"Games within the game" - Draymond Green dishes Timberwolves' tenacity caught Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving off guard in Game 4
The Minnesota Timberwolves came hard against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 on Tuesday to avoid elimination from the Western Conference finals. According to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, it was the early tone that the Timberwolves’ defensive leaders set that proved pivotal for the team.
On “The Draymond Green Show,” the 2016-17 Defensive Player of The Year said that the physicality that Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels showed early in the 105-100 win took the Mavericks out of the contest.
“I love watching the games within the game," Green said. "Man! Rudy Gobert chucked Kyrie (Irving), I said, ‘Oh! He is setting the tone.’ … Nobody will give him credit for that because people don’t watch game within the game.
“And I thought Ant-Man definitely set the tone offensively. Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert set the tone defensively.”
The four-time NBA champion also said that the Timberwolves decision to put McDaniels as Irving’s primary defender might have worked. However, Green was doubtful if it would work again in Game 5 on Thursday, knowing the great "wizard" Irving is.
A compliment for Rudy Gobert coming from Green is eye-opening. Green has been one of the fiercest critics of Rudy Gobert’s game. He has mocked the four-time DPOY for not being aggressive enough in the past and was suspended in December for his chokehold on Gobert.
Anthony Edwards says he “took it personal” as Timberwolves sweep in Game 4
Anthony Edwards is only in his fourth year in the NBA, and he is already talking like a veteran. A lot of his confidence and easily be painted as cocky, but he has always backed his words.
After Minnesota lost Game 3, there was a wider narrative that it would be a clean sweep. However, Edwards and his team came to play determined in Game 4. They shot 52.7%, including 45.8% from the 3-point line. Moreover, they held the Mavericks to a poor 42% shooting, including 35.0% from beyond the arc.
"I mean, I ain't ever been swept in my career," Edwards said after extending the series to Game 5. "Even though I've been to the playoffs only three times, I've never been swept. So, I took it personal, man. I didn't want to get swept. I definitely didn't want to get swept. Not on their home court. Hearing their fans talk trash all day."
As the Timberwolves face another elimination game, it will be interesting to see how they battle the Mavericks. Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns need another big offensive game, and Gobert and McDaniels will have to come even more aggressive on defense because Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have a low chance of having bad back-to-back games.