30+5+4, which is more difficult to defend against Murray or Irving? Edwards' post-match answer was too blunt

Poetry Basketball

2024-05-23 16:12Published in Shaanxi

The NBA playoffs continue with the Timberwolves hosting the Mavericks today for their first matchup in the Western Conference Finals. In the end, the Timberwolves lost to the Mavericks 105-108 at home, and the score between the two sides came to 0:1. In this game, Timberwolves Edwards had 19 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists, and McDaniels shot 6 three-pointers and scored 24 points. On the Mavericks' side, Doncic scored 33 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, and Irving scored 30 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

Before the start of this series, Edwards made a bold statement, and he admitted that he would defend Irving this round, which shows that he is very confident. But Irving's response today was good enough, scoring 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, and the efficiency was outstanding. It was clear that Edwards wasn't particularly successful defending Irving today. Edwards did an excellent job defending Murray in the last series against the Nuggets. There were two games in which Murray's shooting was very sluggish. Why doesn't Edwards seem to have much of an advantage against Irving? Which is harder to defend Murray or Irving? In fact, Edwards' words after the game have already given the answer.

Edwards first talked about his fatigue after today's game, he felt a little tired from the game, and he thought Irving was faster than him. He thinks that when they finish scoring, Irving will always be able to get rid of him and opt for a quick layup, which clearly proves that Irving is faster. Compared to Murray, Irving is incomparable to Murray in terms of speed and skill. In fact, this statement has also revealed that Edwards thinks Irving is a more difficult player to defend.

Indeed, Murray is not a player at the same level as Irving, who is incomparable to Murray in terms of offensive skills, speed, and explosiveness in scoring. Irving is an "offensive museum" who can score the ball with any technique. Murray's offensive skills are relatively one-dimensional and easier to anticipate by defenders. That's the biggest difference between the two players, their offensive arsenals are completely different.

So this series is a very physical test for Edwards, because defending a player like Irving is not only physically demanding, but also extremely laborious. You'll need your brain to be preoccupied with judging Irving's offensive moves, which is actually a huge drain on defenders. And Edwards is the main offensive scorer for the Timberwolves. It could have some impact on his offensive end. So the Timberwolves really have to think about whether to let Edwards defend Irving for the first round of the series. Such a big package at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends does have a huge drain on him.

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