You Know You Can Start a GT Without Me Right? (Wolves vs. Kings GDT)

[Monster]

Nice win especially with Edwards nowhere near 100%. To his credit I don't think he tried to do much but he wasn't just passive either.

Nowell had a pretty good game. He had a couple 3's I wish he didn't take probably including the one he made but other than that he was pretty good getting buckets and being patient bringing the ball out when there wasn't there in transition. Again he had a couple possessions on D where he either got a stop or was part of getting a stop. They needed his offense and he also plays with energy.

This team has been fun to watch for a while now. One thing I notice is that the passing even includes Gobert moving the ball quickly.

[Carlos Danger]

Huh. Well, this is why they play the games. I gave them zero chance and just went to bed early. Wow! We just beat a very good team. On the road. Second game of back to back. And without our best player - KAT. That's a nice win.

[Wolvesfan21]

TC is still doing a great job. Cam has got to be hating this winning streak!!! What a nightmare.

Great trades TC!

[AbeVigodaLive]

Abe's Next-Day DVR Review:

- "Just find a way" is the phrase of the day. This makes four straight games that the Timberwolves have just found a way to win. (#1) Overcome a 57-point Julius Randle game by shooting lights out with 71% TS? Yep. (#2) Overcome some dubious calls early in the 4th (Trae Young) and stage a late comeback? Yep. (#3) Force the Warriors into tougher and tougher shots in a slugfest of a game? Yep. (#4) Go into a hostile, energetic arena and will your way to a win? Yep.

This is one of the more impressive (and longest) win streaks in about two decades for the Timberwolves. It's been fun.

- Sabonis is so physical. But he's so good at it. He doesn't seem to do chicken wing things or extend his arm on contact. It's just a hard (but not too hard) shoulder into the chest that he plays off of. I remember watching him closely for the first time in college when he matched up with Jacob Poeltl in the NCAA Tournament. Sabonis destroyed him with his unique brand of relentless physicality. OKC did a disservice to the guy (and its team and fanbase) by trying to make him a jump shooter and three point guy as a rookie. Once he was allowed to cook in the paint... he's become a very good pro.

- The Wolves had 7 guys in double figures, with Reid and Nowell packing punch off the bench. Bench shot 14 - 29 fg) with only 2 TOs. Meanwhile, the Kings bench was pretty bad in this one, collectively shooting 8 - 23 fg with half the team's TOs. Rookie starter Keegan Murray had a poor night shooting 1 - 8 fg (1-6 3fg) even though he came into the game shooting 41% on threes.

- Edwards has looked rough the past couple of games. Is it the ankle? Still ill from whenever? Tired from the season? Seeing more clogged lanes with two bigs out there a lot more? Or just trying to fit in and ride this wave of unselfish ball movement? He's lacking the dynamic elements to his game right now, and even passing open three point looks. He's also shooting only 63% from the line over the past 10 games or so... which coincides with the Wolves slide from the stripe.

Meh. The Wolves are winning anyway! He'll be fine soon enough.

- Naz Reid is playing well down the stretch... in a contract year. How much do you pay for a guy who (1) is awful on defense (2) is a backup to guys who will be taking up about $100M of your cap (3) and will force the team to almost always play big?

The NBA is all about matchups. And the Wolves might have something with the two-big lineup. But is it an actual thing? And if so, how sustainable is it? By locking up Reid to $12M+ per season, the Wolves are tripling down on that style. And sometimes, it's nice to be able to change styles, pace and options.

- I don't think officiating rankings are public. But Jim Peterson made a comment about it being a big game but the NBA not acting like it was in how it scheduled officials. And we all know we've complained about whistles this season, especially lately. Is it because the Wolves are often deemed just a "meh" team for so long that we're simply not seeing the better officials more often?

- The Mike Conley vs. D. Russell can rage on for eternity. I was rough on Conley during that stretch when he shot 1 - 14 fg late in several close losses. Was it fair? Maybe? I think what we're seeing is that Mike Conley is NOT the guy when a team is lacking high-end talent around him. He can't take over games if the focus is on him.

BUT... he's been one heckuva complementary veteran presence when the Wolves have multiple scoring options on the court. He's hitting his threes and his patented runner is coming around. I just read a quote from him about rebounding and how he's not very good at it, but if that's what coach wants, he'll get in there.

This is where things get dicey and I don't want to derail the GDT. But, that's always been the anti-Russell crowd's take. Russell can do things other players cannot do. But he's seemingly not always WILLING to do things other players are.

- Keep winning.

[Wolvesfan21]

Abe's Next-Day DVR Review:

- "Just find a way" is the phrase of the day. This makes four straight games that the Timberwolves have just found a way to win. (#1) Overcome a 57-point Julius Randle game by shooting lights out with 71% TS? Yep. (#2) Overcome some dubious calls early in the 4th (Trae Young) and stage a late comeback? Yep. (#3) Force the Warriors into tougher and tougher shots in a slugfest of a game? Yep. (#4) Go into a hostile, energetic arena and will your way to a win? Yep.

This is one of the more impressive (and longest) win streaks in about two decades for the Timberwolves. It's been fun.

