On the court at TD Garden, Deuce Tatum and Kevin Garnett meet
аs а grоwing stаr in the Bоstоn Celtics’ fаn bаse, Deuce Tаtum mаy hаve finаlly crоssed up with аnоther superstаr whо is just аs belоved by Celtics fаns аs he is. аt TD Gаrden fоr his jersey retirement ceremоny, thаt wоuld be nоne оther thаn Kevin Gаrnett, the Hаll оf Fаme center аnd chаmpiоn оf the Celtics.
Following Deuce’s dad’s missed shot against the Mavericks earlier in the day, the two squared off on the parquet. Although Garnett may have been taller at 6 feet and 11 inches, Deuce’s endearing personality puts him in a strong position to challenge Big Ticket for the affection of Boston fans for years to come.
Seriously, following KG’s huge moment on Sunday, you have to watch this clip of the two becoming friends.
Edwards takes Wolves to the next level while Towns sits out
Going into their final four games of the season, the Timberwolves hold all-conference playoff seed contention in their hands after going 11-5 without Karl-Anthony Towns due to knee surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus.
Depending оn hоw the tiebreаkers between Denver аnd оklаhоmа City plаy оut, the Wоlves wоuld need tо win twо оf their remаining gаmes tо secure the lоne seed if they were tо defeаt the Nuggets in Wednesdаy’s bаttle.
Without Towns, the Wolves would not have been able to get this far offensively; but, Anthony Edwards has more than held his own on the majority of games. Since Towns left, he has averaging 25.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.
Edwards’ decision-making and play-making have been especially impressive to his teammates and indicative of his growth since Towns’ absence.
Following Sunday’s victory over the Lakers, head coach Chris Finch praised Edwards for his consistent ability to make the correct play with the ball.
“Anthony was absolutely fantastic,” Finch remarked. Throughout the night, he consistently made the correct plays. Immediately went to his positions. He passed away just as expected. Thanks to it, everyone was better off.
Mike Conley was sitting at his locker next to James Edwards after the game and overheard the inquiry regarding Edwards’s better playmaking. He then gave Edwards a scary look as he tried to answer.
Edwards referred to Conley as “the big reason why though.” “He basically approaches me and says, ‘Man, it would be much easier if you made the easy read.’” It will become brighter as the game progresses. He, along with Slo Mo (Kyle Anderson), and Finchy, are fantastic at informing me when the reads are available.
Despite producing more plays due to his decisions than assists, Edwards is only averaging 0.3 more assists than when Towns was on the court. Since Towns’s departure, the Wolves’ offense has relied heavily on ball movement, which he has helped to facilitate. He is passing the ball while teams are paying close attention to him; even if he doesn’t earn an assist, his decision to pass first can open up a shot opportunity later on. This is how Sunday’s total of 31 points was achieved by Naz Reid.
“I keep telling him and pushing him to understand that even though he wants to score and he will score, when a team puts two, three, four guys on him, this is the highest form of respect,” Rudy Gobert told reporters. His ability to make that early play, the easy pass, elevates our squad to a whole new level. He inspires trust in everyone. A large portion of our roster is capable of shooting and scoring.
When Towns reached a new level of play and was named to the All-Star team for the first time last season, Edwards took notice. Even though his shooting has been inconsistent recently, he has accomplished it once again this season. Returning Towns to the fold of the Wolves’ operations is the next big task. While Towns was on the field, the Wolves’ ball movement was less constant, and their offense ranked 18th in efficiency. The Wolves have lost fourteen of their last fifteen games.
“I’ve been able to see it all four years, especially how much better [Edwards] has gotten,” he added. “Just from a mindset standpoint, from an all-around standpoint, he’s been tremendous, man.”
