Anthony Edwards doesn't mind being an underdog at all.
Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves secured the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference on the final day of the 2024-25 regular season Sunday to set up a first-round postseason tilt against the heavily favored No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers.
Aside from playing in one of the NBA's largest markets, the Lakers also feature superstars LeBron James and are a fascinating story to watch during Luka Doncic's first playoff run since the shocking trade that sent him from the Dallas Mavericks. Those storylines—combined with a certain sports network's tendency to prioritize Lakers coverage over everything—have few media members picking the Wolves to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. In fact, all 11 of ESPN writers who were polled earlier this week picked the Lakers to beat Minnesota in six or seven games.
Edwards, the Timberwolves' best player, is loving it.
"I just love it. It’s dope," Edwards said [via The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski]. "I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win. That’s how it’s supposed to be. They don’t want the Timberwolves to win. I get it."
Minnesota spent most of the 2024-25 season trying to figure out its rotation with Julius Randle after trading away franchise stalwart Karl-Anthony Towns in October. The Timberwolves did finally solve the puzzle toward the end of the season, winning 17 of their last 21 games with Randle averaging 18.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game over that span.
The Wolves and Lakers split their regular-season series two wins apiece. No. 3 seed Los Angeles does enter the playoff tilt as favorites, but Edwards appears to have the Lakers right where he wants them.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Anthony Edwards Loving Timberwolves' Underdog Status: 'Everybody Wants the Lakers to Win'.
