Draymond Green was waiting for this moment for his entire NBA career.
Draymond Green does not like Rudy Gobert. At all. In fact, Green probably hates Gobert (yes, hates) more than any other opposing player in the NBA. No one would reasonably dispute these statements. So, on Sunday night, Green enjoyed a glorious moment over the Minnesota Timberwolves reigning Defensive Player of the Year, for which he’s probably been waiting years.
As the Golden State Warriors tried to close Minnesota out, Green had the ball at the top of the key. Gobert guarded him one-on-one. Green blew by Gobert and took it to the rack for a vicious dunk that essentially locked up the Warriors’ win.
Green could’ve left it there and simply run back on defense. He, of course, did not do that. Not when he had a chance to poke and prod at Gobert. No sir.
Instead, Green emulated Steph Curry by doing a hilarious “night, night” taunt while following Gobert all the way down the floor.
Goodness, isn’t basketball better with real hate and pettiness like this?
What do you think the over and under is on the number of times Green thought about dunking on Gobert and taunting him before this happened? Could we even count it without a machine? Probably not. And how many times do you think Green has already watched this clip while cackling to himself? That’s also likely off the charts.
The Warriors and Timberwolves will meet up again in just about two weeks, but I really wish that matchup were tomorrow. I, for one, can’t wait to see what new antics Green has in store for Gobert.
Nikola Jokic keeps finding new ways to amaze everyone.
The Denver Nuggets may have lost their first matchup this season with the fellow Western Conference heavyweight Minnesota Timberwolves in a thriller last Friday night, but reigning MVP Nikola Jokic still did enough to spook star Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert during a key late-game sequence.
In the Minnesota locker room, Edwards and Gobert openly chatted about how Jokic knew one of their plays out of a timeout before they got into position. The two Timberwolves franchise players couldn’t believe that Jokic telegraphed precisely what they were planning to do.
While it’s not confirmed that the video below was the sequence, it sure seems like it is based on how Edwards and Gobert watch in clear disbelief as Jokic gives directions and tells the other Nuggets where to stand.
On Monday, as the Nuggets prepared for a home game against the Toronto Raptors, Denver starting shooting guard Christian Braun was asked about Jokic spooking Edwards and Gobert after their conversation went viral. Braun claimed that Jokic really does this kind of thing every game.
For Braun, who is made better by Jokic’s uncanny intelligence and feel for the game, this is just a regular occurrence. That’s absurd, man:
Nikola Jokic knew this Timberwolves inbounds play too.
Jokic even pushed Christian Braun into a better position to guard Anthony Edwards. It caught Minnesota off guard and they had to audible.
At face value, it’s not surprising that a superstar like Jokic probably watches a lot of film and studies opposing teams’ tendencies. That’s a prerequisite task if you’re going to be an exceptional professional athlete. No elite talent goes out there every night and wings it that much.
But this Jokic instance felt a bit different. Basketball is much more of a free-flowing game than other sports, where film study comes in even handier. The Timberwolves hadn’t even entered their set yet. And Jokic knew exactly what they wanted to do before they initiated it anyway, much to the shock of Minnesota’s two best players.
Jokic is in Year 10 of an illustrious career. Somehow, he’s still finding new ways to shock and amaze everyone who watches him play.
The dunk was nasty, the celebration was a bit much.
Christian Braun threw down an early contender for Dunk of the Year on Friday night when his Denver Nuggets visited the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As the Nuggets nursed a six-point lead with barely five minutes left in regulation, Braun took a feed from Russell Westbrook, soared into the lane and launched himself over four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
Braun attacking the rim regardless of who’s in front of him is nothing new. Neither was his reaction. The guard let out a road as thunderous as his dunk and shoved Gobert out of the way, starting a bit of a scuffle.
Christian Braun and Rudy Gobert got into it after this play.
The brouhaha ended with the refs assessing double technical fouls and killing whatever momentum the Nuggets gained from Braun’s dunk. That ended up becoming a turning point for the Timberwolves, who stormed back with a 17-6 run and secured the 119-116 win on an Anthony Edwards go-ahead bucket with 25 seconds remaining.
After the latest tough Nuggets loss, Braun owned up to his part in sparking Minnesota’s run and admitted some regret over his actions.
“I got to be more responsible,” Braun told reporters after the game. “It’s two points. Obviously, those are the plays you want to make and those are the momentum plays I want to make, but getting a tech throws the momentum their way, so I got to do a better job of controlling myself.”
After a dominant win by the Los Angeles Lakers over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Opening Night, fans heard from Anthony Davis.
The nine-time All-Star played a particularly great game, finishing with 36 points and 16 rebounds as well as 3 blocks and 1 steal. It was a masterful performance by Davis, who played well against Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert.
