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.
(Click "Read More" to continue)
no commentsNote: This article appears on www.DeROK.Net/wolves
Show me that smile again.
Don’t waste another minute on your cryin’.
We're nowhere near the end.
The best is ready to begin.
As much as I'd like to echo the sentiments of that 80's sitcom theme song above, the 3-18 start by the Minnesota Timberwolves indicates that "the best" is anything but "ready to begin". Through this first quarter of a season, the T-Wolves have managed to meet even the most pessimistic of expectations. I knew that pegging the Wolves for the 8th seed as I did in my NBA Season Preview was very "homer-ish" on my part, but I never imagined 3-18. Normally, I like to reserve my DeROK.Net Timberwolves spots for my more inspirational articles, but so far, there's been very little to wax poetic about this year. So I've decided to make this NBA Quarterly Report a more straight-forward and analytical piece. I'm going to glean whatever positives I can from the first twenty one games and take a look at what they mean for our future. Hopefully by the end I'll have been able to talk myself, and you as well, into the idea that we'll be "sharin' the laughter and love" in the not-too-distant future.
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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).
no commentsDid the title of my headline excite you and gain your attention? Well, I wanted the title of my headline to match the excitement of this game. This was a sloppy game of basketball tonight. Here's the box score.
First, there was a pretty decent crowd in the house. The lower level looked somewhat filled. I only had a one-seat gap on either side today! Even the upper level boasted some people. I think it might have had something to do with a certain superstar on the Sonics team that's causing a lot of buzz around the NBA. No, I'm not talking about rookie sensation Jeff Green, I'm talking about 2002 Western Conference Coaches' Decision All-Star Reserve Wally Sczczczszczzerbiak! As the Rock used to say before seemingly separating himself from the dying "sport" of professional wrestlig, "Finally, Wally Szczerbiak has come back to Minneapolis." Deciding to simulate his All-Star role throughout the season, Wally can be seen as a 2007-2008 Seattle Supersonics Head Coach's Decision Reserve.
But seriously, I was excited to get my first look at Kevin Durant. I did not catch a lot of Texas basketball last year as I usually save my NCAA basketball watching for conference tournament time (some amazing Durant performances during the Big 12), but the Longhorns got bounced rather early, so I've only seen him play thrice. On top of that, I was interested to see how Brewer would handle guarding Durant (more on this after the jump).
On to the actual game. As I stated above, this was a lousy game. Both teams shot like garbage. The Sonics hit 43%, the Wolves 39%. The Sonics turned it over often early and the Wolves hopped out to a 26-11 lead. The Wolves capitalized on turnovers and missed shots, getting open looks and easy buckets near the rim. Then, something happened.
I'm not really sure where things went wrong, and I don't want to say it was the effort level (at least during the 2nd and 3rd quarters), but it seemed like a two-part problem. First, the Wolves went away from getting the ball inside and starting missing outside shots. Even when they rotated the ball around the horn, they never got an open look. Secondly, they turned it over. A lot. It seemed like they tried to pass the ball through the defender's arms. I think this quote from the coach sums it up:
"I thought we came out and really dictated play in the man," said Minnesota coach Randy Wittman. "They went zone and we just, for whatever reason, became so tentative against them. We didn't continue to attack. We passed the ball around the perimeter. We didn't look inside anymore." (Source: ESPN Game Recap - crediting the AP)
I don't want to heap blame on McCants, but when he came in during the second quarter, he started gunning like he was the basketball version of Jeff George. It just seemed like all of his shots clanked hard, at least up until the fourth quarter when the outcome was no longer in doubt. And then something else happened that I haven't seen as much until this game: frustrated play resulting in players trying to do too much. Al Jefferson in particular seemed like he was taking it upon himself to single handedly bring the team out of the jam in the fourth, but the shots weren't falling and he was collapsed immediately everytime he touched the ball.
Four things from my memory that I will enumerate:
1) 8:19. That's how much time was left in the 2nd quarter when the Wolves committed their fifth team foul and put the Sonics in the bonus.
2) 6:58. That's how much time was left in the 4th quarter when the Wolves committed their fifth team foul and put the Sonics in the bonus.
(The two stats above didn't correlate to free throw disparity. In fact, the Wolves took more free throws. Imagine what a good team would have done to the Wolves with that kind of bonus?)
3) 21. Wolves turnovers this game. Ties season high. (The Sonics had 19. Again, poorly executed game.) Now, that's obviously from the box score. What I do remember is this: I sit in section 124. In the third quarter, the Seattle offense was playing at the far basket from my perspective. All I remember of that quarter is what seemed like constant Seattle steals and fast breaks. Over and over. I thought I was watching the final game in Above the Rim where they show Leon's finger roll from 10 different angles and try to pass each one off as a separate basket.
4) 4:41. This was the time left in the fourth quarter when the fans started mass exiting the arena during a time out. I think over half of the lower level left at this time. It was like a factory where the main shift was punching out.
