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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
MINNEAPOLIS — Rudy Gobert admitted it could have been delirium setting in as he watched his Minnesota Timberwolves manhandle the defending champion Denver Nuggets 106-80 in Game 2 on Monday while he cradled his newborn son hundreds of miles away from the Mile High City.
But whether the cause was exhaustion or excitement, Gobert couldn’t help but be overcome by what he was seeing on his television screen as the Wolves went up 2-0 in the Western Conference semifinals without him.
“It was incredible,” Gobert said Wednesday at a news conference to recognize him for winning Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time this season. “I was exhausted, obviously, holding the baby and watching the game at the same time, but I had a little bit of emotions at the end because it felt like there was something special.”
Indeed, while missing the man who is now tied with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for most DPOY awards, the Wolves put on a defensive clinic. The Nuggets were held to a season-low 80 points, shooting just 34.9% as a team while committing 16 turnovers.
“Their energy that they put in, their focus that they had, the determination,” Gobert continued. “I don’t know, there was something special with the way they came out. And not just the way they came out, the way they played for 48 minutes that night. It was an incredible day. It was incredible way to end the day for me and obviously for the whole.”
Gobert garnered 72 first-place votes for the award, 24 second-place votes and one third-place vote in running away from the rest of the field. San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama came in second (19 first-place votes), and Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo came in third (three first-place votes).
The Wolves, with Gobert anchoring the middle, led the NBA in defensive rating this season, allowing 108.4 points per 100 possessions — 2.2 fewer than the Boston Celtics, who ranked second.
“These awards don’t go to teams that are struggling,” Wolves president Tim Connelly said Wednesday. “So beyond the well-deserved recognition, I think it’s recognition of the success our team is having and hopefully will continue to have.”
Minnesota coach Chris Finch, who credited Gobert’s success this season to his commitment over the summer in developing deeper bonds with members of the organization after Gobert’s first season with the franchise ended with a first-round exit against Denver, said Game 2 was a product of his team finding a defensive flow together.
“It’s like offense, it just feeds itself after a while,” Finch said after practice Wednesday. “We got in a rhythm. Point-of-attack was really good; disruption was really good; rebounding was really good. And once we realized that we were able to kind of benefit from it, it kind of just fed itself. … The hard part about defense is it takes a lot of work and you have to do it every time down, so we have to be ready for Friday.”
The Wolves host the Nuggets in Game 3 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). Adding to the excitement for a Target Center crowd enjoying its first second-round playoff game in 20 years will be the moment Gobert receives the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for winning Defensive Player of the Year.
“Our fans are going to be rowdy, and you got Rudy’s presentation before the game, right? So that’s going be special,” Wolves forward Kyle Anderson said. “It’s a big game for us. It’s almost a must-win. We got to go out there and compete. I can’t wait to go out and be in front of our fans.”