Wassup guys...getting set for the Celtics game, which is coming up in a few minutes on ESPN.  Boston has won nine-straight, and currently stands at 20-2...meanwhile, the Pistons enter tonight at 17-7.  KG's stat line for the season, thus far: 18.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 3.7 APG.  Should be an excellent game, without doubt.

*KG has a ridiculous +/- rating-- he's a + 26.9 this season.

*More Celtics stats: Pierce is averaging 20.9 PPG, and Allen is averaging 19.2 PPG. 

*Looking forward to seeing Flipnosis, as well...man, if you'd have told me in 2003-04 that Flip would be coaching the Pistons and KG would be playing for the Celtics in four years, I'd have called you crazy. 

*Doris Burke is no Erin Andrews.  Anyways, the game's about to tip-off:

First Quarter:

*Just looking at KG's reaction after drawing the Sheed foul, the revitalization of the Big Ticket is immediately apparent.  You wouldn't have seen that fist-pumping reaction last season. 

*How do you stop this team?  If you have KG covered, Ray Allen will fly in and nail a floater in the paint. 

*Love the move by Rajon Rondo...and on the next possession, he hits a jumper.  He's gotta be taking the media's coverage of the Celtics personally...Rondo's really gone under the radar. 

*What's gotten into Rajon Rondo?  More importantly, what the hell has happened to Detroit's guards?  Why aren't they getting a body on Rondo?  Rajon leads all scorers with eight points, as Flipnosis takes the timeout. 

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I'll be flipping back and forth between the Celtics and Wolves games tonight (though I'll more than likely spend most of the time on the Celtics game), and will be live blogging those two games.  Boston takes on Detroit at 6:00 CST on ESPN, and the Wolves play Golden State at 7:00 on FSN. 

So stop on by, and hang out as we keep tabs on a 20-2 team and a 3-20 team tonight.

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What's up everyone...thanks for dropping by.

First Quarter:

*Agreed with Pete on turnovers...that's been a huge problem all season.  Here we go...

*Man, Micheal Redd has a sweet stroke...there's not much you can do when the ball's in his hands.

*Haha, since when did Craig Smith become our go-to player?  But who am I to make fun...the Rhino's playing stellar basketball as of late, as the coaching staff is finally giving him the minutes he deserves (it would kill me everytime I looked at the boxscore, and saw that Craig got 15-20 minutes).  Keep feeding Craiggers!

*Anyone else really like the Wolves' starting lineup?  Jaric, Brew, Craig, Al, Bassy...that's a young, energetic lineup that'll play hard.  That's really what I've been waiting to see...forget the vets, let's give the pups a chance for some serious minutes.

*Craig got the ball poked away, but I like the idea.  Force a mismatch, and let Craig go to work.  And Michael Redd continues to shoot the ball very well.

*I'm VERY interested to see how this lineup plays...McCants, Bassy, Craig, Richard, Al. 

*Bassy got bailed out there...he was trying to do too much on that possession.  I'd just keep feeding the hot hand...Craig Smith is making positive things happen when the ball's in his hands. 

*Ah...keep driving Corey.  Those will start dropping eventually...keep being aggressive.

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It's the border battle!  Anyone excited?  Anyone?

Well, while a Bucks/Timberwolves rivalry may be utterly nonexistent, I'm still looking forward to tonight's game to get a look at Yi Jianlian, who's averaging 9.8 PPG and 5.5 RPG this season.  I'll be live blogging the game tonight, so come on by and hang out during the game (it's at 7:30 CST, and is being broadcast on FSN).  

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Some Monday randomness... 

*First, a shameless plug...here's my recap of yesterday's Vikings game.

*Saturday's game was absolutely one of the best Wolves games I've attended in recent memory.  The biggest thing I saw: This team played with heart.  Yeah, they started the season by being competative against superior teams on a nightly basis, but since that strong opening stretch, they've had too many games where they've simply come out flat.  I have no idea what Jerry Sichting told these guys prior to Saturday's game, but they played one of the most intense 48 minutes of basketball that a Wolves team has played in a while (and most of all, they played a COMPLETE 48 minutes).

