"He stepped back right where that kid is wearing my jersey at": Anthony Edwards reaction to Luka Doncic's long-range bomb goes viral
Anthony Edwards opened Game 5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ series against the Dallas Mavericks guarding Luka Doncic. “Ant-Man” used to chase around Kyrie Irving, but Timberwolves coach Chris Finch made the defensive adjustment in Game 4. The hope was that Edwards would have enough left in the tank to prevent another costly late-game stuttering by the Wolves.
Right off the bat, Doncic seemed to tell the Timberwolves that the strategy was a bad idea despite Dallas losing Game 4 105-100. The Slovenian quickly attacked one of the NBA’s best defenders from the opening tip. Doncic’s blistering start included a shot that had Edwards shaking his head in part disbelief and part appreciation.
Minnesota’s franchise cornerstone animatedly described on the bench that play:
“I went under [the screen] and he stepped back right where that kid is wearing my jersey at.”
The play happened with a little over 10 minutes in the first quarter. After Anthony Edwards’ dunk, Luka Doncic methodically walked the ball over to the Mavericks’ side of the court. Daniel Gafford met him a few feet from the halfcourt line for a screen, dragging Wolves center Rudy Gobert with him.
Edwards, instead of fighting for space against the screen, went under it forcing Gobert to stay in front of “Luka Legend” before sliding over to take on Gafford who was rolling to the rim. The brief opening was all the All-NBA guard needed as he made his patented, going to the left move to nail a triple.
It was a big mistake by Anthony Edwards as two possessions earlier, Luka Doncic also burned him for backing away too far. Doncic jacked up a 31-footer that hit nothing but the net. The rhythm that the Mavs point guard earned became a harbinger of things to come as he scattered 20 points in the opening 12 minutes.
Doncic’s output was one more than what the Wolves put up together as the visiting Mavericks raced to a 35-19 first-quarter lead.
Anthony Edwards learned a few lessons from Luka Doncic in the playoffs
Anthony Edwards looked like he was ready for the next round after leading the Minnesota Timberwolves in dethroning the Denver Nuggets. “Ant-Man” had a rough-shooting night in Game 7 versus the former champs, but his impact was all over the game. The comparisons to Michael Jordan only got louder following their upset of the favored Nuggets.
Luka Doncic, along with Kyrie Irving, made it clear to Edwards that there are still things he could learn in the playoffs. Doncic, in particular, gave the explosive guard a lesson in composure and grit late in games. The Mavericks are moving on to the 2024 NBA Finals because their superstars had an abundance of those traits while their Timberwolves counterparts lacked them.
Minnesota had the lead entering the fourth quarter in the first four games of the series. Dallas could have been 0-2 before the series shifted to Texas. However, behind key late runs anchored on Doncic and a hard-nosed defense that refused to quit, the Mavericks promptly got a stranglehold on the series.
Anthony Edwards should learn from the way Luka Doncic took over late in the game. Despite battling through a myriad of injuries that hampered his movement, the Slovenian came through when needed. Surely, there must have been something he took every time he shook his head at the way Doncic operated in late-game situations.