killer on the court.
In the regular season this year, Edwards shot 39.5% from beyond the arc, which was a career high. However, in the playoffs, that efficiency has dropped to 36.6% for Edwards. The Timberwolves as a team have struggled from the three-point line this postseason. They are shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc, which was their Playoff low over the past two decades.
Nonetheless, the Timberwolves are a gritty team that managed to beat the Lakers despite a major slump from three-point range. Now, without Curry, the Warriors are severely shorthanded in terms of three-point threats on the team. Will the Warriors face the same fate as the Lakers did? Seems very likely, as teams don’t usually come back from a 3-1 deficit in the series.
