Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee react to Wolves knocking Lakers out of the playoffs

The Timberwolves got their well-deserved flowers on Thursday, but some are expecting more.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves stunned the NBA's national media when they knocked the Lakers out of the postseason in only five games of the first round. Thursday gave some of the biggest personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Pat McAfee a chance to respond, and they had a lot to say.

ESPN's First Take had a segment asking, 'What went wrong for the Lakers?' Smith responded, saying, "Minnesota is what went wrong," and he proceeded to surprisingly give the Timberwolves credit for their dominant performance rather than tear down the Lakers.

"Minnesota is what went wrong. Ant-Man is what went wrong. Rudy Gobert is what went wrong. Their defense collectively is what went wrong," he continued. "The Los Angeles Lakers, there's just MIA, APBs, whatever you want to use for a whole bunch of Los Angeles Lakers. Minnesota was more physical, they're taller, they're longer, they've got more girth... and they got up in them."

"Minnesota is what went wrong. Ant-Man is what went wrong."

—@stephenasmith on the Lakers' early playoff exit pic.twitter.com/jkEoKjkBFH

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 1, 2025

Pat McAfee was focused on Anthony Edwards when talking about the series on his daily show. He called Edwards an absolute dawg and cited Minnesota's love for its star.

Related: 5 things that stood out from Timberwolves' 4-1 series win over Lakers

"Watching him on the court and the way he leads that team, and the way that team kind of rallies around the way he plays, the way the city appreciates the way he plays... this dude deserves all the conversation and all the credit that you can give him," McAfee said. "This guy is the one, one of the ones. What does the future look like? I think it's very bright for the NBA."

Anthony Edwards is THE GUY

He's an ABSOLUTE DAWG #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/VtEc3BJjoU

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 1, 2025

Now more than ever, the 'face of the league' conversation was prevalent on Thursday's shows, and Stephen A. claimed, "It's not Ant Edwards' league until he wins the West." He continued saying that he doesn't necessarily have to win a championship, but he has to make it to the NBA Finals.

"It's not Ant Edwards' league until he wins the West." 👀 @stephenasmith on how Anthony Edwards can elevate his superstar status even more with the Timberwolves in the playoffs 😤 pic.twitter.com/hXKFVsCISZ

— First Take (@FirstTake) May 1, 2025

Edwards is a transcendent talent, and it's not often that a Minnesota team is the talk of the sports world, but the Timberwolves caught the attention of the entire country after taking down the Lakers.