Here Comes Anthony Edwards; NBA Play-In Tournament Takeaways
From Anthony Edward’s coming out party to the incredibly frustrating Cavaliers, here are my four takeaways from the play-in tournament.
The NBA Play-In Tournament started off with a bang. Last night, the two games to decide the 7th seed in each conference didn’t disappoint. From Ant-Man’s coming-out party to the hate-watch Cavs, here are my takeaways from last night.
Brooklyn Nets: Chris Broussard Is Dumb / Center Rotation Is Good?
Before this game, Chris Broussard said something that has stuck with me in the worst possible way.
“My problem with the Nets is their Batman has a Robin mentality and their Robin has a Batman mentality.”
Pop culture references aside, this is one of the dumber things I’ve heard in a while. For starters, who cares about mentality? Sure, Kyrie Irving is probably more assertive than KD, but guess what? He knows that Kevin Durant is better than him. Kevin Durant is better than pretty much everyone else in the NBA!
Last night was a microcosm of what this duo can do when they’re clicking. Yes, Irving was awesome and seemed like the focal point. But, not for one second did anyone in that arena believe that it wasn’t KD’s team. Nobody. KD still shot more times than Irving, who didn’t miss a shot until the 4th quarter.
To me, I don’t see why there’s a problem with the “differing mentalities.” The Nets can use all the help they can get, and if that means that the supposed Robin has to act like Batman for stretches, so be it. What’s the worst that can happen? The Nets losing yet another superstar? Pfft.
The Center Rotation Is…Good??
Now that that’s off my chest, here is my real takeaway from this game. Brooklyn’s frontcourt has been a vacuum of sub-par play for the past two seasons. At times, it’s appeared that they’ve found a long-term answer, but that has never come.
Guys like Aldridge, Griffin, Drummond, and Claxton play sporadically, so it’s hard to know who is the best option for Steve Nash. The play-in tournament may have given us that answer.
Andre Drummond got the start and was quite good. He had 16 points and 8 rebounds, eating up space down low. His defense wasn’t half bad, and the Nets were a +9 when he was on the court. By Andre Drummond’s standards, that’s a great game.
Off the bench, Nicolas Claxton was excellent. He had 13 points, 9 boards, and 5 blocks on the night, all in just 29 minutes.
No matter what Bruce Brown thinks of Boston’s frontcourt, it’s still excellent. To stand a chance in that series, the Nets will have to figure out what they want to do down low. Both of those guys have good traits, but there’s a reason they don’t play consistently. It’ll be interesting to see how productive they are in the playoffs.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Most Frustrating Team on the Planet
The Cleveland Cavaliers are the perfect hate-watch experience. It’s easy to get behind them with stars like Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. When they’ve had their best non-Lebron season in decades, hopping on their bandwagon is fun. Their first run-in with the playoffs was the opposite of fun.
Watching the Cavs is like watching a pet that doesn’t understand something like a window. It’s cute, but it’s also really sad at the same time. Cleveland’s lack of offensive creators was a problem all season long. On the biggest stage of the season, it was the reason they lost.
When playing against two of the greatest offensive players in history, the margin for error is thin. That’s why these plays drive me bonkers. They just can’t happen if this team wants to be competitive.
The REAL Frustrating Part
Those three clips from above are just a sample of what the Cavs did, or rather, didn’t do against the Nets. They missed almost every open three they got. On top of that, every time they went down low, it felt like they were getting blocked. Not fun.
This team’s outlook is obviously still bright, but they need to continue to work to reach that next level. It won’t matter how many open shots they create if Cedi Osman is on the receiving end.
Minnesota T-Wolves: Anthony Edwards Is Here To Stay + Pat Bev Revenge
The Minnesota Timberwolves were dead in the water. They were struggling to contain LA’s offense, and the game was slipping out of reach. Karl-Anthony Towns ended his miserable night by fouling out with 7:34 left in the game.
Minnesota was down 7 at that point. The thunderous crowd had gone quiet. Minnesota needed a spark to turn this game around and fast. It came in the form of Anthony Edwards.
He went to Georgia for a reason.
At the time, I thought this was a classic Edwards ill-advised shot. And it was, just by looking at the shot clock. But who cares? He made it.
He’s Growing Up Right In Front Of Us
Patrick Beverley was proud of Ant for a reason. Who wouldn’t be? Not many 20-year-olds can take over a postseason game like that, especially when their best player isn’t on the floor. I also agree with D’Angelo Russell when he said the T-Wolves are supposed to be here. I think that applies to Edwards, too.
Over the past few seasons, we’ve seen youngsters dominate playoff series like never before. With an opportunity to face Ja Morant in the postseason, Edwards’ explosion could just be getting started.
Pat Bev Got His Revenge
Patrick Beverley plays with his heart on his sleeve. We’ve seen him do that time and time again over the years. Last night was his finest hour. His hustle was crucial to slowing down the Clippers in the 4th quarter.
Everything annoying about Beverley was on display. He was making weird faces. His arms flapped like a bird as he riled up the feverish crowd. And. of course, he got up in your face. The total package.
At the end of the game, he did his best Lebron impersonation as he jumped onto the scorers’ table, throwing his jersey into the stands. However, the most telling moment came much later. Beverley was visibly emotional, having just drained himself against the team that didn’t want him.
Now, for the first time in a long time, Minnesota feels dangerous heading into the playoffs. I can drool over Anthony Edwards’ coming-out party all I want. but Minnesota is moving on because of Beverley.
LA Clippers: Don’t Tell Me They’re Back To Choking
In my preview of this game, I praised the Clippers’ intangibles. I said I would rather have Tyronn Lue, rather, the Bill Belichick of the NBA, in an elimination game than Chris Finch, who is pretty inexperienced. What happened next may shock you.
*Curb your enthuism theme starts playing*
How do you lose this game? HOW??? Minnesota, an inexperienced playoff team, throughoughly outplayed you down the stretch, shutting you down at every turn. Tyronn Lue just stood there and watched as his team crumbled and died.
LA had a 10-point lead early in the 4th quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns hardly made an impact. Paul George couldn’t miss, and was causing Minnesota’s best defenders into foul trouble. All of that, and STILL, this team found a way to lose. Pathetic.
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