Kiyoshi Mio / USA TODAY Sports
Patrick Beverley and Anthony Edwards Send Shots at Rudy Gobert
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The Utah Jazz defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, but that didn't stop Patrick Beverley and Anthony Edwards from sending shots at Rudy Gobert. The animosity between Beverley and Gobert started during the 2nd quarter of this game, when Pat Bev finished a floater over Gobert and then received a technical foul for taunting him back up the court.
At halftime, Beverley said in his on-court interview that "We know they have the Defensive Player of the Year, quote unquote, defensive player of the year, in Rudy Gobert, so we just wanted to get out and play fast." Beverley's "quote unquote" comment was a clear shot at Gobert, reflecting the feelings of some that he did not deserve the award. While that is a debate for another time, Beverley's gripe, along with others, is Gobert's role on defense.
There is no doubt that the Utah Jazz have effectively utilized Rudy Gobert's interior defensive dominance over the years; however, it has been exploited at times in the playoffs. Part of the reason why, is his inability to defend the perimeter. In last year's Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Clippers completely exploited Gobert's inability to guard the perimeter by utilizing five shooters on the floor at all times. Beverley was of course a part of this team, and hit three big three-pointers in the 4th quarter of Game 6 to close out Utah.
After Wednesday's game, Beverley reiterated some of these sentiments when he said that "If I'm defensive player of the year, I'm guarding the best player no matter what. I'm not roaming. It's no discredit to Royce O'Neal, or any of the others on their team, but if I'm defensive player of the year, I'm not guarding Royce O'Neale. I'm guarding Mike Conley, I'm guarding Donovan Mitchell, I'm guarding Bogdanovic. You got Rudy Gobert out there guarding Vanderbilt. And every time I hear he's defensive player of the year. So, whatever."
Young Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards also shared his thoughts about Gobert's defense, saying that "I don’t get why we couldn’t finish on Rudy Gobert. He don’t put no fear in my heart. I don’t know why." Both Beverley and Edwards unsurprisingly had their comments met with refutation from Utah Jazz fans, but those who follow these players know that some pushback from Utah fans will not stop them from speaking their minds.
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