- Sabonis is so physical. But he's so good at it. He doesn't seem to do chicken wing things or extend his arm on contact. It's just a hard (but not too hard) shoulder into the chest that he plays off of. I remember watching him closely for the first time in college when he matched up with Jacob Poeltl in the NCAA Tournament. Sabonis destroyed him with his unique brand of relentless physicality. OKC did a disservice to the guy (and its team and fanbase) by trying to make him a jump shooter and three point guy as a rookie. Once he was allowed to cook in the paint... he's become a very good pro.

- The Wolves had 7 guys in double figures, with Reid and Nowell packing punch off the bench. Bench shot 14 - 29 fg) with only 2 TOs. Meanwhile, the Kings bench was pretty bad in this one, collectively shooting 8 - 23 fg with half the team's TOs. Rookie starter Keegan Murray had a poor night shooting 1 - 8 fg (1-6 3fg) even though he came into the game shooting 41% on threes.

- Edwards has looked rough the past couple of games. Is it the ankle? Still ill from whenever? Tired from the season? Seeing more clogged lanes with two bigs out there a lot more? Or just trying to fit in and ride this wave of unselfish ball movement? He's lacking the dynamic elements to his game right now, and even passing open three point looks. He's also shooting only 63% from the line over the past 10 games or so... which coincides with the Wolves slide from the stripe.

Meh. The Wolves are winning anyway! He'll be fine soon enough.

- Naz Reid is playing well down the stretch... in a contract year. How much do you pay for a guy who (1) is awful on defense (2) is a backup to guys who will be taking up about $100M of your cap (3) and will force the team to almost always play big?

The NBA is all about matchups. And the Wolves might have something with the two-big lineup. But is it an actual thing? And if so, how sustainable is it? By locking up Reid to $12M+ per season, the Wolves are tripling down on that style. And sometimes, it's nice to be able to change styles, pace and options.

- I don't think officiating rankings are public. But Jim Peterson made a comment about it being a big game but the NBA not acting like it was in how it scheduled officials. And we all know we've complained about whistles this season, especially lately. Is it because the Wolves are often deemed just a "meh" team for so long that we're simply not seeing the better officials more often?

- The Mike Conley vs. D. Russell can rage on for eternity. I was rough on Conley during that stretch when he shot 1 - 14 fg late in several close losses. Was it fair? Maybe? I think what we're seeing is that Mike Conley is NOT the guy when a team is lacking high-end talent around him. He can't take over games if the focus is on him.

BUT... he's been one heckuva complementary veteran presence when the Wolves have multiple scoring options on the court. He's hitting his threes and his patented runner is coming around. I just read a quote from him about rebounding and how he's not very good at it, but if that's what coach wants, he'll get in there.

This is where things get dicey and I don't want to derail the GDT. But, that's always been the anti-Russell crowd's take. Russell can do things other players cannot do. But he's seemingly not always WILLING to do things other players are.

- Keep winning.

Great post. The Wolves are a team now. We need contributions and effort from anyone who can give it each night.

TEAM is the key here. I am liking how they are playing as a unit.

Now on to the next. There is a chance we can get a top 6 seed now or better. Let's see if they can keep it going, which is the hardest part. Because teams are not going to take the Wolves lightly at all knowing they just won 4 in a row.

[FNG]

Nice win especially with Edwards nowhere near 100%. To his credit I don't think he tried to do much but he wasn't just passive either.

Nowell had a pretty good game. He had a couple 3's I wish he didn't take probably including the one he made but other than that he was pretty good getting buckets and being patient bringing the ball out when there wasn't there in transition. Again he had a couple possessions on D where he either got a stop or was part of getting a stop. They needed his offense and he also plays with energy.

This team has been fun to watch for a while now. One thing I notice is that the passing even includes Gobert moving the ball quickly.

Great point about Rudy, monster...his quick passes to the corner, or even to someone closer to the basket, is a skill I really didn't think he had. I loved seeing Sabonis collapse on him, leaving SloMo wide open for a quick drop pass and layup. Fun to watch!

[FNG]

Huh. Well, this is why they play the games. I gave them zero chance and just went to bed early. Wow! We just beat a very good team. On the road. Second game of back to back. And without our best player - KAT. That's a nice win.

Shame on you for going to bed, Carlos (okay, I can't criticize because I'm in Arizona and the tipoff was at 7 for me). Yes, we were missing KAT, but we were also missing Prince...and Ant looks about 75% to me at best. On the other hand, Sac-town was healthy (even Fox looked like his hammy wasn't bothering him at all). Not many teams (if any) are going to go into Sacramento missing key pieces and come out with a win. This was definitely a great win! And winning 2 straight on their court has to give us a lot of confidence if we end up playing them in a 6-3 matchup.

[Coolbreeze44]

It's March 28, 2023, and the Timberwolves just won back to back to back meaningful games in Northern California.

[FNG]

It's March 28, 2023, and the Timberwolves just won back to back to back meaningful games in Northern California.

Yep, and actually five consecutive wins on the road in the last month against California teams likely to be in the postseason. I'm not going to look it up, but I suspect we are the only team in the Association that can say that. It's great to be playing our best basketball in late March, especially when you can argue no other team (except for maybe the Griz, although their opposition has mot been very good recently) in the West is doing the same.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I think it's pretty clear what most NBA players think about Rudy Gobert's skills on offense. But if you needed any further proof...

https://twitter.com/WorldWideWob/status/1640750774572691456?s=20

LOL