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God Squad wrote:I love this Wolves team, but the Suns aren't exactly the litmus test in terms of competition.

No offense Suns fans.

And yet, prior the series beginning, Vegas and the national media had the Suns. The problem is the Wolves came out punching and changed the narrative.

Baseline81 wrote:

God Squad wrote:I love this Wolves team, but the Suns aren't exactly the litmus test in terms of competition.

No offense Suns fans.

And yet, prior the series beginning, Vegas and the national media had the Suns. The problem is the Wolves came out punching and changed the narrative.

This means nothing. We've been talking about how bad this Suns team has been all year. Minnesota finished the season 56-26 FFS. Minnesota also has a far superior roster and depth. I never expected a sweep, but the outcome doesn't surprise me.

og15 wrote:

Marvin Martian wrote:No. Gobert still needs to prove that he can stay on the floor when teams go small in the playoffs.

It's easier to stay on the floor when teams go small if your other defenders can also cover for you.

That's what is forgotten too many times. Gobert on Utah was covering for everyone else, but there was no one to cover for him.

"Lol clippers playing him off the floor"
Literally had to both protect the rim AND Mann in the corner at the same time.

With this wolves team of you slap a dude in the corner to force Rudy out, he has 2 of Edwards/McDaniels/NAW on court to cover, all 3 were better defenders then he ever played with at Utah. Suns tried to go small and Rudy had some big games when they did

I'd give my vote to Julius Randle just because of how many people think he's a genuinely bad player...or at least one that hurts his team more than he helps...but with how much s*** Rudy has gotten I can't argue with the OP.

yitur wrote:I know a player who averages 30-15 in the playoffs, carried his team's defense on his back whole season and is arguably the best defender of his generation not getting even a nod for DPOY.

I"m confused.

Rudy Gobert plays for the Wolves but he doesn't average "30-15"

brutalitops wrote:

og15 wrote:

Marvin Martian wrote:No. Gobert still needs to prove that he can stay on the floor when teams go small in the playoffs.

It's easier to stay on the floor when teams go small if your other defenders can also cover for you.

That's what is forgotten too many times. Gobert on Utah was covering for everyone else, but there was no one to cover for him.

"Lol clippers playing him off the floor"
Literally had to both protect the rim AND Mann in the corner at the same time.

With this wolves team of you slap a dude in the corner to force Rudy out, he has 2 of Edwards/McDaniels/NAW on court to cover, all 3 were better defenders then he ever played with at Utah. Suns tried to go small and Rudy had some big games when they did

This is the biggest difference for Gobert, and don't forget Conley, the guy is playing like it's his last chance to get a title.... He's never played with guards that can defend the point and wings that can stay with the fast break, and credit Gobert, he's fast on his switches and stays in front, seems to have really learned to use his length along the baseline from the rim to the corners. And shoutout to the Canadian NAW, really been a factor these playoffs.

Now, I don't want to get too excited, it was the Suns after all and they looked terrible, their offense never really clicked and their defense was never really that good. The Suns were a far better team when they had CP3, Booker, Bridges, Johnson and Ayton - more chemistry and balance. Shows what happens when you try to buy a championship and now the coach will take the fall, cause, well, what else can they do?

As for Minny, the real test of their defense is coming in the next round.

What a defender.

Destroying all haters.

Handlez wrote:What a defender.

Destroying all haters.

People get caught up and so enamored with the more "VeRsItIlE dEfEnDeR wHo CaN gUaRd 1-5!!!!" and automatically think they are more impactful.

No.

Rudy Gobert is so dominant at what he does that he has a bigger impact on Team D then other "mOrE vErSiTiLe DeFeNdErS" like AD and Bam.

Being more "VeRsItIlE" doesn't automatically mean you are more impactful.

yitur wrote:I know a player who averages 30-15 in the playoffs, carried his team's defense on his back whole season and is arguably the best defender of his generation not getting even a nod for DPOY.

Dammit why will nobody ever talk about the Lakers? In a totally unrelated thread no less. I demand we all stop right now and talk about how amazing all the Lakers are, not just AD. Right now. It's not fair, its just not fair.

Off-topic -- Rudy Gobert is incredibly underrated. I concur with the OP on that.

And and of course AD is not a better defender than Gobert nor Draymond so attempting to call him the best defender of his generation is amusing.

i dunno about most underrated, but people give him too much crap. maybe it's because he's unlikeable. he's the best defensive player of this generation and he should get enormous credit for coming back this year and integrating his skillset defensively with KAT and the others after last season's disappointment. to my knowledge he never complained about having to play with KAT or having to adjust his game or even about the criticisms, he just took the offseason to get healthy and now he's back to anchoring the best defense in the league.

