It’s win or go home for the Timberwolves. And they need their two superstars, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, to step up in tonight’s Thunder clash and find a way to force Game 6. The duo had a disappointing outing on Monday, combining for just 21 points on highly inefficient shooting. Not what you would expect from the team’s two best players. Sure enough, the Wolves ended up losing the game by two points. So, veteran leader Mike Conley made sure to remind Ant-Man and Julius how great they truly are and how much their team needs them.

Turns out, the Wolves had a private dinner last night to blow off some steam, the details of which were revealed by ESPN’s Lisa Salters during tonight’s live broadcast. “The Timberwolves all went out to dinner last night in Oklahoma City. Watched the Pacers vs Knicks game in a local restaurant. Just tried to relax, have fun.” She remarked.

That’s where Conley planned a special treatment for Edwards and Randle, “Mike Conley said he made sure to specifically spend time with Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards. Just wanted to encourage them, to remind them that this team would not be in the Western Conference Finals if it wasn’t for them. He said he told them ‘Have fun. Play free. Don’t be stressed about making the right decision every play.’ He said ‘We need them to be themselves.’”

Well, Edwards and Randle have had a solid playoff run so far. Ant has averaged 25.8 points and nearly eight rebounds, whereas Big Ju is not too far behind, averaging 21.6 points and nearly six rebounds. However, they have been unable to find their groove in the OKC series. While Edwards has been limited to less than twenty points twice in four games, Randle has had the same number of single digit scores. So, Conley likely aimed to instil confidence in them with the subtle reminder, and maybe change Edwards’ perspective on his Monday’s low scoring performance.

Anthony Edwards’ shocking confession about his and Julius Randle’s Game 4 performance could cause trouble for Timberwolves

While everyone expected Ant to be disappointed in his 16-point Game 4 performance, he seemed pretty content with his effort during the postgame presser. Moreover, he had the same perspective about Randle’s 5-point outing, despite it being the forward’s lowest playoff score.

“I don’t look at it like I struggled or he struggled. They had a good game plan making us get off the ball. Especially for me man, it was super in the gaps. I made the right play all night. So, I don’t really look at it like I struggled. I didn’t get enough shots to say I struggled. So, that might be how you guys look at it, but yeah, I didn’t struggle at all. I made the right play.” Ant remarked.

Yes, he claimed to have made the right play all night, and credited OKC for their defensive strategy against him. Moreover, when asked if he needed to score 30+ points every night to help his team win, Edwards claimed he does not feel the need to be the star of the show every game, “No, I’m putting no burden on myself. Just try to win. That’s the only burden I put on myself. Just try to win.” While it’s a good, selfless attitude to have for the long haul, it might not be what the Wolves need tonight.

As Conley pointed out in his message, they don’t need the two stars to make the right play every time. Maybe, the need of the hour is to take a page out of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s book, be a little selfish in their shot selection, and take over the game with sheer talent. It’s clear that what Ant and Julius have done so far in this series has not worked. So, it might be time to try a different approach and hopefully muscle a comeback from the 3-1 deficit. Do you agree?