We only saw Anthony Edwards at about 60% last night. Widely deemed the NBA’s next face, Ant made himself available for Game 1 out of nowhere. And despite Victor Wembanyama’s playoff record of 12 blocks, the Minnesota Timberwolves still won. The four-time All-Star scored 18 points in a rare appearance off the bench. Although Edwards was the second-highest scorer on his team, he remained self-critical of his performance in his usual fashion. Was he really needed today, though?

The Timberwolves proved in this postseason that they’re not fully reliant on their star player. And rightly so, because if they were, they’d not beat Nikola Jokic and Denver to get here. Edwards hasn’t been at his peak for weeks. Prior to that scary knee buckle in the first round, he was playing through a runner’s knee issue. And when Ant couldn’t fly across the court, Ayo Dosunmu, Rudy Gobert, Donte DiVincenzo, and Jaden McDaniels took over. But the team was depleted by more injuries before last night’s game, and Edwards then took matters into his own hands. After the game, though, he did not appear entitled but candid.

“I made so many mistakes at the end of the game, I’m disappointed in myself,” Edwards said. His response left the interviewer stunned, who then revealed that no one had expected him to play in the first place. “For me, 75% of the game for me is my mind. My mind’s got to be where it needs to be, and in the last two minutes of the game, it wasn’t… I may not be as athletic as I usually am, but I’ve got to be able to box out, make the small plays to win the big time games.”

The Wolves star took accountability for three mistakes during the final stretch. “I gave up 2 offensive rebounds, turned the ball over, yeah. I’ll be better,” Edwards continued. “I can’t give up two offensive rebounds to Champagnie.” So, Ant failed to box out Justin Champagnie, leading to two offensive rebounds and putback layups. More importantly, with just 33 seconds left on the clock, his turnover led to a transition dunk by Dylan Harper, leaving the Spurs trailing by only two. That was when tension actually crept in, but if you roll back the footage, Ant did not panic. Him taking accountability for his mistakes is not new.

Even before the season began, Edwards was locked in and ready for his third straight Conference Finals appearance. He added endless sessions of one-dribble pull-ups and defensive drills to his routine. And his mindset was clear: “We’re trying to get back to the number one defense in the league, and I know it starts with me. I told my teammates to hold me accountable, coaches included.”

Last night, Edwards had 11 points in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter on 5 of 6 shooting, but he didn’t score again the rest of the way… As the 24-year-old remains critical, let’s not forget that he was expected to miss at least the first two games of the series after suffering a bone bruise and hyper-extending his left knee on April 25 during Game 4 of Minnesota’s opening-round series against Denver. Instead, he made a remarkable recovery in just nine days. His recovery draws immediate parallels to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s legendary 2021 comeback.

The Bucks superstar missed 2 games after an injury against the Hawks in Conference Finals Game 4. Just 6 days later, he started Game 1 of the Finals and played 35 minutes. In fact, the Greek Freak played through pain, capping the series with a 50-point, 14-rebound, 5-block performance in the title-clinching Game 6, and won the Finals MVP! Edwards brings a similar, if not more hardcore, mentality to the table every day. He took 9 days, but wasn’t 100%.

Edwards appeared to grimace and grab at his left knee while getting back on defense. But tonight’s 25-minute action should be a warning sign for the Spurs. He was in vintage Ant mode when he drilled a step-back 3-pointer early in the game. Edwards looked toward the bench and screamed, “I’m back! I’m back!” After the game, Julius Randle and Mike Conley commended their young teammate for his mentality and die-hard attitude.

“I just remember last year, being here at the beginning of the year, and he would take a nasty fall or a hit or whatever,” Randle said. “We might have to call a timeout, and you’re like, ‘Damn, he might be hurt for real.’ Then he just gets up. I’m not surprised.” On Sunday, Edwards’ team posted a video to his YouTube channel entitled “Don’t Count Me Out” that detailed his injury and recovery. Nothing was stopping Ant from returning to the playoffs, not even his coach.

How Chris Finch played a super-important role with Anthony Edwards in Game 1

Since the Wolves were the only third team to beat the Spurs in the regular season, the matchup was always going to be intriguing. The 19 lead changes in this game were a clear example of that. It was an even matchup in terms of shooting (45% for Spurs vs. 46% for Wolves). Even the rebounding (47-46) and TO (13-10) battle was close. That’s where head coach Chris Finch came in clutch with his decision-making.

Anthony Edwards started from the bench for only the third time in his career. With a minute restriction to avoid further damage, Ant played 5, 5, and 4 minutes in the first three quarters. Then, the Wolves star played 10 minutes in the final frame and erupted with 11 points. His contributions also included 71% FG, 1 assist, and 1 block on Dylan Harper. It was all possible as Finch had the right adjustments throughout the game to save his 4x All-Star for the end.

Even hoops legend Tracy McGrady appreciated the Wolves’ head coach. “I want to tip my hat off to Finch,” he said on the post-game show on Peacock. “Yeah, I thought this was a well-coached game from Finch, particularly how he utilized Ant-Man. He was going in increments of minutes in the first half to reserve him for the fourth quarter. And he was extremely aggressive in that fourth quarter, taking over the game. So Finch was making all the right moves tonight, and it paid off for these guys. So I want to tip my hat off to him as well.”

With just one day’s rest in between matchups until Game 4, it will be important for Finch to provide proper rest for Edwards. However, it won’t be easy, as they have the challenge of Victor Wembanyama looming.