Anthony Edwards is keen on playing the villain role when his Minnesota Timberwolves face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
The Minnesota Timberwolves enter the series as the underdogs because they’re the sixth seed. Despite the odds and the fans backing the Los Angeles Lakers, Edwards remains confident in their chances. The three-time NBA All-Star also said he’s excited to face LeBron James for the first time in the postseason.
“I just love it. It’s dope. I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win. That’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it,” Edwards said via The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski.
“It means a lot to matchup against him, man. Probably goes down as the greatest player to ever play basketball. Trying to get putting him out of the playoffs under my belt is going to be a tough one, but it’s going to be a fun road,” he added.
Minnesota Timberwolves draw praise from Los Angeles Lakers’ JJ Redick
The Minnesota Timberwolves finished with a 49-33 regular season record, one win less than the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. Despite their gap in the standings, head coach JJ Redick believes his team has no room for complacency.
“They’re a really good basketball team,” Redick said in a recent media session. “The more you watch them on film, the more you respect them. They’re a better team than 49 wins. The other three teams that are top-10 in offense and defense are all 60-win teams. Over the second half since (Julius) Randle and (Donte) DiVincenzo got back from injury about 50 games in, they’ve played really well the last 20 or so games.”
“You’re gonna prepare for Game 1, and you’re going to go try to win Game 1, and then, from there, it’s adjustment after adjustment. I can’t tell you how Game 3’s gonna go because I can’t tell you how Game 1 and 2 went. We’ll prepare for Game 1, and then we’ll go from there,” he concluded.
