The Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets series has been, in many ways, the series of Rudy Gobert. Despite winning four Defensive Player of the Year awards (which is tied for the most in league history), Gobert is often mocked on social media. However, due to his stellar defense on Nikola Jokic, Gobert has silenced nearly all of his doubters.
Gobert's defense on Jokic is one of the biggest reasons the Wolves hold a 3-2 lead over the Nuggets. As the primary defender, Gobert is holding Jokic to 36.7 percent shooting from the field. Frankly, we've never seen the three-time MVP struggle like this much in a playoff series before.
Throughout his career, Jokic has often gotten the best of Gobert in their many meetings. Moreover, Gobert's playoff defense has often been falsely criticized. As such, this series holds particular meaning to Rudy.
And with the opportunity to close out the series at home on Thursday night, Gobert has an ideal chance to solidify this as his ultimate legacy series. Heck, it might forever be remembered as the most dominant individual display of defense we've ever seen in the playoffs.
A strong Game 6 could forever stamp this as the Rudy Gobert series
Now, Jokic is coming off his most productive game of the series, notching 27 points on 9-for-15 shooting and recording 16 assists. However, in the first four games of the series, Gobert absolutely shut Jokic down. If Gobert does this in Game 6, nobody will remember Jokic's one good game, and everyone will remember Gobert's elite defense over the course of the series.
This transcendent of a defensive performance is something that will be discussed for years to come, and it could be one of the lasting memories of Gobert's career when he retires.
The devastating injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo only make Gobert's defense on Jokic more discussed and important. If the Wolves can finish off the series, there's no doubt it will likely be paired with Gobert's defensive excellence continuing. And if another dominant game, this series will forever be remembered as the Rudy Gobert series.
Gobert's defense on Jokic in the fourth quarter has been especially brilliant. Notably, Jokic is shooting just 32 percent from the field in fourth quarter play of this series. Gobert's Game 2 performance, where Jokic shot 1-for-7 in the fourth quarter, is perhaps the best example of his dominance. Another loud showing like this down the stretch of the game would truly be legendary.
While the entire series is important in reality, close-out games are what legends are made of and form our lasting memories of the series. All in all, a strong showing from Gobert would complete what already looks like the defining series of his career.
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