Due to prior work commitments, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley were absent on the Inside The NBA post-game show on Tuesday. Draymond Green and Vince Carter filled in for the iconic duo and the eccentric Golden State Warriors star especially delivered a stunning performance. During the post-game coverage of Game 5 between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves, the veteran forward viciously lambasted center Rudy Gobert‘s performance in the Timberwolves’ loss.
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Green also poked fun at Gobert’s comments from the post-game press conference. He said,
“The big Frenchman is sitting on that podium, speaking his native language, ‘We, we, we need to do this.’ You you you [to Gobert] need to get a stop. It ain’t we. Karl-Anthony Towns is actually doing a pretty good job when he’s on Joker (Nikola Jokic). It’s you, my man, that’s getting cooked. So it’s no we. Yes, you do need help from the other guys, but some of those plays. Help can’t help you. You just gotta get a stop.”
Draymond cooking Rudy Gobertpic.twitter.com/M4iRSPr6Ay
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 15, 2024
Green proceeded to call Gobert ‘unplayable,’ suggesting that the Timberwolves should bench him. The 34-year-old has called out Gobert for his poor defense in the playoffs before as well.
While the Warriors star’s comments may seem unfair, there’s some truth to them. The Timberwolves surprisingly opted to play man-to-man defense in Game 5 and Gobert, the four-time and reigning Defensive Player of the Year, was tasked with guarding Nikola Jokic. Minnesota expected their star center to at least slow down if not stop the newly-crowned league MVP, but it had the opposite effect.
Jokic had his best game of the series, finishing with 40 points, 13 assists, 0 turnovers, and seven rebounds on 15-of-22 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Gobert had no answer for the Serbian superstar, who humiliated the Frenchman every time they were in isolation on the offensive end.
Gobert’s rough outing has left the Timberwolves trailing 3-2 in the series after going up 2-0 on the road. Meanwhile, Green has turned the Stifle tower into the scapegoat for Minnesota’s collapse. He continued to roast Gobert on social media later on.
Draymond Green continued to roast Rudy Gobert
Despite shredding Rudy Gobert in the post-game show, Draymond Green wasn’t content. Following Nikola Jokic’s stunning display, the NBA’s official Instagram account posted a clip saying that the Nuggets superstar was only the second player after Chris Paul to score 40 points and dish 10 assists in a playoff game without committing a turnover.
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Coincidentally, Paul also achieved the feat in Game 5 of a Western Conference semifinal series. He scored 41 points, dished 10 assists, and grabbed seven boards in a series-clinching 112-102 win for the Houston Rockets over the Utah Jazz in the 2018 playoffs. That Jazz team featured Rudy Gobert, who had just won his first Defensive Player of the Year award.
He played 31 minutes, scored 12 points, and grabbed nine rebounds, but couldn’t contain Paul. Green shared the NBA account’s post on his Instagram stories and captioned it, “On the wrong end 2x.”
Lmaoo Draymond calling out Rudy Gobert pic.twitter.com/hoqy8yDezR
— What are NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) May 15, 2024
It was another sly dig at Gobert, as Green suggested the Frenchman was at fault on both occasions. The Warriors veteran isn’t coy about his resentment for the Timberwolves star.
Green leaves no chance to have a go at the center, whether it’s ripping apart his performance in the studio or putting him in a chokehold on the basketball court. The Dubs forward’s past takes on Gobert also highlight his dislike for the T-Wolves star.