Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving responds to Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards with truthful take after Game 1 battle

With how Anthony Edwards carries himself, it’s clear the 22-year-old superstar does not lack confidence. That unwavering inner belief has garnered Ant-Man a lot of support, both from fans and his peers. The veteran Irving himself was quick to share the admiration he has for Edwards.

“As a peer, man, I love that. It’s nothing better. When Ant was a little younger, I’m sure he was watching me and when he was in high school I was watching him. For me, it’s more of those exciting matchups that I look forward to… and that no-fear mentality that he has is why I love him…”

When Irving was speaking with Charles Barkley on the TNT broadcast, he shared the motivation it gave him coming into Game 1.

“I used it as motivation. When I was sitting at home and I saw it, I was like, ‘that’s just a nod of respect’. Also, I just knew what type of game it was going to be.”

Irving dominated Edwards in the Timberwolves-Mavericks opener

The Mavericks guard didn’t let that motivation fail him. Irving quickly got going as he raced to a game-best 24 points in the first half including an exhilarating and-1 finish in traffic to close out the second quarter. Irving shot an astounding 11-14 from the floor through the first 24 minutes of game time.

Five of those 14 shot attempts were with Anthony Edwards as the primary defender. Of those five attempts, Irving connected on four of them. Even when Kyrie happened to miss, it wasn’t as a result of the defense. Irving got everything and everywhere he wanted on Wednesday night. While the former NBA champion slowed down a bit in the second half, he proved more than ready to take on Edwards.

Irving’s postseason experience is pivotal in this series matchup. With both teams relatively young and mostly lacking deep postseason success, it’s clear that Kyrie’s past playoff runs came in handy. With the lights bright for the Western Conference Finals, Irving came in and delivered a classic performance against Edwards and the Timberwolves. Minnesota will go back to the drawing board before Game 2 with hopes of evening back up the series before heading out to Dallas.