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Anthony Edwards bucked a poor first half to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to the West finals by beating the Denver Nuggets 98-90 in Game 7 on Sunday. “Ant-Man” shook off a listless first 24 minutes to help drag the Timberwolves to another win in Mile High City and dethrone the champs. They next host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves, who were booted out of the first round of the 2023 playoffs, got their revenge against the Nuggets. Edwards’ team will be battling for the Western Conference championship for the first time since Kevin Garnett’s Wolves lost to the LA Lakers in 2004.
After the game, Charles Barkley, one of the award-winning hosts of “Inside the NBA,” had a hilarious exchange with Anthony Edwards:
“Barkley: I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years”
“Edwards: Bring ya a**”
The NBA already announced the dates for the Western Conference finals after the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks sent home the top-ranked OKC Thunder.
Every game in the series will be covered by TNT, which means Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson will be staples during the head-to-head duel.
Charles Barkley’s point in telling Anthony Edwards that he hasn’t been in Minnesota in two decades was to hilariously ask for a list of good restaurants. “Ant-Man” promised to send one over so the “Inside the NBA” crew could have their options ready before arriving to cover the series.
Charles Barkley recently urged fans to stop comparing Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan
Over the past few weeks, the comparisons between Anthony Edwards and the legendary Michael Jordan have only gotten louder.
When the Minnesota Timberwolves raced to a 2-0 series lead by beating the Denver Nuggets on the road twice, the theme became more prevalent. Charles Barkley doesn't think those discussions should continue:
Here’s what the former Phoenix Suns MVP said about those talks:
"Please America, stop with the Michael Jordan stuff. This guy’s had one good playoff run, and I think he’s going to be a great player. He's a really nice kid. We root for him, and we wanted him to be successful."
"He’s not close to Michael Jordan. I love Anthony Edwards, but do not do that!
Many have said that Anthony Edwards’ mentality, game and confidence are eerily similar to the Chicago Bulls icon. But “Ant-Man” is yet to win on the big stage while “His Airness” went 6-0 in NBA Finals. Charles Barkley had a front-row seat to Jordan’s exploits, including the 1993 finals when Jordan’s Bulls beat Barkley’s Suns in six games.
Barkley famously said after the Bulls completed their first three-peat that Jordan was the best player ever. Anthony Edwards has to accomplish more for “Sir Charles” to put the Timberwolves star on the same stage as the six-time champ.
