I'm a bit torn, here.

As a Timberwolves fan, I want to see KG win a championship.  As an NBA fan, I want to see the Hawks complete an unthinkable upset on Sunday in Boston.  And as a sports fan, I want to see any team from Boston go down in defeat. 

Why?  In all honesty, I'm a jealous SOB...with an endless line of incompetent teams in Minnesota, it's nauseating to see Boston teams have some tremendous success.  I loved seeing the Patriots finish the 2007 NFL season 18-1, and admittedly, despite KG's 12 seasons as the face of the Timberwolves franchise, witnessing the Celtics lose in humiliating fashion would put a slight grin on my face.  I'll admit it...I'm little more than a bitter, frustrated Twin Cities sports fan.

What's a Wolves fan to do?  Well, as much as I appreciate KG's endless line of contributions to our favorite squad, it's impossible not to love the scrappy bunch of guys from Atlanta.

Going into the Celtics-Hawks matchup, I considered the series to be the equivalent of a first round bye for Boston.  I thought the Hawks might steal one of the games in Atlanta, but other than that, I was expecting a thorough domination by the Celtics.  Anyone who says they believed all along that the Hawks could compete with Boston is a dirty rotten liar - indeed, this was supposed to be one of the most lopsided playoff series in recent memory.

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Forgive me if I go a little light on the discussion of the Wolves' season finale tonight - I've gotta talk about the memorable experience of getting press access for the game. 

Long story short, Timberwolves.com ran a contest called "Battle of the Bloggers" a little while back, where the winner would receive a press pass for a Wolves game.  Every week, myself, and a bunch of other Wolves bloggers (including College Wolf, Sonia, and Derok) responded to a Wolves-related question, and these responses were awarded points based on the arguments they made, how well they backed up their claims, etc.

Lo and behold, I came out on top at the end of the competition.  And I decided to utilize my press access prize for the Wolves' final match of the season, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

I arrived to the Target Center at about 5:30 and received my press credentials.  I hung out for a couple minutes in the media room before heading out to the court, where a couple players were warming up and hanging out.  As a lifelong fan of the Wolves, simply walking on to the Target Center court was amazing...and to be in the presence of guys like Michael Doleac, Mark Madsen, Corey Brewer, and Kirk Snyder was the icing on the cake.

Matt, an intern for Timberwolves.com, was kind enough to speak with the PR guys and score me a quick one-on-one interview with Madsen.  Mad Dog walked up to me and we shook hands...then, we walked over to some nearby seats to have a chat.

After spending ten minutes talking with Madsen, one thing became clear: You'll never find a nicer, classier guy in the NBA than the Dog.

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So, didja know that it's Unsung Player Day?  You know, the special day organized by With Malace to commemorate players who are often overlooked and deserve a day in the sun?  No?  Well, click the link to read about the favorite unsung players of many NBA bloggers from around the internets, but I'll start your day by discussing two of my favorite unsung guys on the Timberpups: Greg Buckner and Michael Doleac.

What makes Greg Buckner an unsung player?  Well, first of all, his Wikipedia article reveals that he ranked third in the league in points per shot attempt in the 2004-05 season.  Why hasn't he received more props for being one of the best in the league in this category?  It's an injustice, I tell you!  (OK, OK, I'll admit it...I'd never heard of that statistic before today, either.)

Buckner's Wikipedia article also informs us that he played for the Grand Rapids Hoops of the CBA from 1998-1999.  First of all, I'd like to congratulate Grand Rapids for being home to the most unoriginally-named basketball team I've ever heard of, but more importantly, I've gotta credit Buckner for paying his dues early in his career.  Anyone who started their basketball career in freaking Grand Rapids clearly deserve props for attempting to take a rather unglamorous route to The Association.

What else makes Greg a worthy candidate to recognize today?  Simply put, he's a good guy.  He started the Greg Buckner Foundation to empower youth, and he's widely regarded as a strong locker room player.

And finally, you've gotta give Buckner credit for racing out of the gate this year.  Yeah, at this point, Witt has pretty much given him a permanent seat on the bench -- but when Greg received a chance to play earlier in the year, he typically made a positive impact.  The Wolves struggled mightily in November, posting a record of 2-12 for the month, but Buckner was one of the definite bright spots on the team during that time period.

To start the season, the majority of our guys had difficulty meshing, playing sound basketball in the fourth quarter and playing the fast-paced style of offense we knew they were capable of.  It was discouraging, but Greg emerged from those struggles as a stabling influence -- a vet that wouldn't make silly mistakes and would serve as a calming presence in the midst of rattled youngsters.

