MINNEAPOLIS -- With eight minutes to go in the Minnesota Timberwolves' 139-109 loss to the Spurs in Friday's elimination game in the Western Conference semifinals, Anthony Edwards walked over to the San Antonio bench for hugs, handshakes and daps, a midgame commemoration of the opposing team on his home floor.
Edwards said the gesture was meant to acknowledge what he called the superior team while he was still on the court.
"I mean, I just tip my hat to them," he said. "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."
Edwards' gesture seemed bizarre in the moment, but little made sense for the Timberwolves on Friday night.
The loss to the Spurs was the third consecutive playoff exit for the Timberwolves in elimination games, which were all decided by 20 points or more. In 2024, Minnesota lost to the Dallas Mavericks 124-103 in the fifth game of the Western Conference finals. Last season, they lost to the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, 124-94 in Game 5 of the conference finals.
There were real challenges that impacted Minnesota against the Spurs. Edwards rushed back from a knee injury suffered during the first round of the playoffs to get ready for the first game of the Western Conference semifinals and never played at 100%.
"I've got nothing but great things to say about Ant's performance in this series because he wasn't supposed to even be there until the middle of the series," Minnesota coach Chris Finch said.
Also, Ayo Dosunmu, a surprising star in the postseason, had a lower-leg injury that kept him out of the opening game of the series. Edwards said the absence of Donte DiVincenzo, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the Denver Nuggets series, complicated Minnesota's offense against the Spurs.
"He spreads the floor like no other," Edwards said. "In a series like this where they're just double-teaming, I would love to have Donte in my slot and just throwing it to him the entire time and shoot 20 3s, but he got hurt last series, so we tried to figure it out."
But injuries alone can't be blamed for what unfolded Friday night. The Spurs won by 30 even though Victor Wembanyama had, by his standards, a modest game. Stephon Castle (32 points) and the rest of the supporting cast led a 20-0 run in the second quarter that seemed to put the game out of reach. But Minnesota cut the deficit to 12 points near the end of the first half.
The exhaustion of that roller coaster -- the team's starters finished 18-for-59 from the field -- was too much to overcome.
Now, all eyes in Minneapolis will turn to the offseason and whether the Wolves' biggest star believes he has enough to win a championship. The Western Conference is stacked with young stars who could block Minnesota's path to the NBA Finals for years to come.
Beyond Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, there are other potential problems for the Timberwolves. Luka Doncic will be the centerpiece of a Los Angeles Lakers squad that could add another star this summer, depending on what happens with LeBron James' future. The Houston Rockets have young players, too, so this year's playoff troubles highlighted the challenges Edwards and the Timberwolves will need to overcome.
When asked if he sees any common theme in the past three lopsided playoff exits, however, Edwards was brief:
"Good question. No comment."
When asked what it will take for the Timberwolves to get over the hump and topple the Spurs and Thunder going forward, he said, "I don't know, man. I don't think that's a question for me."
Finch said front offices will be perplexed as they attempt to solve the Western Conference puzzle.
"You've either got to be a problem or have a solution," he said. "You've got to either be built in a way that troubles your opponent, that's something they don't have, or you've got to have a counter to what they do have, so I'm sure GMs across the league, these are things that they wrestle with all the time."
The most urgent offseason conversation for the Timberwolves will revolve around Edwards, how close he believes he is to a championship and whether he believes the current roster is capable of achieving that goal.
Edwards said he's content with the current group and doesn't need another star next to him.
"I feel like we're good," he said.
But he also said the team wasn't prepared to compete for a title.
"I feel like you're supposed to build championship habits or playoff habits in a regular season," Edwards said. "No, we didn't build the habits during the regular season."
