By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Rudy Gobert addressed the media following Minnesota Timberwolves practice on Thursday, ahead of a critical Game 6 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google.
When asked about defensive game plan mistakes highlighted by the coaching staff and how the team can emphasize being locked in, he stressed collective responsibility. “It’s on us to keep doing the things that we can control, and those are the number one things that we can control. Whatever we agree to do in any specific situation, try to do that. And you’re not always going to stop the other team, but at least we give ourselves a chance to put ourselves in the best situation possible,” he mentioned.
The 33-year-old French center faces elimination on his home floor at Target Center on Friday, with his team currently trailing 3–2 in the best-of-seven series. If a victory is secured, a deciding Game 7 will take place at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center on Sunday.
So far, the Spurs have routinely jumped out to strong starts in this series, forcing opponents to dig themselves out of early deficits. “I think just bring the physicality, be focused on the game plan, and then once again if they make a run, they make a run, but at least we know that we’re putting ourselves in the best position possible to have a great start,” explained Gobert.
Addressing whether tactical approaches change late in a postseason series or if both teams completely understand each other’s tendencies, he noted that major adjustments are rare at this stage. “They know who we are, we know who they are, and it’s just about bringing the best version of ourselves every night,” he said. “Sometimes the other team gets the best of you, sometimes you get the best of them, but you want to give yourself the best chance possible to win.”
For the Saint-Quentin native, this marks his tenth postseason run during his NBA career and his fourth anchored as the Timberwolves‘ starting center. Given his past commentary on how a championship remains his ultimate career goal, Gobert was asked what extra pressure or responsibility he places on himself heading into an elimination game. “Just preparation. Once you’re out there, you’re out there,” he stressed.
“I don’t know,” he answered a question about an outside narrative about his side’s chances to advance. “I’m not on social media, so I’m not sure what people are saying, but sometimes I see the odds before the games, and it doesn’t seem good.”
The Wolves have found themselves in this exact position before. “I mean that experience only means that we have a group that’s capable of accomplishing incredible things,” Gobert said on late-series comebacks. “I think it’s about resilience. I think we’ve shown that we can do that, and obviously, when you when your back is against the wall, you have no choice but to do it, and there’s no one in this group that I think is someone that is a quitter. I think we have guys that when facing adversity going to give the best of what they have.”
“I think there are a lot of things in basketball and in life that you wish you could do better, but when the situation comes, you’re not always doing it as well as you would like them to do, right? So I think it’s just maybe sometimes when there’s fatigue, when there’s adversity, we can lose track of what we need to do. And that’s for everybody, every team, every player. It’s part of the beauty of our game, too, to be able to try to keep doing the things that we need to do when things get hard or when we’re tired or when we get hit in the face or whatever happens. We got to keep doing the things that we need to do,” added Gobert.
Aside from the high stakes, the injury report indicates both rosters are largely healthy, except Donte DiVincenzo, who remains out following right Achilles tendon repair.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 2-3 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – New York Knicks / New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 3-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs / Minnesota Timberwolves
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
Eastern Conference and Western Conference champions
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