Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals will be played at Target Center in Minneapolis, which means the “Inside the NBA” crew, including Charles Barkley, Shaq, Kenny Smith and (host) Ernie Johnson will be making their way north to the Land of 10,000 Lakes this week, a location on the U.S. map that those guys don’t frequently travel.

Anthony Edwards invites TNT crew to Minnesota

Well, if they were hoping for an invitation, Anthony Edwards gave them one shortly after he donned the headset Sunday night. When Barkley told Ant that it’s been a long time since he has visited Minnesota, just like any good Minnesotan, made his invitation very clear, “bring ya ass”.

Chuck: "I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years."

Ant: "Bring ya ass!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/GRJ7iLvinC

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 20, 2024

The “bring ya ass” comment was a thing the moment it left Anthony Edwards’ lips. It started with tweets and memes, reaction articles, etc. Soon after, T-shirts and merchandise has followed. But local comedian Jon Savitt took a different angle. He purchased “bringyaass.com“.

Helping outsiders navigate uncharted Minnesota Timberwolves territory

But instead of using the newly minted URL to his own financial advantage, he redirecting it to… the Explore Minnesota website. Why? To be helpful to outsiders, of course.

This way, Barkley, Kenny and others who are looking to visit can more easily find the things they are looking for while exploring the uncharted waters of the Northstar State. And hey, those waters aren’t even frozen right now so there is a lot to do.

Comedian/Wolves fan @savittj purchased https://t.co/ErxmNWSJ8r and then redirected it to Explore Minnesota's website

— Nick Halter (@nickhaltermpls) May 20, 2024

Inside the NBA has become among the biggest staples surrounding the game, and the TNT crew including Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O’Neal, and Ernie Johnson remains must-see viewing as you never know what hilarious comment will come out next.

Related: Anthony Edwards Gives Chris Finch His Flowers

Immediately after securing a spot in the Western Conference Finals, Anthony Edwards was rocking the headset and being asked questions about what is to come. A “best of” section highlights food and drink options, which should be more than sufficient to direct Barkley should he truly be looking for recommendations.

Savitt utilized some quick thinking and wit and captured the iconic moment perfectly. For Edwards, he just adds yet another banger quote to his arsenal, one that’s already packed full for a kid who is just 22-years-old.

Minnesota is ready for you, basketball fans! 🏀 Let's go, @Timberwolves! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/AXz4RR1tdW

— Explore Minnesota (@exploreminn) May 20, 2024

Dallas Mavericks coming to town too

Dallas Mavericks fans will also embark upon Minneapolis in the days ahead as the Minnesota Timberwolves have home court advantage for the Western Conference Finals. As the three seed, Chris Finch’s club will host the first two tilts against a Dallas team that they owned a 3-1 record against during the regular season.

Related: Watch Nikola Jokic Rave About How Good the Minnesota Timberwolves Are

Edwards will be tasked with shutting down Kyrie Irving on the perimeter, and some combination of Karl Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels should be expected to focus on playmaker Luka Doncic. Minnesota is looking to head to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and this team appears to be on some sort of a collision course to make it happen.

Despite being down by 15 points at halftime, and a deficit that grew as large as 20, the Wolves were able to turn things around in the 3rd quarter and mount a comeback that made history. And now, the Minnesota Timberwolves are heading to the Western Conference Finals.

Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker combined to go 2-for-22 in the first half. None of them could find any sort of success, and Edwards’ performance was especially concerning.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves teammates pickup Anthony Edwards

For some reason, he was deferring to others on almost every possession, and it seemed as though his unshakable confidence was suddenly gone, along with his killer instinct. But halfway through the 3rd quarter, something seemed to click inside of Ant’s teammates.

While Edwards’ struggles continued, his cohorts, especially Karl Anthony Towns (23 pts, 12 reb), Jaden McDaniels (23 pts, 7 reb) and later on, Naz Reid (7 of 11 points in final 7 minutes) put Ant and the rest of the Wolves on their backs.

