Back In The Day NBA

Michael Jordan Fans Have To Backtrack After Anthony Edwards Leads Huge Comeback

Shandel Richardson

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

For one half, NBA fans were done with the Michael Jordan comparisons for Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was shooting poorly on the way to a Game 7 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. The Internet began to roast the player some have labeled as the next Jordan, considered the greatest player of all-time.

The comparison went far as some saying Jordan may be Edwards' father. They have a strong facial resemblance and their games are similar on the court. But not after the first half of Sunday's game in the national spotlight with so much on the line. It appeared Edwards was caving against three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending champion Nuggets.

He shot just 2 of 11 in the first half. His plus-minus was a team-worst -14.

And then the second half happened.

While Edwards wasn't his usual self, he played a key role in the Timberwolves rallying from a 20-point deficit to help the T-Wolves knock off the Nuggets. He finished with just 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on 6 of 24 shooting but it was enough to bring back the Jordan comparisons.

“It was tough, man, because I couldn’t find myself, my rhythm tonight,” Edwards said. “So I just had to trust my teammates. … I just had to make the right plays throughout the rest of the game. I did that and my teammates made shots. Big shout-out to those guys.”

Edwards may not be quite ready to take the torch from Jordan but he at least kept alive the debate. It will remain a topic when Minnesota plays the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

Published
Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com