Anthony Edwards, following the Wolves' elimination: "I tip my hat to San Antonio"

Anthony Edwards took on the elimination of Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2026 NBA Playoffs practically before the game ended. With just over eight minutes to go in the 139-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the shooting guard approached the opposing bench to greet players and coaching staff with hugs, handshakes, and fist bumps, in an unusual gesture during the game.

After the game, Edwards explained that he simply wanted to acknowledge the Spurs' superiority while still on the court.

"I just tip my hat," he said. "They are the better team. At that point, there's no turning back, so you just try to show them respect."

The image perfectly reflected the frustration of a Timberwolves team that once again bid farewell to the playoffs in a resounding manner. Minnesota was eliminated for the third consecutive season in a decisive game lost by at least a 20-point margin.

An Excessively Harsh Elimination

The loss against the Spurs adds to other recent painful eliminations for the franchise. In 2024, Minnesota lost 124-103 to the Dallas Mavericks in the fifth game of the Western Conference Finals. A year earlier, the Oklahoma City Thunder also ended the Wolves' journey in five games after a 124-94 victory in the deciding match.

This time, the team never found answers to San Antonio's offensive onslaught. The Spurs dominated early on and ended the series convincingly, leaving many doubts in Minnesota despite the good run during the season.

Injuries also seriously affected the series for the Timberwolves. Edwards returned prematurely from a knee injury suffered in the first round to play in the Western Semifinals, although he never fully reached his physical peak.

"I have nothing but praise for Ant's performance in this series, as it was not expected that he would be back until halfway through it," said coach Chris Finch.

Minnesota also couldn't count on all its perimeter pieces. Ayo Dosunmu, one of the postseason revelations, suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the first game of the series, while Donte DiVincenzo was sidelined for the rest of the playoffs after an Achilles tendon injury in the previous round against the Denver Nuggets.

The absences particularly complicated the team's offensive execution against the aggressive defense of the Spurs.

"He spaces the floor like no other," Edwards explained about DiVincenzo. "In a series like this, where they only double-team, I would love to have Donte in my position and feed him the ball all the time to shoot 20 threes, but he got injured in the previous series, so we tried to find a solution."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Anthony Edwards, tras la eliminación de los Wolves: "Me quito el sombrero ante San Antonio"