Wow, that was more serious than I'd initially planned.  Let's move on, shall we, and talk about another favorite unsung player of mine: Michael Doleac.

Why does Doleac deserve our praise?  First, you've gotta admit that it takes some serious balls to have a haircut like this...Doleac looks like he should be selling programs at the Daytona 500, not playing in the NBA.

Also, Doleac's NBA.com profile mentions that he "has no pregame superstitions or rituals." Give the man credit for that, people!  There is no shortage of ridiculous pregame rituals in professional sports: Ron Artest listens to his own music prior to games (yikes!), many NFL players are known to puke before hitting the field, and Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end John Henderson gets slapped on the face several times before every game by the team's assistant trainer (no, I'm not joking about that last one).  Kudos to Doleac for resisting the pregame rituals of professional sports that have become increasingly bizarre over the years.

Doleac also aspires to go to medical school after he retires from the NBA.  Yep, an NBA player is considering becoming a doctor after his playing days are over.  Well, at least we've spotted ONE guy that goes against the general line of thinking that NBA players aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Want to get a better idea of how cool Doleac is?  He has his own freaking widget -- and once you have your own widget, you know you've made it in life.

Need even more convincing of the sheer extent of his awesomeness?  Well, his name is extremely unique...according to this website, there are only six people in the United States named "Michael Doleac."  Compared to that, the communists here at T'Wolves Blog have fairly unoriginal names: There are 2,199 Anthony Halls in the country, 192 Dave Kelseys, 73 Derek Hansons, 22 Jeremy Knutsons, and seven Sonia Grovers.

So there you have it.  A brief moment in the sun for Greg Buckner and Michael Doleac. And now, we return to your regularly scheduled praise of the superstars.

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The first quarter of Saturday night's game against the Knicks provided some of the most entertaining basketball I've seen the Wolves play all season.  It was an offensive showcase, as the Pups dropped 42 on the Knicks in the opening period (by the way, our squad would win the game, 114-93).

Our guys shot a ridiculous percentage from the field in that quarter, so give them credit for bursting out of the gate.  But let's also acknowledge that the Knicks are a BRUTAL defensive team.

Watching New York tonight, two things became clear: Team chemistry is nonexistent for the Knicks, and they are one of the laziest defensive teams I've seen in quite a while.  Their communication on the defensive end on Saturday was horrendous, frequently allowing the Wolves to score easy baskets on back cuts and uncontested jumpers.  The Knicks' transition defense is also utterly nonexistent, as Randy Foye and Kirk Snyder had considerable success on the fast break.

On that note, let's talk a little bit about Kirk, who's certainly been a pleasant surprise since arriving in Minnesota.  I was extremely impressed with his performance against the Knicks; when Kirk rebounded a ball, he immediately looked to push the tempo and catch the Knicks napping on the defensive end.

In only 23 minutes, Kirk posted 15 points and went 7-7 from the free throw line.  He was an instrumental component of the Wolves' convincing victory, and deserves tremendous praise for playing a high-energy game and drawing plenty of fouls.

Randy Foye also played an excellent ballgame, finishing with nine points and nine assists.  Like Snyder, he created numerous opportunities for the Wolves in transition - he did finish the game with three turnovers, but that proved irrelevant in this blowout.

While I was quite impressed with the performances of those two guys, they weren't the best players on the floor for the Wolves on Saturday.  Those honors belong to Rashad McCants and Ryan Gomes.

This was one of those games where I'd watch Rashad and ask myself, ‘Why can't he play like this every night?' He was absolutely superhuman in the first quarter, shooting almost flawlessly from the field.  Granted, the Knicks frequently left him uncovered, but give Rashad credit for being instrumental to the Wolves' offensive explosion tonight.  He finished the game with 24 points, shooting 10-21 from the floor.

However, the player who receives the most props for the Wolves' dominant win is College Wolf's man crush, Ryan Gomes.  Bravo to Gomsey for shooting the mid-range jumper to near-perfection...he shot 12-16 from inside the arc on Saturday, finishing with 26 points and an eyebrow-raising +/- rating of +27 for the evening.

I'll admit it - when I heard College Wolf touting Gomes after the Wolves acquired him from Boston, I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about.  I became especially skeptical after Ryan started the season in ugly fashion - he only averaged 9.7 PPG in November, and 10.2 PPG in December.  But since the beginning of the new year, Gomes has been simply terrific...and he's having himself an excellent March, thus far.

You've gotta love someone like Gomes who hits the mid-range jumper on a consistent basis, and always delivers a solid effort.  The three-point shot still leaves a lot to be desired, but I don't even see why he'd need to step behind the arc when his mid-range game is so strong.

