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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Although many observers had predicted the Lakers would be the favorites, they were nonetheless dominated in five games by Minnesota. Anthony Edwards played an active role in the carnage, with LeBron James paying tribute to him after the Purple and Gold’s season ended.
At just 23 years old, his record is already impressive. Last year, Anthony Edwards managed to eliminate Kevin Durant and then Nikola Jokic with his Timberwolves, and this season, he also managed to send LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s Lakers on vacation. Now, he has the opportunity to do the same with Stephen Curry’s Warriors, especially since the latter is expected to be out until Game 6.
Last night, as his team regained the lead in the series with a Game 3 victory, the former first pick in the draft put out a big performance with 36 points, including 28 on 10-for-16 shooting in the second half. A high-level performance from the guard who had already caused the Lakers quite a few problems in the first round.
LeBron James pays tribute to Anthony Edwards’ progress
Averaging over 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists against the Purple and Gold, Ant-Man constantly harassed their defense while occasionally engaging in a gunslinger duel with Luka Doncic. Ultimately, Los Angeles never really found the right formula to shut down the young superstar. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, as LeBron James told Steve Nash on the Mind The Game podcast:
He’s improved so much with his playmaking. And you’ve seen him make the jump, you know, just from last year’s playoff run all the way to just one playoff series right there. He was super patient. Even when we were getting up in the gaps, and sometimes we would double him, sometimes we would smoke, sometimes we would just be up in the gaps, just trying to make him think, you know? And we did.
He had one quote where he was like, ‘Their defense is confusing and making me think.’ And he figured it out, you know? So I commend him, man. He just, he grew throughout our series that I think is going to benefit him throughout the rest of this run. We wanted to try to change pitches on him as much as possible because you don’t ever give one player, no great players, one steady diet of the same thing.
But, you know, even when you try to double him, his ability to erase double teams, to split double teams, to get creative, and he’s still strong too. So it’s not like he’s a frail guy where you can double him and be super aggressive with him and get him on. He’s learned over time. But he’s strong. He has a low center of gravity. He has a great handle. He can shoot the ball extremely well.