*Next best thing on Saturday: 19 offensive rebounds.  That's flat-out ridiculous...Craig Smith and Al Jefferson are certainly proving themselves to be two of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA (Jeff ranks seventh in the league in that category, averaging 3.5 offensive rebounds per game).

*The Wolves also had the edge on the defensive glass...36-25.  That's also great to see, as I've been a little concerned about this team's ability to limit the opposition's second-chance opportunities.  Mainly, Corey Brewer's insane rebounding over the past two games has helped the Wolves control the defensive boards...I have no idea what's gotten into this guy lately, but he's been on an absolute tear.  Sichting just loosened Corey's leash quite a bit this week, and Brewer's responded in a big way.  Couldn't be happier for the kid.

*Liked the starting lineup...Bassy, Jaric, Brewer, Jefferson, and Craiggers.  Bassy and Jaric would've sounded like a cringe-worthy combination prior to this season, but I'm liking what I'm seeing when they're on the court together.  And not only did I like the starting lineup, but the rotation was also managed very effectively...Al played 42 minutes, and most importantly, they played him for the majority of the fourth quarter (I'm so tired of Wittman putting him back in with 6-7 minutes remaining in the fourth).  I've been a long-time Craig Smith rube, so I was thrilled to see him get 36 minutes...the Rhino deserves more than 15-20 minutes per game!  And Corey deserved every one of his 30 minutes. Finally, I enjoyed seeing the Wolves' eight-man rotation in action, but that rotation was prompted by injuries more than anything.

*As well as he's been playing, the jumper just isn't falling for Corey, and he's having trouble finishing his drives.  More than anything, I think that's just a confidence issue...he's missing a lot of jumpers and layups that, frankly, he shouldn't be missing (he's 6-25 from the field over the last two games).  Let the kid get more comfortable, and his offensive game will be just fine (the jumper, though, could use some fine-tuning on the practice court).

*Enjoyed seeing the Sugarhill Gang, even though I can't say I was around in their era...for those interested, here's their Myspace page.  Some good stuff.

*If you're ever planning on attending a Wolves game, I implore you to buy tickets through scalpers...you'll get great seats for under half of face value.  I definitely plan on getting scalped tickets for the remaining games I attend this season...just as long as the tickets I buy aren't made of crackers.

*I respectfully disagree with Mike Trudell's claim that it's Jaric's increased minutes, and not Adrianna Lima, that's improved Marko's play. 

*And, on that note, I'd like to thank you for checking out my quick thoughts by presenting you with a picture of Adrianna eating a watermelon, after the jump: 

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First quarter:

*Can the dynamic Jerry Schiesting-led Wolves grab their third win?  We're about to find out. 

*Love the Van Halen. 

*Atlanta announced crowd = 500.  Whenever you can clearly hear the players shouting to each other, it's never a good sign.

*What a pass by Bassy...unfortunately, we didn't get back on defense.  Bassy, on the ensuing possession, puts up what very well might be the ugliest shot of the night.

*Love to see Brew starting. 

*Is there a worse sports town than Atlanta?  And as I type that, Gomes knocks down a sweet looking three...I always enjoy seeing Gomsey step beyond the arc. 

*That drive by Brewer was really ugly...he was well-guarded and out of control. 

*Already, we're seeing problems in the Wolves transition defense...that's been a continuing problem, throughout the season.  Our guards have been slow getting back on D, at times. 

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Here's some thoughts after taking a look at the season stats...

*Big Al's stat line: 20.1 PPG, 10.9 RPG.  I think that's pretty much where we pegged him...as the first option for the Wolves, it's no surprise to see his stats take a jump from last season.  I do think, though, that his PPG average could be higher, but we're going through stretches where Al isn't involved enough in the offense (College Wolf thinks it's because our guards stink when it comes to entry passes...I agree, but I also think Al should be a bit more assertive).

