"15 puppets on one string" – Anthony Edwards sums up massive reason behind OKC Thunder's success

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves had another rough outing against the OKC Thunder defense. Tried as they did to solve the defense, the Timberwolves could not and crumpled to a 124-94 series-ending loss. Wednesday’s defeat was the third time in the Western Conference finals Minnesota lost by a blowout.

After the game, Edwards and Mike Conley talked to reporters about what happened in Game 5. While the point guard talked, Ant-Man interrupted him to say:

“15 puppets on one string.”

Conley could not agree more, particularly after Wednesday’s lopsided loss. Minnesota led 3-0 after Julius Randle drained a 27-footer. Slowly and steadily, the Thunder defense shackled the Timberwolves, limiting them to nine first-quarter points. After 12 minutes, the home team led 26-9 with Randle and Edwards providing the only points for Minnesota.

The second frame followed the first quarter script. Minnesota played better, but they bled to score 23 points, while the Thunder dropped 39 on the visiting team. After two quarters, OKC held a commanding 65-32 advantage.

Anthony Edwards, the focus of the Thunder defense throughout the series, had another rough shooting night. After a 16-point output in Game 4 two nights ago, he scored 19 points behind 7-for-18 shooting.

Julius Randle picked up his offense on Wednesday, dropping 13 points in the third quarter, but it was too little too late. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch sent in the second stringers with still four minutes left in the fourth period.

Anthony Edwards’ scoring and 3-point efficiency dropped against the OKC Thunder defense

Anthony Edwards was on a tear in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Against the LA Lakers, he averaged 26.8 points per game while hitting 33.3% from deep. In the semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, he put up 26.2 PPG behind a sizzling 44.2% clip from behind the arc.

The OKC Thunder, who led the NBA in defensive rating by a wide margin in the regular season and the playoffs, shackled Edwards. In the Western Conference finals, Ant-Man averaged 23.0 PPG and shot a measly 28.2% from beyond 22 feet.

Anthony Edwards particularly struggled in the last two games of the Western Conference finals. He averaged 17.5 PPG with 14.3% efficiency in his 3-point attempts. Edwards combined to make 2 of 14 triples in Games 4 and 5 after being hounded by Lu Dort, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso.