Anthony Edwards‘ confident statements ahead of facing Lithuania have come back to haunt him. As basketball fans should certainly be aware, Team USA is currently competing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Many eyes were fixed on the star-studded roster who are favored by many to inevitably emerge victorious in this tournament.
Talking trash and exuding confidence is now considered a cultural aspect of basketball. Therefore, we really can’t blame Edwards for dismissing Team Lithuania prior to their match. After all, Team USA was undefeated in all their official game up to that point.
Things certainly took a turn for the worse as Team USA ended up losing their match to Lithuania. Now that his words have undoubtedly been proven wrong, fans might want to know what Ant had to say prior to his game against Lithuania. That said, let us take a better look and find out.
Anthony Edwards was confident that Team USA would defeat Lithuania
Although Team USA has many stars on its roster, Edwards has emerged as a voice and a leader for the team. He has even been spotted interacting with the coaching staff and trying to get better. Since he is already a sensational talent, his abilities were made clear to fans as Team USA played in their games so far.
There is no denying that Ant is one of the best players on Team USA’s roster. Additionally, he knows several teammates and their potential from their time in the NBA. Therefore, we really can’t blame him for showing unshakeable confidence heading into their game against Lithuania.
Anthony Edwards was previously asked about playing Lithuania and Montenegro in the second round:
“I think we’re gonna win. Our confidence is at an all-time high. We’re not really worried about those guys.”
USA just lost to Lithuania by 6. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/SacA8za3mK
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 3, 2023
“I think we’re gonna win. Our confidence is at an all-time high. We’re not really worried about those guys.”
Neither Team USA nor the rest of the basketball world knew that Lithuania would pull off this upset and win with a final score of 110-104. Edwards clearly underestimated his opponents. In his defense, he was the best player for his team in this game as well and finished the game after scoring 35 points. Therefore, he really doesn’t bear much responsibility for this loss as an individual.
We are sure that the Wolves star would rephrase his statements about his teammates if he knew the subpar performances that they were going to put up against Lithuania. All of this goes to show that it is nearly impossible to predict how a game will turn out and get it right every single time.
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