Anthony Edwards Confirms Defying Wolves Staff as He Clears Stance on Coach Finch After Controversial Remark

In a thrilling overtime showdown at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Anthony Edwards emerged as the unlikely hero of the night. The game was slipping away from Minnesota’s hands as they, at one point, trailed by 25 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, the game wasn’t just done yet. With just 22.8 seconds remaining on the clock, Edwards made a vital block, stopping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from making a potential game-winning layup.

The emphatic blocked shot not only stunned the crowd but also paved the way for a historic comeback. After sealing a remarkable 131-128 overtime victory over the Thunder did not take all the credit alone. While speaking to the reporters, the 23-year-old credited head coach Chris Finch for drawing brilliant plays throughout the night. “Shout out to Finchy, man; he made a great adjustment this far as just going to Blitz Shai,” Edwards said.

“I mean cuz I mean that’s what they did to me all night. So, he they got a taste of their own medicine and um they were making shots all night and then somehow in the fourth quarter they just went cold.” As ANT suggested, it was coach Finch’s tactics to shut down Shai that helped them gain control over the game in the fourth quarter. Interestingly, there was a time during the game when the Minnesota star was on the bench, tending to what seemed to be a calf injury.

However, Edwards’ night was far from over. The shooting guard came back into action and made a significant contribution to ensure the Timberwolves’ victory in OT. After the game, he revealed he did so by defying the staff’s orders. “Yeah, that was my call. Forget them.” He said with a smile on his face. ANT was seen walking with a limp indicating that he did, in fact, play despite being injured. While the Minnesota guard is known for his blunt nature mostly, his head coach seems to have joined in with Chris Finch, who made a controversial statement after the win.

“You can’t really touch Shai.”: Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is frustrated at OKC’s fouling

The Minnesota Timberwolves were up against the best of the West without several of their key players, including Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Donte DiVincenzo. However, this did not stop Chris Finch’s team from getting a hard-fought win. During his post-game presser, Finch was vocal about his feelings, especially about the officiating and fouls being called against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. “It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. They really do. They foul, they foul all the time.” Finch said pointing out OKC’s aggressive playing style.

“And then you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to try to play through it. We just eventually were able to get downhill and force the issue ourselves, and we were rewarded for it.” Well, he certainly has a point. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is dubbed the “free-throw merchant” by numerous fans due to his exceptional ability to draw fouls. Moreover, the OKC superstar leads the league in free-throw attempts at 501, and that too! By a wide margin, with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokoumpo second at 456, the only other player with more than 400 attempts.

However, as frustrating as it may be to play against Shai and the OKC Thunder, the refs called 30 fouls on OKC compared to 23 on the Wolves. As a result of this, Minnesota knocked down 34 out of the 39 awarded free throws. This includes 32 in the second half and overtime. They were brilliant from the line in the fourth quarter and overtime, scoring all 22 attempts. So, we can say that Chris Finch and his team got their sweet revenge over OKC on the night. As they now shift their focus toward the Lakers whom they face next on the road.