After toppling the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA playoffs, there was one message Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards felt he needed to repeatedly deliver to fans: The Lakers were supposed to win the series in five games.
Edwards mocked everyone who picked against the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs by riffing on the “Lakers in five” meme.
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Edwards mentioned the phrase at least three times following the Timberwolves’ 103-96 win over the Lakers in Game 5. The first came in a post-game presser, in which Edwards said the win over the Lakers feels even better because “they said ‘Lakers in five,’ and the Wolves won in five.”
The “Lakers in five” phrase rose to prominence due to ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe. While giving analysis, Sharpe would rhyme three phrases and then follow it up by saying, “Lakers in five.” It was Sharpe’s way of saying the Lakers would win, or that the Lakers winning was inevitable.
As Edwards left the arena, he gave fans his own rendition of Sharpe’s phrase.
Edwards then continued trolling outside Crypto Arena, again using the phrase “Lakers in five.”
That phrase was clearly a motivating factor for Edwards and the Timberwolves throughout the series. Following Minnesota’s Game 1 win, Edwards said the Lakers were “supposed to win,” and the Timberwolves were “not supposed to be here.” Edwards carried that underdog mentality forward the rest of the way.
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Edwards’ fun wasn’t meant to be disrespectful to the Lakers, only to those who picked against the Timberwolves. Edwards showed respect to the Lakers immediately in post-game interviews, saying, “We beat the best player in the world, the best player ever,” a clear reference to LeBron James.
The two shared a quick embrace following Game 5, in which James told Edwards it was time for him to make the “next step.”
Following the win, the Timberwolves will take on the winner of the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Houston won Game 5 on Wednesday, but still trail the series 3-2 to the Warriors. The two teams will play Game 6 on Friday.
As for Edwards, he’ll get some time to rest before taking the court again. That should give him ample time to get all of the “Lakers in five” jokes out of his system before he turns his attention to the Timberwolves’ next opponent.
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