Next time, the Los Angeles Lakers should be careful of what they wish for. They dared Rudy Gobert to beat them and that’s exactly what he did.
The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 103-96 win in Game 5 of their best-of-seven duel against the Lakers to wrap up the series, 4-1. Gobert was unstoppable, putting up career playoff-high numbers in points (27) and rebounds (24) along with two blocks. He made 12 of his 15 field goal attempts, many of which came off his nine offensive rebounds.
Los Angeles’ head coach JJ Redick decided to go all-in on small ball, deploying a grand total of zero natural centers during the contest. Redick’s ploy was successful in limiting Minnesota star Anthony Edwards to 15 points on five-of-19 shooting, but it also opened up the interior for Gobert who dominated the Lakers’ much smaller frontline.
Teams typically punish the slower Gobert with these small ball line-ups, yet this strategy only works if there are several tall wings who can moonlight as centers on defense. The Lakers have a dearth of reliable options in this category beyond Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith, paving the way for Gobert’s most memorable postseason performance to date.
The 7’1 center was the tallest man on the court by far during each of his 38 minutes of playing time and he made the most of the opportunity. He swooped in for rebound after rebound on both ends of the floor and was constantly targeted by his teammates for easy dunks and lay-ups that were virtually uncontested given his height advantage over his defenders. It seemed like Los Angeles did not expect Gobert to have this kind of game in him and they paid dearly for overlooking this.
Moving on to the next round and beyond, this performance from Gobert is encouraging and should go a long way in his attempts to debunk the widespread belief that he is unplayable come playoff time. He still has a long way to go before he can completely shed this tag, but this Game 5 win over Los Angeles is a strong start. The brilliant game planning of the Timberwolves’ head coach Chris Finch helped make this happen and his vision to turn the previously ‘unplayable’ Gobert into a dominant force should be commended.
This Minnesota team suddenly looks like one of the teams to beat in the West with their imposing size surrounding the explosive abilities of Edwards. They now move on to the second round to face the winner of the series between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, though there is still a long way to go before they can make it to the franchise’s first-ever NBA Finals.
They do have, at the very least, brought back a winning culture to this long-tortured franchise. This upcoming second round appearance marks the first time in team history that the Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive seasons ever–a feat that is difficult to imagine given all of the talented players that have suited up for them since joining the NBA in 1989.
The winds are turning in Minnesota and Gobert is leading the way, changing perceptions about his on-court abilities one defensive stop at a time.
