'Never Seen This': Edwards Criticized For Congratulating Spurs Before Game 6 Ended

The Spurs came into the Target Center on Friday night for an elimination game, and they handed the Timberwolves an embarrassing season-ending loss. Things never felt close in the second half, which prompted Anthony Edwards to congratulate the San Antonio bench midway through the fourth quarter. His decision to concede early is drawing heavy criticism online.

Anthony Edwards went to the Spurs' bench to congratulate them on winning the series with 8 minutes to go.pic.twitter.com/5HLhHi9GmB
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 16, 2026

There were roughly eight minutes left in Friday night's game, and the Wolves were down 128-95. Chris Finch opted to empty the bench at this moment, and Edwards went over to the Spurs bench at the timeout to essentially concede the series. It's certainly a unique decision, and it drew heavy criticism from the Amazon Prime studio.

"I've watched the NBA and been a part of it for a long long time. I've never seen this," Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki said after the game. "A guy walking into the huddle with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and dapping up the entire team? Too much for me, obviously, you can do that after the game.. that was a little strange for me."

Blake Griffin agreed, saying he's never seen a player do that before. Edwards has always moved to the beat of his own drum throughout his professional career. It was obvious that his knee injury(s) bothered him throughout the postseason, and it appears he wanted to get an early start on the rehab.

"As a leader, I would not have walked down there and shook their hand," Udonis Haslem added. "As a leader of my troops and my guys, I would not show that weakness. The game is not over.. I still got smoke coming outta my ears because I’m so mad that we losing."

Prime crew discuss Anthony Edwards dapping up the Spurs with 8 minutes left in the game:

Dirk: "I've watched the NBA & been a part of it for a long long time. I've never seen this.”

Blake: "I have to agree”

UD: "As a leader…I would not show that weakness. The game is not… pic.twitter.com/9YQZmXwSVo
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) May 16, 2026

Edwards suffered a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise in Game 4 of the Nuggets series. His return in Game 1 against the Spurs came as a surprise, and it was clear that he wasn't at 100%. He still averaged 23.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the series, but it was a step below his normal playoff numbers.

He averaged just 18.5 points per game for the Nuggets series. Those are the two lowest scoring averages for any playoff series in his NBA career. You want your superstar on the court as much as possible, but we saw a banged-up Edwards this postseason. He clearly left everything he had on the court, and any Timberwolves fan or player is probably more than fine with the way he reacted to the loss.

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