After his game-winning dunk secured a pivotal Game 4 win over the Mavericks, Jazz center Rudy Gobert proceeded to let the world know exactly what was on his mind.
The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year’s 17 points and 15 rebounds helped lift Utah to a 100–99 victory on Saturday, evening their first-round series against Dallas, 2–2. After the game, TNT’s Matt Winer asked Gobert for his thoughts on conversations concerning “what this team can and can’t be in the postseason” after a poor showing to start the series.
Gobert’s reponse? “Man, f— the talk. We just try to be the best team we can be, we try to enjoy the moment, and whatever happens, happens,” he told Winer.
Moments before his scathing message to Utah’s doubters, Gobert gave his team and fans the last word on the night on the Jazz’s final play of regulation.
With 15 seconds remaining in the game, the big man set a screen for Donovan Mitchell before rolling to the rim and finishing a perfectly-placed lob from the three-time All-Star. The basket proved to be the deciding factor as Utah held on for a narrow victory despite a 30-point outing from a returning Luka Dončić in his first appearance of the postseason.
Dončić’s return, combined with an early series deficit, cast doubt on the Jazz’s ability to bounce back, but their response should give the team a needed boost of confidence going forward. Quin Snyder’s squad enters Monday’s Game 5 in Dallas looking to hopefully silence their critics even further.
While Snyder’s Jazz have reached the playoffs five straight seasons, the team has not seen much success. Utah has been bounced twice in the first round and three times in the conference semifinals, including a six-game series loss to the Clippers in 2021 after squandering a 2–0 lead.
