Led by a dominant performance from the league MVP Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets won Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The momentum has clearly shifted in favor of the Nuggets after three consecutive wins and coach Chris Finch is finding it difficult to find a strategy to contain the Denver"s high-flying offense.
Many analyst believed the Minnesota Timberwolves had a good chance of defeating the defending NBA champions when the two teams were paired up in this series. A key reason for that was Rudy Gobert, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year who has been been outstanding for the Timberwolves this season. The 7"1" Frenchman was supposed to be Minnesota"s secret weapon to contain Jokic, but has been unable to keep up with the Serbian superstar.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green knows what it takes to win a championship and is also a former Defensive Player of the Year. The 34-year-old joined the TNT crew for the postgame analysis and was highly critical of Gobert"s performance in Game 5.
“The big Frenchman is sitting on that podium speaking his native language. We, we, we need to do this. You, you, you need to get a stop…It"s you my man that is getting cooked [by Nikola Jokic]," said Draymond on Inside the NBA.
"When you lose the belief… it’s over. They don’t believe they can win anymore, which means this series is over."
Draymond sounds off on Gobert and the T-Wolves 👀 pic.twitter.com/c0U7LLOxKw
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 15, 2024
Over the last three games, Jokic has finished with 24, 35, and 40 points, respectively. Last night, he also contributed with 13 assists, 7 rebounds an shot over 68 percent from the field.
Gobert is a four-time DPOY and one of the main reasons he was brought over to Minnesota in a blockbuster trade was for his defensive abilities. If the Timberwolves have any chance of coming back in this series, Gobert will have to take on a greater responsibility and find a way to slow down Jokic in Game 6.
