The Minnesota Timberwolves’ season is hanging by a thread in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, and honestly, that thread is looking super frayed, like it’s about to snap. Down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Wolves needed a literal miracle on the road. Instead, what they’re serving up is an absolute horror show, and guess who’s catching all the heat? Yep, Rudy Gobert. As the Wolves get completely dismantled by OKC in a must-win game, those Defensive Player of the Year awards he’s got? They’re starting to look real questionable.
Let’s just paint the picture of this disaster, because it’s wild. We’re not even deep into the second quarter, and the Thunder are already up by a mile, leading 51-27.
So, where does Rudy Gobert fit into this mess? Oh, that’s what fans are absolutely screaming about. When your team is getting run off the floor, and your defensive anchor, the guy with four DPOY trophies, seems to be a non-factor, the criticism is going to be loud. A significant shift occurred when Chris Finch pulled Gobert out of the game in the first quarter; the Thunder immediately started attacking Minnesota’s smaller frontcourt with relentless drives. Further complicating things for the Wolves, OKC even deployed Alex Caruso to guard Gobert at times, a move that effectively neutralized Gobert’s ability to set screens for his teammates. Like, if your DPOY center is getting totally schemed into irrelevance or isn’t even on the floor when the opponent is feasting, what’s the deal?
The fans on Twitter are absolutely letting him have it. You see the score, you see the Wolves just looking lost, and then the tweets start flying. One fan perfectly captured the mood: “The amount of defensive lapses Rudy Gobert has is sickening and I’m supposed to believe this is a x4 DPOY?” And that’s the million-dollar question right now, isn’t it? Where is that DPOY impact when your season is literally on the line and your team is getting embarrassed? It’s one thing to rack up awards in the regular season, but the playoffs are where legacies are made, and right now, Gobert’s isn’t looking too hot. It’s giving “regular season stats vs. playoff impact.”
(This is a developing story…)
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