Rudy Gobert, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, JJ Redick, Nico Harrison. Edit via Liam McGuire. Rudy Gobert, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, JJ Redick, Nico Harrison. Edit via Liam McGuire.
NBABy Matt Yoder on

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison are two of the biggest punching bags in the NBA. And yet after the Los Angeles Lakers crashed out of the postseason on Wednesday night, both found themselves in the middle of an impossible redemption arc.

Will the apology be as loud as the disrespect?

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Let’s start with Rudy Gobert.

The decisions of Lakers head coach JJ Redick to not make a substitution in the second half of Game 4 and then play Game 5 without a center are some of the most baffling in NBA history. And in Game 5 specifically, Redick and the Lakers turned Gobert into prime Shaquille O’Neal with the way he dominated the paint against no competition inside.

Gobert put up playoff career highs of 27 points and 24 rebounds on 12-15 shooting from the field in a performance that put him in rarefied air among the greatest big men in the history of the game.

And Gobert even had Shaq himself (one of his most frequent and loudest critics) almost having a breakdown on live television when he had to admit, “Rudy Gobert is dominating.”

Yes, that’s a Rudy Gobert highlight package for a series clinching playoff game. You are not hallucinating.

Rudy Gobert has been looked down upon for years. People have mocked the insane haul that the Timberwolves gave up to the Utah Jazz to acquire him. He has been called overrated by his peers and former players. And who could forget him being the symbol of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Even last year in the playoffs he was the one on the receiving end of trash talk from Luka Dončić when the Mavs beat the Wolves in the Western Conference Finals.

Speaking of Luka, let’s now turn to Nico Harrison.

The embattled Mavericks GM has been battered from pillar to post ever since trading away his franchise cornerstone straight up for Anthony Davis in one of the most shocking deals in the history of sports. And while he has done himself no favors in how he has communicated the logic behind the deal and handled his business in the aftermath, suddenly he doesn’t seem so crazy.

Harrison’s biggest statement about trading away Luka was “defense wins championships.” And as the Lakers superstar got blown by time after time after time again during Game 5, the basketball world finally began to understand that maybe he had a point after all.

The chair that guarded Yi Jianlian put up more of a defensive effort than that!

Did we all forget the epic Brian Windhorst rant from last year’s NBA Finals calling out Dončić for his defensive effort? And did we really expect it to change?

Kendrick Perkins defended Harrison on First Take, taking a victory lap when he originally said that he approved of the move initially even before the Lakers got exposed by the Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. And he once again affirmed that Luka’s defense would be an obstacle to his team ever making it all the way to a championship.

Yes, Nico Harrison could have waited it out, set up a bidding war, and gotten a bigger haul for trading away one of basketball’s biggest stars. And yes, the injury concerns and mileage on Anthony Davis may never see the Mavericks really appreciate what could have been in their return. But for at least one night, the entire sports world could understand where he was coming from, and that’s more than you can say at any point these last few months.

The Nico Harrison memes are flowing once again, but this time they made a complete 180.

Do you realize how bad of a collapse as a franchise you have to endure to make both Rudy Gobert and Nico Harrison look good? Predictably, all of the focus has been on the Lakers in the aftermath of their quick postseason exit. But maybe this time it is actually justified because of just how improbable all of this was. In one single series, and in just one single game, they turned two of basketball’s biggest villains in two different franchises into heroes.

This would make for an incredible 30 for 30 documentary. At the very least, a special episode of Mind the Game with LeBron James and JJ Redick is called for to explain how they could let this happen.

About Matt Yoder

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