While the whole world (almost) is moaning about the end of an era of a much-loved group of NBA analysts, it seems there might be someone who will be glad it’s all coming to a close. The man we are talking about is none other than the defensive stalwart of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert. The reason?

It looks like Charles Barkley had a suggestion for the Wolves’ head coach, Chris Finch. According to Ben Golliver of the Washington Post, ‘Sir Charles’ said it would be better to bench the 7-foot Frenchman. When the 4x DPOY was made aware of the Chuckster’s comments, he had a hilarious reply.

“I don’t watch these guys. … I’m glad coach didn’t listen to his advice,” Gobert finished with a hearty laugh.

Barkley’s comments came when the Inside crew was taking a look at the Wolves’ game at halftime. The ‘Joker’ had delivered an MVP-caliber performance by then; the man had a double-double! He scored 13 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists while going 6-of-12 from the field. Meanwhile, the ‘Stifle Tower’ had just three points and five rebounds while being a -8 in that period.

Watching Nikola gain the upper hand over Rudy Gobert had the ‘Round Mound of Rebound’ to point out that, “Joker is just throwing him around like a damn ragdoll.” He did not fail to mention that they need to take Gobert out of the game. Nevertheless, as the new dad said above, it really was a good thing Coach Finch did not take him off the court.

Rudy Gobert hits a clutch fadeaway to pull the Timberwolves to safety

Whatever reservations anyone might have had after hearing Chuck’s comments were easily blown away in the second half. The Defensive Player of the Year did something he wasn’t familiar with and it worked wonders! Minnesota was hurrying to close their 20-point deficit with a late rally to get a lead in the fourth quarter.

At 7:43, with the ‘North Star State’ leading 77-75, Gobert, who primarily scores inside, was compelled to make a contested jumper. The 31-year-old was making a beeline for the baseline when the ever-present Jokic and, this time, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope double-teamed him. In an unexpected move, Rudy spun out of the trap, fading away over the defending champion on the wing. With the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the 3x All-Star drained the 13-feet turnaround jump shot!

The crowd that was chanting ‘defense’ until then suddenly quieted down to a roaring chorus of unbridled excitement at the improbability of it all. Reggie Miller himself was shocked, with the shot, of course, but more so with his fadeaway. “Did Rudy Gobert just pull the Michael Jordan?” he asked into the mic.

The 258-pound center finished the night with 13 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe. Although he fouled out late in the matchup, imagine what the team would have missed had Finch benched the big man early.

Anyway, Minnesota is on its way to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. They will be waiting for the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center for Game 1 WCF. Can Anthony Edwards and Co. hold their ground against Luka Magic and Irving Wizardry? Or will the Mavs take care of business as early as possible? Let us know your thoughts below.