The Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a stunning 99-88 loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals to the Golden State Warriors at Target Center on Tuesday. The Timberwolves started very slowly, which led to head coach Chris Finch being asked postgame if he needed to speak to star guard Anthony Edwards about playing with spirit and energy before Game 2.
“What is there to talk about?” Finch asked. “You’re the leader of the team. You’ve got to come out and set the tone. If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.”
Edwards played the entire first quarter but did not score a single point. The 23-year-old didn’t make a field goal in the second quarter either and entered halftime with one point.
Edwards played better in the second half to finish with 23 points (9-22 FG), 14 rebounds, two assists, three steals, and one block. The damage had already been done, though.
While some would have taken issue with Finch calling out Edwards in public, Charles Barkley loved it. Barkley praised the head coach for challenging the three-time All-Star on Inside the NBA.
“I was really impressed with Coach Finch in that press conference,” Barkley said. “He called Anthony out… First of all, you brought all this smoke, you said you wanted the smoke, ‘I want the Warriors.’ And you got ’em. You had one point at halftime, and his energy level was down.
“That to me is what coaching is about,” Barkley continued. “… When you’re the man, you get all the credit, but you get all the blame. That’s the way it works, and I like what he did.”
You’d have expected Edwards and the Timberwolves to come out like a house on fire in Game 1. They had knocked out the Los Angeles Lakers in five games in the first round and were the favorites heading into this series.
The Warriors had just played a Game 7 against the Houston Rockets on Sunday as well, and a win for the hosts seemed almost a certainty. Instead, the Timberwolves found themselves down 30-20 in the second quarter but then got a break as Stephen Curry exited with a hamstring strain. They had been given a lifeline but failed to take advantage.
The Warriors would lead by as many as 23 points in Game 1 and kept the Timberwolves at bay to go up 1-0. They have snatched home-court advantage, but you wonder if they’ll be able to hold on to it without Curry.
The Timberwolves surely would want to make amends for that disappointing display, and you’d expect Edwards, in particular, to put on a show. Interestingly, though, he did not agree with Finch’s criticism of him in his postgame press conference.
“Nah, felt like I played great defense, I just gotta do better on offense,” Edwards said.
You’d have liked to see Edwards take more accountability there. He usually points the finger at himself when the team fails to deliver, but didn’t do so on this occasion. It will be interesting to see how Edwards performs in Game 2 against the Warriors at Target Center on Thursday at 8:30 PM ET.
