"All gas no brakes" - 3x NBA champ urges Anthony Edwards to emulate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for must-win Game 5

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves face a tough challenge against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. There was a bit of hope in Minneapolis after the T-Wolves thrashed the Thunder by 42 points in Game 3 to cut the series to 2-1.

But the Oklahoma City Thunder rebounded to take Game 4, 128-126, putting the Minnesota Timberwolves on the brink of elimination. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander starred with a near-triple-double of 40 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists, while Wolves star Anthony Edwards received criticism for his subpar performance.

On Tuesday's episode of "NBA Today," Udonis Haslem, a three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat, shared his thoughts on what Edwards should do to turn the series around.

"All gas, no brakes. [Ant] has to take a page out of SGA's book."

Haslem also advised Edwards to attack in early transition before the Thunder defense can get set.

Edwards finished the game with 16 points, his second-lowest scoring total of the postseason, along with four rebounds and six assists. He defended his and Julius Randle's performance postgame.

"I don't look at it like I struggled, or [Julius Randle] struggled," Anthony Edwards said. "They just, they had a good game plan, making us get off the ball. Especially for me, man. They were super in the gaps, I made the right play all night."

"I don't really look at it like I struggled," Edwards continued. "I didn't get enough shots to say I struggled, so that might be how you guys look at it. But, yeah, I didn't struggle at all. I just made the right play."

Game 5, a must-win for the Wolves, is scheduled for Wednesday at the Paycom Arena at 8:30 p.m. EST.

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Anthony Edwards' off-court life called out by former NBA player after Game 4 loss

Anthony Edwards is on the verge of losing his second consecutive conference finals. He has been called the next face of the league, calls that got louder after the Wolves eliminated LeBron James' LA Lakers and Steph Curry's Golden State Warriors.

However, former player Kendrick Perkins, in Tuesday's episode of First Take, mentioned that his off-court lifestyle could be his stumbling block.

"You got to be a role model," Kendrick Perkins said. "And things outside the lines matter. Now, if you go down the list of all the faces of the league in the history of the game, you look at Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, LeBron, Steph."

"What did they all have in common? While they was playing in the league, they all were family men," Perkins added. "They all were married with kids. And if you think that don't play a role in force, the role model, this is facts."

While it is true that Edwards has had his share of off-court issues, others have argued that he is still young, 23 years old, and will get more mature as he gets older.