Anthony Edwards' injury scare shows fragile nature of NBA playoffs — and how it could all come down to one star
MINNEAPOLIS — The fragility of contending in the NBA playoffs was illustrated in the hush of the Target Center crowd, in their collective eyes looking at the far end across from the Golden State Warriors bench, across from an NBA legend wearing street clothes instead of a team uniform.
The frailty of Anthony Edwards' right ankle, or strength of it, stood between the Minnesota Timberwolves feeling like the Larry O'Brien trophy is open for anyone to claim or misery — not just for one night but for their future.
You believe the NBA held its collective breath, one game after Stephen Curry's hamstring injury sullied the possibility of this being a full-throated star-studded series, losing a young marquee star in these playoffs felt cruel.
Not like this.
Edwards was supposed to take down another monument on equal terms, on fair ground, to prove his worthiness for all the acclaim his game deserves. Or the old lion was supposed to roar again, staving off the new guard for one more spring.
That's already in jeopardy.
The Timberwolves and their fans have seen Edwards crash land before, but he always popped back up — with the baited breath in those between moments as the price for unfathomable athleticism combined with zero fear of consequences.
In that moment, the game and series felt like it was for the taking for the Warriors. The mindset could've easily shifted from being able to survive but seeing a path to win this thing and getting Curry to rest for the next series — a star for a star, as sterile as it sounds.
'I ain't gonna lie, I didn't move … I just looked up. I thought, 'He'll be alright',' Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said.
But even Conley made the trot down, with teammates and even Draymond Green coming over to check.
Edwards was brought to his feet by two Timberwolves staffers, barely putting weight on that plant foot that was inadvertently landed on by Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis. He exited from the same tunnel Curry did two nights before, as Curry was desperately trying to run it off, hoping he would be back.
The 37-year-old could not, and now has to wait around a week with the hope his team can stay alive. The 23-year-old popped out of the locker room during halftime and onto the floor 26 realtime minutes later — it probably felt like hours to the faithful who know their hopes are on Edwards' back.
'This one I was really worried about, actually,' Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. 'There's lots of ways being an elite athlete pay off, being able to shake those things off is one of them. This one I was planning on not seeing him the rest of the game.'
To everyone's surprise, it wasn't a broken foot or high-ankle sprain. Edwards emerged to help the Timberwolves tie their series with a 117-93 win, before heading to San Francisco for two games.
Edwards scored 20 with nine rebounds and five assists in 30 minutes and a team-high +20. That production didn't seem possible to the outside world, while he was going through exercises with Wolves physical therapist David Hines as the Timberwolves didn't rule him as out or even 'doubtful.'
'Any time I turn my ankle, we do ankle modes,' Edwards said. 'Once we got to the third movement in my ankle, I'm like, 'I'm starting to feel good, you tape it, I'll see how I feel'. He does a great job of making sure I'm good before I get out there.'
Maybe Edwards loves the movie 'Matilda' because he believes in the magic of youth, the imagination of the moment and belief in the impossible. He limped around a little in the locker room but looked like himself in those 24 minutes afterwards that tied the series and restored some faith in those nervous corners.
Timberwolves teammate Josh Minott bellowed next to Edwards as reporters gathered around his locker: 'My man's got an immortal ankle.'
Even if we know he doesn't, Edwards believes he does and with that the Timberwolves are not just in this series but possess as good a shot as anyone, if they can keep it together.
But those heart-stopping moments sit differently with everyone. Edwards has a long runway in front of him, hopefully a decade or more to contend, to cash in, to be the hunter and hunted in this title chase.
For Conley, he's months older than Curry, turning 38 before next season begins. These moments are fleeting, and as the wise veteran he has the task of impressing urgency into his younger teammates, that tomorrow isn't always promised.
With Boston looking vulnerable, Oklahoma City not looking like a juggernaut and Cleveland on the ropes, these NBA playoffs appear to be wide open.
'The message I've gathered from watching the league over the last week: This thing is anybody's for that taking you know,' Conley told Yahoo Sports. 'Why not us? Why not? Why can't we do it?'
'My urgency is at an all-time high. These guys are urgent. Just make them understand you don't get this chance too often. I'm on my last couple of runs. I want them to feel that.'
Arguably Conley's best chance for a title was thwarted by his own injury with the Memphis Grizzlies. Already wearing a face mask in the 2015 playoffs following a collision with then-Portland guard CJ McCollum, Conley returned following facial surgery to play against the young Golden State Warriors in Round 2.
He took a hit to the face from Draymond Green during the Grizzlies' Game 2 win that tied the series, aggravating the injury. Conley was vulnerable before that, so it only worsened things. Those Warriors weren't yet household names and the Grizzlies of Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Tony Allen were battle-tested.
But the Grizzlies' 2-1 lead dissipated in three straight losses, and the Warriors went on to win the first of their four titles that June. Conley's health, along with Allen's knee injury, aided in the loss.
'I know, 10 years ago, I was in this spot, and I'm thinking, we got a shot,' Conley said. 'And then boom, injuries, Tony Allen injuries, you know, all this stuff, and it's like, oh, this might have been my chance.'
Conley was 28 but Gasol, Randolph and Allen were each older than 30. And little did we all know those Warriors were ascending to heights we hadn't seen since the Bulls and Lakers teams of the last 30 years.
'When I heard about Steph, I hate that because I know how fragile this game is with me. I hate injuries for anybody,' Conley told Yahoo Sports. 'He's the same age as me, so I know what he's feeling. Because he would be out there tomorrow if he could be.'
'I want to compete against the best and beat the best at all times.'
But he can't and that provides an opening for Conley, for Edwards, for the Timberwolves. What the NBA, its fans and the collective public lose in a potential clash, the Timberwolves gain in opportunity — even if Curry re-emerges later in the series.
'Man, it's almost like when you wake up, when you thank the Lord for another day, you thank the Lord for the opportunities, that you got to be grateful for this thing,' Conley said. 'Really just super grateful every time I get a chance.'
The reason Conley is here, the reason Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert are here, is because of Edwards. Nothing moves without him and the Timberwolves can't move on without him.
But with him, anything is possible — even Matilda magic.
'He's built so different,' Conley said. 'If I felt it was serious thing I would definitely feel man oh man, please don't let this be what I think it is. Not too many chances you get at this thing, not too many chances you get with a guy like this.'
But they have another day, and maybe many more this spring.
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