The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, is thriving and slowly becoming the fan favorite to win the title this season. Despite Karl Anthony Towns’s injury due to a torn meniscus, the team is showing no signs of stopping.
On Thursday night, with a back-and-forth competition against the Indiana Pacers, the Timberwolves stood on top after Anthony Edwards’ clutch play during the final seconds. Which made the fans jump off their seats, giving MVP chants to the two-time all-star.
Anthony Edwards hits his head on the rim in game-saving block
Matching his season-high of 44 points, Anthony Edwards showed a world-class performance in a matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. He made a clutch three-pointer to tie the game with only 1:11 minutes remaining.
He later made the game-saving block at the buzzer, hit his head on the rim, and fell. But the Ant-Man living up to his name immediately got up, flexed his muscles, and started celebrating, with Rudy Gobert giving his team a 113-111 victory over the Pacers.
In a post-game interview with Bally Sports North, Edwards said, “My pain tolerance is high, I fell hard right there just then on that block. I think I’m a pretty tough dude, though.”
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Charles Barkley advocates for Anthony’s MVP bid
Without Timberwolves star player Karl Anthony Towns, the Ant-Man has taken over the court and proved himself to be an MVP-caliber player this season. According to NBA legend Charles Barkley, if the Timberwolves can hold their spot at the top by winning the Western Conference, Anthony Edwards should be considered an MVP candidate.
“But without Karl-Anthony Towns for a month, if Minnesota can hold on to the No. 1 spot, he can be the MVP. 100%,” said Barkley.
Putting the team on his back, doing everything on the court, and securing a road victory while coping with an important asset’s injury is just surreal, according to the NBA legend. Being 22 years old and averaging a team-high of 26.4 points per game while making sure of the team’s success should be considered a valid candidate in the MVP race.
The former MVP, Shaquille O’Neal, was not convinced by Barkley’s argument and said, “No way! You mean to tell me, if the season stopped today, with Minnesota up by only one game, you’re going to give it to him?”
Despite the analyst’s opinions, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, if they stay in rhythm in the postseason as well, can certainly be a threat to the fan-favorite Boston Celtics for the NBA title.
