The Boston Celtics entered their matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves as the only undefeated team in the NBA on Monday night. Boston had been blowing the doors off everyone during the 5-0 start, producing the league’s best offense. The Timberwolves just so happened to own the league’s best defense with Rudy Gobert in the middle.
Gobert is a future Hall of Fame inductee and one of the definitive defensive players of his generation. Yes, he’s something of a punchline in these days, in no small part because Minnesota traded a half-decade of draft picks to get him. Still, matchup with Gobert, a three-time defensive player of the year, amounts to a challenge for the league’s most athletic rim attackers. If you could dunk on anyone, Gobert has to be near the top of the list.
Jaylen Brown took the challenge head on. Early the first quarter, Brown and Gobert came together for an explosive meeting at the rim. The results was one of the best dunks put on Gobert’s head during his career. Watch Brown’s big dunk here:
That is just vicious stuff. The alternate angles are even better:
Great dunk. Had to feel amazing. Unfortunately for Jaylen Brown and the Celtics, basketball games are not decided by who made the play that got the most likes and retweets.
The Timberwolves beat the Celtics, 114-109, in overtime in what may have been the best game of the early season. Gobert had himself a nice night, shooting 6-of-6 from the floor and finishing +24 in 41 minutes. He’s the glue holding Minnesota’s defense together, and he’s still just about the most fearsome rim protector in the NBA.
Anthony Edwards was the big star for the Wolves, finishing with 38 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and out-dueling Jayson Tatum in the process. Edwards was nothing less than legendary on the night.
The Wolves are 4-2. Even if Minnesota overpaid for Gobert, they still got a damn good player.
