When You CONFRONT Kyrie, But It BACKFIRES Badly...
412,359
Published 2024-05-23
Things completely backfired on Anthony Edwards as he woke up the sleeping giant and Kyrie went crazy on him.
However things started off great for Ant and Minnesota. As they came out shooting lights out to start the game led by Jaden Mcdaniels who went 3 for 3 in the opening quarter.
And when Edwards did this, I got flashbacks of those Denver blowouts…
Already a 9 point lead and the momentum on Minnesota’s side. And with buckets like this ultra slow motion three pointer, as well as…whatever this is, both by Kyle Anderson of course, I wouldn’t blame Dalas if they got demoralized early on.
But the Mavs did not panic, as they had the ultra aggressive version of Kyrie Irving going at Edwards and blowing past him for 13 points in the first.
Luka had Mcdaniels on him, and he was able to exploit the matchup and operate in the pick and roll, to get to his spot and knock it down.
The Mavs were able to weather the storm early on and make it a back and forth battle.
Thing is, with all the focus defensively being on the main guys from Minnesota, Mcdaniels and Anderson continued to boost the Timberwolves offense. And things started escalating again with this…
But once again, with a 9 point deficit facing his team, Kyrie again comes to the rescue. Irving had 24 points in the first half on 11 for 14 from the field, absolutely zooming past Edwards and the defense all the way to the rim.
In the second half, Luka and Kyrie looked to attack from the pick and roll and created for themselves, but also got the big man involved.
Dallas scored a modest 23 points on 43% from the field, but they were able to limit the home team to 21 points on a bad 33% shooting. Some of it was great defensive effort by the Mavs, but admittedly, they got lucky on a few possessions as the Timberwolves missed some open shots.
By the end of the third quarter, Edwards had only 13 points on 4 for 12. And him having to run around all over the court and chase Kyrie might have had something to do with it. He seemed exhausted at times, which forced him to settle for some shots and not put pressure on the defense.
He would even stand way back at times, not participating in the offense to catch his breath.
In the meantime, as the 4th quarter came around, Doncic continued his onslaught in the pick and roll.
Doncic scored 15 points in the final period, and with the help from the role players, they took control in the final minutes.
But then, Edwards and the Timberwolves finally woke up and started hitting shots, to cut into the 9 point deficit.
And the arena completely exploded when they took over the lead.
And just like that, this became a shootout…
And in a crucial possession with a minute to go, the Mavs played perfect defense with Doncic making a huge play.
What a save by Luka stunting at the drive and getting back to intercept the pass that would have certainly led to the alley oop dunk and the tie.
This sets up Luka with the isolation in the clutch, and…
LUKA 0:49 (VIDI I REPRIZA ZA FILLER)
Wooow the patented stepback to give Dallas a 4 point lead, bringing them extremely close to the win.
All the Mavs need now is just 1 final stop, and they initially get the miss, but Naz Reid tips it back in to keep the thriller going.
There is still hope for Minnesota, if Kyrie misses 1 of these 2 free throws, but he stays ice cold knocking down both, and pretty much sealing the deal for a game 1 win on the road.
And he had a message back to ANT after the game as well.
KYRIE: I WAS MOTIVATED
Maaan, what a game by him and Doncic as they scored or assisted on 88 out of the 108 Mavs points. That’s involvement in 81% of the Dallas points between the 2 of them. Incredible.
On rategame, the app that I’m a part of we score each game by how good they are, and I gave this one an 8.4. And I totally agree with Yousef, Ant seemed tired out there having to chase Kyrie. Download the app in the link in the description and join us in rating these games.
The West finals started out with a bang, but yesterday we saw a masterclass in how to choke away a playoff game. You gotta see this to believe it. Click the video right here. Talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
All Comments (21)
-
having anthony edwards guarding kyrie is just a really bad coaching decision in my opinion...i am not trying tp start (he can or can't do it) debate , my point is he is your superstar and the main point of attack and it does not matter even if you are the best defender with best stamina in the world defending kyrie will tire you and it is just not worth the tradeoff
-
What a turn around year for Gafford, from one of the worst teams in the league to this death squad called Dallas Mavs
-
trying to defend uncle drew is like trying to catch ferrari with fiat
-
Ant realized quickly that he's not guarding Jamal Murray anymore.
-
Ant’s reputation and hype skyrocketed this postseason but he ain’t on Luka and Kyrie’s level.
-
Kyrie still having that burst/first step at 32 is amazing. The handles are godly but that speed is his secret weapon. I hope he can stay quick for a few more years.
-
looking Ant unable to keep up Uncle Drew's pace has been really hilarious
-
MIN got forced into the Dallas game plan: allow nothing inside and make MIN beat you with perimeter shots. Contest but don't try to prevent them. What I saw is if you got KAT and Rudy involved on perimeter action on offense, then the lane was open for cuts or a good roll. And the unique thing about KAT is he can either pass to Gobert rolling or the cutter, or pop for the 3. So I'm surprised they didn't use this much: it was great the couple times they tried it. So kudos to J Kidd's game plan and MIN needs to game plan for that. I feel like DAL was a step ahead in planning last night.
-
How I see it is that Ant was excited to be matched against one of his idols. It's a sign of respect for Kyrie saying it's gonna be fun trying to guard him. He's previously said how good he thinks Kyrie is.
-
Personally I love it. This is some old school energy. Ant man is a competitor and wanted the smoke (respectfully) and Kyrie stepped up to the challenge. This is great for the game. Kobe used to quote Babe Ruth back in the day; “Swing big, miss big, just don’t be afraid of the moment.”
-
Ant challenging Kyrie reminds me of Kyrie challenging Kobe during the Team USA practice. At the end of the day as competitor you want to be the BEST so I salute both of them.
-
I mean, I love Ant, but seeing a veteran like Kyrie ball like that, you have to live and respect that 🫡
-
Edwards might be compared to MJ, but we shall see, we shall see. He looked like Kyrie's 8-year-old son out there.
-
'Something is wrong with Anthony Edwards'. Damn right it is, Kyrie is putting him in a spin cycle. That boy's head is spinning.
-
This MIN team reminds me a bit of last year’s Grizzlies. Huge potential, but they started celebrating before winning and you pay that in the playoffs against these kind of players
-
Kyrie's ability to consistently make these types of shots is just 1 of a kind. The degree of difficulty is elite!
-
man, i love this camerawork, whoever operates the camera should get a raise
-
One of the problems with Ant -Man is his conditioning , his wind is not enough to chase or guard a shooting guard juggernaut name Kyrie
-
Didn't know today Steph was disguised as McDaniel, nice surprise
-
I love this series man gonna be a good one
