Rudy Gobert was mad at his teammates for their poor defensive effort in Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals series. The big man blasted his Utah Jazz squad for not playing ‘with urgency’ to take Game 5 at home.
Although he knows not everybody on the roster is a defensive specialist, Rudy wanted to see more effort from his teammates. Paul George went off on the Jazz, scoring 37 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 119-111 win at Vivint Arena.
Gobert stated that he wished they would have missed some shots earlier in the game, so they knew they had to play more aggressively down the stretch.
“We weren’t playing with a sense of urgency at the beginning,” Gobert said. “I wish maybe we would have missed some shots [early] so we would have realized we needed to play some defense. Just no urgency on the defensive end.”
Rudy Gobert: "We weren't playing with a sense of urgency at the beginning. … I wish maybe we would have missed some shots [early] so we would have realized we needed to play some defense. … Just no urgency on the defensive end."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) June 17, 2021
The Frenchman just won the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award after an incredible season on the defensive end of the ball. He hopes to see his teammates doing more than they did on Wednesday night. They won’t play at his standard, but the Frenchman wants them to scrap, hustle and fight harder every possession.
Donovan Mitchell also had a rough night, not delivering as he did during the first four matches. After the game, he admitted that his injury was bothering him, making it hard to reach certain spots.
Donovan, on his injury: "It fucking sucks. It sucks when you see spots you can normally get to, and now you can't. Gotta figure it the fuck out or we're going home."
— tribjazz (@tribjazz) June 17, 2021
Utah has some work to do ahead of Game 6. The Clippers are inspired after a big win without Kawhi Leonard. If Paul George keeps his current pace, the No. 1 seed in the West will have a hard time against ‘Playoff P’ and co.
