Anthony Edwards offers interesting perspective after playoff elimination

The red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night, 124-94. The Thunder, led by 2025 NBA MVP Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander, will now advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. 

Having lost two consecutive series in the conference finals, Edwards offered an interesting perspective in a postgame news conference following the 30-point loss in Game 5. 

"I don't know why people would think it would hurt. It's exciting for me. I'm 23, I get to do it a whole bunch of times."

Edwards, who was named as a second-team All-NBA member this season, led the Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances over the association's biggest stars, including Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler. 

He averaged 25.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists on just 42 percent shooting from the field in the lopsided series loss. Despite the elimination, Edwards has firmly solidified himself as not only one of the league's best players but arguably Minnesota's greatest player in franchise history. 

NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is often regarded as the greatest player in Timberwolves history. Garnett won the 2003-04 NBA MVP award and led Minnesota to its first Western Conference Finals berth that same season. The Wolves lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers and didn't reach the conference finals again during the Garnett era. 

As Edwards just completed his fifth season, he has already led the Timberwolves to more conference finals appearances and has more playoff points in fewer games than Garnett. 

At 23 years old, Edwards' quote carries considerable weight regarding what he and his team can achieve in the future. Minnesota has a solid core of Edwards, Naz Reid, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels at the forefront. 

There are a bevy of teams that wish they could have had the back-to-back seasons the Timberwolves just had. So yes, Edwards' statement could come off as cocky, but it also conveys optimism as the face of the franchise.