With the Golden State Warriors set to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals, Draymond Green and Rudy Gobert will face off once again.

The two former Defensive Player of the Year winners have previously taken aim at each other on multiple occasions. This began in 2019, when Green tweeted, "I guess I should cry too... no Charlotte?" after Gobert got emotional when he didn't make the NBA All-Star Game that year.

Three years later, Green punched teammate Jordan Poole in 2022, and Gobert tweeted, "Insecurity is always loud."

When Gobert punched his teammate Kyle Anderson later in the season, Green clapped back by copying Gobert's tweet saying, "Insecurity is always loud."

The intense feud between the two players peaked when Green put a chokehold on Gobert after Gobert grabbed the Warriors' Klay Thompson on the court. Green was suspended five games for his actions.

Before Green and Gobert go up against each other again, Gobert remained complimentary of Green while emphasizing that his focus is on helping his team win.

“To me it’s a team matchup," Gobert told reporters. "I’m really focused on trying to help my team win and be the best Rudy I can be and play basketball. Obviously he’s Draymond, he’s an all time great defender, it’s going to be really physical, he's gonna be himself, for me it's about being myself, also being physical and doing all the things I need to do to help my team win."

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch also notes that he expects the game to be physical, but that they need to remain focused on playing basketball.

“I mean listen you just got to play basketball," Finch said. "I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of physicality, some of it certainly on the edge of legality. There's gonna be a lot of things said on the floor or outside the game itself, we got to focus and play basketball."

Gobert and Green will take the court again Tuesday as Game 1 of the series begins.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rudy Gobert Had Strong Message About Facing Draymond Green in Playoffs.

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