CoolBreeze's 2 Things I Didn't Like Tonight Plus 1

[Coolbreeze44]

Well Sam showed he's nothing if not flexible. Keeping Towns, Martin and KG on the bench along with the injured Rubio shows that he's willing to try anything to win a game. It's impressive that the group on the floor was able to bring it home against the front line guys from Atlanta. Wins are all that matters and it's great to get the 2nd in a row at home - definitely some momentum to build from. Here is the "You can't stop Rudez, you can only hope to contain him" version of the 2 + 1:

1) Okay so Ricky plays 6 minutes in the 2nd half before calling it a night. I didn't notice him favoring the ankle, so I was a bit surprised that the ice pack went on and that was it. But let me ask you this: Before they said he was done, was anybody hoping he was going to come back in for Zach? I know I wasn't. In fact I felt a strange sense of relief when it was determined Zach would have to carry the load. I'm not going to say anymore about it or make a big deal out of one game. But that was a different feeling than I've ever had since Rubio got here.

2) The Hawks really came after Andrew tonight and tried to make sure he wasn't going to get off. He struggled getting it going from inside and outside. I wonder if he's going to start getting this type of attention from other teams. If he does, I hope his assist totals go up because that's the best way to keep those double teams from coming. Glad we were able to win on Andrew's off night. Hope that outside shot gets better.

Plus 1 - Zach plays with such overwhelming confidence. I don't think he has any fear, and I don't think there is any doubt in his mind he's going to be great. I'm not sure he reaches that level, but I love the fact HE believes it. I have no problem with him taking big shots. He seems to convert them as well as anyone on the team. He wasn't great tonight, but he was very good and he looked very comfortable against one of the better PG's in the league. Have patience with this guy. There will be more bumps in the road but he is definitely coming and should be getting a ton of minutes, if not starting.

Rudez showed some real professionalism in being ready when his number was called. He hit some big shots and probably earned himself some minutes in the process.

And that's Cool's 2 things I didn't like tonight Plus 1

[60WinTim]

I didn't have that feeling at all with Zach in crunchtime as a PG. I wondered why Sam was waiting so long to put Rubio back in. Once it was announced Rubio was out, I had a BAD feeling. But Zach impressed me, especially on the defensive side.

[Phenom]

I thought Sam was playing with fire tonight. Zach was awful on defense and essentially escorting Teague to the rim. Not that he had a choice if Ricky was going to ice out (not an excuse in the first half, however) and with Andre or Tyus as alternatives. Luckily his shot was falling because he made some bad decisions that made it interesting. Good learning experience for him though.

One thing I do not like is the guards leaving Gorgui out to dry around the perimeter so often. Maybe Sam needs to run different sets with Gorgs out there with Payne because I do not see him as comfortable out there as KG, Towns or Nema. I was cringing every time Gorgui was out on an island by himself.

Awesome to get the season sweep over Atlanta though. You can tell that they are irritated about it.

[Coolbreeze44]

Phenom, you and I didn't see the same game. Zach did better than fine against Teague defensively. Nobody shuts that guy out completely, and Zach's D is getting better week by week. And I can't think of many stupid decisions he made. He took a couple bad shots, but made some really nice PG type plays too. That W in the standings wouldn't be there if not for Lavine tonight.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Surprisingly good energy in the building tonight and a pretty good crowd...not what I was expecting the night before Thanksgiving. A lot of it had to do with the score being close the entire game (unlike the 1st Atlanta game). Also, some of you watching at home may not know about the 4th quarter promotion where if the opponent misses two consecutive free throws in the 4th, everyone gets a free Cherry Berry...keeps the crowd in the game.

Funny you should mention that you would have felt more comfortable with Zach tonight over Rubio, cool. I also didn't know Ricky was out for the game, and was hoping Sam would keep rolling with Zach. Further, on my drive home, I was wondering if Zach is really our PG of the future because of Rubio's inability to stay on the court. He just may be, and games like tonight make me more comfortable with that possibility.. He had a bad game at the point against Philly, so it was nice to see him bounce back against a very good PG tonight. He struggled to keep Teague in front of him in the first half, but really picked up his on-the-ball defense in the second half. And he was very good on offense when he needed to be...very impressive considering he was on the court most of the second half with Gorgui, Rudez, Prince, and a mostly ineffective Wig. And yet he made it work.

Sam was as animated as I have ever seen him on the sidelines all game. It was really fun to watch him waving his arms and barking out instructions on offense and defense. And he employed his rotations like a veteran coach. I've noticed that some of the great veteran coaches will go longer with the guys who are getting it done, while many younger coaches get impatient and can't wait to put the starters back in...even if they have been ineffective. I knew KAT was rested and ready to come in and so were Martin and KG, and I kept looking over at Sam even though I didn't want him to make the move. And he stayed patient and rolled with the same guys. I wouldn't have been upset if he had made some moves after Atlanta ran off six straight to tie the game at 94, but he left them out there. In fact, he didn't make a 4th quarter substitution until he subbed in KG for Rudez in the last 45 seconds for defensive purposes. Sam made the crowd nervous with his persistence (there were several heads shaking in the crowd), but like so many times this season, he proved to be right again.

