The San Antonio Spurs, all of their inexperienced selves, just made a loud statement. They beat the Timberwolves at their home turf. The Spurs didn’t even allow Anthony Edwards and Co. to enjoy a second of having the lead. This was ruthless execution and precise attention to detail. On the other hand, Minnesota got stuck in a tale of missed shots, lost rebounds, and frustrated possessions. Yet they kept chasing, kept hoping for one run to change the mood, but by midway through the fourth quarter, even they knew the night had slipped too far away. That was when the white flag finally came out.

Anthony Edwards walked right up to the Spurs bench to share his respect. He admitted defeat. But commentator Jeff Van Gundy wasn’t pleased with how Ant handled himself in that situation. “I would much rather see him wait till the end of the game,” said the commentator. The issue wasn’t that Edwards acknowledged San Antonio. It was that he did it with the clock still running, in an elimination game, while some of his own teammates were still out there finishing the night.

This wasn’t like the moment the Bad Boy Pistons walked out on Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Anthony Edwards did shake their hands. He did before the final buzzer, but was still sitting on the team bench, watching the third-string players get some touches in the final quarter. Before that, in the time Edwards spent on the court, he was trying.

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The Timberwolves’ cornerstone finished the game with 24 points. He didn’t have an efficient night. Edwards took 26 shots, but never went passive due to his misses. He had also been fighting through a difficult series physically, having returned earlier despite a hyperextended knee and bone bruising. However, as a team, Minnesota didn’t bring the ferocity they’ve shown during the playoffs. The Spurs grabbed 31 more rebounds, creating a 21-12 second-chance points advantage. San Antonio also shot 55.7% from the field and 47.4% from three, turning the closeout game into a complete display of shot-making, ball movement, and control on the glass.

The Timberwolves never brought the deficit to single digits. They tried to play catch-up, but the Spurs found their runs, such as a 20-0 stretch to open the second quarter. That burst pushed San Antonio’s lead to 56-27 and gave the game a shape Minnesota spent the rest of the night trying to undo. By the time Edwards sat in the fourth, he knew the starting string wouldn’t go back in. That’s the reason he went over to the Spurs’ side.

“At that point, you know you ain’t going back in, so you’re just trying to get them the respect that they deserve,” Edwards explained. He also kept his postgame assessment simple: “Tip my hat to them. They’re just a better team.”

The conduct could have been better on Edwards’ side. However, at no point did he demean the Spurs or his teammates. The Timberwolves had pulled the plug. Interestingly so, Jeff Van Gundy wasn’t the only one who didn’t approve of Ant’s antics. Sitting in the studio of NBA on Prime, Dirk Nowitzki, Blake Griffin, and Udonis Haslem also shared their two cents. The icons of the game clearly couldn’t believe their eyes.

Anthony Edwards’ “respect” move didn’t sit well with the NBA legends

Dirk Nowitzki has played 21 seasons in the league. Yet, he has never witnessed anyone do what Anthony Edwards did with eight minutes left in regulation. “I’ve never seen this, a guy walking into the huddle with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter and dapping up the entire team,” the Dallas Mavericks legend admitted. “Too much for me. Obviously, you can do that after the game and show plenty of respect. That was a little strange for me.”

Meanwhile, the 2009 No.1 pick, Blake Griffin, agreed with Dirk. He said, “Yeah, I agree with you on that. I’ve never seen that before. I mean, I do like what he said, that he wants to give them respect, but I think you wait and you have to take your licks at the end of the game like everybody else. I do want to say, he was definitely hobbled. Minnesota definitely hobbled.”

Griffin added, “With DiVincenzo out, Ayo didn’t look like he was full strength either. And they played hard. It was a valiant effort, but he was right. San Antonio was just a better team.” Donte DiVincenzo’s season ended in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets when he sustained a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Meanwhile, Ayo Dosunmu wasn’t his best. He played 23 minutes, chipping in 10 points, 1 rebound, and 9 assists. The bigger problem was that Minnesota’s other key pieces never gave Edwards enough support. Julius Randle shot just 1-for-8 for three points, while Rudy Gobert went scoreless and finished with only three rebounds in 22 minutes.

Now it was Udonis Haslem’s time to take the floor. It’s safe to say that the Miami Heat legend didn’t mince words. “Some of the things I saw, I didn’t like. And what I will say is, as great as Ant is as a basketball player, there’s still some growth for him as well,” Haslem said. “Because as a leader, I would not have walked down there and shook their hand. I would not have walked down there and shook their hand with eight minutes left in the game. As a leader of my troops and my guys, I would not show that weakness.”

He went on. “The game is not over. I got eight minutes left. I still got smoke coming out of my ears. I’m so damn mad we’re losing. Let me calm down for those eight minutes since I’m not in. And then after those eight minutes, I’ll go down there and congratulate them and their coaching staff.”

Haslem also added, “But in the middle of the game, when I got guys that have sat on the bench and cheered me on, no, I’m gonna sit there and cheer those guys on. I’m gonna put that energy back into those guys. And then when the game’s over, I’ll go over there and shake their hand. So that’s just the way I handle things. I’m a little bit different. I’m a little bit old school.”

The 3-time NBA champ also pointed out an interesting fact. He said that Victor Wembanyama would’ve never shaken hands with eight minutes left on the clock, like Anthony Edwards. “I don’t think if they were beating San Antonio, Wemby would have gone down there and shook his hand with eight minutes left; I don’t think so. I damn sure know Wemby wouldn’t have gone down there and shook his hand.”

That is where the debate around Edwards really sits. His explanation came from a place of respect, but Haslem and the others saw it through the lens of leadership. To them, the handshakes could have waited. With eight minutes still on the clock, the better look would have been Edwards staying with his own bench and giving that energy to the players still competing.

Despite being one of the youngest teams, the San Antonio Spurs are title contenders. Stephon Castle made sure of that with the most complete performance of the night, finishing with 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists while knocking down five threes. De’Aaron Fox added 21 points and 9 assists, and Victor Wembanyama chipped in 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks as the Spurs’ starters overwhelmed Minnesota’s first unit. A mouth-watering conference finals against the Thunder awaits them. They had the edge during the regular season.

San Antonio won four of the five meetings between the teams, including the NBA Cup semifinals, but Castle was quick to push that aside after Game 6. “The games ahead are a totally different game,” he said, noting that Oklahoma City is rolling and will be tough to knock off. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves stumbled terribly, and Anthony Edwards just hoisted the white flag before the buzzer could end the night. And now, as the Spurs chase after OKC, can they replicate their success against them in the playoffs? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.