Lala870 wrote:Inb4 the round 2 Gobert memes when Minnesota has a bad game against Jokic or AD.

Impressed that nobody felt for that

og15 wrote:

Marvin Martian wrote:No. Gobert still needs to prove that he can stay on the floor when teams go small in the playoffs.

It's easier to stay on the floor when teams go small if your other defenders can also cover for you.

That's what is forgotten too many times. Gobert on Utah was covering for everyone else, but there was no one to cover for him.

this is what so many uninformed and unobservant fans never realized about those utah years. the problems with smallball had nothing do with with Gobert's individual defense, rather it was the fact the other four guys couldn't defend anybody and gobert was forced to cover for them - he could never commit to simply defending his man, rather he was always having to cheat toward the paing because nobody on the jazz could defend worth a crap.

GSP wrote:

Rishkar wrote:Totally agreed. He was a top 5 player in 2021 (dare I say top 3) and never got his flowers for it. Then, he got traded for what he was worth and everyone mocked it. If Denver can't repeat, I'm rooting for the Wolves

Uhhh am I reading this right? Rudy was a top 3-5 player in 2021?

Yup

Gobert is not going to beat any allegations in the 1st round of the playoffs. Get past the 2nd round for the first time in his career and the discussion can begin

Lala870 wrote:Inb4 the round 2 Gobert memes when Minnesota has a bad game against Jokic or AD.

Everyone has a bad game against Jokic.

Was Butler a bad signing for the Heat because they had a bad game against LeBron in the 2020 Finals?

Was Kevin Garnett bad for Minnesota because he did a poor job of defending Dirk in the 2002 playoffs?

Was Clyde Drexler bad for Portland because he had a bad game against Jordan in the 92 Finals?

Was Kareem bad for the Lakers because he had bad games against Moses Malone?

Marvin Martian wrote:No. Gobert still needs to prove that he can stay on the floor when teams go small in the playoffs.

Totally. Phoenix never went small.
That Booker/Beal/Gordon/O'Neale/Durant lineup was HUGE, so it getting killed by Rudy is proof of nothing at all.

greg4012 wrote:Gobert is not going to beat any allegations in the 1st round of the playoffs. Get past the 2nd round for the first time in his career and the discussion can begin

I mean people think highly of Denver, so for Rudy's reputation I think it's more that Minnesota defense holds up and it's a competitive series.

For casuals, sure, it's win or go home. But if people are watching the series, they'll be assessing how Rudy plays.

manou wrote:Totally agree with OP : Antman is the offensive captain while Gobert is the one on defense. He brought (with the coach) a defensive mindset to Minny, and they simply dominate on that end. Who would have thought of Minny as a premiere defensive team honestly ?

Quick story, that many probably haven’t heard.

After a defensive collapse a couple months ago that led to a loss against CHI (don’t sleep on Coby White!), Gobert approached Finch about changing the sides of the bench. The visiting team gets to select which side they sit on, and Gobert wanted Finch to be on the offensive side for the second half. He said he’d continue to captain the defense. Finch was skeptical but agreed, and discovered that it really helps.

My point is that Gobert isn’t just a great defensive player because he’s a 7-1 specimen. He’s a great defensive player because he’s smart, and cares about defense. He has learned how to move his body (defensively at least!), to be in the best possible position, but he has also learned how to help his teammates move defensively too. On the Wolves, he has three great perimeter defenders (Jaden, Ant, NAW), but they would not be as great as they are (especially Ant) without Rudy helping direct them around the floor.

Rishkar wrote:

GSP wrote:

Rishkar wrote:Totally agreed. He was a top 5 player in 2021 (dare I say top 3) and never got his flowers for it. Then, he got traded for what he was worth and everyone mocked it. If Denver can't repeat, I'm rooting for the Wolves

Uhhh am I reading this right? Rudy was a top 3-5 player in 2021?

Yup

He absolutely was.

chilluminati wrote:People get caught up in spacing too much to realize just how effective he is when he's on the court. He's not perfect, nor is he some superstar. But as a defensive specialist he's elite. He has basically allowed KAT to flourish by covering all of his weaknesses.

He absolutely has superstar impact. We can debate what a star or superstar are. But he's been a top 15 player for the better half of a decade.