ICYMI: Anthony Edwards displays goofy behavior yet again, tries to start an "Airball" chant after Miami Heat star Kyle Lowry misses everything
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, in the win against the Miami Heat (113-104) on Saturday, tried to work the crowd by trying to get them to chant "Airball" after Kyle Lowry missed a three-pointer from near mid-court.
Edwards scored 15 points and had eight rebounds and three steals in the winning effort.
Ant really tried to start an airball chant after this Kyle Lowry miss 😂 https://t.co/ehEZlcUYRZ
Edwards was the first-pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. The former Georgia Bulldog is having an excellent sophomore year in the NBA, averaging 21.2 points a game on 43.3% from the field.
A fan favorite for his on- and off-court antics, one such instance came when Edwards was part of a hilarious press conference, moments after the Timberwolves beat the Detroit Pistons on February 3.
Anthony Edwards told reporters to hold off from asking questions because he was finishing his McDonalds order 😂
@theantedwards_ (via @DaneMooreNBA) https://t.co/5HbrzB4kIm
Are the Miami Heat contenders?
The Miami Heat are having an intriguing NBA season. Although they lead the Eastern Conference by 2.5 games, despite not playing their Big 3 together for long stretches of the season, no one seems to put money on them to win it all.
In the loss against the Timberwolves on Saturday, the Heat led by as much as 17 yet ended the game down nine. Tyler Herro, the top contender for the Sixth Man of the Year award, put up 30 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Kyle Lowry added 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
The Heat have had a topsy-turvy 21-22 NBA season at times, with several great wins (99-82 against the 76ers) and equally bad losses (92-122 against the Celtics).
Unlike several top teams in the NBA, the Miami Heat do not have a high-scoring super-star. The highest points average on the team is 21.4 points per game for Jimmy Butler, who was out on Saturday with a toe injury.
The team often relies on a controlled scoring effort from their superstars and their role-players, with the sixth-best defense in the league led by a solid defensive core of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and P.J. Tucker.
Since Jimmy Butler's trade, the Miami Heat have finished 5th and 6th in the Eastern Conference, going to the finals of the 2020 NBA Playoffs and losing in the first round of the 2021 postseason.
Butler averaged 14 points per game in the play-offs last year, which sparked a lot of talk about his $184 million contract extension in the off-season. The Heat also acquired Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker to bump the frontcourt and defense respectively.
The Miami Heat will work the remainder of the regular season games to their advantage given most of them (8 out of 13) are at home, but their championship contention is yet to be substantiated.