Davis, who also defeated Gobert when Team USA won a gold medal over Team France during the 2024 Paris Olympics, spoke about his game after the win. He took a not-so-subtle shot at Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Davis (+2200) is more of a sleeper than some of the frontrunners but if he plays like he did in the season opener, he will have a serious chance to win it.
But winning a title in the NBA is often about ideal matchups. Every team — and this is without exception — has its fatal flaw, an unavoidable kryptonite. A superstar like Jokic is transcendent, but he and his Nuggets teammates are not unbeatable.
Karl-Anthony Towns was the primary defender on Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic in back-to-back series, credibly guarding Hall of Famers with vastly different skills while also averaging 19 points on 52/44/83 shooting.
With everyone healthy and at their best, Jokic’s Nuggets two most notable playoff losses have come at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2020 Western Conference Finals and to last year’s Timberwolves in the second round.
How both teams primarily beat Denver is no coincidence.
In 2020, the Lakers used a rotation of three bigs featuring Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee to overwhelm Jokic. Jokic is arguably the most skilled center in the league — especially thanks to his all-time floater game. He is a one-man matchup problem who can score at will against sizable NBA defense in isolation or the post as he pleases. However, the Lakers ensured that they always had someone with size and athleticism fronting Jokic while the other forward roamed as a low-man backup in case the initial line of defense was lost.
With an exhausted Jokic still maturing as an All-NBA-caliber player, the Lakers cruised to a five-game series win. Though, Davis had his remarkable individual moments on offense, too:
The two-big lineup is not an unbeatable coverage for Jokic, per se, who has shown he can find a way to the rim and get a quality shot off anyway. But that requires the Serbian star to use a lot more of his energy. This sort of mix wears him down over time. When Jokic is tired and gassed, he’s eventually no longer working tirelessly for quality shots, he’s settling for random 3-pointers, and he’s often even failing to swallow a litany of defensive rebounds his reputation is centered around.
The Nuggets, in effect, are a shell of themselves with Jokic in this state.
The Timberwolves had a near-carbon copy of this equation to defend Jokic. They could use Towns or power forward Naz Reid to front him while four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert roamed, waiting to send over his help defense or to block the shot. To his credit, Jokic still found ways to make an impact against this defensive coverage — his masterful 40-point, 13-assist, seven-rebound effort in Game 5 of the series comes to mind — but again, that takes a lot out of him. And Towns certainly seemed like he challenged Jokic the most of all three defenders.
There’s also a reason the Timberwolves don’t usually prefer putting Gobert on Jokic in single coverage because this is what happens:
By his high standards, after having to metaphorically break his back against Towns, Gobert, and Reid all series, Jokic almost appeared ephemeral in stunning back-to-back losses in Game 6 and 7. It’s because the Timberwolves had the perfect defensive coverage to combat his skill. With all due respect to Julius Randle, he is not nearly the same kind of defender as Towns, let alone as talented.
And if the Timberwolves want to use more of Reid against Jokic while Gobert roams, well, I’ll let the screenshot below from their most recent playoff battle tell the story about how that would likely go:
With Towns out of the picture now, Minnesota got a lot worse against Denver, specifically, as a result.
None of this is to say that the Nuggets’ path through the Western Conference to another NBA championship this season has parted like the Red Sea. The West remains a daunting gauntlet, with juggernaut contenders like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, and yes, even the Timberwolves without Towns, still standing in Denver’s way, among others.
But if you’re Denver, you likely always feel great about your chances in any playoff series the easier Jokic has it. The looser his individual matchups are, the more likely it is the Nuggets will find a way to beat you in a back-and-forth best-of-seven. I would not be shocked to learn that Denver’s front office celebrated this Towns trade just as much as anyone actually involved in the deal. As Denver aims for two titles in three years, this might have been the organization’s biggest move of the offseason, and it didn’t even have to lift a finger.
As it currently stands, no other West championship contender has proven they have the ultimate antidote to trying to beat Jokic. With Towns, the Timberwolves did. But that reality is dead and gone now.
Shaquille O’Neal recently went viral for comments he made about Rudy Gobert and Ben Simmons, and he is already doubling down on it.
During a conversation with Complex Sports, the hoops legend was asked who he felt was the worst NBA player of all time. O’Neal immediately said it was Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert.
He added that Ben Simmons, who like O’Neal played college basketball for LSU, is “another bum” as well. According to O’Neal, guys like Gobert and Simmons are ruining the pay scale for other players and he doesn’t “respect” guys like that.
“It’s also personal motivation. So now Rudy and Ben: Show me what you got. See, like, people don’t understand the things I’m saying no on TV, it’s the same things I said to my players as a leader. Young man … you’re getting paid $20 million, you ain’t doing nothing. Step your game up. The outsiders that what we know, they’re like ‘oh, he’s hating.’ No, I’m not hating. I’m telling you the truth. And if you don’t like the truth, that’s something you got to deal with. So now, it’s out there. It’s viral. So show me what you’re going to do, Rudy and Ben. Shut me up.”
