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Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards’s Impressive Playoff Resume Continues

Anthony Edwards‘s playoff resume continues to build impressively as he has his Minnesota Timberwolves up 3-1 over the Los Angeles Lakers. Edwards has been nothing short of brilliant through four games, and he’s showing up against arguably one of the best, if not the best, ever to play the game: LeBron James. These playoffs have been Antman’s coming out party, which he started in last year’s postseason run all the way to the Western Conference finals. He’s back at it again, only more powerful, more impressive, and more explosive. With the Lakers about to possibly be Edwards’s latest playoff defeat, looking back to last season, it wouldn’t be the first time Edwards has collected the heads of some big-time players.

Anthony Edwards’s Impressive Playoff Resume Continues

Anthony Edwards’ playoff resume includes bouncing some of the NBA’s best; LeBron James and Luka Dončić could be next

We have to go back to last season when Edwards (who had Karl-Anthony Towns running beside him) wiped out the Phoenix Suns in a four-game, first-round sweep. Edwards was fantastic, and he was obviously motivated going up against his favorite player, Kevin Durant, who had Devin Booker with him. Edwards dismissed them, waving goodbye to KD and saying hello to Nikola Jokić.

Minnesota took on the Denver Nuggets in round two—the second biggest postseason test Edwards would face in his early NBA career. The series was on an entirely different level than the Suns. The Nuggets battled the T’Wolves to a Game 7, where Edwards led Minnesota to the biggest Game 7 comeback in league history to knock off the Nuggets. The series was wild, but Edwards came out on top of Jokić. Edwards would then get a crack at Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks. Unfortunately, that’s where the train stopped, and Dončić was the one doing the dismissing. Edwards’s run halted.

Despite the conference finals loss, there was no doubt that Edwards had truly arrived on the scene. He eliminated Durant, Booker, Jokić, and Jamal Murray in consecutive series, and Edwards’s playoff resume was taking shape.

Two more bounty’s on deck

If Edwards manages to beat LeBron and Luka in the next several days, his playoff resume will grow even more impressive. Not only would he have beaten LeBron, but he would have beaten the man who stopped him last year: Luka. What would make the accomplishment even more impressive, if it can get more impressive, is that he would have beaten LeBron and Luka as teammates. On top of that, it’s the Lakers, the storied franchise boasting 17 championships.

The truly insane part is that Edwards is just 23. Being so young and having already bested a handful of the league’s top players in the heat of the playoffs is a phenomenal story. Edwards by himself is an exceptional story that continues to rise, rise, and rise. But how about another remarkable factor to consider? If Edwards knocks off LeBron and Luka, he could potentially face Steph Curry in round two. The Golden State Warriors would need to move past the Houston Rockets for that to happen. Imagine the wild buzz around Edwards at that point: a chance to beat Curry, the greatest shooter the game has ever seen and a four-time champion.

Minnesota may not have enough to win the title this year, but it won’t take away from Antman’s greatness. His playoff resume already boasts the takedowns of some of the cream of the crop, and he’s one game away from adding to the list. How many more heads can he gather? It’s a joy to be able to watch and find out.

 

About Aaron J Zacharias

Aaron studied Publishing at TMU and has a background in creative writing and real estate photography. He resides in Winnipeg, Canada, and covers the NBA, ATP, and WTA professional tennis tours.