What can I say about Tay Prince? I didn't appreciate him much as a player before he came here, because his stats have always been so mundane. But he just makes the four other guys on the floor better defensively. He's like glue on his own man, and is constantly talking to his teammates. His team-leading +12 tonight was no surprise...he earned it. I'm guessing Sam will stay with the same starters Friday, but after the next loss, he needs to get Tay back in the starting lineup.

So lots of guys were great tonight...Zach, G, Tay, Payne, and KG. And despite an off night, Wig was big at crunch time once again. But I think you guys know who gets my game ball tonight. Yep, my favorite whipping boy Damjan Rudez! Three huge threes and surprisingly decent defense against Paul Milsap (oh yeah, I was watching him closely) earns him the coveted game ball. It was fun to hear Sam call him a pro and praise his work ethic in his post game. And yes, monster, he even got a rebound!

All in all, a fun evening at TC. Now a chance to get back to .500 in Sac-town, who won tonight with DMC out with a bad back. Gay had 36 tonight...all the more reason to have Tay start the game guarding him (although he won't).

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

[Lipoli390]

I was at the game and I agree with Cool. Zach's defense was good tonight. His overall game was very good and he carried us in the 4th. He has a beautiful looking shot. And he's super reliable at the free throw line.

I didn't like Sam's decision to stick with Dieng over Towns. I thought Dieng was terrible on both ends of the court.

I loved what we saw from Rudez tonight. His two three-pointers were huge, but he did a lot more than hit threes. His cut to the basket when he scored on that beautiful feed from KAT was a really heady play. He also played some solid defense. He understands team defense. He's a really smart player.

Kevin Martin drove me nuts again tonight. I still see him as a net negative most of the time he's on the court - poor defender, poor rebounder, poor ballhandler, doesn't pass, takes way to many long twos, often passing on three-point opportunities. He can score, but he's streaky.

I thought Payne played well tonight. He usually gives a great effort and tonight was no exception. And his two three-pointers were huge. However, he laughs and smiles way to much on the bench. Too much Wes Johnson in him in that respect.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Cool, I think phenom is referencing the first half, because I agree that Teague made him look silly most of the second quarter. Zach was totally unable to keep Teague in front of him. But perhaps there was some "mentoring" in the locker room at half time (as in, getting yelled at by Sam and KG), because he was a completely different defender the last quarter and a half. Teague is a tough guy to guard, but I think Zach bounced back and covered him as well as almost anyone in the league could in the second half.

[Monster]

Lavine's defense on Teague late was very good.

Dieng is totally Corey Brewer but as the 2nd half went on he got better and better and made a bunch of plays.

Zach played well down the stretch but I was wanting Rubio his ball handling and more level approach would have been nice and his defense I have more faith in. The crazy thing was though it didn't matter the Wolves won anyway. Zach was a big reason why.

Payne continues to play well. Yeah sure sometimes he gets too aggressive and gets fouls and maybe he has a dumb play here or there but hell he has been putting some good work in.

LST giving Rudez mad props and he deserved it. I have been thinking he will show his usefulness a few games this year and tonight he quickly proved me right. He could have had even more threes if guys would have found him.

Martin was working hard on defense and did plenty to make Korver work hard for his shots. The guy that made it easy for him was Bazz. The effort is there for Bazz and he has some good moments but he isn't there yet as a team or individual defender. I have faith he can get better but I am gonna praise Martin for the work on that end. On offense man he is just struggling. He took a couple bad shots but stuff just isn't falling. It's kinda amazing the Wolves have been able to be as successful as they have with Martin struggling like he has. He is gonna find his rythem at some point and it's gonna be good times.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Ha, so the fans were cheering for Cherry Berries and not the Wolves?? Did they get you on Kiss Cam too? These fan promotions and bribes kill me. But good to hear the energy was good there overall. Many thanks to you and Cool and others for the game comments as I don't get to watch many games. If I see nice improvement this year, I'll spring for the streaming next season. And it's looking good so far.

[Monster]

Ha, so the fans were cheering for Cherry Berries and not the Wolves?? Did they get you on Kiss Cam too? These fan promotions and bribes kill me. But good to hear the energy was good there overall. Many thanks to you and Cool and others for the game comments as I don't get to watch many games. If I see nice improvement this year, I'll spring for the streaming next season. And it's looking good so far.

You should spring for the streaming this year! Seriously this team has been fun to watch it just feels way different it feels like they can win any game. Sometimes later in the year you can get cheaper deal on NBA Broadband pass. Keep that in mind if this team continues to be competitive. :)