NBA Notes: Warriors, Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, Spurs, Mitch Johnson

Warriors

Golden State has a day to come up with an Anthony Edwards plan. Good luck.

Edwards torched the Lakers in Round 1 — averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists — and has his eyes set on doing more damage.

The Warriors know him well. So does Steve Kerr, who coached him with Team USA and watched him drop 26 a night against Golden State this season.

“He’s playing with supreme confidence,” guard Stephen Curry said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Same Ant, just taking another leap. It’s going to be a tough challenge.”

Draymond Green will likely be the first line of defense. But as Kerr knows, the key won’t be one body — it’ll be waves. Edwards is too strong and too quick for just one defender. The Warriors will try mixing coverages and personnel, maybe even hiding Green at times to keep him out of foul trouble.

Adding to the complexity: Minnesota’s front line is massive. Expect Kevon Looney to play bigger minutes, and maybe even see rookie Quinten Post, just to stretch the floor and pull Rudy Gobert out of the paint.

Timberwolves

Minnesota enters the series confident, and why not?

The Timberwolves just bullied the Lakers, and now get a smaller Warriors team that struggled with size all first round. Edwards is surging, and the frontcourt foursome of Gobert, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid is suddenly a major mismatch. Golden State was outrebounded by 51 across seven games vs. Houston, and that group didn’t even have a Gobert-type rim protector.

Draymond Green admitted his Game 6 flagrant against Houston set a bad tone. He addressed the team emotionally before Game 7 and was effective afterward. He’ll have to be even better now, without the meltdowns, without the fouls. Gobert and Draymond have history, and it tends to boil over.

The Timberwolves will test Golden State’s legs, depth, and composure. A key stat to watch: offensive rebounding. If Minnesota wins that, the Warriors will be in scramble mode.

Spurs

It’s official. Gregg Popovich won’t coach the Spurs anymore. But don’t worry — he’s still “El Jefe.”

Speaking publicly for the first time since suffering a stroke last November, the 76-year-old Spurs legend formally passed the clipboard to Mitch Johnson on Monday. Popovich, still recovering, said the decision was necessary.

“Things are getting better by the day, but it’s not good enough for what we plan ahead,” he said. “So, it’s time to make this change.”

Flanked by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, Pop spoke for about seven minutes — softer than usual, but still sharp. Johnson, who coached the final 77 games of the season, is now officially the head coach. Pop remains president of the team and will be hands-on behind the scenes.

“I’m no longer coach,” Popovich said. “I’m ‘El Jefe.’”

The room laughed, but emotion wasn’t far behind. Team owner Peter J. Holt choked up. Johnson said he’s “humbled” and plans to lead with compassion and accountability, just like his mentor.

Pop thanked fans, the organization, and even the window-washers. He saved his best line for Duncan and Ginobili, who’ve helped him during rehab.

“They say it’s because they love me,” Pop said. “But I call it payback. They just want to make the workouts harder.”