It is no secret that Draymond Green isn't a huge fan of Rudy Gobert, and the Warriors veteran forward also found an issue with Gobert's recent 2024 NBA playoffs absence.
Gobert missed Game 2 of the Minnesota Timberwolves' second-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday to attend the birth of his son, and Green didn't agree with that decision.
"I was a little skeptical [of the Timberwolves] starting the game off because Rudy was going to miss the game," Green said on "The Draymond Green Show" on Tuesday. "I just felt like -- I'm a father of four, I love my kids and I love my wife, but she's going to have to hold off for me just a few more hours for a playoff game. Me, personally.
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"But number one, congratulations to him. Anytime we bring new life into this world, it's a special thing. And that's something like I said, as a father of four, that I don't take for granted at all. But I also try to not take this game for granted."
Green went on to emphasize just how critical every play of every game of each series is, and given that Minnesota is facing the defending champs, he believes it was that much more crucial for the big man to be there for his team.
Gobert originally was listed as questionable for the game at Ball Arena and wasn't present at shootaround. When Timberwolves coach Chris Finch confirmed Gobert would miss the game, the news took Green -- and several others -- by surprise.
Golden State Warriors
But it also prompted a hypothetical from Green, as he pondered whether it would have been the same situation had the Timberwolves dropped Game 1.
"So when I heard Rudy wasn't going to play, I was like, 'Wow,' " Green said. "To me, it almost felt as if you were almost cashing it in, like, 'We won Game 1,' because my first immediate question was if they lost Game 1, would the approach be the same?
"If you lost Game 1 and you're in jeopardy of going down 0-2, would it be the same or would you be there?"
While Green was critical of Gobert's priorities, he did commend the big man for elevating his game thanks to the rise of star guard Anthony Edwards and four-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, and he thought Minnesota would be in trouble without its 7-foot-1 center.
But the Timberwolves proved Green wrong, and now take a 2-0 series lead back home to Target Center in hopes of moving closer to advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years.
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