Anthony Edwards had a Game 1 to forget against the Golden State Warriors. His head coach might not let him.
There were plenty of reasons why the Minnesota Timberwolves fell short in their West semifinal opener against a Warriors team that lost Stephen Curry early, but one thing in particular that didn’t help was Edwards, the offensive engine of the team, entering halftime with one point to his name.
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The three-time All-Star was 0-for-8 from the field in the first half and 0-for-3 from 3-point range. He bounced back enough in the second half to finish the night with 23 points (on 9-of-22 shooting) and 14 rebounds, but the Timberwolves never got closer than nine points in a 99-88 Warriors win.
After the game, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was blunt about Edwards, to say the least. First, he said, “It starts with Anthony. He struggled early and the light went out,” regarding a first half in which his team scored 31 points.
When asked for more, Finch laid into his star.
Finch’s comment:
“What is there to talk about? You’re the leader of the team, and you gotta come out and set the tone. … If you’re shot’s not going, you still have to carry the energy. If I’ve got to talk to guys about having the right energy coming into the opening game of the second round, we’re not on the same page.”
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Not exactly what you want to hear from a coach about a team’s best player after the first game of a series.
The good news is the Timberwolves will have a good opportunity to bounce back in Game 2 at home, as the Warriors are reportedly gameplanning for Thursday as if Curry won’t be available. It will definitely be worth monitoring how Edwards begins the game.
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