Chris Richard's been getting significant minutes on a more consistent basis lately, and that trend continued Saturday when Witt gave the big fella 16 minutes of playing time.  Two thoughts: First, I wouldn't want to get into a fight with this dude (Chris is a TOUGH guy), and secondly, he's looked damn impressive on the boards against the Knicks.

Al's performance?  Well, it was quite undistinguished - in 28 minutes, Al posted eight points, nine rebounds, and six assists.  There's honestly not much more I can say about his impact (or lack thereof) against the Knicks...I hardly noticed him while watching the game, but thankfully, he picked an excellent night to have a bad game.  There were plenty of other guys who made up for Al's off night - and then some.

The Wolves did indeed defeat a terrible Knicks team tonight, and that's certainly not anything to write home about - but nevertheless, Saturday's game put a smile on my face.  Not only did the Wolves beat a team they should have beaten, but they prevented the Knicks from launching a serious comeback in the second half.

Our squad went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, and instead of letting New York back into the game, they controlled the final period and prevented the Knicks from making a last gasp attempt at stealing a win.  Also, the Knicks were never able to slice their deficit to single digits in the second half - they showed brief signs of life in the third quarter, but the Wolves maintained control of the game for 90% of the second half.

And that's something to feel good about.  In December, the Wolves would have lost their lead in the second half, and may have ultimately lost the game.  Not tonight, though...the Knicks were thoroughly dominated, and the Wolves ended the night with a solid win.

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Some random thoughts...

*Apparently, Gerald Green is good at birthday cake dunks, and not much else.  He was released by the Houston Rockets, meaning I was completely wrong about the Green trade.  I mocked the fact that McHale could only manage to get Kirk Snyder and a second-rounder in exchange for a player who was still quite young, and could possibly still develop into a serviceable player.  Now, McHale and Company are looking pretty good, considering Snyder has been a decent contributor in a few games with the Wolves (a team that's actually given him a chance to play - he's received over 30 minutes of playing time in several games).

In Houston, Snyder appeared in just nine games in over three months.  And when he did get the chance to play, he was yanked pretty quickly, returning to rot on his seat at the end of the bench. With the Wolves, not only has Snyder appeared in the vast majority of his team's games since joining the squad, but he's started on four occasions.

I don't know what to say about Green.  Certainly, his outlook in this league is anything but optimistic, and he has a lot to prove before any coach is going to consider using a roster spot on him, much less give him significant minutes.

Before he can realize his potential to be a solid offensive threat at the NBA level, Green must first undergo a major attitude adjustment.  I've heard that he was a horrible teammate and locker room influence, and judging by the body language he displayed during games, it wouldn't surprise me if those characterizations of his attitude were fully accurate.

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Here's one thing to be happy about from Sunday night's game: I thought the Wolves were doomed in the third quarter.  With the Mavs up by double-digits in that period, I was certain the Wolves would quietly fade away -- the fourth quarter would be irrelevant, as the Mavs would have sealed the deal by the time we reached the final period.

That didn't happen.  The Wolves displayed some resiliency in the third quarter, as they made the proper adjustments to climb back into the game -- and, in fact, the game was tied as we entered the final stanza.

But before we talk about the debacle that was the fourth quarter, let's talk about the third for a minute.  Because it was a skitzo quarter...the Wolves came out of the halftime locker room playing like absolute garbage, but to this team's credit, they were able to adjust on the fly to remain competitive.

For some inexplicable reason, the Wolves completely went away from Al Jefferson on the offensive end in the opening minutes of the third quarter.  I don't get it...the team's best offensive option wasn't even touching the ball for three or four straight possessions during that time period.  I guess that just highlights the fact that Al still needs to become more assertive on the offensive end...he's been doing a better job of demanding the ball while the team's on offense, but if tonight's third quarter was any indication, there's still some progress to be made.  He still hasn't quite become the alpha dog that this team needs him to become...although, he is getting closer.

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In the first quarter, it was Marko Jaric who gave the Wolves an offensive jolt.  Jaric was on-target from the perimeter in the opening period, and helped our squad keep the first quarter deficit to only four.  In the second quarter, it was Antoine Walker.  Shimmy came off the bench and knocked down a pair of threes, bringing the Wolves back into the game when it looked like Toronto was on the verge of pulling away.

In the third quarter, though, no one stepped up for the Wolves.  Seriously, I almost fell asleep several times during the third, as absolutely nothing was happening on the offensive end for us.  No one knocked down a big shot to catalyze a run, no one could buy a bucket from the perimeter--it was one of the more forgettable quarters I've seen the Wolves play in the past few months.