*Marko's stats: 9.1 PPG, 4.1 APG, 49.5% from the field, 41.2% from beyond the arc.  Unless anyone can think of a better reason for Jaric's strong start to the season, I'll just credit it to him dating a Victoria's Secret model.

*Craiggers is only getting 17.5 minutes per game.  What gives?  I thought he'd see a sizable increase in minutes over last season, but that hasn't been the case thus far.  C'mon, Witt.

*A few key stats for Rashad: He's shooting 42.8% from the field, and is averaging 3.3 turnovers per game.  I think a major problem for Rashad is that, first and foremost, he considers himself a jump shooter.  And while he does go through stretches when his jumper is dropping, it's time that Rashad starts thinking of himself as a slasher...as of now, his jumper is just too inconsistent.  And he absolutely must start taking better care of the ball...he's turning the ball over at an inexcusably high rate.  I still believe that Rashad can be a great player, but he's got some things to work out.

*Mark Madsen has started five games.  No, I'm not kidding.

*Here's where things get tough for me...Gerald Green has played in seven of the 15 games, and is shooting 37% from the field (20% from long range).  Earlier in the season, I was a huge supporter of Gerald...I wanted him to get some significant playing time.  But man, after seeing him play in the past few weeks, he seems to be in his own world when on the court.  Everything we heard about Gerald was true...great athleticism, but he makes horrible decisions.  He's completely intent on shooting whenever he gets the ball, and as a result, he's not taking good shots.  I'd keep playing him, as I'm a firm believer that actually seeing meaningful minutes is the best way for players to improve...but his performance has been discouraging.

*Every player on the roster, with the exception of Chris Richard and Green, has started at least one game.  Yikes.

*The Wolves are edging their opponents on the offensive glass (they average 12.1 offensive rebounds per game, while their opponents are averaging 10.1), but their opponents have the edge in defensive rebounding (30.1 defensive rebounds per game, vs. 28.5).  It's a predictable trend...we lost a great defensive rebounder in Garnett while gaining Jefferson, who is a better offensive rebounder than KG is (and Gomsey's also making an impact on the offensive boards).  I do hope, though, that Craig Smith can start translating some of that offensive rebounding intuition to the defensive end.

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It was a long, strange evening at Target Center.  Coach Pops getting tee'd up, Madsen annoying the crap out of the great Tim Duncan, the refs making their presence known, the Wolves getting outscored by 21 in the fourth quarter.  Needless to say, it was a wild one.

Let's start with the officiating.  In a word, it was horrible.  I'm not usually big on conspiracy theories, but the officiating helped the Spurs a whole lot more than it helped the Wolves.  Yeah, there were plenty of iffy calls and non-calls on both sides, but you can't tell me that the officiating didn't prove to be an advantage for San Antonio.

I lost count of the times that Wittman simply threw his arms up in sheer awe of the officiating that was taking place.  It was pure exasperation on Witt's part.  The officiating was clearly discouraging for the Pups, and there just wasn't much he could do about it.

No, the officials didn't decide this one.  That's not reasonable to suggest.  They did, however, dictate the flow of the game.

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I reserve the right to end this live blog early in case of a blowout...  Anyways, glad you're here for tonight's game.

First Quarter:

*Linkin Park's "Bleed it Out" = cool song.  Wish they'd play it at Target Center.  Pete, meanwhile, states the obvious in his keys to the game...he makes the shocking revelation that the Wolves must contain Chris Paul.

*I've been to New Orleans several times, and I'd wager that their arena is one of the more ugly ones in the NBA.  Great city, though...unbelievable food.  Definitely can't wait to go back there. 

*Yawn.  Another great up and under by Big Al.

*The Hornets fans stand until their squad scores?  That's kinda stupid.

*Madsen's starting again.  Hmm...while I question Wittman's lineup, the Hornets continue to struggle from the field.  The few fans who showed up to New Orleans Arena remain standing, two minutes into the game.

 *Ah, Gomsey steps out.  Gotta limit those turnovers tonight.

*Pete's right about Rashad...he needs easy baskets to get going.  A streaky guy like him needs to get the confidence level up early with a few easy looks.

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