The OKC Thunder have proceeded to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 after a resounding win over the Timberwolves. In Game 5, they won 124-94 to send the Timberwolves packing on vacation. Anthony Edwards, the star player for the Timberwolves, struggled once again to produce offensively to the level of his own standard. He finished the game with 19 points, shooting 7 of 18 from the floor and 1 of 7 from beyond the arc. After the game, Edwards spoke to the media about the loss.
“They came ready to play, and we didn’t. When you lose a game like this, there’s not really too much to break down. They did what they were supposed to do and won the game… They dominated the game from the tip, and I can do nothing but tip my hat to those guys; they came ready, man, good job by them.”
When asked how he’s feeling about the game, he admitted being hurt for his veteran teammate, Mike Conley, more than for himself.
“I’m hurt, more so for myself, for Mike. I came up short for Mike. Like I said, we tried last year, we couldn’t get it. We tried again this year, we’ll try again next year. But hurt is a temporary word to use, I’m good.”
Upon further questioning about Mike Conley, Edwards even promised to work harder in the upcoming summer to help Conley win his first championship.
“I’mma work my butt off this summer. Nobody’s gonna work harder than me this summer, I can tell you that much. I’ll try to make it happen again for Mike.”
Anthony Edwards’ offensive skill set seemed to be no match for the defensive prowess of the Thunder. This has given Anthony Edwards a chip on his shoulder to work on in the summer.
Analyzing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Anthony Edwards’ Performance In This Series
Before the series began, we did a comprehensive analysis of Anthony Edwards compared to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Playoffs. Gilegous-Alexander, who averaged 8.8 free throw attempts per game in the regular season, averaged 8.8 makes in 10.2 attempts per game in this series. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 31.4 points, 8.2 assists and 5.2 rebounds in five games in the series. Without the free throws, he would average 24.6 points per game in this series (44 free throws made in 167 points scored over five games).
Edwards, on the other hand, has averaged 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the five games played. Without the free throws, he would average 18.6 points per game (22 free throws made in 115 points scored over five games). Gilgeous-Alexander still had a better performance in this series and thus thoroughly deserved the unanimous win for the West Finals MVP award.