Looking back at the first half, though, the player that stands out most to me is Sebastian Telfair.  My most frequent complaint of the Wolves this season is that they've looked old and slow too often, even though they're one of the youngest teams in the league.  Well, in the opening two quarters, Telfair ensured that I wouldn't be able to make that complaint about him...he was everything a young point guard should be.  He pushed the tempo, made plays with his quickness, and did a good job of distributing the ball on the break.

I hardly noticed him in the second half, and his stat line looks pretty ugly (2-10 from the field, six points...although he did have eight assists), but nevertheless, he deserves some praise for his youthfulness (is that a word?) in the first half.

I was also quite impressed with Big Al in the opening half.  Teams are pretty much doubling him every time he touches the ball, and Al's taking advantage--he's definitely shown great improvement in passing out of double teams.

One problem: The Wolves don't have anyone who can knock down a shot from the perimeter on a consistent basis, and that's been their primary downfall as of late (earlier in the year, the major problem with the team was a lack of effort...they've been playing harder lately, but still, their desperate need for a perimeter shooter has reared its ugly head more and more often over the past month or so).  Our guards have been getting open looks as a result of the constant double teams on Jefferson, but their shots just haven't been falling.

Al was also impressive on the defensive end tonight.  Guarding Chris Bosh is obviously no easy task, considering Bosh's sweet jumper and his solid power game around the hoop, but Al did a nice job of guarding the big man.  Had a few blocks on Bosh, and limited him to 14 points.

But I'm being too positive...the Wolves did lose by 23, after all.  They lost it in the third quarter, but honestly, I don't know what I can say about that period that I haven't already said in this recap.  It was a void, 12 minutes of nothingness from the Wolves.  A black hole of a quarter.  The energy that helped them remain competitive during the opening two quarters vanished.  As I said, no one stepped up.  Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld famously pitched Seinfeld as a "show about nothing"...well, the third quarter of tonight's game was a "quarter about nothing."

Despite that disappointing quarter, though, the night wasn't a total waste...we had the chance to see a host of familiar faces.  Obviously, we got a glimpse of Sam Mitchell, one of my favorite Wolves of all time (I still have his bobblehead doll sitting on a shelf along with my Terrell Brandon and Crunch bobbleheads...and yes, I fully realize that I have a terrible bobblehead collection).  Also saw Darrick Martin, who's older than Jesus.

And then, of course, there's Rasho, who played five years with the Wolves...one of McHale's many failed big men.  I've seen people in nursing homes with more toughness than Rasho.  Finally, we saw Kris Humphries, who played just under nine minutes in tonight's game.

If you were watching the game with a young, impressionable basketball player, I hope you shielded his or her eyes during Humphries' playing time tonight.  Rarely have I seen a basketball player at any level who is as selfish as he is.  I mean, if Jerry Sloan couldn't turn this kid into a more complete player, I don't know who possibly could.

In his four seasons in the NBA, Humphries has played 2,797 minutes.  He has 111 assists.  I did the math, and he averages roughly one assist per 25 minutes...so, he could play a full game of 48 minutes and still struggle to reach the lofty mark of two assists.

Humphries was taken with the 14th overall pick of the 2004 draft by the Jazz.  Al Jefferson was selected with the 15th overall pick.  How'd that one work out, Utah?

Ah, but I shouldn't kid...the Wolves received a shellacking in the second half from Humphries' squad, after all.  I'm just glad I decided against using my voucher for a free ticket tonight...because after the monotonous second half, I would have somehow still felt ripped off, had I been in attendance.

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I may end up regretting this statement I made in our recent roundtable discussion here at T'Wolves Blog:

And what are the Wolves chances of ever wining a title with Big Al as our cornerstone?
 
Won't happen. I honestly don't have a lot to add from College Wolf and Jeremy's comments, as they nailed the reason that the Wolves won't win a championship with Big Al as the first option...simply put, he's an excellent second option, but he'll need to be playing alongside a star for the Wolves to win a title. I love his game, but I don't think he'll ever have the mentality or dominant game necessary to be "the guy" on a championship roster. And that, my friends, makes this upcoming draft absolutely critical for the future success of this team--anything short of drafting a future superstar will be a disappointment, as the Wolves need to acquire their first option before we can start discussing future championship contention for this team.

