Game Report - Wolves v. Celtics

[Lipoli390]

Fun game to be at tonight. A much smaller crowed than Saturday's, but it was a pretty loud, energetic crowd by Wolves standards.

I went to the game expecting the Wolves to win and my expectation seemed confirmed when we got off to that great start in the 1st quarter. Actually, I had this serene feeling we'd win all the way through even as the Wolves nearly pissed the game away late in the 4th. Doubt never crept into my mind until that last shot of the game by Smart. We're lucky he missed that, but Ricky did a nice job of guarding Smart on that shot.

Who knew that Gorgui's last second 3-pointer earlier in the game would be the difference in the game. We can complain about the Wolves near collapse the last couple minutes of the game. But honestly, we should be just as concerned about mistakes and misses earlier in the game that could have put the game beyond the Celtics' ability to potentially win on a 3-pointer in the last seconds of the game.

I'm going to offer up what I consider to be the Wolves high points, low points and points of interest.

HIGH POINTS:

1. KAT was the #1 high point for the Wolves. That guy is simply amazing. His stats along were impressive with 28 points, 13 boards, 4 assists and 2 blocks. But he's all the more impressive when you watch how he puts up those numbers -- the skills, the effort, the competitiveness you see on his face and in the way he plays. He's such a joy to watch. He had 20 points at half time and should have put up at least 35 by the end of the game. But two things happened in the second half - especially the 4th. First, the Celtics starting doubling him every time he touched the ball. Second, the Wolves coaching staff failed to run any plays for him or do anything to enhance his ability to score. Actually, going back to late in the 1st quarter KAT was scoring at will inside. Yet, twice in a row coming out of time outs, Sam ran plays for Wiggins and he missed them both. Never mind that Wiggins was lethargic and ineffective up to that point. KAT was on fire and unstoppable. Watching Sam coach is a mind-numbing experience. But back to the high points. KAT was fantastic!!

2. LaVine. It was great to see Zach back where he belongs -- starting at SG next to Ricky. Who knows what Sam will do next, but it was great to see and made a huge difference for the Wolves tonight. Once again, with Zach rather than Prince in there, we were able to actually score. What a shock. Zach is a natural at SG and the more he plays there the more his talents will show themselves. He had 16 points in 32 minutes tonight, hitting 4 of his 5 threes. But just as impressive were his 5 rebounds. Quite a contrast to Wiggins' 1 rebound in 36 minutes, but we'll get to that later. The way he was playing tonight, Zach should have played 36-40 minutes, but it was good to see him out there for 32 minutes having success at his natural position.

[TAFKASP]

If Wiggins doesn't give a complete game effort, Lip won't give a complete game report.

[Lipoli390]

It happened again. I actually rewrote it and it somehow disappeared when I tried to post. I'm done!!!

[60WinTim]

It happened again. I actually rewrote it and it somehow disappeared when I tried to post. I'm done!!!

I believe there is a character limit on posts... Kind of a drag. But that's okay - we all saw Wiggins show us why he may never become an all-star if he can't figure out how to give consistent effort.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

It happened again. I actually rewrote it and it somehow disappeared when I tried to post. I'm done!!!

I believe there is a character limit on posts... Kind of a drag. But that's okay - we all saw Wiggins show us why he may never become an all-star if he can't figure out how to give consistent effort.

Yeah I have to admit maybe for the first time tonight I'm starting to question Wiggins' star potential. He just doesn't have that hunger that almost all the top players have. Some nights he's dialed in but others he just plays aloof. And his overall feel for the game doesn't seem much above average either. I'd feel worse about this if we didn't have Towns. Now that guy is a straight up superstar. I think everybody was excited about his defensive potential, but the big surprise is how dominant he is offensively already. He could average 25+ a game as soon as next year.

[Lipoli390]

I'll try again.

HIGH POINTS:

3. Tyus Jones. Really impressive tonight. The second unit started out pretty shaky under his leadership, but then Tyis made what I consider the play of the game when he pursued a loose ball, fought off two Celtics to get it and miraculously scored on a driving layup. It was pure will power. Flip said he drafted Tyus because he's a winner. I think we saw what Flip meant, evident in that one play by Tyus. Tyus then went on to play well overall after that, running the offense, scoring opportunistically and even defending fairly well.

4. Ricky Rubio. I almost didn't include him in this category, but I couldn't keep him out with his near triple double at 15 points, 8 boards and 8 assists. And then there's all he did to direct his teammate's on the court and the energy he brought.

