As NBA history has shown, rivalries between teams and players are important to the game. The Magic Johnson and Larry Bird rivalry brought eyes to the league and saved the league from near bankruptcy in the 1980s. Team rivalries such as the Lakers-Celtics and Cavaliers-Warriors have created countless memorable moments in the finals.
Currently, the NBA lacks true rivalries. While the Lakers and Celtics still exist, they rely on history rather than the players on the court to tell the story. But there are two teams who let the players on the court tell the story: the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Thunder and Wolves do not have the history nor the big markets that Boston and Los Angeles have. However, they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards, two stars who bring the competitive fire out of each other.
Oklahoma City and Minnesota split their four meetings this season. Three out of the four games came down to the wire.
Against Edwards this season, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 35 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists. On the other hand, Edwards averaged 22.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 6 assists.
While Edwards has not had the same success in scoring as Gilgeous-Alexander, he upped his rebound and assist numbers. He has also made crucial plays in those games to help the Wolves defeat the Thunder. In their most recent matchup, Edwards had a game saving block on Gilgeous-Alexander.
Games between the two have gotten physical and verbal in the past. In a recent game, Edwards shoved Gilgeous-Alexander as he was setting a screen for his teammate.
After a loss to the Thunder last season, Edwards criticized the referees, as he felt that they gave Gilgeous-Alexander favorable calls.
“It’s hard to win with the calls Shai gets,” said Edwards. “It’s hard to shut him down.You can’t touch him at any time in the game, so it’s super hard to beat. That team is a good team, especially when they get calls like that.”
In what seemed to be a response to Edwards’ comments, Gilgeous-Alexander made a post on Instagram with the caption saying “they talk about me for my post game, not my postgame.”
In an interview with Stephen A. Smith, Edwards said that while he, Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are the future of the NBA, Edwards feels that he’s better than them. In response to this, Gilgeous-Alexander stated that he expected that response from Edwards, but would also stake his claim as the best.
While they may take little jabs at each other, there is still mutual respect between the two. Edwards called Shai “the MVP of the NBA” this season.
“He’s consistent every night,” said Edwards of Gilgeous-Alexander. “I hope they give MVP to him this year for sure. I feel like he should have won it last year, but he’s playing out of his mind for sure.”
Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the praise from Edwards.
“No offense to you guys in the media, but the best satisfaction is when your peers and the guys that do the same thing for a living at a very high level that you do recognize and respect your craft and your talent,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder are currently first in the Western Conference, while the Wolves are battling for a play-in spot.
A first-round matchup between the two teams is a possibility. It could be the first of many playoff battles between these two young stars for years to come.
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