2024 Playoffs- 3rd Round: Minnesota Timberwolves - Dallas Mavericks- MAVS WIN 4-1!

[KillerLeft]

Truly no disrespect to anyone on this board, but some of us seem to be buying into Ant being the next MJ. I keep reading posts about being "scared of Ant." Why? Sure he can have a big game just like any top talent in the NBA, but he averages 25/5/5 this season. That's the exact same numbers as our #2 player, Mr. Kyrie Irving. Our best player averaged 8 more ppg than Ant. They should be scared of Luka and Kyrie. We have 2 of the 3 best players in this series. In game one, we had the 2 best players. We are the better team imo. I'm not scared of anyone on that team. If Edwards scores 45, I don't think that means we lose. It just means the other guys won't be involved as much. Like I said, nothing personal, but Ant isn't MJ or Kobe. He's a really damn good young player with a chance to be great, but he isn't great yet. The media doesn't get to decide that. Results decide that.

And no disrespect right back atcha, but I think you're making hardline judgements of him based on him being 22 years old and struggling in the 3rd round of the playoffs. You and others were right yesterday to point out that he seems to have hit a wall, but it's just as asinine to think an opposing player's worst moments define him as it was when it was done to Dirk his entire career and when they've tried to do it to Luka these past two years. Edwards has simply reached a point where both his conditioning and his understanding of how to defeat certain schemes are limiting him. He's 22! He's going to figure all of that out. 

I also agree with Jason Timpf, who pointed out that neither the Suns nor the Nuggets can defend the rim, which is when Minnesota's offense (mostly Edwards) suddenly seemed to "figure things out." Great insight there about how defenders have to back pedal more in that situation to try to contest in the paint, and so Edwards' midrange game becomes almost easy. 

I promise you, Edwards is and will be GREAT. I don't care about comparisons to MJ. That's for the idiot talking heads, and if you or anyone else is allowing that crap to influence you to hope he fails, I think that sucks. That's playing right into the talking head/media machine business model, to my mind. We all hope he continues to struggle against our Mavs, FOR SURE, but I, for one, have become a fan of Edwards this year. He's a great, fun to watch basketball player.