They had a showdown scheduled against the Golden State Warriors on May 7, 2025. The Timberwolves squandered an enormous opportunity to capitalize on the league’s injury poster child. Though they lost by the final score, indicating that their offense and/or defense are both going well, this was hardly the case.
At 23 years old, Anthony Edwards has taken an inordinate step forward for their young franchise. After the game, he was hit with a tsunami of condemnation. Head coach Chris Finch stated that addressing Edwards’ spirit should not be necessary at this critical stage of the postseason. At the conference, Finch again emphasized the need for powerful leadership. If he needs to remind players that they need to be more energetic, that means there’s a gap between the team.
“You’re the leader of the team. You’ve got to come out and set the tone. If your shot is not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into an opening second-round game, then we’re not on the same page.” – Chris Finch
Edwards’ result was stunning, completing the match with 23 factors. He came out very badly in the first half, scoring one point on 0-8 shooting. This huge drop from his scoring average of 27.6 points per game during the regular season put even more pressure on him. He really showed off his interruptive defensive ability with a couple of electrifying steals from behind in the first half. This allowed Minnesota to hold Golden State to just 44 points by the half, while the Warriors shot only 37.2%.
While admitting to all the critiques that always follow a loss, Edwards stood firmly on the ground of his performance. He added that if his drop-off on the offensive end was interpreted as a lack of effort, then his impact on defense must have been ignored.
“Tonight we didn’t shoot the ball well, but tonight is over,” – Anthony Edwards
After the game, Edwards addressed the blame that tends to fall on him. He boldly declared he was prepared to take full ownership for the team’s deficiencies.
“People are going to try to blame whatever, blame whoever; they can blame me,” – Anthony Edwards
Rudy Gobert, one of Minnesota’s other big pieces, had similar worries about the team being ready for the second, extreme step up to the playoff intensity. As for their poor performance, it might have been a result of not playing in six days, he noted. Despite even more practice over that time, it was not enough.
“Not playing for six days, even though we practiced, I think we weren’t really feeling that intensity.” – Rudy Gobert
The Timberwolves’ defeat was particularly disappointing given their expectations heading into this postseason matchup, especially with an opportunity to capitalize on Golden State’s injury situation. Finch’s comments suggest that he expects more from his star players, particularly Edwards, who has shown he can perform at an elite level.
So, as the team enters Game 2 of the series, the pressure is on Edwards to step up and lead. Despite the lackluster showing, he continues to feel good about upcoming performances, suggesting confidence that a turn is coming.
“So next game we’ll shoot the ball really well.” – Anthony Edwards
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