“I think Chet changed the game for them more than anything. The easy points he had, easy rebounds, putbacks,” said Anthony Edwards after OKC’s win in Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The remark was a complete 360-degree turn from the game before that, when Edwards’s poster dunk over Chet Holmgren led to a taunt upon the player. Earlier, we did not know whether what Ant said motivated Chet’s performance in Game 4, and then in the recent Game 5. However, judging from the OKC star’s recent post, we now know that it certainly played a part.

After he and his squad secured a spot in the NBA Finals, Chet Holmgren took to his official Instagram account. He posted a story to be viewed by his 886,000 followers. The same featured Ant’s infamous remarks after Game 3. In the locker room, staring directly at the camera, the Timberwolves star had said, “Shoutout to Chet. Welcome home, baby.” Little did Ant know that his fate was sealed with those words. After all, Chet is now taunting Edwards with the same words!

The story was uploaded less than an hour after Chet Holmgren put out a post featuring the highlights from the recent game and the days leading up to that. From the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet, and Jalen Williams hanging out and standing together during key moments, to Chet’s memorable dunks during the matchup, the post marked the fact that the player and OKC have triumphed. The cherry on top was that the 23-year-old had added the same words, “Welcome home chet⚡️🕺🏻”, as the post’s caption!

Soon, several renowned names descended into the comments section to share their reaction. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins highlighted a couple of fire emojis, the official Instagram account of Nike Basketball wrote “Holm Grown”, Jalen Williams wrote “The arrival !!!”, and Isaiah Hartenstein wrote “Yeaaah 7”. All of this was the perfect way to shut down Anthony Edwards without directly attacking him.

The infamous remark by Anthony Edwards was made after he felt he had shut down Chet Holmgren, on the court, for good. Halfway over the 1st quarter of Game 3 of the Timberwolves-OKC series, Edwards drove the ball into the paint and exploded to the rim. Despite Chet Holmgren standing right below the rim and jumping to block the player, Edwards still managed to get the better of his rival.

Just like Michael Jordan would have done in such a situation, Holmgreen took things ‘personally’. In Game 4, the OKC star delivered his 2nd-best performance of the OKC-Timberwolves series by scoring 21 points through 9-14 (64.3%) field goals, 2-4 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 1-2 (50.0%) free throws. In the recent game, in front of a crowd of 18,000+ OKC fans, Chet Holmgren surpassed that score by making 22 points through 8-13 (61.5%) field goals, 2-4 (50.0%) 3-pointers, and 4-6 (66.7%) free throws. Along with walking off as the highlights of the night, along with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams, Holmgren showed what one can do with the right motivation.

Having gotten his ‘revenge’, you would think that the 23-year-old power forward is now satisfied. However, simply reaching a point where he could troll Anthony Edwards wasn’t all the player had in mind for himself. He wants what all other OKC players now want: the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Highlighting previous injury, Chet Holmgren revealed not being satisfied until Finals win: “Never take it for granted”

In the aftermath of Game 5, Brandon Rahbar of Daily Thunder highlighted the remarks from the OKC players during the post-game pressers, through his official X account. When discussing the win with Chet Holmgren, Rahbar reported that the young star said, “I wouldn’t say it’s satisfying. It’s a step in the journey. We still have some season to play. Never take it for granted cause I couldn’t even walk for two months”.

This was a reference to the fact that, back in November 2024, Chet Holmgren sustained a major hip injury during a matchup against the Golden State Warriors. The incident occurred when the game was not even midway through the 1st quarter. Holmgren went up to contest a layup from Andrew Wiggins on the baseline and, after making contact with Wiggs, he landed hard directly on his right hip underneath the basket. The hip fracture kept the player sidelined, and he could not return to the NBA court until February.

This injury, combined with the fact that Holmgren missed the entirety of his rookie season (2022–23 NBA season) due to a Lisfranc injury in his foot, made the player quite conscious about injuries. Even players who have made it to the NBA Finals are not immune to ailments. Therefore, the 23-year-old is not looking to be confident about his team’s chances just yet.

Do you believe that Chet Holmgren can bring the same level of prowess to the Finals as he did against Anthony Edwards and Co.? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.