Anthony Edwards may have kept the home crowd rocking and on its feet during a scintillating, series-opening masterpiece against the Phoenix Suns. Yet, even amidst the noise and chatter, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ star found no issue delivering a clearly-understood message: the NBA’s new generation has unapologetically arrived. Heating up and ready for a potential torch-passing duel against Kevin Durant, the two-time All-Star kickstarts his extraordinary sequence with a smooth hesitation dribble on the way to a tough, contested, Durant-like stepback pull-up. Officially sizzling enough to command multiple defenders, Edwards follows it up by navigating through the Suns’ double team maze for a wide-open 3-pointer, issuing some trash talk to the Suns’ future Hall of Famer after the make. Equipped with one final act of brilliance, Edwards caps his 18-point third quarter takeover with an in-rhythm, between-the-leg dribble before draining another triple, stamping Minnesota’s demonstrative Game One victory. Driven by a goal to catapult the Timberwolves to their first series win since 2004, Edwards opened in style on April 20, 2024, erupting for 33 points, nine rebounds, six assists, two steals, and four 3-pointers. · Apr 20, 2024