At a certain point, it’s foolish to ignore reality, to pretend you can really change anything about an outcome. That’s what Anthony Edwards realized after watching Nikola Jokic paint an all-time masterpiece in the Denver Nuggets’ Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The evening saw Jokic fall just three rebounds short of a 40-point triple-double. Think about that. He was flat-out unstoppable, especially while attacking four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. This is a pattern that has extended all the way back to Game 3.
No matter what the Timberwolves have thrown at the three-time MVP, he has somehow always had an answer while leading the way for reigning champion Denver. In the post-game locker room, Edwards didn’t even bother pretending like Minnesota could do anything differently to the NBA’s best player.
Instead, he could literally only laugh about Jokic’s dominance:
Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards on Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic’s Game 5: “I just laugh. That’s all I can do. I can’t be mad. … He’s the MVP. He’s the best player in the NBA. He showed it the last three games. … He was special tonight. I have to give him his flowers. He was that guy.” pic.twitter.com/C0x3kylQS2
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 15, 2024
Edwards is a superstar in his own right. One day, he may well hold the title of best player in the league. It says something that Edwards is this good at the age of 22. It also says something that he’s mature enough to realize when the other team has an all-time great like Jokic operating near the peak of his powers.
When someone like Jokic has it going, no one’s getting in his way. It’s just that simple.
