"There was MJ, there was Kobe & then there's him" - Stephen A. Smith banks on Anthony Edwards to carry Timberwolves to Game 7 victory
Anthony Edwards might be the star that so many NBA fans would have wanted since Kobe Bryant retired from the league. He is fierce, ruthless and talks trash even when the game is over. ESPN sports analyst Stephen A. Smith has put Edwards’ attitude in the same category as that of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Smith lost faith in the Denver Nuggets after the Minnesota Timberwolves took a 2-0 lead in the series. However, his opinion about the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic has drastically changed. Alluding to the blowout Game 6 loss for the Nuggets, Smith said Jokic would have a big night in Game 7.
However, Smith added that Anthony Edwards would show up for the Timberwolves in Game 7. Smith said that Edwards’ attitude makes him live for these big moments.
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“He is just that dude. There was MJ, there was Kobe and then there is him,” Smith said on his show.
Alluding to Edwards' telling the Nuggets locker room staff, "I’ll see y’all motherf*****s for Game 7," after the Game 5 loss, Smith remarked that the Timberwolves' young star has every necessary attitude to bring his A-game.
The series-deciding game between the Nuggets and Timberwolves will be played at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday.
NBA analyst calls Anthony Edwards' impact “Jordan-esque”
The comparison between Anthony Edwards and Michael Jordan is not going to stop anytime soon. Despite the Minnesota Timberwolves star saying he wants to build his own identity, NBA analysts like Michael Wilbon have said that as Edwards continues to perform at a high level, his comparison with Jordan will not stop.
Skip Bayless, who considers Jordan the basketball GOAT, said that Anthony Edwards' effort on both ends of the floor makes his game “Jordan-esque.”
“The best thing about him [Edwards] is that he cares about the defensive end already at a very young age. He wants to dominate on that end as well as the other, that is also Jordan-esque,” Bayless said.
Jordan is known for his defensive mindset, which made him a force on both ends of the floor. He won his first MVP and first Defensive Player of The Year in 1988, making him only one of the few to win both awards in the same season.
Edwards has been the primary defender against Jamal Murray in this series. In Game 6, he again played a suffocating defense on Murray, who shot only 4 of his 18 field attempts. However, Murray disagreed that Edwards’ defense limited him. He said that he was dealing with an elbow injury.