I know this was touted as "the worst two teams in the league", but I don't think that's the case. After a poor start, the Sonics are now 4-3 in the month of December and appear to be going in some sort of designed direction. The Wolves still look lost. When the Wolves had the 15 point lead, it was almost like that Hawks game earlier this season where the team blew a big lead. The Wolves played in a manner that communicates to other teams and the fans, "Hey, we've got the lead. Now what do we do? S**t we don't know what to do! Time to wait until 1 or 2 seconds are left on the shot clock and hoist a prayer that looks like we're trying to sit in the Loon's Nest!" Basketball can be a game of runs, but even mediocre teams try to stick with what created a 15-point lead. Good teams take that 15-point lead and play the rest of the game sucking the hope of a comeback out of you. The Sonics are making the jump to a borderline mediocre team. Again, a good team would have been driving the lane those two quarters the Wolves put them in the bonus.
The Wolves don't meet the criteria for mediocre, much less good right now.
I've got a couple extra things after the jump, including some thoughts on Durant and Brewer. Please click Read More.
no commentsI know my posts have been few and far between this season. Hopefully I haven’t been missed too much since the rest of the TWolvesBlog crew have been picking up the slack with a constant barrage of posts. Between school, residency interviews, my 13-0 Patriots, catching some Celtics games, and our 3-15 record heading into this evening, there’s been a lot that’s keeping me from diving into this Wolves season head first. There’s also a major redesign in the works for DeROK.Net as well that’s been consuming most of my free time. Things will get better and I’ll be able to post more frequently and make some tweaks to improve this site here and there in the near future. I’ll cut to the chase now…
I’m firing up my TiVo tonight to catch the Wolves/Wizards game. I’ll hit the pause button after each quarter and make some observations. Seeing as I just finished the first, I’ll delve right into that.
First Quarter Observations:
Sebastian Telfair is maturing before our very eyes, and with this season, and perhaps another under his belt, he may be able to be a legit starting point guard on a contending team. He’s definitely doesn’t look like he’ll become a Chris Paul any time soon, but if the Wolves do get to pick first in the draft this year, they may not have to take Derrick Rose. They may just be able to select the best player on the board, regardless of position, because Bassy can hold his own.
Brewer needs to learn how to shoot. Desperately.
You can’t put a price on the unintentional comedy of having Antoine Walker on your team. Right now he’s putting on a “how NOT to play basketball” clinic. And you know what, I’m not even mad. If anybody else was playing that way, chucking up awful shots and passing the ball right to the other team, I’d be fuming. But not with ‘Toine.
Long live the Shimmy.
Second Quarter Observations:
Big Al finally got his first points with about four minutes left in the quarter and then put up a couple more. I didn’t catch the
Some guy named Roger Mason Jr. is putting the hurt on the Wolves. He has the Mark Blount “sleepy” or “chronically high” look going on. Medical school has definitely dropped my NBA I.Q. a good 20-30 points as I really only have time to follow the Wolves. I used to know everybody on every team. Now I have Roger Mason Jr.’s popping up every night and it’s driving me crazy.
On a completely random note, the Washington Wizards may be the team I know the least about. I think it’s because I refuse to view them as a legitimate team after they changed their name. “Washington Wizards” has got to be the worst name in the NBA, yes, even worse than the “New Jersey Nets”, “Utah Jazz”, and “Toronto Raptors”. What really does it for me is that they used to have a cool name, but then opted for a totally lame one to be politically correct. People have got to learn that Bullets don’t kill people, Chuck Norris does.
On a more random note, how ridiculous is it that the Bullets had to change their controversially “violent” name, while the Redskins are allowed to keep theirs while playing in the same city? That’s got to be the most racist name going.
And on an even more random note, if the Skins ever do change their name and it ends up being something lame, like, say, anything to do with politics, would Washington have officially wrapped up the title for the city with the worst team names? They’ve already got the Capitals, Nationals, and Wizards. I get that the Caps and Nats fit with the whole theme of the city, but they’re still lame. We’ve already covered the Wizards lameness. I don’t think any other city could contend with that.
Can you tell it was a bad quarter for us?
Third Quarter Observations
Needless to say, I watched the entire third quarter in just over six minutes.
Since things were moving a bit too fast for me to make any valid points, here’s a question I’d like to bring up. Does Randy Wittman get credited with Wednesday’s win in his head coaching record? I would think you’d have to be physically present to get credited with a victory. I’m very fascinated with Wittman’s head coaching record, mostly because I can’t wait to hear how Kevin McHale and Glen Taylor justify bringing him and his .259 winning percentage back for next season after not even making an attempt to contact Jeff Van Gundy or any other coach who’s had any ounce of success at this level.
Fourth Quarter Observations
Yeah, I didn’t think so…
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:
no commentsT-Wolves -vs- Phoenix Suns (12.8.07)
BOXSCORE:
http://www.nba.com/games/20071208/PHXMIN/boxscore.html
POSTGAME PODCAST:
http://www.timberwolvestoday.com
Wow... Wolves win. How the heck did we beat the Phoenix Suns? I'm still not sure myself. This game was almost exciting as the game when we beat the Suns last year, stopping their 17 game winning streak, or whatever sick number it was at. Maybe we've just got their number at Target Center? I bet if we played them in the playoffs we would easily take the series, just so long as all the games were played in Minneapolis. Ha. Ok, as much fun as it is to humor myself, I'll stop now. The atmosphere was pretty exciting for once and it was a great game. I didn't see this one coming, that's for sure.
(Click "Read More..." for thoughts and analysis.)
no commentsFirst 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.
(Click "Read More" to continue)
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The game's at 6:00, and is being broadcast on Channel 45. See you then!
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The Outside Corner
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This Given Sunday
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