With his team down 128–95 at the 8:01 mark of the fourth quarter, Anthony Edwards walked up to the San Antonio Spurs bench to congratulate his opponents during Game 6 of the West semifinals on Friday.
Although the Timberwolves had no realistic chance of overcoming a 33-point deficit, Edwards’ actions caused a lot of uproar among the “NBA on Prime” crew.
Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki led the charge.
“I’ve watched the NBA and been a part of it for a long, long time. I’ve never seen this,” Nowitzki said of Edwards’ actions.
“A guy walking into the huddle with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter and dapping up the entire team. Too much for me. Obviously, you can do that after the game and show respect [to your opponents]. That was a little strange for me.”
Anthony Edwards ‘Showed Weakness’
Three-time NBA champion Udonis Haslem was even more critical of Edwards and felt the All-Star guard showed “weakness” by waving the white flag.
“As great as Ant is as a basketball player, there’s still some growth for him as well,” said the Miami Heat legend.
“Because as a leader, I would not have walked down there and shook their hands with eight minutes left in the game,” Haslem added.
“I would not show that weakness. The game is not over, and I’ve got eight minutes left. I still have smoke coming out of my ear that I’m losing.”
Haslem felt Edwards should have “calmed down” in the final eight minutes and then done the reasonable thing by showing respect to the Spurs after the final buzzer.
Several other NBA analysts called out Anthony Edwards for his premature actions.
“Unnecessary from Ant there,” wrote The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.
Anthony Edwards Defends His Actions
Edwards, who did not return to the game after the 8:01 mark, defended his actions.
“At that point, you know you ain’t going back in, so you’re just trying to get them the respect that they deserve,” he told reporters.
Edwards had more praise for the Spurs.
“I mean, I just tip my hat to them,” he said of the Spurs, via ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.
“They’re just the better team. I mean at that point, you ain’t going back in, so you’re just trying to give them their respect.”
The Spurs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 of the highly anticipated series tips off Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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