Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves sweep ‘superteam’ Suns; Commanders thrive, Panthers struggle in NFL Draft grades

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🐺 Good morning to everyone, but especially …

THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

The Timberwolves and the Suns played hundreds of possessions in the first round, but two in particular, when the visitors needed it most in Game 4, encapsulated the entire series.

Trailing 113-111 with under three minutes left, Kevin Durant got great post position against Mike Conley, who’s nearly a foot shorter. Easy scoring opportunity, right? Wrong: a timely double-team thwarted one of the greatest offensive players ever. He kicked it out. Should be an open shot, right? Wrong: a perfect defensive rotation forced Phoenix to swing the ball around. And when Bradley Beal broke the defense down and tried to kick it out, Nickeil Alexander-Walker intercepted it.

Down they went to the other end. Anthony Edwards sized up Beal and blew by him like he didn’t exist before unleashing a ferocious dunk on Durant, the type of dunk that leaves you half in stunned silence and half wanting to stand up and scream “Ohhhhh!” at your TV. I don’t even remember which one I did.

Game. Set. Match. The Suns never got any closer.

Edwards is a superstar — not a star, a superstar — and you will not see a more competitive superstar on both ends. His Timberwolves are a force. Minnesota finished off its first sweep in franchise history and first series win since 2004 with a 122-116 win in Phoenix.

Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points after halftime. Karl-Anthony Towns added 28 points. Jaden McDaniels had 18 and is among the league’s most disruptive wing defenders. It’s fitting he leads the league’s best defense. The Timberwolves got swept by the Suns in the regular season but completely flipped the script in the playoffs, using their size, physicality and doggedness to dominate a top-heavy Suns team.

It’s the most impressive first-round performance by far. And they’re coming for more. Let’s hope Chris Finch can coach whatever comes next after a brutal late-game collision with Conley.

What’s more: Colin Ward-Henninger writes that in a world without deep playoff runs from the likes of Stephen Curry, Durant and LeBron James, coupled with the emphatic performances of the game’s younger stars, it sure feels like the NBA’s unofficial changing of the guard is officially underway.

•  Ward-Henninger: “… the youth movement is thriving, starting with Edwards in all his charismatic bravado. The top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, led by 25-year-old MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, became the first team in NBA history to have all of their points scored by players age 25 or younger in a playoff game. Another 25-year-old MVP finalist, Luka Doncic, helms what was the hottest team in the Western Conference entering the postseason.”

👍 Honorable mentions

⛅ And not such a good morning for …

THE PHOENIX SUNS

We’ll make this quick. The Suns were no match for the Timberwolves. They weren’t tough or strong enough, they didn’t work hard enough, and they simply didn’t have enough. Devin Booker (49 points) and Kevin Durant (33 points) were terrific. The rest of the team, and especially Beal (4-for-13 shooting, nine points, six turnovers, fouled out), no-showed.

After Game 3, Brad Botkin wrote Durant’s superteam efforts failing over and over. And after an embarrassing sweep, Sam Quinn says the superteam era is done, and Phoenix’s future is bleak.

•  Quinn: “If this all sounds grim … well … yeah. It should. This is bleak. It is one of the bleakest sets of circumstances facing any team in the NBA right now. It’s only going to get bleaker … There’s no obvious pivot or strategic approach that can fix this for the Suns. They misunderstood where the league was when they traded for Beal and they misunderstood where it was going when they traded for Durant. … The most likely outcome here is that the Suns were simply wrong.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Draft: Winners, losers, grades and ranking young QB situations

The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone — here’s every single pick — and our experts have assessed who did the best. One team, and one team only, got an “A+” in Pete Prisco’s grades — the Washington Commanders.

• Prisco: “Best Pick: It was their first one, quarterback Jayden Daniels. I think he will be the best quarterback from this draft. They locked up a franchise passer with pick No. 2. He will be dynamic. … The Skinny: In his first year running the draft, general manager Adam Peters killed it. … I liked all their second-round picks in defensive tackle Johnny Newton, corner Mike Sainristil and tight end Ben Sinnott. They drafted a lot of talented football players.”

Chris Trapasso also graded every team, including grades for every single player. Yes, all 257. Three teams earned an “A” from Chris.

Not everyone did well, though. Will Brinson turned in his winners and losers, and the biggest loser from last year’s draft (so far) didn’t do well this year, either, in his estimation.

Listen, it’s brutal to have to analyze drafts immediately after they happen. I applaud Pete, Chris and Will for doing it. There will always be opinions that age like milk. There will be takes that age like fine wine, too. That comes with the territory. No one thought Tom Brady would be an A++++++++++++++.

So I’ll stick my neck out with a few drafts I liked/disliked, too.

• I liked the Ravens. Cornerbacks Nate Wiggins (first round) and T.J. Tampa (fourth, even though he had a second-round grade) could play immediately. So could tackle Roger Rosengarten. Both were huge positions of need for Baltimore.
• I liked the Cowboys. Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe could be early starters. Guyton has tremendous potential thanks to his athleticism and build, and Dallas is excellent at molding potential into results. Marshawn Kneeland was a late riser who augments the pass rush.
• I disliked the Panthers. I’m not sure about Xavier Legette over some other receivers who were available, and Carolina traded up for him. Carolina also traded up for Jonathan Brooks, adding to an already-crowded running back room. Don’t get me wrong: I like Brooks, I just don’t like the resources the Panthers used to get him. But did I like the Ja’Tavion Sanders pick!

But, hey, go ahead. Roast me.

Here’s more from the weekend:

🏀 Candace Parker retires; Kiki Iriafen to USC; WNBA training camps open

From hellos to goodbyes and plenty in between, there was a ton of action across women’s basketball this weekend.

Let’s start with a bittersweet goodbye. Candace Parker called it a career, and what a career it was. Across 16 seasons with the Sparks, Sky and Aces …

• 6,574 points (ninth all-time)
• 3,467 rebounds (third all-time)
• Seven-time All-Star
• Two-time MVP (2008, 2016)
• 2016 Finals MVP
• Only player in WNBA history to win a championship with three different franchises

The last of those three came with Las Vegas this past season, though she struggled with a foot injury, and that played a part in her decision.

The announcement came the same day WNBA training camps opened. The preseason begins May 3, and the regular season starts May 14. Here are all of the key dates.

Jack has one big question for every team. 

As for the future of the league, two potential future No. 1 picks are teaming up at USC. Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC, where she’ll join JuJu Watkins. Iriafen averaged 19.4 points and 11 rebounds last season, highlighted by a 41-point effort against Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament.

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏒 Game 5: Lightning at Panthers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Game 4: Celtics at Heat, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Twins at White Sox, 7:40 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Game 4: Thunder at Pelicans, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Game 4: Stars at Golden Knights, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Game 5: Lakers at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT