'What bothers me the most is just me not being me' - Anthony Edwards admits he still has regrets about his performance in the 2024 WCF

And while his numbers were far from poor—24.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game in the series—they didn’t match the brilliance he’d shown earlier in the playoffs. He had dropped over 40 points in three separate games during the first two rounds but couldn’t even crack 30 in the Conference Finals.

The nostalgic experience

KG’s MVP season had brought the Timberwolves their only other trip to the WCF two decades ago. Like this one, that team made the fans believe they could go all the way. After missing the playoffs for three more seasons, the Timberwolves traded their franchise icon to the Boston Celtics in 2008, ushering in a bleak rebuilding period.

Now, with Towns traded this summer to the New York Knicks, the Timberwolves find themselves at another crossroads. “Ant,” who was 2 years old the last time Minnesota sniffed a Conference Finals berth, is undoubtedly the face of the franchise—but the fear of history repeating itself looms large.

It feels like a haunting sense of déjà vu, especially for older fans. Like Garnett before him, speculations may begin to grow about his being tired of carrying the weight of a less competitive franchise. The Timberwolves could be staring down another 20-year cycle of mediocrity if they can’t answer that question.

For now, the guard remains committed. He’s clarified that he wants to return to the Western Conference Finals and finish the job. But the sting of this year’s failure lingers. The Timberwolves have shown they can defy the odds—once in 2004 and now in 2024. But it is another question whether they can finally take the next step or if their magical run will be another fleeting memory.