Kevin Durant last year. LeBron James in the first round. Anthony Edwards has already one-upped the two biggest superstars of this era by sending them packing in the playoffs. Now, he has the golden chance to complete the trifecta by doing the same to Stephen Curry, as they go head-to-head in the West Semis. But Ant-Man’s mission did not start on the right note, as the Wolves suffered an embarrassing loss in tonight’s series opener against the Warriors. Making matters worse, Chris Finch put all the blame on Edwards.

A major reason the Wolves lost was their terrible shooting. They shot 34 of 86 from the field and an awful 5 of 29 from the three-point line. Addressing how the team’s shooting struggles affected the team’s confidence in Game 1, the head coach said, “I absolutely saw that and can’t have that. It starts with Ant, I thought he struggled early and then you could just kind of see the light go out a little bit for a little while, then obviously we tried to get him going in the second half but…”

Yes, Finch believes that Edwards lost his energy once he realized his shots were not falling. Struggling to find his rhythm all night, he finished with just 23 points on 9 of 22 shooting. With their leader and primary superstar losing motivation, the feeling trickled down to the entire team, leading to their eventual loss. Meanwhile, the Warriors continued extending their lead. They outscored the Wolves 26-11 in the second quarter followed by 36-29 in the third.

Of course, this is not the first time Finch has publicly called out Edwards for his mistakes. During the regular season, when the superstar was dealing with similar struggles against double teams and clogged lanes, the head coach challenged him to work on that issue, “I think they are certainly loading up to him. Maybe he can be a little bit more aggressive.”

The callout ended up motivating Ant-Man and bringing out a more lethal side of him in the following games. Maybe, Finch aims to light the same fire with his criticism this time.

Chris Finch sends clear message to Anthony Edwards after Game 1 struggles against Warriors

After hearing Finch’s remarks, it was clear that he was not pleased with Ant-Man’s performance. So, many thought the head coach would have a private conversation with the superstar to understand his struggles and get him in the right headspace for Thursday’s game.

However, when asked about it, Finch shocked everyone with his response, “Nah. What is there to talk about? I mean you’re the leader of the team and you’ve gotta come out and set the tone. If your shot’s not going, like you still have to carry the energy you know.”

He continued, “So, I don’t think there is, if I gotta talk to guys about having the right energy coming into opening second round game, then you know we’re not on the same page.”

Yes, he believes the players should understand the high stakes involved with these games on their own and come out with the right energy every night. It’s clear that’s what Finch expects from Anthony Edwards and Co. for Game 2. Another loss at home would put their season in serious jeopardy. Do you think Ant-Man will listen to Finch’s message and correct his mistakes on Thursday to level the series?