“He Might As Well Be A Damn Wolf”: Charles Barkley Warns NBA As Nikola Jokic Suffers Psychological Loss vs Anthony Edwards

The Timberwolves have been aggressive. After winning Game 1 in the Conference Semi-Finals against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota brought the ball in their court, quite literally. Their dominance continued in Game 2, as they managed to silence Nikola Jokić & Co. The defense was on another level, which led to the breaking of a 16-month streak (more on this later). And here is where Charles Barkley came in with his intended pun.

About the latest Ball Arena demolishing, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards went at it. They scored 27 points each before they got taken out later in the match. In fact, KAT and ANT together outscored the entire Denver side (36-35) in the first half itself. Considering the power-packed performance, everyone was mesmerized, even Chuck. And Barkley being Barkley, he refused to mince his words.

So, after the Minnesota Timberwolves went 2-0 up in the series with a clinical destruction on the Denver Nuggets, Charles Barkley couldn’t help but praise Anthony Edwards and his dominant force.  But, before that, he dismantled the MVP crown off Jokic’s head.

He announced, “No disrespect, they don’t have an advantage. The MVP is getting outplayed. They don’t have advantage anywhere”. And, then the legendary NBA on TNT host followed it up by calling the series, “They have changed my mind 100%. They are going to win this series… That guy [Anthony Edwards]… That bulldog. He might as well be a damn wolf because he ain’t messing around.”

One must note that ever since January 2023, the Wolves and the Nuggets have been winning alternate regular season games. In the 8 games from then till April 2024, they’ve each won 4-4 and with no team using a streak. It all changed in the playoffs 2024, where the Timberwolves not only won their 6th in a row, but defeated Nuggets in consecutive games, and in brutal fashion.

Back to Barkley, after hailing Anthony Edwards, he stressed the importance of having a ‘guy’ like Ant-Man on every team. If not for the player to have a similar skill set as Edwards, he should dominate the opponents. Immediately, Ernie Johnson countered Chuck’s take, asking if Nikola Jokić was ‘that guy’ for the Nuggets. In response, Chuck interjected, “He {Jokic} is a guy but not this series… He couldn’t even dominate one of them… Do you know how rough it’s going to be, going to Minnesota, get them two guys?” 

It is understandable where Charles is coming from. After all, we all saw how Naz Reid kept Jokic from scoring and how Murray allowed the anger to get the better of him.

Can Anthony Edwards continue to dominate till the NBA Finals?

The hottest and the coolest kid on the block, Anthony Edwards’ name is on everyone’s lips. He is someone who is continuing to impress basketball fanatics. The former Georgia Bulldog is single-handedly leading the Minnesota side to illustrious victories. Even in the semi-finals, he is proving to be the same aggressive force as he was against KD.

So as of now, any noob can predict that Anthony Edwards will go on to dominate the series. Currently, he averages 32.3 points in the 2024 postseason with a high score of 43 points in 6 games. Within this short period, he received all sorts of appreciation across the NBA world. Charles Barkley, before calling him a ‘bulldog and wolf’, called him a ‘problem’ for the opponents after the Game 1 victory. And it seems ANT is enjoying it thoroughly. After winning Game 2, this is what he said, “Going against the best player in the world is always fun, going against the best team in the world is always fun”. 

Even  Shaquille O’Neal dropped a hilarious comparison ahead of tonight’s game. He said, “You guys call him Ant. I’m going to change his name to Rex or Tyrannosaurus Rex. He’s eating everything in sight. That’s what I’m calling him from now.” Living up to their expectation, the 22-year-old still has a lot of work left to do for his franchise.

First, he broke the stinging 20-year-old jinx by winning their first playoff series since 2004. Now, he has to eye the bigger prize. The first franchise championship and his first-ever Finals MVP. Will Ant-Man make it happen for the Wolves? Let us know in the comments below.