Anthony Edwards Promises He’s a Different Dude for Game 3

By    |  
Updated:
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in a tough spot, trailing 0-2 in the Western Conference Finals. As they head to Dallas for the next two games, they’ll be looking to get back into the series and keep their championship hopes alive.

Anthony Edwards in attack mode for game 3 – Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks

During a shootaround interview scrum in Dallas today, Anthony Edwards vowed to take more control on the court in game 3. That means a more aggressive Ant who plans to take a lot more shots. He shook off the questions about his back, after falling in Denver and made it clear that, if he is aggressive, there isn’t anybody who can stop him.

So, that’s the plan for tonight. Per usual, Edwards’ entire interview was can’t miss, especially this two minute exchange (transcribed below).

Reporter: “You said you always want to make the right play but that the right play might be more shots for yourself. What does that look like?”

Edwards: “Hell yeah. Y’all gonna see tonight, it’s gonna be a lot of shots.”

Reporter: “What will we see tonight?”

Edwards: “I’m gonna be super aggressive. I haven’t took more than 16 shots in each game so I’m gonna be ultra aggressive coming out for sure.”

Reporter: “You mentioned that turnover late, when Lively switched onto you. When you went back and looked at that, what did you see..”

Edwards: “I should’ve just shot that f**cking first shot. It’s that simple.”

Reporter: “Well, you see a rookie big on you, you probably think you’ve got some food in front of you..?”

Edwards: I mean I don’t care who in front of me, I don’t even see who in front of me, I’m just trying to get to my spot and shoot, I don’t really care who in front of me.”

Anthony Edwards interview scrum prior to game 3 of Western Conference Finals

Anthony Edwards himself acknowledged that he hasn’t been shooting the ball as much as usual, which can in part be attributed to him focusing more on finding the open man instead of being aggressive and finding his own shots. I do not foresee that being an issue today.

Related: Sounds Like the Timberwolves Plan to Offer Mike Conley a Lucrative Coaching Job

Edwards scored 19 points in Game 1 and followed it up with 21 points in Game 2, both below his career, season and postseason averages. He hit only 6 of 16 shots in the first game and 5 of 17 in the second. He’s been riding the struggle bus.

Ant says he’s not worried, though. That his team is going to bring it tonight and make this thing a series. He’s fully aware of the stakes, so we can anticipate a revamped performance from him compared to the first two games. This evening’s game in Dallas is essentially a must-win situation, and Edwards is poised to bring his A game.

Reporter: Can you benefit from playing on the road, vs playing at home?

Edwards: “I think we play better on the road anyway, besides the phoenix series we haven’t played well at home. So I mean I think because we play better on the road, with our back against the wall.

Reporter: Can you be in attack mode against this defense?

Edwards: “Can I be in attack mode? Hell yea, yea for sure, I been gettin away from it but I definitely be back to it tonight”… “I think we in a pretty good mood, everybody smiling, jokin, cause we know we a good team, I’m not worried.”

Anthony Edwards on his attack mode mindset entering game 3
Mentioned in this article:

More About: