Being defeated by SGA! What is the difference between Edwards in the Western Conference Finals?

G5 in the Western Conference Finals, the Timberwolves lost to the Thunder 94-124 and were eliminated 1-4 in a big score.

In the two games before this game, G3 beat the Thunder with 42 points, and G4's dual-core aberrations but only lost to the Thunder with 2 points. Therefore, before G5 starts, there will be some expectations for the Timberwolves.

However, the reality is cruel. The Timberwolves were stunned in the first quarter. They only got 9 points in a single quarter and fell 16 points behind. At the end of the half, they were 33 points behind the Thunder 32-65. The score difference in the second half was 20 points, reaching 39 points at one point. There was no suspense at all. Edwards still did not stand up in this life-and-death battle.

Edwards played 38 minutes and 30 seconds, made 7 of 18 shots, 1 of 7 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws, only scored 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and made 3 mistakes, with a plus-minus value of -29, the lowest in the team.

At the end of the first half, Edwards made 3 of 10 shots and 0 of 5 three-pointers, scoring only 9 points, plus or negative value -28. As a comparison, Alexander on the opposite side scored 20 points in the first half, and Chett and Jewe also scored 15 points in the half.

No exaggeration, Edwards in this round of the series was really defeated by Alexander.

After experiencing controversy and criticism in the first three games, G4 and G5 fully recovered. G4 scored 40 points in the game and scored a high score in the playoffs. G5 scored 34 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in a single game, leading the team to advance. In the end, he was elected as the MVP of the Western Conference Finals unanimously, which was well deserved.

Look at Edwards again, the G4 players stood up, McDann, Divinchenzo and Walker all had 20+, but Edwards was invisible, with only 4 points in the first half, and he was in a stalemate in the second half, and he didn't dare to play, and he could not play, with only 16 points and 5 mistakes in the whole game.

Although I scored 10 points in the third quarter, my performance in the first half was really a disaster. Before the fourth quarter entered garbage time, Edwards could not attack at all. He played for 5 minutes and only took one shot, but he scored no point.

Don't forget that G1's Edwards also played a mess, scoring 18 points, 3 assists and 4 turnovers, including 5 points in the second half, without a single point in the fourth quarter, with a plus-minus value of -23, which is also the lowest in the team.

's exit is definitely not a problem for one person, but as far as Edwards is concerned, this series can only be described as disappointment.

Five games, Edwards handed over data: 23.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.2 turnovers per game, 47.1%/28.2%/68.8% from three events, and 56.9% from the real shot.

As a comparison, in the previous two rounds of the series, Edwards' data: averaged 26.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game, shooting percentage of 44.5%/38.5%/73.7% in three events, and real shooting percentage of 57.8%. The problems exposed in the Western Conference Finals were very direct. Edwards just couldn't break the double-team. Facing the Thunder's double-team and shrinking defense, he couldn't break in at all. There were basically only two choices, one was to pass the teammates directly, and the other was to pull three points before the pinch came.

The pass teammates themselves have little problem, but Edwards' vision is not very good, and his operational control is not top-notch, so he makes many mistakes, with G4 and G5 making 8 assists and 8 turnovers in two games.

As for the three-pointers, Edwards made great progress this season, but this round of series was extremely strong, with only 11 of 39 shots in total, of which the four lost games, 6 of 31 shots, and the shooting percentage was less than 20%.

cannot break double-team, which is also a threshold for Edwards to step into superstars. You should know that he had exposed these problems in the series against the Mavericks last year. This year, the same is true for the Thunder, or even worse. The original specialty of the face frame breakthrough and emergency stop shooting are much rarer.

Of course, Edwards is only 23 years old and can continue to improve, but how much chance does this Timberwolves have to win the championship?

First of all, this year's playoffs, the Timberwolves passed the Lakers and Warriors who lacked the inside. In the second round against the Warriors, Curry also suffered a hamstring injury in G1. If Curry was not injured, the Timberwolves might not be able to finish the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years.

Secondly, the Timberwolves have a salary problem. Last season, they had to send Towns away because of this problem. This summer they will also face renewals from Reed and Alexander Walker, as well as early renewals from Randall, Divinchenzo and Gobert. It will cost a lot of money to retain the lineup.

Finally, look at the Western Conference pattern. Next season, the Thunder will still be a favorite to compete for the championship. The Rockets may strengthen superstars. The Lakers will also introduce insiders. The Nuggets have Jokic, the Warriors have Curry and Butler, the Clippers and Grizzlies are also competitive. The Mavericks and Spurs who have not entered the playoffs this year may also rise - look at the Mavericks last year and the Mavericks this year. Can the Timberwolves reach the division final next year? It's really hard to say.

23-year-old Edwards is definitely full of hope. After only four seasons, he almost locked in the Timberwolves' first player in the history of the playoffs. His greatest capital is young, physically talented, and hard-working, but this alone is definitely not enough.

Edwards also needs to improve himself from all aspects. It took only one summer last year that Edwards improved his three-pointer from good to elite level, so there is reason to believe that he will become better.

As for the Timberwolves, if you want to continue to compete for the championship, Reed and Alexander Walker will have to stay this summer, but the existing core will definitely not be able to stay all next summer. Next season, it will be a key node for the Timberwolves to compete for the championship.