MINNEAPOLIS — Eight minutes and a second remained, but inevitability had already rooted. So Anthony Edwards made the long, disappointing walk down the Target Center sideline to the San Antonio Spurs’ bench. He said it was over, he knew he wasn’t going back in, so he hand-delivered the respect the Spurs deserved.
With 8:01 remaining.
Oh, the symbolism. The subliminal messaging.
The great Victor Wembanyama so holistically beat one of the NBA’s great competitors to the point of publicly laying down his sword. In his second postseason series, his first against a true great, Wembanyama humbled the proud. Audited by playoff tension, and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ resilience, Wembanyama validated the expectations he carries.
His Game 6 — 19 points, six rebounds, three blocks — lacked the splash of previous performances. With his excellence metastasized in the spirit of Edwards and his Timberwolves, Wembanyama didn’t need to be masterful. One gentle nudge and Minnesota crumbled, 139-109, to end this Western Conference semifinal.
But Edwards offered more to chew on with his pilgrimage of defeat. He could’ve done like the rest of his team and sulked on the bench until the final horn, then met their conquering foes on the hardwood for sportsmanship. Yet he chose a louder concession.
As a preface, the conclusion here, deciphered from the scene by this author, was a plea for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Verbally, Edwards said he believed his Timberwolves, as constructed, could compete with the Spurs and awaiting Oklahoma City Thunder. But when asked about the relentless double teams he faced, he pointed to his teammates by inference.
“It was no struggle,” he said of handling the defense’s extra attention. “Just trusting in my teammates, trusting in the next action we’re going to make something happen. And I feel like we did, man. We just couldn’t make enough shots to win the game. I think that’s just what it came down to.”
He started by dapping up the coaches. Then No. 5 made his way into the huddle of San Antonio players, interrupting the Spurs’ timeout discussion. Somewhere in there, Edwards quietly declared he’d see them again. That he wasn’t afraid of the new power brewing, and, after owning Denver, he looked forward to a new hill to climb. His hand shakes, half-hugs and chest taps gave off “don’t let me get Giannis” vibes.
But a new power is brewing. And Ant’s venture into their space to offer his respect screamed his approval of what the Spurs have, his appreciation for how they move. It could also be interpreted as a message to Timberwolves management: This is what I need.
Friday’s clash of NBA superstars didn’t come down to the superstars. But the co-stars.
In Game 6, Stephon Castle outshined Wembanyama with a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. De’Aaron Fox orchestrated the mauling of Minnesota, dancing around defenders and into the lane at will. Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell’s combined seven 3s felt like 20 cannonballs crashing into the Timberwolves’ spine.
Edwards’ blatant congratulations, after he battled through knee injuries and double teams, highlighted what he had around him.
On a night when Castle and Fox combined for 53 points on 26 shots, allowing Wembanyama to chill, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels combined for 16 points on 21 shots, disallowing Edwards to relax for even a moment.
Any analysis of Edwards’ supporting cast begins with Randle, who was especially putrid in Game 6: three points on 1-of-8 shooting. San Antonio outscored the Timberwolves by 34 points in the 24 minutes Randle was on the floor.
This is a trend with Randle. He’s an All-Star-caliber player with tangible strengths that can be seductive. He can be a tough matchup. He can be a difference-maker. But, invariably, his ability crashes into a concrete ceiling. On the biggest stages, against the best teams, he winds up looking miscast as a No. 2.
With the Knicks in the 2023 playoffs, he averaged 18.8 points on 41.4 percent shooting — more than five points below his average that season as an All-Star. In Game 6 against a Miami Heat squad featuring Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 41. But Randle had just 15 points on 3-for-14 shooting in a loss that eliminated New York. The Heat went to the NBA Finals that year.
Randle missed the 2024 playoffs with an injury. The Knicks, after famously being ousted by Indiana in Game 7, traded Randle for Karl-Anthony Towns.
In his postseason debut with Minnesota last season, Randle looked to be the missing piece. He punished the Los Angeles Lakers and torched the Steph Curry-less Warriors. He appeared to be the perfect complement to Edwards.
But against Oklahoma City in the West finals, Randle had two massive duds in the only two non-blowouts in the series. He went 2 of 11 in Game 2 and 1 of 7 in Game 4. Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a gluttonous amount of support in Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren.
In the first round this year, Randle wasn’t bad against the Denver Nuggets. But he struggled to impose his will. After Edwards went down with a hyperextended knee, Randle’s game didn’t turn up. The Timberwolves survived only for Randle’s game to completely whither against the Spurs.
Wembanyama’s presence loomed over Randle like a nightmare.
Randle amounts to an NBA bully. A forward with skill, he rams his shoulder to get where he wants, often into the paint. He finished the regular season with the 12th-most shots in the restricted area, even more than Wembanyama, and made 67.4 percent of his attempts.
But he avoided the paint this series like the French Freddy Krueger roamed there. He only took 25 shots in the restricted area in six games, making only 13. And Randle’s 3-point shooting faltered with his confidence. He went 4 of 21 from deep. His two biggest weapons neutralized by WWJD — What Wembanyama Just Did.
“Defensively, man, he’s incredible,” Edwards said. “He changes every shot at the rim. He goes … after every block, whether it’s goaltending or not or what the challenge is. Yeah, it’s tough. It’s kind of tough to go to the rim against a guy who’s like 7-6. He’s pretty good.”
Randle has scored 20 or more points in just six of his last 17 playoff games. The evidence suggests he can’t be the second-best player on a championship team.
Minnesota knows this feeling of falling short. They’ve been sent home gutted before. But unlike how the last two seasons ended, this defeat doesn’t feel like the precipice of something greater. The Timberwolves feel further away from a title. Not just because they didn’t make a third straight West finals. But because they don’t look ready, as constructed, to deal with the powers above them.
San Antonio feels like the rising juggernaut. Oklahoma City has the makings of a dynasty. And the Lakers with Luka Donćič sit a move or two from being elite. Edwards is climbing with all his might and still losing ground. He needs help. The kind that doesn’t fade. The kind that faithfully punishes the extra attention he receives.
This predicament might be worth drastic measures. One of the more obvious solutions sits in Milwaukee. But whether the Timberwolves can pull it off or not, Giannis represents the quandary of the Timberwolves. They need one of those. A real star. A proven, imposing commodity. Giannis tests their comprehension of their circumstance and their resolve for championship glory. They have to decide if this is who they want to be. If this is enough. Because in Edwards, they have a superstar worthy of more. And hungry for more.
For three seasons straight now, the Timberwolves have been sent home in convincing defeats. In their last three elimination games — in 2024 at home to the Dallas Mavericks, in 2025 at Oklahoma City and 2026 at home to San Antonio — Minnesota lost by a combined 81 points. At the end of a long season, after spilling all their valiance and ability, when they’ve reached the highest level they can go, the Timberwolves have lost by an average of 27 points.
Oh, the symbolism. The subliminal messaging.
What does that say about this team? Edwards, as he congratulated the Spurs in their huddle with 8:01 on the clock, likely had an answer in mind.
Except, he said, “I don’t think that’s a question for me.”
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