Anthony Edwards has spent his career treating hostile road crowds like fuel rather than a problem. He talks back to hecklers and rarely admits a crowd actually gets to him.
That is what makes his latest comments stand out. Asked to name the toughest places he plays, Edwards did not hedge. He went straight to the building the Knicks just turned into a championship stage.
Anthony Edwards Names Madison Square Garden Among His Favorite Places to Play
Edwards made the comments on his own YouTube channel, talking trash talk and road environments with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. When the topic turned to tough arenas, his answer went straight to New York.
“Well, of course home or Madison Square. Madison Square, TD Garden, New York, Boston, Philly, and Atlanta at home. But it’s hard to play in Madison Square Garden too. Great place. It’s hard to play there. You got to be ready for that. Boston is the same way New York is. Fans talk crazy.” Edwards said, via KalshiHoops.
“Madison Square, TD Garden. New York, Boston, Philly, and Atlanta at home. But it’s hard to play in Madison Square Garden. Great place. It’s hard to play there, though. You got to be ready for [the fans]. Boston is the same way
That description lines up with what New York’s crowd actually did last season. During the Eastern Conference finals, Josh Hart called the Garden the best atmosphere in the league before a single game had even tipped off. By June, the building backed that up in the biggest way possible.
Down 29 points in Game 3 of the NBA Finals against San Antonio, the Knicks stormed back behind that same crowd to complete the largest comeback in Finals history.
Two games later, they closed out the Spurs at home and won their first title in 53 years. Visiting teams that spring described an arena that got louder as deficits grew, not smaller.
A player who shrugs off most road buildings picking out that exact one, in that exact tone, says plenty about what New York built there. Minnesota will get to see it for itself soon enough.
What It Means With Knicks and a New-Look Timberwolves Set to Meet Again
Minnesota is not walking into this season the same team that lost in the Western Conference semifinals last spring. In June, the Timberwolves traded Naz Reid to Charlotte in a deal that brought in LaMelo Ball, giving Edwards a new co-star in the backcourt.
Ball averaged over 20 points and around seven assists in last season, and pairing him with Edwards gives Minnesota two players capable of taking over a game by themselves.
That kind of firepower changes how road environments test a team, since one hot shooter no longer has to do it all alone.
New York and Minnesota will get an early look at each other on October 12, when the Timberwolves visit Madison Square Garden for a preseason matchup. It will be Ball’s first trip into the building as a member of the Wolves, and Edwards will step right back into the arena he just singled out.
Edwards has already told everyone what to expect from that crowd. Now Ball gets to find out firsthand, and the Knicks get an early measure of just how much tougher this Timberwolves team really is.
Anthony Edwards’ Latest Comments Expose One Major Knicks Advantage