Did Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards Give Kyrie Irving Motivation During Mavericks Win?
The Dallas Mavericks are now just three wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in 13 years after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-105 Wednesday.
The Game 1 win, which marked the first time the Mavericks have taken a 1-0 lead in a playoff series under coach Jason Kidd, was in large thanks to a big game from Kyrie Irving, as he finished with 30 points on 12/23 shooting from the field.
However, the Mavericks may also have Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards to thank after he provided the 32-year-old with extra motivation to score the most points he has in a Mavericks uniform.
As shown during TNT's broadcast of the game, Edwards was "mic'd up" during the Mavericks win, and the footage shows him not only staring down Irving after hitting a three, which the 32-year-old contested, but then exchanging words.
"Come on, man! It's for you, ain't it," Edwards said to Irving.
May 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks during game one of the western conference finals for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Target Center.
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The in-game trash talk came after Edwards' viral post-game interview with TNT, in which, following the Timberwolves' Game 7 win over the Denver Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals, he revealed he'd be the one responsible for guarding Irving.
"My matchup is going to be Kyrie, so that's going to be fun," Edwards said. "We're going to see what I can do vs. him."
Harmless, right? Well, yes, it was harmless, and Edwards was certainly respectful of Irving. However, as the one-time champion revealed in his post-game press conference, Irving used it as motivation nonetheless.
"I used it as motivation… That's a no-fear mentality, and that's why we love Ant," Irving said.
Now, heading into Game 2 on Friday, the Timberwolves will be hoping that they didn't poke the proverbial bear again. Meanwhile, the Mavericks will look to take a 2-0 lead back to Dallas. Tipoff inside the Target Center is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (CT).