Since I wrote that in mid-January, Jefferson has scored 27 against Phoenix, 39 in a later game against the Suns, a career-high 40 against New Jersey, 26 against Chicago, and 25 against the Clippers.  He's posted double-doubles in nine of his last 10 games, been named Western Conference played of the week, and shot over 50% from the field in nearly every game since the middle of last month.

He's displayed an "alpha dog" mentality, unfazed by double and triple teams and demanding the ball in key, pressure-filled situations.  He's getting on his teammates' cases when they don't give him the ball in the post, and he's showing major assertiveness in the huddle.  From the looks of it, he's quickly capturing greater and greater respect from this team, and appears to be establishing himself as a locker room leader. And while he'll never match KG's defensive ability, Big Al's shown noticeable improvement on the defensive end as of late.

In short, it seems like he's becoming a superstar right before our eyes. 

Am I fully convinced that Jefferson can eventually be the first option on a contender?  No--the jury's still out on that.  But am I becoming more confident that he'll be able to develop into that role?  Absolutely.  I can't quite put my finger on what I've been seeing from Al lately, but he seems to be attaining that "it" factor--a star mentality, a mindset that the greats achieve at some point in their career.  The attitude that says, "I'm going to score on this possession, and you have no chance of stopping me."

Two or three weeks ago, I was convinced that Jefferson could never be "the guy" on a contender.  Now, I'm not so sure.  He's been playing at an extremely high level lately, and if he continues to assert himself on the court and keeps entering a leadership role with this team, the sky's the limit for Big Al.  On the other hand, these recent weeks of dominant play could simply be the exception to the rule for Jefferson--maybe he will ultimately end up being a 20-12 guy, and a solid second-option.

At this point, we just don't know if Al can enter truly elite status.  I do know this, though: My opinion of Jefferson has changed quite a bit over the past few weeks.

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This one hurts quite a bit, doesn’t it?

I know it’s rather remarkable that the Wolves (7-35) were even competitive with the Celtics (34-7) tonight.  It’s even more remarkable that they had a great opportunity to win the game, and should have emerged with the win.  But man, our squad was in the driver’s seat with 23 seconds remaining, and they frankly handed this game away. 

The play that’s sure to generate much discussion is the Corey Brewer inbound sequence, as Brew was nailed for a five-second violation.  For starters, Brewer needed to call a timeout, since absolutely no one was open…Corey just lacked awareness on that play.  If you’re inbounding the ball, you need to be counting down from five to zero in your head.  And secondly, the inbound play itself was ridiculous…again, Corey had no options because everyone was covered.  Witt’s inbound play failed to free anyone up.

And here’s what is even more insane: On the next inbound play, the EXACT SAME THING happened.  Marko had no options, and was forced to call a timeout.  It’s inexcusable that inbound plays, of all things, played an instrumental role in deciding this game.  Truly a case of the Wolves snatching defeat from the hands of victory.

Witt had Marko and Bassy make the final inbounds passes of the game…problem is, that decision was too little, too late.  I must question Wittman giving inbound duties to a rookie at a critical juncture of the game—I’m a Corey Brewer rube, but there are definitely more reliable passers on this team.  Of course, hindsight is 20/20.

With their meltdown in the final 40 seconds or so, the Wolves dropped an extremely winnable game.  But even though the ending was a crushing one, this team still deserves major credit…they fought valiantly, and we can’t forget about the intensity and passion they displayed for virtually the entire game.

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A lot to talk about from this game, so let's get going...

I've been constantly complaining about effort lately.  Too often, the Wolves have looked like a team that just doesn't care...a team that isn't buying whatever its coach is selling.  But tonight, I can't justify criticizing them for a lack of effort, because our guys played a (mostly) gutsy game.  For once, they displayed some heart.

There are a few things you need to do to beat the Denver Nuggets.  First, shoot the ball well...Denver loves to push the ball in transition off of missed shots, so shoot a high percentage from the field, and the Nugg's fast break opportunities will be very limited. 

Then, you've gotta get back on defense.  Again, Denver will make you pay on the fast break if your transition defense is sluggish. 

And finally, you must control the tempo of the game, and force Denver to play your style of basketball...few teams can keep up with the Nuggets in a run-and-gun battle (certainly not the Wolves, at least).

With the exception of the much of the first quarter and part of the second, the Wolves were generally successful with all of those tasks.  They shot 53% from the floor for the game, and just as important, they shot 10-22 from beyond the arc--mainly thanks to hot long-range shooting from Antoine and Rashad. 

And I could definitely sense some frustration from Denver because of the Wolves' hot shooting...it limited opportunities in transition for Iverson and Carmello, and if you can stop those two from getting easy baskets on the break, you've got a great chance to beat the Nuggets.

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