Anthony Edwards had bold message for teammates after Game 3 loss

Apr 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) dribbles against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves are facing an insurmountable task following their loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, but Anthony Edwards is nowhere near ready to throw in the towel.

Edwards had 26 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists against the Mavericks on Sunday night, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Timberwolves from falling into a 3-0 series hole. There have been 154 teams in NBA history that have gone down 3-0 in a series, and none have come back to win.

Following Minnesota’s loss on Saturday, Edwards could be heard in the locker room telling his teammates to get ready to make history.

“Time to make history, fellas,” Edwards told the Timberwolves, via Sam Amick of The Athletic. “I still don’t feel like they can beat us, bro. We haven’t all been clicking at one time. One game. One game.”

Edwards then acknowledged that no team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit and asked his teammates, “What are we gonna do?”

The Timberwolves swept the Phoenix Suns in the opening round of the playoffs. They then beat the Denver Nuggets in seven games after going up 2-0, so they are plenty battle tested. The problem is Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are both playing incredible basketball, which has made the Mavericks difficult to beat.

Edwards made a big statement when he threw down the dunk of the playoffs in Game 3 (video here), but Doncic and Irving scored 33 points each to lead the Mavs to another win. There is almost no chance Minnesota will win four straight games, but Edwards is doing what he can to be a leader in an impossible situation.