The Minnesota Timberwolves hit back in a big way in Game 6, taking down the Denver Nuggets by 45 points to force a Game 7 decider.
After they shocked the reigning champions and stole both Games 1 and 2, the Nuggets showed why they won the title last season, rallying back to steal Games 3 and 4 before taking the series lead in Game 5, but Minnesota have evened things out with an impressive win on their home floor.
A key part of their success has been their lockdown defence, fuelled by Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Anthony Edwards, and of course the freshly minted four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.
But how essential has the seven-foot Frenchman been to the Timberwolves season?
MORE: NBA Draft Lottery winners and losers feature Hawks, Spurs, Raptors | Jalen Brunson nearing Michael Jordan, LeBron James in this playoff stat
Are the Minnesota Timberwolves better without Rudy Gobert?
One of the two home games stolen by Minnesota came without the services of Rudy Gobert, who missed the game to attend the birth of his child.
This, along with his struggles defending two monster Nikola Jokic performances in Games 4 and 5, saw some question whether Gobert was essential to the Timberwolves' chances of winning the series, but he responded well in Game 6, with eight points and 14 rebounds, while he and his team held Jokic to 22 points and just two assists.
One man who knows a thing or two about winning DPOY awards is Damian Martin, the Perth Wildcats legend who won six of the awards during his NBL career, and who the league renamed the award for once he retired.
On the latest episode of Just Bricks, Martin said that while Gobert's impact in this series may not be what it was in the regular season, he still has a key role to play in his team's success.
"I don't agree [Minnesota are better without Gobert]," Martin said.
"I think that they can move the ball better [without him], I think they can get into their offensive structure better, but they need him on their team to be successful.
"He's going to be dependent on match-ups, I think they did a great job in Game 1 using his height, his size, but overall I'd use him as a role player off the bench opposed to a starter."
If Minnesota can defeat Denver in Game 7, they will qualify for their second Western Conference Finals in franchise history, and their first since 2003, when they lost to the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
This time around, they will face either the Dallas Mavericks or the Oklahoma City Thunder, for a chance at their first-ever NBA Finals.
