Anthony Edwards called out for unusual move in Timberwolves’ loss: ‘Weakness’

“As great as Ant is as a basketball player, there’s still some growth for him as well because as a leader I would not have walked down there and shook their hand,” Haslem said. “I would not have walked down there and shook their hand with eight minutes left in the game. As a leader of my troops and my guys, I would not show that weakness. The game is not over, I got eight minutes left. I still got smoke coming out of my ears because I’m so damn mad that we’re losing. Let me calm down for those eight minutes since I’m not in. And then after those eight minutes, I’ll go down there and I’ll congratulate them and their coaching staff. But in the middle of the game, when I got guys that have sat the bench and cheered me on, no, I’m going to sit there and cheers those guys on. I’m going to put that energy back into those guys and then when the game’s over, I’ll go over there and shake their hands.”

He added: “I damn sure know (Spur star Victor Wembanyama) wouldn’t have went down there and shook his hand.”

NBA Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzski and six-time All-Star Blake Griffin both could not believe what happened, although they did not go as far as Haslem.

“I’ve watched the NBA and been a part of [it] for a long, long time. I’ve never seen this,” Nowitzki said. “A guy walking into the huddle with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter and dapping up the entire team. Too much for me. Obviously, you can do that after the game and show plenty of respect.

“That was a little strange for me.”

Players usually wait for the postgame handshakes or maybe in the final minute or two to show respect to a foe that just conquered them in the playoffs.

There are also the notable exceptions like the Bad Boys Pistons, who skipped postgame handshakes after being ousted by Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1991.

Edwards opted to get out in front of his congratulating the other team after being pulled from the game during a timeout with the Timberwolves trailing, 128-95. The game was all but over.

With a towel in his left hand, he walked over and immediately congratulated several members of the Spurs coaching staff.

He eventually started hugging and dapping up several of the Spurs’ stars, including Wembanyama, who tallied 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

“At that point, you know ain’t going back in so you just trying to give them the respect they deserve,” Edwards said after the Spurs won the last two games of the series to advance to the conference finals.

Even the broadcast crew highlighted the odd move.

“Something you wouldn’t often see, at the 8:01 mark of the fourth quarter of a closeout game, but Anthony Edwards, knowing (coach) Chris Finch is going to empty the bench, made his way to the San Antonio bench and dapped up players, coaches, one by one,” play-by-play man Ian Eagle said.

Former head coach Stan Van Gundy then made a good prediction.

“All I want to know, I want to hear Udonis Haslem comment on that in the postgame show,” he said. “I would much rather see (Edwards) wait until the end of the game.”

Amazon showed Edwards retreating to the bench and he eventually put on a hoodie to watch the remainder of the game from the bench while the Timberwolves yet again fell short of the NBA Finals.

Edwards showed heart in this series while playing through a knee injury to average 23.7 points per game, but his team fell short in the conference semis after back-to-back conference finals trips.

The Timberwolves are clearly one of the better teams in the NBA, yet they have not been able to get over the hump in a tough Western Conference.

And that leaves Edwards in the spot of having to congratulate the other side each postseason.

“I do like what he said, that he wanted to give them respect,” Griffin said. “But I do think you wait and you have to take your licks at the end of the game like everybody else.”