“Just Be Dogs For 48 Minutes”: Rudy Gobert Silences Referee Excuse, Urging Timberwolves to Look Inwards After Bulls Stinger

In a thrilling overtime battle between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls,  the Windy City pulled off a remarkable 129-123 comeback. After overcoming a 23-point deficit, the Bulls squad demonstrated their teamwork with DeMar DeRozan and Coby White delivering a team-high of 33 points each and Andre Drummond taking care of the defensive side of the things by putting up a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds.

On the other hand, the City of Lakes also had some exceptional performances. Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert secured a double-double each but choked in the final moments. And this is not the first time the Timberwolves have lost a game after leading throughout the match. So, reminiscing about their recent performances, Gobert expressed his views, saying, “We got to find a way to forget about the score and just be dogs for 48 minutes.”

He even reiterated the need for his teammates to stop arguing with the officials as much because that is not yielding a positive outcome. So, according to Gobert, the only thing his teammates should do is “focus on ourselves.” The Timberwolves have encountered numerous problems with the officials, one of which was with their rising star Anthony Edwards was fined $40,000 by the NBA for criticizing the referees for cheating.

Not only that, during another instance, the City of Lakes lost a game due to the missed calls of the officials against the Charlotte Hornets even after Karl Anthony-Towns put up 62 points.

10 missed calls from the officials in the final 2 minutes

Amid the delight of Towns’ outstanding performance, a heated officiating controversy took the spotlight. With the Timberwolves behind by one point in the closing moments of the game, Towns made a heroic effort to seal the victory for the Timberwolves. He drove toward the hoop, taking advantage of his 7-foot stature, but got entangled between a group of Hornet defenders and got frustrated as he expected a foul call but did not receive one.

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The NBA’s follow-up review revealed a stunning total of 10 missed calls in the game’s closing two minutes, which tipped the scales in the favor of the Hornets. Among these blunders were two crucial fouls on Towns, one by Rozier and the other by Leaky Black, which cost the Timberwolves the match. However, even though the referees had an impact on the outcome for Minnesota, the team squandered a lead and allowed the Hornets to make a comeback.

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