Charles Barkley felt that a big change was needed when the Minnesota Timberwolves were down 53-38 at halftime in their do-or-die Game 7 clash with the Denver Nuggets. Barkley stated on Inside the NBA that the Timberwolves needed to bench Rudy Gobert to turn things around.
“This is what I think the Wolves should do, they gotta take Gobert out the game,” Barkley said. “(Nikola Jokic) is just throwing (him) around like a damn ragdoll, first and foremost. But I think what would happen is, it would give him (Anthony Edwards) some space because they’re not worried about Gobert on the offensive end. So, it’s really playing five on four.”
Chuck: "They got to take Gobert out the game." pic.twitter.com/ttM8Yicudm
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 20, 2024
Gobert really struggled in the first half and Barkley wasn’t the only one to think that the Timberwolves should bench the Frenchman. Head coach Chris Finch, however, decided to keep faith in the big man and he ended up playing a key role down the stretch, as the Timberwolves flipped the script.
They stormed back to stunningly win 98-90 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. After the game, Gobert was told about Barkley wanting him to be benched.
“I don’t watch these guys, so I don’t know what to talk about,” Gobert said. “But I know they have to talk about something and they have to talk about us that are on the court. I’m glad coach didn’t listen to his advice.”
Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert on TNT’s Charles Barkley suggesting he should be benched in Game 7 win over Nuggets: “I don’t watch these guys. … I’m glad coach didn’t listen to his advice.” pic.twitter.com/RLjW0RYn9y
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) May 20, 2024
Gobert has received so much criticism over the years from current and former players that I was happy for him that he finally proved one of them wrong. I am certain that had the Timberwolves lost this series, the 31-year-old was going to be blamed for it.
Minnesota had convincingly won Game 2 without Gobert and his critics would have claimed that the series would have turned out differently without him. This Game 7 win ensured that wouldn’t be the case.
Anthony Edwards And Karl-Anthony Towns On The Moment They Felt The Game Turned In Their Favor
With the Timberwolves having made this incredible comeback in Game 7, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns were asked if there was a moment where they felt the game turned in their favor. They both pointed to one, Gobert’s ridiculous turnaround fadeaway jumper.
Karl-Anthony Towns: “The Rudy Gobert turnaround was crazy!”
Anthony Edwards: “Yeah, I think when Rudy hit the turnaround, I was like yeah we probably got ’em. I know that’d kill everything.”
"The Rudy Gobert turnaround was crazy!" – KAT
"I was like yeah we probably got 'em." – Ant
Wolves' duo reflects on when they felt they took control of Game 7 😅#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel pic.twitter.com/S5d567aiX1
— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2024
That was probably the best shot Gobert has hit in his NBA career. He gave Nikola Jokic a taste of his own medicine too, with the Serb having hit so many crazy shots like that.
Gobert finished the game with 13 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year had a team-high 8 points in the fourth quarter as he came up big when it mattered most.
The only thing now standing between the Timberwolves and a first-ever appearance in the NBA Finals are the Dallas Mavericks. Gobert does not have pleasant memories of going up against Luka Doncic in the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how things pan out here.
I think the Timberwolves will emerge victorious but it might be another seven-game series. If Gobert does end up playing a significant role in Minnesota getting past Dallas, then his critics might just have to shut up for good.
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