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It didn’t take long for the 18,000+ at Target Center to see evidence that things have drastically changed for their squad. From the opening tip, this team’s rediscovered energy was obvious- the offense was electric, they moved the ball extremely well, and the Telfair-directed attack was always one step ahead of the Denver defense. Simply put, the first quarter was an offensive showcase for the Wolves.
The quick start didn’t last, unfortunately, and the Wolves offense gradually slowed down until it became absolutely stagnant in the fourth quarter. That opened the door for Denver to grab control of the game…and the Nuggs took advantage. Carmello simply couldn’t be stopped in crunch time.
It was a disappointing loss, for sure. We gave the Nuggets a battle for the first 42 minutes, and lost it in the last six.
But there’s still a lot to feel good about.
McCants, for one, was simply outstanding. My main criticism of McCants is his streakiness…while Rashad can consistently make an impact through using his athleticism to penetrate and create shots, his jumper has proven itself to be quite streaky. Tonight, the jumper was falling…and when his jumper is dropping, McCants has the power to carry the offensive load.
He did just that. When Rashad was in the game, the offense operated through him. He was the first option, and took full advantage of open looks and lapses in the Denver defenses. He was very opportunistic, and I loved it.
I’m also feeling good about Telfair’s performance. Telfair kept the offense up-tempo, while still remaining under control…when he was in the game, the Nuggets defense was constantly off-balance.
The same can’t be said for Marko Jaric. When Marko was at point, things seemed very disjointed and unorganized on offense. The Wolves also tended to get stuck into a halfcourt offense with Jaric at the helm…and it’s already clear that a halfcourt offense ain’t gonna work for this team nearly as well as a quick, fast break-oriented style of play.
Another disappointment from tonight’s game: Antoine Walker. The guy can’t shoot. And he’s a liability on defense- the Nuggs did a good job of exploiting Walker’s slowness on defense, as they seemed to attack him pretty frequently. Maybe Pat Reilly’s assessment of Walker was accurate, after all.
Let’s go back to the positives of the game, shall we? Theo Ratliff turned in a fantastic 30 minutes, scoring 14 and getting to the line for nine free throws.
I’m perfectly fine with admitting that I completely dismissed the possibility of Theo potentially contributing to this team. But it’s becoming increasingly apparent that, if he can stay healthy, Theo will be huge for the Wolves. He’s a guy that could quickly become a crowd-favorite.
No, he won’t put up 14 points on each and every night, but he’s aggressive, and he’s a ridiculously effective shot blocker. I’m really starting to like the guy…he’s just a gutsy veteran who will quickly find his role on the team.
As for Big Al, it was disappointing to see him vanish in the fourth quarter, but I’m generally pleased with what I saw from the big man tonight. He had a very KG-like 13 rebounds, and his footwork in the post is sick…just gotta get him more involved in crunch time.
It was a rough loss…while watching the offensive explosion of the first quarter, I really felt that we could grab a win from a superior team. But still, the Wolves have nothing to be ashamed of. They gave Carmello and AI all they could handle, and that’s something to feel good about.
We’ll probably see plenty more close games slip away in crunch time, but that’s fine. Eventually, the Wolves will start winning more and more of these hotly-contested games…we’ve just gotta have some patience.
And I’m more than willing to be patient. After all, if tonight’s game was any indication, it will be a blast to watch these guys grow together. We may drop these close games and get blown-out on occasion, but this will clearly be a fun team to watch.
That’s a refreshing change from the past few seasons- in those years, watching the Wolves often seemed more like a chore than entertainment.
No need to be upset over this one…yeah, a win against Carmello, AI and company would have been a sweet way to kick off this new era, but I’m still very pleased with the effort from our guys. Although it sucked to see our offense collapse in the fourth quarter, I left the Target Center feeling better about the direction of this organization.
