"Draymond Van Gundy"- Shaquille O'Neal comically reacts as Draymond Green gives coaching tips to Mavs' vital cog
Shaquille O’Neal had a hilarious response when Draymond Green advised Daniel Gafford following the Dallas Mavericks Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Daniel Gafford finished with five points and three rebounds in 29 minutes. He was on the receiving end of arguably the dunk of the postseason thus far, from Anthony Edwards. However, Gafford has been an influential presence for the Dallas Mavericks through the postseason and produced five blocks in Game 2. That seems to have impressed Draymond Green as well.
Visibly in good spirits following his team’s victory, Gafford sat down on TNT’s Inside the NBA following the match with the entire cast, including Draymond Green, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.
“I don’t have a question, I just want to give you something. Any time you catch the ball in the pocket, you are not comfortable going forward, You got Derrick Jones that way, you got uphill back to the guy who just passed you," Green old Gafford.
"Then they push you in a lot of situations where you getting dunked. So if you feel uncomfortable with that, just know you can go to that, and I think you have been doing a great job, it’s beautiful see you play that way of basketball," he added.
O’Neal, in typically characteristic fashion, responded by proclaiming Draymond Green as:
“Draymond Van Gundy.”
Shaq immediately burst into laughter as the rest of the crew moved on.
Dallas Mavericks produce commanding display against the Minnesota Timberwolves
It would be fair to say that the Mavericks had the game in control right from the start. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic had 33 points each as the Timberwolves responded with a poor shooting night.
The Timberwolves have been unable to maintain shooting levels as Doncic and his teammates continued to generate good looks. Karl-Anthony Towns shot 5-18 from the field, including 0-8 from three-point range, as Minnesota's offense ran out of alternatives. Anthony Edwards was their top performer, finishing with 26 points, nine assists, and nine rebounds.
The 22-year-old's onslaught in the third quarter kept his side in the game, while closing touches by Doncic and Irving had the Mavs go up 3-0 in the series. They are now just one win away from making their first NBA Finals trip since 2011, and no NBA club has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit in a conference finals series.
The series continues with Game 5 set to be played out at the Target Center on May 29.