Anthony Edwards & Timberwolves Haunted by ‘Michael Jordan Effect’ vs Mavs, Amid Pat Riley’s Special Mantra

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been swirling deep into the murky playoffs, getting more gassed. They are down by three in the 7-games playoff-finals series, where they were always in a winnable position. However, it feels like they just reach their limit at a certain juncture during the game. In the last game against the Dallas Mavericks, with four minutes remaining on the clock, both of the teams were tied. Yet the Mavs clinched away the victory from the jaws of Anthony Edwards and Co. Even one of the greatest power forwards of all time and former Wolves player, Kevin Garnett, shared the same opinion.

While appearing on the YouTube show, ‘All The Smoke,’ when Garnett was asked about his opinion on the series so far, he replied, “As I was watching the young Wolves…it made me think like the young Wolves ain’t never been there before[Playoff finals].” The ex-Wolves forward was pointing out the mentality and physical conditioning of the Wolves players, who are not trained to be in situations that occur during the playoff finals. Further elaborating on the issue, Kevin referred to the Michael Jordan effect. He brought up the second aspect of the rule.

He mentioned how Michael Jordan used to play with knocked-out players from the NBA till the finals after the Chicago Bulls used to come from playing baseball. It not only helped him be conditioned physically but also mentally with the vision that he was aiming for. Per Garnett, the Wolves are missing the same thing as he said, “I bet the Minnesota Timberwolves wasn’t conditioned, their bodies are not conditioned to play beyond May. … Subconsciously, they have not been here.”

It is all part of the process that the Wolves are getting the hard way. Kobe, Shaq, Jordan, Garnett, everyone went through that hell to develop the instinct to win. Even Garnett could not achieve the Championship unless he joined the Boston Celtics. Coincidentally, everyone at the Celtics had the same conditioning. So Anthony Edwards might be missing that readiness for play-in stretch.

Was Alex Rodriguez’s training insufficient to train Anthony Edwards and Co.?

Former MLB legend Alex Rodriguez, inspired by the NBA legend Pat Riley, joined the Minnesota Timberwolves to improve physical conditioning and mental readiness. However, with the present case scenario, things do not seem to be going in favor of him. Anthony Edwards is not able to impact the game in the fourth quarter of the game against the Dallas Mavericks. It seems like his ability to perform at that level with such pressure is not completely ready yet.

However, the Wolves owner made some different claims on the “Dane Moore NBA Podcast” early in May. “Last year, we had zero players of our 15 players with 3% body fat. This year, we have four, ” Rodriguez emphasized on the level of physical fitness in the Wolves’ roster. There is no doubt that Edwards would have been on that list with his immaculate performance earlier in the playoffs. But Anthony seems to have lost that touch against the Mavs.

Are Wolves not at that level to match the high-intensity climax in the playoff semi-finals? Well, Garnett’s statement and the MJ effect seem to explain it. Maybe it will take more time and training for Anthony Edwards to become something more than amazing. With these facts, the Wolves might have to wait for the Championship more. Till then, watch out for what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius through this video.