In the final stage of the second round of the NBA playoffs, the Celtics became the first team to advance, they easily defeated the Cavaliers with a total score of 4-1, reached the Eastern Conference finals four times in five years, and the other three sets of matchups also entered the final stage, the Knicks and Mavericks both took the lead in their respective series to get the match point, and the Timberwolves and Nuggets were tied 3-3 after the first six games, and the two sides will play a tiebreaker to determine the promotion spot.
In recent years, the salaries of NBA players have risen, and the salaries of young players have increased significantly compared to older players at the same stage of their careers.
In almost every draft, there will be players who get early contract extensions when they meet the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement, and a considerable number of them are still with the highest salary, and some players can't play to match the performance after signing the contract, and take the team to wander outside the playoffs, while players like Alexander and Brunson are going to the playoffs with higher intensity to bloom themselves and lead the team forward. Edwards, a young quarterback born in the 00s, has staged amazing performances again and again.
Minnesota, who looks like Jordan, has become the "new wolf king"
This season, Edwards has appeared in front of fans with a neat short hairstyle, he has been mentioned more than once to look like Jordan, coupled with the frequent difficult gliding layups that show his excellent ability to stay in the air during the game, and the big center after jumping high, fans are more happy to compare Edwards, who also plays the role of point guard, to Jordan.
In his fourth year in the league, Edwards continues to improve, his breakthroughs are sharper, he is more comfortable in driving counterattacks, and he uses his single-point offensive advantage and accurate shooting skills in the game to lead the team to play wave after wave of offensive frenzy.
This season, Edwards ushered in the first 50+ game of his career, his average points per game climbed to a career-high 25.9 points, and his 5.1 assists per game were also the highest in the NBA's four years, and he also entered the top 10 of the MVP voting list, ranking seventh.
On the defensive end, Edwards always leads by example, and does not hesitate to physically target the opponent's outside offensive arrows, which inspires the entire Timberwolves team, and Edwards helps the Timberwolves concede 106.5 points per game and 109 defensive efficiency, both of which are the best in the league.
In the regular season, Edwards led the Timberwolves to a 56-26 record, which is the first time in 20 years that they have won more than 50 games in the regular season, the last time was in the 2003-04 season, when the Timberwolves star was Garnett, Edwards led the Timberwolves to complete the rise again as the "new wolf king", and a series of records such as Garnett's previous record of 30+ games in a single season in team history were refreshed by Edwards one by one, and there may be more later.
Now it seems that Edwards is worthy of the 5-year, $260 million maximum salary extension offered by the Timberwolves in 2023.
Beating the defending champion by 26 points and 45 points, Edwards equaled Joe Jandon in a record
After helping the Timberwolves complete the sweep of the Durant-led Suns, Edwards unlocked the achievement of winning the series for the first time in his career, but the second-round opponent was the defending champion and the Nuggets who eliminated the Timberwolves in the first round the previous year, and no one expected them to take a 2-0 series lead over the Nuggets before the series officially began.
In the first game of the series, Edwards scored a game-high 43 points, penetrating the opponent's defense with sharp breakthroughs again and again, and punishing the opponent with accurate mid-range shooting.
G2, Edwards shot 64.7% from the field, tied with Towns for a team-high 27 points, and handed out 7 assists to lead the team to a 26-point victory over the Nuggets.
As the defending champion of the Nuggets, they were not easily defeated, and they also have this season's MVP Jokic, the Timberwolves ushered in a strong counterattack from the opponent, after 5 games in the series, the Nuggets took the lead in getting the match point, G6, in the face of the "life and death battle", Edwards gave a strong response with his on-court performance.
In the game, Edwards rushed to the basket, made a resolute move from outside the three-point line, went all out on the defensive end, fought until he fell, endured the pain, and continued to play on the court, continuing to follow the Nuggets when defending Jamal Murray, the main control of the Nuggets, which was moving. G6, Edwards scored a team-high 27 points, and also contributed 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, helping the Timberwolves complete a 45-point victory over the Nuggets, and Edwards' plus/minus reached +43, a new high in Timberwolves history.
After the series G6 with the Nuggets, Edwards' average data in the "life and death battle" of his playoff career came to 30 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists, comparable to Jordan, James, and Doncic, becoming the fourth player in the NBA to average at least 30+5+5 per game in the playoffs.
The Timberwolves' championship window may have opened
This season, Edwards has shown his influence on both the offensive and defensive ends of the regular season and the playoffs, and for the Timberwolves, Edwards is the No. 1 offensive player on the outside, and the fast break he promotes is also an important scoring tool for the Timberwolves.
Unlike the star of some teams, he retains his physical strength many times on the defensive end, and almost does not defend, Edwards is at full play on both offensive and defensive ends, and in the first 6 games of the series with the Nuggets, Edwards not only averaged 29.6 points per game, but also played an important limiting role in the confrontation with the opponent's main control and the main scoring point on the outside, Murray, under Edwards' defense, Murray's shooting rate in the series was only 26.1%.
It can be said that Edwards has made a non-negligible contribution to the Timberwolves at both offensive and defensive ends, and Garnett once provided energy for the Timberwolves, and Edwards may have the opportunity to take the Timberwolves further, not only in the Western Conference finals when Garnett led the team, the Finals, and even the championship as the goal.
In the sports media "Bleachers" on the league's 30 teams to win the championship probability list in the next three years, the Timberwolves ranked third, second only to the Nuggets and Celtics, "The Bleachers" predicted that Edwards is a superstar full of infinite possibilities, when surrounded by high-quality defenders like Gobert and McDaniels, and a good space interior like Towns, the Timberwolves' competitiveness should not be underestimated, so do you think the Timberwolves have a chance to win the championship in the next three years?