"Don’t feel like they can beat us, bro"- NBA insider discloses Anthony Edwards' message to veteran teammate after Game 3
Anthony Edwards still believes that the Minnesota Timberwolves are the better team despite the Dallas Mavericks' 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a three-game deficit in a best-of-seven series. However, Edwards’ candid words with veteran teammate Mike Conley puts his feelings into perspective after Sunday’s 116-107 defeat in Dallas.
NBA insider Sam Amick shared an interaction between the Minnesota backcourt players after the game. As per Emick, Anthony Edwards was in denial about losing a third straight game where the Timberwolves had a lead in the final few minutes. Dallas delivering impressive comebacks in all three games make it more heartbreaking for Minnesota.
Amick took to X to report about Edwards interaction with Conley in the locker room after the game
“I still don’t feel like they can beat us, bro. We haven’t all been clicking at one time.”
It is normal for teams to lose a game or two after having a lead in the fourth quarter, but the Timberwolves are consistently struggling to finish games vs. the Mavericks.
Meanwhile, the Dallas superstars and role players are rising to the occasion with games on the line. Amick added that the Mavericks' chemistry and experience have been game-changers so far.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic outplaying Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns
The last minutes of games of the Western Conference finals has seen the Dallas Mavericks having the upperhand over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas holds the advantage of having two all-time great closers who are also great playoffs performers.
Luka Doncic averages 31.1 points in playoffs games to rank second behind only Michael Jordan in NBA history. Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, hit the monumental 3 in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have failed to hold their own in the battle of All-Star scorers against Irving and Doncic. Minnesota desperately needs Edwards and Towns to get hot for any chance of getting back into the series. The first two rounds saw the Timberwolves’ depth be an advantage, but that is no longer the case.
Edwards’ playoff scoring dropped from 28.9 points per game to 22.0 points in the first three games against the Mavericks. Towns is struggling even more, averaging 15.0 points on 27.8% shooting, including 13.6% from beyond the arc.
Dallas is trending in the other direction as Irving and Doncic take control when the game is on the line. Doncic averages 32.7 points in the series, while Irving is at 27.7 points per game.
While Anthony Edwards is not wrong in believing that the Timberwolves can still make a comeback, we need to see that determination on the floor rather than on the locker room.