Jason Kidd compares facing Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Dallas Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals by upending the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder and MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Their reward is a date with the No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves and a deep lineup that surrounds Anthony Edwards.

What's it like having to go through Gilgeous-Alexander and then have to climb another mountain in Minnesota and the Ant Man? There's no time for a deep breath, according to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd.

"Shai and Ant are talented scorers so it doesn't change in the sense of being able to exhale," Kidd said Monday. "You got two guys who can flat out score. Ant's ability to get downhill and finish above the rim, so you gotta get to him early. Shai, as you saw in our series, is a great scorer. And then Ant's ability, he will shoot the 3 a little bit more than Shai did in our series so we gotta be able to guard him behind the 3-point line and then also guard him before he takes off. "

Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander are among the game's top young stars and both have come to play in the playoffs.

Playoff averages	Edwards	Gilgeous-Alexander
Points	28.9	30.2
Rebounds	6.2	7.2
Assists	5.9	6.4
Steals	1.7	1.3
Blocks	0.6	1.7
Turnovers	3.2	2.2
FG%	50.4	49.6
3P%	39.8	43.2

While Gilgeous-Alexander received 15 first-place votes and 40 second-place votes in the MVP race, Edwards didn't get any first-place votes and only one voter gave him a second-place tally.

Still, "Ant's playing at an MVP level right now," Kidd said.

No question about it.

Edwards lit up the Suns by averaging 31.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists. Then, in a very difficult matchup with the defending champion Nuggets, Edwards overcame a swarming defense that tried to take him out of games by averaging 27.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

The bottom line: Edwards and Gilgeous-Alexander are great players. Is there a true difference that could settle the debate about who is better? It's probably not that simple, but if the game is on the line both are going to be dangerous with the ball in their hands. On the flip side, if the game is on the line and you need a defensive stop, Edwards is probably the better one-on-one, lockdown defender.

That's an area that made Edwards elite in these playoffs. Just ask Jamal Murray. He'll now have to do it against one of the greatest ball-handlers in NBA history in Kyrie Irving.