MINNEAPOLIS — The Celtics did not want to let Anthony Edwards beat them on Thursday night. Jayson Tatum asked to the defend the All-Star guard from the jump and the team threw multiple bodies at the 30-point scorer all night. The Wolves supporting cast took advantage of all the attention, hitting 53.8 percent of their 3s as a team. However, the bigger purpose for Boston was to take Edwards out of his element and that was successful in the victory.
The Wolves star showed his age after the 118-115 defeat, acknowledging that Boston’s ability to limit him to just 15 shot attempts and 15 points caused him to be frustrated all night with the constant extra attention he saw all over the floor.
“Hell no. That was a good brand of basketball. It’s not how I want to play, of course,” Edwards said of Boston’s defense. “I’m only 23, I don’t wanna just be passing the ball all night… But the way they’re guarding me, I think I have to.”
Edwards did dish out six assists while facing a constant crowd from Boston but his frustration clearly bled into his defense. He was distracted on several possessions, getting back late in transition while complaining about a call or simply lacking hustle. The Wolves played one of their best offensive games of the year even with his limited production but Edwards was still focused in on his own offense in the aftermath rather than defensive issues.
“Super hard, super hard, super hard, super hard,” Edwards said of his night. “Because I’m wired to score the ball.”
Edwards went on to voice his frustrations about the Celtics tactics.
“Yeah, even when I might have the shot, I’m like, ‘Aw they bringing two.’ Or a lane. I don’t know, man. I don’t know. I watch film, trying to figure it out. It’s hard to beat two NBA players, you know what I mean? These dudes are NBA players. It’s not like high school or middle school. These dudes, 6-8, 6-9, long strong, athletic. Then they funneling me to the dude who 8 feet tall at the rim. It’s crazy.”
While Edwards was miffed with the Celtics strategy, Tatum was showing his maturity. He took on the primary assignment of slowing down Edwards but tried to pass the credit to his teammates for slowing down the All-Star.
“Like I said, it’s not a one person job,” Tatum said. “He’s extremely talented, so explosive, can go both ways, can shoot. He’s one of the best players in this league that we have. As a competitor, take on the challenge, follow the game plan, obviously, you got help behind you, just try to make it tough on guys like that.”
That distinct difference in mentality between two stars is representative of why the Wolves are middling around .500 and the Celtics still find a way to win without two starters on the road.
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