Draymond Green proven right as Warriors' foe builds on unwanted reputation

The Golden State Warriors still have work to do to advance past the Houston Rockets in their first-round series, but there's also a focus on other matchups around the Western Conference as the NBA Playoffs continue to heat up.

There's a particular eye on the first-round battle between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Lakers, with the winner to face the victor of Warriors-Rockets in the second-round. The Timberwolves look in prime position to advance, having overcome a 12-point second-half deficit in Game 4 on Sunday to win 116-113 and take a 3-1 series lead.

Draymond Green continues to be proven right on Rudy Gobert

Despite the Timberwolves emerging with victory on their home floor, it was another underwhelming performance from starting center Rudy Gobert which is sure to bring a smile to the face of Warrior forward Draymond Green.

Green and Gobert have developed a significant rivalry over the years, stemming largely from their status as two of the best defenders of the past decade. The rivalry reached its most heated point early last season when Green got Gobert in a chokehold, leading to a five-game suspension for the 4x NBA champion.

Green was critical of Gobert's performance during last year's playoffs, with the Frenchman having built a reputation as a lesser version of himself in the postseason despite winning four Defensive Player of the Year titles.

That reputation took another step on Sunday, with Gobert heavily criticized across social media despite his team roaring back to take decisive control of the series.

Gobert had five points on 1-of-6 shooting in Game 4, while also committing three turnovers and failing to record a block in his 26 minutes. The 32-year-old was also a -11 in his minutes, leading to his benching down the stretch as head coach Chris Finch rightfully went to Naz Reid instead.

After averaging 33.2 minutes during the regular season, Gobert has now failed to play 29 minutes in any of the first four games. The 12-year veteran is averaging just 3.5 points (down from 12 in the regular season), 6.3 rebounds (down from 10.9) and 0.5 blocks (down from 1.4) so far in these playoffs.

If anything this may provide a source of optimism for the Timberwolves knowing Gobert can (and should) be so much better, but it also makes for a tantalizing matchup between he and Green should their two respective teams advance to the second-round.