T-Wolves' Rudy Gobert Hypes Draymond Green Playoff Matchup vs. Warriors, 'I Enjoy It'
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert says he is looking forward to matching up with Draymond Green when playing the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
"He's Draymond. He's gonna be an all-time great defender. He's gonna be very physical. He's gonna be himself, right? And for me it's going to be about being myself, and also be physical, and doing hard things I need to do to help my team win," Gobert said Tuesday (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin.)
Gobert continued: "I enjoy it. I enjoy the competitive aspect of the game, and the physicality, and all these things. So, I'm excited. I'm excited. He's a fierce competitor, and so am I."
The Warriors and Timberwolves tip off Game 1 of the conference semifinals on Tuesday night in Minneapolis at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The years-long feud Gobert and Green bubbled over in November 2023, when Green was ejected for putting Gobert in a headlock during a brawl in the first two minutes of a game between the Wolves and Warriors.
Green, who averaged 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game during the Warriors' seven-game series victory over the Rockets, will need to avoid a similar ejection in order to help his team advance to the conference finals.
Green told The Athletic's Anthony Slater that he knew he needed to keep calm for his team ahead of the matchup with Gobert and the Wolves.
“Forget anybody else. I’ll be locked in," Gobert told Slater. "Finding that balance, finding that line and not crossing it is important for me and this team. I gave them my word, and I’ll continue to give them my word.”
When asked if he had any advice for Gobert ahead of the upcoming matchup with Green, Wolves head coach Chris Finch said Monday his defensive star has just "got to play basketball" (h/t Zone Coverage's Andrew Dukowitz.)
"I'm sure there's going to be a lot of physicality, some of it certainly on the edge of legality," Finch said. "So, there's going to be a lot of things said on the floor, or outside the game. We've got to focus and play basketball."
The Warriors made it past another physical matchup in the first round, during which Houston Rockets starter Dillon Brooks didn't shut down questions as to whether he was purposely targeting Steph Curry's injured thumb. Green had harsh words for Brooks after the Warriors eliminated the Rockets with a Game 7 win on Sunday.
After watching the controversy surrounding Brooks' pressers during the Warriors series, it sounds like Gobert and Finch are trying to keep the focus on the court ahead of their own matchup with Golden State.