LOW POINTS:

1. Wiggins. His 17 points were fine. But 1 rebound in 36 minutes??!! And 4 turnovers as a SF??!! Put all that together with his poor defense and lack of hustle tonight and you have more of the disturbing characteristics that have made some of us wonder about him. I still think the most problematic flaw in his game is his atrocious handle. It is unbelievably bad. He's a good player and could become a great scorer. But I don't see a great player emerging or even a perennial all-star.

2. Sam Mitchell. No surprise here, especially coming from me. :). Pulling Tyus and than Bazz just after they started to heat up with the team was playing well. Incredibly dumb. Constantly berating his players, especiallyTowns and Zach. Not calling plays for KAT in the 4th quarter and actually calling plays for Wiggins after time outs at a time (first half) when Towns was dominating. Wow! Fortunately Prince got hurt. Otherwise he would have likely played far more than the 5 minutes he played and that probably would have cost us the game.

POINTS OF INTEREST:

1. As the players were approaching the bench after a timeout was called, Zach walked up to Towns and you could read his lips clearly saying, "You're my man!" A little thing but fun to see. I really like seeing the bond that seems to have formed between these two.

2. Sam screaming at Zach and KAT but never getting in Wiggins' face. Right after the game ended Sam went off on Zach - probably for Zach's boneheaded steal attempt. But Sam should have saved his critique for the locker room and he didn't need to scream in his face. Berating Zach on the court immediately after a win, especially after Zach played such a good game, was ridiculous. And no doubt Zach knew he made a mistake.

[Lipoli390]

That's it for now. No game report for a while. The Wolves will be on the road until next week and then I'm off to Hawaii March 2nd for 2 weeks. But I'll be reading the game threads, so I'm looking forward to lots of quality analysis and opinions from you all.

[bleedspeed]

Enjoy the break and safe travels. Which island are you going to?

I will have to say after reading your post I worry that Wiggins might end up being the 3rd wheel on this team. Not because of skill and talent but because of killer instinct.

[Lipoli390]

Enjoy the break and safe travels. Which island are you going to?

I will have to say after reading your post I worry that Wiggins might end up being the 3rd wheel on this team. Not because of skill and talent but because of killer instinct.

I'm going to Maui.

As for Wiggins the upcoming summer will be huge for him. He has to improve his handle, although I'm not sure how much a 20-year old can improve such a basic motor skill that develops early in a player's life. And he has to improve his shooting, developing a reliable 3-point shot. I have more faith in his ability to improve his shooting, which is a skill that can be developed later in life. Wiggins already has a decent mid-range shot and has shown the ability to hit threes. So I think it's more a matter of fine-tuning and a lot of repetition.

As you suggested, however, the biggest concern with Wiggins might be a lack of killer instinct. Fortunately, he seems to have a passion for the game. Its more like a lack of competitive fire. But I'm still hoping its in there somewhere and will eventually show itself consistently on the court.

The good news in the disappointing prospect of Wiggins ultimately being our third wheel is that we have the makings of a great first wheel in Towns and an emerging 2nd wheel in Zach.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Thanks for the write-up Lip. I hope you enjoy Hawaii. That makes Tim's 3 weeks in Texas sound downright mundane.

- I will defend Mitchell's decision to pull Tyus when he did. As much as I like Tyus's "winner" persona and offensive moxie, the guy is an abject liability on defense. There is simply no way you ride him deep into the 4th when you've got Ricky Rubio on the bench. May be in another year or two it will be different.

- Having Martin and Shabazz on the floor at the same time should be made illegal in the contiguous 48. I'm OK if they play together in Hawaii or Alaska.....But nowhere else.....ever.

- That 17-0 run by the Cs was just BRUTAL.

- The raw numbers that KAT put up were impressive. But all the different ways he scores is what is even more impressive: Jump hooks with either hand; mid-range jumpers; up-and-unders; 3-pointers; driving layups off the bounce; put backs....Just an incredible array of weapons. It's inevitable that at some point the offense revolves around him. Then we will REALLY see his passing game pick up. I could easily see him being a 25/12/5 type player in the near future.

- Wiggins had a brutal night last night. I'm OK with him being off on his offensive game, as that happens to everyone. But then the way he let Jae Crowder abuse him on the other end!? That was what was most disappointing to me. Hopefully he bounces back with some big games on this road trip.