Anthony Edwards, known as Ant-Man, has been the subject of scrutiny following his actions in the fourth quarter of game six against the San Antonio Spurs. The Minnesota Timberwolves were destroyed by the Spurs 139-109 to close out the second round. The game, as the final score would indicate, was over way before the final buzzer. Edwards acted as such, and many, including a former NBA champion, were not fans of the move. Here is what went down, the criticism that followed, and what Edwards had to say in response.
With approximately eight minutes left in game six of the Western Conference semifinals, San Antonio guard Stephon Castle made a driving layup to put his team up 128-95. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called a timeout to empty the bench, waiving the white flag. Being that this would be Minnesota’s final game of the season, Ant-Man decided then and there to congratulate the Spurs.
Edwards was asked in the postgame press conference why he decided to do that in the middle of the game rather than waiting until the final buzzer. Ant-Man said he knew he was not going back in and wanted to show them respect, but did not elaborate further at the time.
During the handshakes, commentator and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy said he would much rather Edwards had waited until the end of the game. Van Gundy, ironically, also said that he wanted to hear his former player, Udonis Haslem, comment on the incident during the postgame show.
Haslem, who goes by UD, would indeed offer his thoughts on Edwards dapping up the entire San Antonio team with time left in the game. UD has an old-school mentality and isn’t here for players congratulating the other squad before the final buzzer sounds.
Haslem believes that there is still room for growth in leadership and mentality from Edwards. No matter the circumstances, handshakes and hugs should not happen until the clock reads triple zero in the eyes of UD.
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Edwards took to his YouTube channel on Saturday to further explain his decision to congratulate the Spurs early. Ant-Man did not feel the need to stick around after the game and felt that his critics were overreacting.
I feel like everybody just got they own opinion. Yeah, it’s eight minutes in the game, but we not going back in the game. When you win a playoff series, everybody is celebrating at the end of the game. So, they gon be smiling while we, well, while I’m pissed off that we just lost.
Edwards went on to say that he did not want to shake their hands at all, which would have obviously led to a whole different level of criticism. That portion of the conversation ended with him saying, “That’s why I’m me, and y’all are whoever y’all are.” With that statement, the door for scrutiny of Edwards will probably remain open.
The decision to dap up San Antonio with eight minutes left in the game was a bit bizarre, but it probably does not warrant questioning Ant-Man’s leadership and mentality. What he did was essentially the equivalent of preparing to leave work before work is actually over. That way, when it is time to go, all you have to do is grab your keys and hit the exit!
That is something we can all relate to. If your day ends at 5:00 PM, you are doing those final email checks and closing out tabs on your computer ten minutes before leaving. That is especially true on the Friday before going on extended PTO, which is the case now with Minnesota. There was no point in putting more energy into it, as UD also suggested, since the game and the season were more or less already wrapped up.
Edwards is the same man who urges reporters to talk to his teammates to ensure they get the praise they deserve after a big win. Ant-Man was also playing in the series with only one good leg, as he was dealing with a hyperextension and a bone bruise in his left knee. If that doesn’t speak to his leadership and mentality, I’m not sure what would.
The All-NBA guard marches to the beat of his own drum. The way that he leads may not be traditional, but Edwards is definitely someone you want as the face of an NBA franchise. Discussions surrounding the Timberwolves should not be about Edwards’ leadership but rather acquiring the necessary pieces around him to compete at the highest level. The Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are probably not going away anytime soon, so Minnesota may need to make a blockbuster move to capitalize during this current window.
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