Luka Doncic is sorry ‘another duel against Rudy Gobert
The Lakers coach JJ Redick said that the fact that Gobert has been four times defensive player of the year makes Luka Doncic enjoy even more when Minnesota’s pivot focuses on him.
The second, California – when the star of Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Donciche recently returned to Dallas and was honored by his exequipo with a video, admitted that there was a video that hit him more: his triple winner on the pivot of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobertin the final of the West Conference last year.
Luka Doncic will open its first playoff series with the Lakers Saturday against Wolves In the first game (8:30 pm et, ABC) and said he will love Rudy Gobert Try to mark it again.
“Since I arrived at the League, I like to play the Pick-And-Roll,” Doncic said Thursday in his first statements about the Los Angeles First Round series. “I like a pivot to mark me.”
The Lakers coach, JJ Redickhe said that the fact that Gobert has been four times Defensive player of the year It makes Doncic enjoy even more when the Minnesota pivot focuses on it.
“He believes that there is no one in the world who can defend it,” said Redick about Doncic. “So I think he takes it seriously, especially that confrontation.”
Redick and Lakers have set out to take all the Wolves seriously, taking advantage of this week to prepare for Playoffs.
On Tuesday, the team gathered to see the tournament classification match between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies in the Cosm Los Angeles, an immersive theater. Before the game, all the Lakers players received a reprimand from their coach.
“JJ became a motivational speaker,” said the Lakers base, Austin Reaves. “I asked him how many times he had rehearsed and told me that none. He talked to his heart.”
When asked about Redick’s message, the Lakers reservation, Gabe Vincent, said everyone must be ready to increase their intensity.
“It is that time of the year to bring things to the next level and I think it made the importance of that very clear,” said Vincent.
Redick clearly spoke in the same language as Doncic, whose average of 30.9 points in the postseason is only surpassed by the 33.5 of Michael Jordan.
“I like important matches,” said Doncic. “The playoffs are fun. Everyone plays 100%. It’s simply fun to be there.”
While Doncic has changed equipment since the last spring, he recognized the changes of the Wolves by transferring Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte Divinzzo, while they are still led by their own annotation machine, Anthony Edwards.
“Obviously, they incorporated two players who can really play and have ANT,” said Doncic. They have many players who can play, many who can defend. So they are very, very interesting.
In addition, they are not precisely the type of disadvantaged team that one would expect from a typical confrontation between the third classified and the sixth in the first round.
Minnesota had a 17-4 record in his last 21 games to end 49 wins, just one less than Los Angeles. And now the Lakers will try to beat them four times in a series of seven games.
But Doncic believes that the Lakers have the ideal team to overcome the Wolves and overcome them.
“I think we have a great team,” said Doncic. “We have players willing to go to war. Everyone stays united. Chemistry is excellent. I think, without a doubt, we have a chance (to win the championship).”