Karl-Anthony Towns post-up fadeaway jumper pic.twitter.com/gXgXJz6iZr

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) May 20, 2024

But it was KAT who proved all of his haters wrong on Sunday. His 23 points and 12 rebounds were both team highs. And despite racking up five fouls halfway through the 4th quarter, Towns remained on the court through the final buzzer.

A poor shooting night from Edwards turned when he nailed a late three-pointer, and it was again sixth man of the year Naz Reid that put up incredible minutes. His tip slam in the 4th quarter was something of a punctuation mark, and the only thing left was for Minnesota to watch the clock tick away.

Chuck: "I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years."

Ant: "Bring ya ass!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/GRJ7iLvinC

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 20, 2024

Hosting the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, Anthony Edwards will welcome Charles Barkley and the TNT team to Minneapolis. Postgame Barkley noted it had been some time since he had visited the state, and Edwards told him it was time to end that stretch.

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves Open as West Finals Favorite vs Dallas Mavericks

Noting Kyrie Irving will be his matchup, Edwards is flipping the page to the next round. As the three seed Minnesota will have plenty of momentum riding back to the Target Center. The Timberwolves went 3-1 against Dallas this season, and they held down home court advantage winning both matchups in Minnesota.

Chuck: "I have not been to Minnesota in probably 20 years."

Ant: "Bring ya ass!" 😂 pic.twitter.com/GRJ7iLvinC

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 20, 2024

Luka Doncic is the next superstar that the defense will have to contend with, and that side of the ball has been the team’s calling card all year long. The Denver Nuggets are the latest defending champion that fails to advance beyond the second round, and Minnesota taking down a juggernaut like that en route to the final round on their side of the bracket is something else.

Related: A-Rod, Marc Lore Acting and Partying Like Majority Owners of the Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have to hope that Edwards returns to form on Wednesday in Game 1 against the Mavericks, and if that happens out of the gate, then Minnesota has to be excited about their chances to advance.

In what might have been the best game in franchise history, a Timberwolves fan base was able to believe in a team that truly has shown incredible levels of ability. The ride isn’t over yet. Someone check on Draymond Green.

Jordan, who starred in the movie Space Jam, was tasked with defeating the Monstars to win his freedom back. Well, what if Edwards is a monster coming back for his revenge? At this point, we can’t rule anything out.

Charles Barkley agrees. Well, not with the Space Jam theory, but he does view Edwards as an otherworldly talent. Neither he nor Stephen A. Smith are not savants on Minnesota culture though, that’s for sure.

“That boy Anthony Edwards. They’re gonna get that boy all the Three Lakes and the Twin Cities by the time his career is over. Because Anthony Edwards is a flat-out monster. They’re going to give him Minneapolis and Saint Paul. They’re gonna have to give him all those cities by the time he does his next contract because he’s a great player, and he’s ascending. So he’s unbelievable.”

Charles Barkley gushing about Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards’ max contract begins in 2025 without keys to the Twin Cities or even three lakes (but that’s not a bad deal)

I’m not saying the entire Twin Cities is out of the question but I would definitely like to start the negotiations at three of our 10,000+ lakes. If Ant will stay forever at that price, he’d be totally worth it. In all honesty, I might have given him at least 1,000 of them if that’s what it took.

Sir Charles Barkley’s contract offer sounds pretty enticing, but there’s a reason he’s not an NBA GM and never will be. By the time his career is over, Anthony Edwards should have no trouble seeing his No. 5 jersey retired in the rafters of the Target Center.

Related: Draymond Green Puts Anthony Edwards on Blast for ‘Outlandish’ All-Star Weekend Behavior

Lucky for the Timberwolves, Edwards recently signed a five-year, maximum-level contract extension with the Timberwolves that keeps him in Minnesota through the 2028-29 season. This contract will pay Edwards at least $35.2 million in 2024-25 and could even increase if he is named to an All-NBA team.

Depending on how he performs and how well the Wolves do in the playoffs, Edwards may very well have yet another massive raise coming to him in due time. If he helps the Timberwolves win their first-ever NBA Championship, then Edwards should get all of what Barkley suggests and then some.