Jamal Murray and Anthony Edwards had their personal 1-on-1 battles throughout the series. Notably, both guards had the better of each other many times. And it was the Ant-Man, who had the last laugh. Following the series win, the rising superstar took a dig at Bubble Murray as he exited the Ball Arena. Importantly, the dig acted as a direct message to Kyrie Irving, whom he will face on Wednesday.
Speaking to friends and fans in a corridor in Ball Arena, Edwards said, “I had Jamal in handcuffs,” to one of the fans as he exited the place. The rising star’s dig at Murray was not the first dart in the semi-final series, as they had their banter kick-started right from the first minute of Game 1. And Ant-Man pulled all of this off after successfully guarding Kevin Durant in the first-round series!
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards: “I had Jamal in handcuffs.” pic.twitter.com/0SuTyaeA83
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 20, 2024
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Importantly, the Wolves guard outshined Murray with two wins, averaging 35 points. But, the Nuggets star immediately countered with three wins, averaging close to 20 points, playing second fiddle to Nikola Jokic. The light banter turned into a heated exchange in Game 4 as they went after each other on the court. Addressing it, Edwards said, “I just told his a** we love that keep talkin’ that, that’s what we like… We live for that.” Stepping into Game 7, with the series on the line, many people expected a lot from the respective guards. While Murray struggled in a few games in the series, it was Edwards tonight, who was struggling to find the rhythm.
Murray outscored the 22-year-old with a game-high score of 35 points. On the other hand, Ant-Man struggled to shoot the ball with a 6-24 FG. Nevertheless, he ended the night with 16 points with two clutch 3-pointers to seal the deal but most importantly won the game.
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Will Anthony Edwards give a similar treatment to Kyrie Irving?
After weathering the Jamal Murray storm, Edwards has to face the Kyrie Irving magic in the backcourt. Notably, the Dallas Mavericks have two backcourt masters in their arsenal, Uncle Drew and Luka Doncic. The superstar duo had an emotional win last night, sending the top-seeding OKC Thunder home in Game 6.
Following the game, Luka and Kyrie were seen hugging it out with teary eyes in the middle of the court. Moreover, Irving also gave an impromptu speech to his teammates in the locker room, gearing them up for the next series. He said, “I just wanna thank every one of you, man. All your sacrifices … Truly appreciated… Keep the positivity going. Job’s not finished, but we can definitely celebrate this one. It was hard.”
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While the Mavs considered the semi-final series as a “hard” nut to crack, they will have to face the dominant Wolves, who just kicked out the defending champions. At the same time, Anthony Edwards & Co. also has to keep in mind the wizardry that Irving brings onto the floor. Just like Ant-Man, who locked in the second half tonight, Irving has done it multiple times throughout the postseason while Doncic took care of the first half. The star even dropped with 100% FG in multiple quarters.
Who will win the exciting West Finals? Let us know in the comments.