On May 8, Beijing time, the NBA semifinals continued, and two groups of matches were arranged today, namely the Celtics at home against the Cavaliers, and the Mavericks against the Thunder. And just in the past night, there are 3 more news from the alliance, and the author will take stock of them one by one. First, the league officially announced that Timberwolves center Gobert was elected DPOY for the fourth time, defeating Wembanyama of the Spurs. Second, the NBA officially investigated Murray of the Nuggets, who was fined $100,000. Third, according to NBA reporter Michael Scotto, Lakers interior Wood has made a decision that he plans to stay with the Lakers.
Gobert was elected DPOY for the fourth time in his career
The Timberwolves were too strong in this year's playoffs, swept the Suns 4-0 in the first round, and led the defending champion Nuggets 2-0 in the semifinals, and have not lost in the playoffs so far. With the Timberwolves next two home games, it looks like it's only a matter of time before they reach the Western Conference finals, and they even have a chance to win the championship, and maybe we're going to make history this year. And Timberwolves center Gobert is on the line, he missed the semifinals G2, but the team still won by 26 points, and Gobert's wife also gave birth to a child, just today, the NBA officially announced that Gobert was selected as the best defensive player in the 23-24 season.
Gobert may be one of the best defensive centers in NBA history, and this is his fourth career DPOY election with 72 first-place votes, compared to the Spurs' Wembanyama with only 19, a stark gap. In the regular season, Gobert averaged 14 points, 12.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game, and he brought a qualitative change to the Timberwolves, and the team's overall defense improved by at least two notches. Gobert deserves to be elected as DPOY, and O'Neal often satirizes that Gobert doesn't deserve a five-year, $205 million contract, just from the defensive end, he deserves so much money, let alone the offensive end.
The NBA officially announced that Murray was heavily fined
The Nuggets eliminated the Nuggets 4-1 in the first round and relied on Murray's two kills to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, the Nuggets were exposed, losing their first two home games and suffering a big defeat. Nuggets guard Murray had a dismal performance, scoring 17 points, 4 assists, 8 points and 13 rebounds in the last two games, totaling 9-of-32 shooting. Moreover, Murray was also heavily fined by the NBA, according to the league's official announcement, Murray was fined $100,000 for throwing debris at the court and throwing towels at the referee, which is a relatively large fine, but Murray will not be banned.
In the semifinals G2, the Nuggets fell behind by a large score, and Murray threw a warm baby to the court because he was dissatisfied with the team's performance, and the Timberwolves players had stepped on the warm baby at that time, which can be said to be very dangerous and easy to cause injuries to the players. Murray was also criticized, and even the Nuggets reporters turned against him, and his poor shooting was understandable, but it was also disappointing to throw things into the court and not give interviews after the game. If the Nuggets are eliminated in the semifinals, Murray will be the culprit of the team's failure to defend the title, both on and off the court.
Wood makes an important announcement
After the Lakers were eliminated in the first round, there was a lot of concern about the future of the team, and James is expected to re-sign a contract with the Lakers with a maximum salary, which could be two or three years. Hachimura and Reaves could be trade chips, after all, among the young players, the two of them have a relatively high trade value, and Russell's departure is very likely. Lakers center Wood has made a decision that he will exercise his player option to stay with the team and that Wood will continue to play in Los Angeles next season, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
Wood's performance with the Lakers this season is okay, playing in 50 games, averaging 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, which is considered a qualified backup center, and Wood is also a very cost-effective player, he can serve as a backup for the thick eyebrows. Wood is the first player from the Lakers to choose to stay with the team, and Dinwiddie has also publicly stated that he wants to stay with the Lakers to play, and the next thing is up to the other players. Predictably, the Lakers' roster will change dramatically, with management planning to bring in a third star to assist James Mei and a potential trade for Trae Young of the Hawks.