Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves did the unthinkable, defeating the defending champs at home. Moreover, the crew did that in the first matchup of the series, without a recent feel for the Ball Arena atmosphere. Ant erupted for his playoff-career high of 43 points, shooting 58% from the field and playing 42 minutes. Rudy Gobert took care of the boards. Mike Conley provided the veteran’s touch with 10 assists and 14 points while Naz Reid cultivated a torching 4th quarter by scoring 14 of 16 points. It was a pure team effort by the youngsters. However, despite the win, Edwards explains the importance of “staying within the game”.

Talking about what the series holds in the post-game interview, Anthony Edwards briefly reminisced over the previous season’s first-round elimination at the hands of the defending champion, citing them as “a hard team to beat.” He then labels Nikola Jokic as “the best player in the league,” and Michael Porter Jr. as the “best three-point shooter,” while quipping Jamal Murray as “the best closer.” However, he then reflects on his team’s mentality of expecting a fight throughout the 48 minutes. “We come here and know it’s going to be a war and we just play within the game, stay within the game,” he reflects on the Wolves’ unified approach to return the last season’ favor.

Even though Edwards posted 31.6 points and nearly 50% shooting, the Nuggets eliminated the Wolves in the first round last season with a 4-1 record. They lost games with an average margin of 12.5 points, as the Nuggets crushed their spirits in the opening game itself with a 29-point blowout.

Nevertheless, the T-Wolves’ recent dominance separates itself from that losing history, hinting at layers within the matchup.

Anthony Edwards and the Wolves have the Nuggets right where they want

The Nuggets, in their championship run last season, never faced a series deficit. They opened every round with a win and anchored themselves around that advantage. However, Anthony Edwards and the gang now change that, forcing a test for the Nuggets’ spirits. The last time Denver opened a series on a loss was in the 2021-22 playoffs, which ended up in a 1-4 elimination to the Golden State Warriors squad who would ultimately lift the title. Moreover, of Denver’s 4 playoff eliminations since the 2018-19 season, 3 saw a Game 1 loss.

Additionally, other things are working against the champs this season. While they are facing the potential next face of the league in Anthony Edwards, they are also pitted against Tim Connelly, their ex-franchise head. He was the brains behind drafting Jokic and Murray and slowly forged a championship team. Now, Tim acts as the President of the Wolves.

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Moreover, Wolves’ head coach and assistant, Chris Finch and Micah Nori, were part of the Nuggets’ crew that helped Nikola Jokic on offense in his 2nd year. With that, it seems like the T-Wolves have the winning blueprint. They plan to soar through Edwards’ surge and have already enabled him to force his will with a set of complimenting assets.

Nuggets, on the other hand, for the first time in a while, see the tables turned against them.