-
Dave McMenamin
OKLAHOMA CITY — With Minnesota‘s season coming to a screeching halt simply in need of its first NBA Finals for the second straight 12 months, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards made a promise to enhance.
“I will work my butt off this summer time,” Edwards mentioned after Minnesota’s 124-94 Game 5 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday. “No one’s going to work more durable than me this summer time. I will let you know that a lot.”
The assertion got here after the Thunder, the league’s No. 1 seed led by MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, made the 23-year-old budding famous person work for every thing he acquired within the Western Convention finals. After he completed the common season with a 27.6 factors common — fourth finest within the NBA — he was held beneath 20 in three of the 5 video games towards Oklahoma Metropolis.
He had 19 factors within the closeout recreation and went 7-for-18 (1-for-7 from 3) with three turnovers. Minnesota was outscored by 29 factors within the 39 minutes Edwards was on the court docket.
“They had been the higher workforce, they got here out and beat us, punched us within the face,” Edwards mentioned, “and we misplaced the sport, we misplaced the sequence.”
He was hardly the one wrongdoer in Minnesota’s demise in Sport 5. In truth, when the Wolves trailed 26-9 after the primary quarter, Edwards had six factors whereas your complete remainder of the roster had mustered solely three on 1-for-15 taking pictures.
“We misplaced our connectivity,” Wolves coach Chris Finch mentioned. “However all credit score to the Thunder. They definitely deserved this. They performed excellent. We got here up quick in quite a lot of methods.”
Minnesota dedicated 21 turnovers, resulting in 18 factors for the Thunder and igniting the gang that celebrated its workforce’s first journey to the Finals since 2012. Naz Reid (11 factors, 5 rebounds) had 5 turnovers and Julius Randle (24 factors, 5 rebounds) was answerable for 4, because the Wolves regarded disjointed all night time, trailing by as many as 39 factors — their largest deficit in any recreation this season, eclipsing the 36-point lead the New York Knicks constructed on them in December.
“I really feel like we’re a greater workforce than what we confirmed,” Randle mentioned. “So, quite a lot of motivation going into the summer time, for positive.”
In the meantime, Wolves position gamers Nickeil Alexander-Walker (0 factors on 0-for-8 taking pictures), Jaden McDaniels (5 factors on 2-for-13 taking pictures) and Donte DiVincenzo (6 factors on 2-for-4 taking pictures) regarded nothing just like the trio that mixed for 66 factors in Sport 4, a 128-126 loss at residence that proved to be Minnesota’s final gasp.
To not point out beginning heart Rudy Gobert (2 factors on 1-for-1 taking pictures) and start line guard Mike Conley (0 factors on 0-for-3) hardly supplied something to maintain tempo with the Thunder, who had 5 gamers in double digits, led by Gilgeous-Alexander (34 factors, 8 assists, 7 rebounds).
Wolves rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 35 factors over the previous three video games after barely taking part in the remainder of the postseason as much as that time.
“I feel we positively want to elongate the rotation,” Finch admitted, wanting ahead. “We acquired some younger guys who’re itching to play and I do know might help us.”
As disappointing of a consequence because it was for Edwards, he acknowledged he is simply beginning his journey, having accomplished his fifth season. The 37-year-old Conley, having completed his 18th, would not have the identical quantity of sand left within the hourglass.
“I do not know why folks would suppose it will harm, it is thrilling for me,” Edwards mentioned. “I am 23. I get to do it a complete bunch of instances. I am harm extra so for Mike. I got here up quick for Mike. We tried final 12 months, we could not get it. We tried once more this 12 months. We’ll attempt once more subsequent 12 months. However harm is a horrible phrase to make use of. I am good.”
As lopsided because the convention finals had been for the Wolves — they misplaced the three highway video games at Paycom Heart by a mixed 71 factors — there was loads of good that preceded it.
From March by means of the convention semifinals, the Wolves went 25-6, stunning the No. 3 seeded Los Angeles Lakers because the No. 6 seed in 5 video games within the first spherical after which beating the Golden State Warriors in 5 video games, too.
It was a robust remaining chapter, if not a robust remaining few pages, for a workforce whose story included a blockbuster commerce to accumulate Randle and DiVincenzo from the New York Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns simply two days earlier than coaching camp and a report that hovered round .500 previous the All-Star break.
“I keep in mind having a dialog with Anthony, like midseason,” Finch mentioned. “I mentioned, ‘What do you suppose we predict a great season looks like? What do you suppose that appears like for us proper now?’ And he mentioned, ‘Let’s get into the playoffs, win a spherical and see the place we go.’ It was precisely my thought on the time, too.”
Edwards recalled the dialog, and the making an attempt instances.
“We thought it was going downhill,” he mentioned. “We thought it was over for us at one level. It was wanting actual unhealthy for us. … [And] we turned it round.
“We did fairly good this 12 months, man. We simply got here up quick once more. Attempt to do it once more subsequent 12 months.”