Gobert responded to these comments from O’Neal, adding that he is “sad to see” O’Neal was “triggered by another man’s finances” despite all of Shaq’s personal accomplishments on and off the court.
But based on O’Neal’s comments to Salmon, it seems obvious that Shaq is simply trying to motivate Gobert to strive for greatness so that he be the best version of himself.
Dereck Lively II has a lot of time to address these problems in his game, too.
Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively II recently turned some heads due to comments he made about Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.
During a recent conversation with G League guard Theo Pinson, the Dallas center shared an observation that has he had about his Western Conference frontcourt rival.
Lively explained that the players who make the most money earn the most playing time. Pinson asserted that Gobert was essentially unplayable during the postseason and whether or not that was true, Lively emphatically agreed.
Pinson added that Gobert needed to sort out those problems, and Lively said that the three-time NBA All-Star was unable to do that. It was an interesting conversation:
Can't stop laughing after D-Live said "zero" & "and he didn't" 💀
Some people have correctly pointed out that Lively has already faced similar issues during his young professional career. That should not disqualify him from making these arguments about Gobert, though.
Indeed, these two players come from a very similar archetype as defensive anchors with offensive limitations. Both are phenomenal rim protectors and neither has proven able to spread the floor as shooters.
Certain fans may feel that if Lively has those same problems, how is it fair for him to point fingers at Gobert? But the reality is that it actually makes the former Duke standout uniquely qualified to speak on the matter.
Gobert is a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year who is far more accomplished than the 20-year-old big man. But the 2023 NBA Draft lottery pick, who earned All-Rookie Second-Team honors last season, has a chance to achieve marvelous things on the basketball court.
It is certainly possible that Lively could eventually surpass the impact Gobert has had in his professional career. However, he will need to figure out a few of the same things that the Minnesota big man has struggled with in order to reach that mountain top.
Otherwise, he could end up as a solid regular-season player incapable of matching that positive contribution in the playoffs. Fortunately, however, he has plenty of time to sort it out during what projects as a very long stay in the NBA.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura was red-hot and helped Japan compete hard with France, only to get ejected on a very questionable call.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis aren’t the only members of the Los Angeles Lakers who are playing well right now as the 2024 Summer Olympics get into full swing in Paris.
Forward Rui Hachimura has had some big games for his native Japan. He did well in the team’s exhibition games just days ago, and he had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his nation’s first game of group play on Saturday.
After losing that game to Germany, Japan took the court against France, one of the better teams in the Olympics and a squad that boasts NBA stars Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Hachimura was red-hot, scoring 24 points and going 10-of-16 from the field in just 22 minutes in a close game.
Omg.
Rui Hachimura sizing up Wemby and draining this Off the Dribble Middy in his face…
However, late in the game, the forward grabbed Gobert’s arm as Gorbert attempted a layup and was assessed a foul. It was his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game, and thus he was ejected, to the consternation of many.
Rui Hachimura had 24 points for Japan and was helping keep them in it against France before he got ejected for this foul on Rudy Gobert. pic.twitter.com/onIqh0g6xl
While it looked like a normal foul, not to mention a good foul, as Gobert is a mediocre free throw shooter, the officials working the game obviously felt otherwise.
France ended up forcing overtime on a miracle 3-pointer and four-point play by guard Matthew Strazel, and it ultimately prevailed 94-90. Wembanyama shined brightly with 18 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
France entered as heavy favorites but the game went into overtime largely due to a stellar performance from Japan’s Rui Hachimura, who is a forward for the Los Angeles Lakers. He looked like a star for his country during the game against the host nation of France.
After hitting multiple 3-pointers to bring his scoring total to 24 points with around nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Hachimura was called for his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game after making contact with France’s Rudy Gobert.
Unsportsmanlike for that and throwing Rui out of the game for that is some of the worst officiating I’ve ever seen. Refs just took the game from Japan.
There needs to be an inquiry into the 3 refs for this France vs Japan game. The Hachimura ejection for a normal foul is wild. Then the given 4 point play at the end of the game? Refs really making sure the home team doesn't flame out. #OlympicGames
The duo will helm one of the more lethal units competing for hardware in their native country this summer.
The San Antonio Spurs might be deep into the depths of their 2024 NBA offseason, but that does not mean that the team’s players are not on the court honing their craft.
And that includes the Spurs players who intend to take part in their native country’s international play in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Star Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama in particular, who plans to play for the French National Team, was recently sighted throwing up lobs and flushing them with Team France teammate Rudy Gobert. The duo will helm one of the more lethal units competing for hardware in their native country this summer.
And they are likely to come away with at least Bronze in a heady field of international competition — and even with a strong Team USA, Gold is not out of the question for Wemby and Co.
The folks behind the “Chaz NBA” YouTube channel recently shared a clip of Wembanyama and Gobert getting ready for the Olympics; check it out above!
