Minnesota Sports Forum

There was some terrific in-game analysis by Kek and others in the GDT , so I'll try not to pile on but instaed provide some in-person color.

But we can't overemphasize how sensational Dlo was in this game. Kek pointed out a couple errant passes by him, KAT and Ant in that disastrous start to the game, but after that he was unbelievable! Unconscious shooting, deft passing, and as Q pointed out, much more engaged on defense. I pointed out how much better his defense was in the first Utah game, and how it resulted in a rare positive plus/minus. He was equally engaged in this game, and it was encouraging to see our two max guys with the best plus minuses on the team. I especially noticed Dlo's on-ball defense (he still struggles with leaving his man open in the corners, but even that was improved). A 2-way Dlo is a major key to turning around this sorry franchise, and we have seen hints of it this week. Has Finch figured out the key to maximizing Dlo...using him as a 6th man? Keep it up!

But let's not kid ourselves. Utah is a much better team than we are right now, and we lose this game by 15-20 points if Clarkson, Ingles and Bogdonovich (5 for 30 on threes, collectively) have just a normal shooting night...we were fortunate to face them on a night when all three were off. Sure, Jaden, Josh and Ricky had some impressive contests in the corners, but mostly it was good shooters missing open shots. Maybe progression to the mean as Q suggests. Whatever, a win is a win. And with Houston and GS on the horizon and the "repeat win" monkey off our backs, a 4-game win streak (gasp) is not out of the question!

Now the in-person report. Still eerie to have so few fans in the stands...Crunch works hard to generate some noise, but it's not the same with only 5000 fans. Still, it's great to be back...looking forward to going again Thursday to see Steph and Wig.

I've been a season ticket holder for many years, and I always enjoy watching the interaction between coach and players during breaks. With Thibs and Ryan, there was a lot of staring off into space and disinterest among the players. But the players are laser focused on Finch...he clearly has their attention and respect. And while he is always complimentary of his players publicly, he is tough on them in person. His body language on the sidelines speaks volumes when he is unhappy with a lack of effort, and he uses "punitive" time outs and substitutions appropriately. I like this coach.

I know this next take will not be as important to many here, but it is to me. Unlike any team I have seen in the past two decades, these guys seem to truly like each other. The mood on the sidelines is light and playful, and there is a lot of joking around when the coaches aren't talking. I think Ant has a lot to do with this...his teammates clearly get a kick out of him. They were all smiling when he lifted his arms to the heavens when a 3-pointer finally bounced in for him. Juancho appears to be a guy that keeps the team loose too. I know we would all prefer wins to fun, but right now I'll take the fun...maybe the wins will come later as this team grows together.

It's also interesting to see who the leaders are on this team. I expected that the team would look to veteran guys like KAT and Ricky, but I am surprised to see how Dlo and Josh take leadership roles during timeouts. I think my impression of Dlo as a teammate might have been hampered by his unfortunate experience in LA, but I now see him as an excellent teammate. He has embraced his role coming off the bench, and is one of the more engaged players during timeout huddles.

Ricky Rubio is perhaps the oddest basketball player I have ever watched. His shot is both ugly and ineffective, and he lacks some of the athleticism of many PGs. So why is a PG with only 3 assists and 2 points on 1-6 shooting on the court at crunch time of a close game? Easy. Because Finch trusts him to make plays like the two he made in the final 5 seconds. If he doesn't wait almost the entire allotted 5 seconds to make his inbounds pass, Gobert doesn't exit the lane to chase KAT, bizarrely leaving our high scorer for the night (Dlo) ridiculously open for the eventual game-winning layup. If Ricky inbounds even a half second earlier, we're likely looking at a desperation 3-pointer by Ant or KAT instead of a layup. And then nursing the one-point lead with 4 seconds left, he hassles Conley as he receives the inbound from Ingles, and then hockey-like poke checks the ball to Jaden without fouling. 2 winning veteran moves on an otherwise forgettable night.

So a fun night at Target Center. A fifth from the bottom finish (and even 6th is not out of the question) and diminished chances of keeping our pick seems inevitable now, but I'll take the fun of beating the top team in the West twice over a 10 percentage better chance of keeping our pick. Keep winning, and finish strong!

Nice recap FNG.

I actually really appreciate your point about the team chemistry. It's weird. This is a bad team, even by our standards, but that chemistry does seem to be there more than in the past. Along with the fact that we've got a lot of young guys we can cross our fingers for, and some hustle guys, that chemistry makes this team more likable. I've been surprised at seeing Ricky and Ant develop some of that, DLO has really been changing my mind in terms of his leadership as well this year, and surprisingly, I think Beasley has often been involved in cheering his teammates on, both on and off the court.

I remember reading an article back in 2010 or 2011 I guess it was, the first year LeBron was with the Heat. And it was all about how some social scientist was measuring team chemistry by counting the number of times players on the same team touched each other during the game with high fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, etc. The article came out just before the playoffs I think, and the guy had found that one team had a much higher count of "touches" than the others--the Dallas Mavericks, the team that went on to upset the Heat and win the championship. Obviously, that team's chemistry isn't the only reason they won, and we've lost plenty of games this year despite having better chemistry than in years past. But it is a good sign, and at least makes the team a little more watchable.

Good writeup FNG.

Yeah good stuff Fungo. I too notice the camaraderie and generally great support the players give each other. I think it's impressive for a team that has lost so much together. And DLO is one of the most engaged with his teammates. I don't particularly care for his directing out on the court, but he is a lot smarter player than I had thought and a better teammate too. I think his leadership comes off a lot better when he is playing well like he has since his return. I noticed him defer to Ant in Utah when the rookie had it going, and that isn't something I expected from DLO.

Overall, I'm having a lot of fun watching this group improve. It seems too bad the season is almost over. I could care less whether we give up our pick this year or next. I just hope we continue to improve on the court, and with our youth there is no reason we shouldn't.

Interesting take, Drew. Thanks for mentioning Beasley, because I did notice him last night during time outs. Despite his unforgivable off-court issues, he's a popular guy on the team and another guy (like Juancho and Ant) who seems to keep this team loose. It's a fine line between having too much fun and just enough, and I think this team gets it. When the coaches say it's time to get down to business, the fun stops and everyone tunes in to the coaches (or the player who is offering his opinion). Gone are the days of Michael Beasley clowning around or Wig staring into space when Thibs or Flip were talking. It's a good vibe that hopefully results in some wins down the stretch and carries over into next year.

Love the Fungo nickname, Cool...after years of coaching baseball, I'm pretty adept with a fungo in my hands. I'll take on anyone here, but I'm guessing Jester might be better. It's funny you mention the contrast on how you feel when Dlo is directing on the court compared to when the ball is dead, because I was thinking the same thing last night. He is so engaged with his teammates during time outs and free throws (as are Ricky and Josh), and they listen intently to what he has to say. But man the on-court pointing as his man streaks open on the court is so annoying. But other than that, it's clear that Dlo has some leadership ability that I didn't think was in him.

Like you, Cool I'm oddly enjoying this team. Normally I would be checked out with the team sporting such a terrible record this late in the season. But I find myself watching games intently as if they were actually in the race. I think the promise of Ant and Jaden, the energy albeit certainly not always effective of Josh and Vando, the improving offense of Naz, and the mystery of whether KAT and Dlo can lead a team, makes them an intriguing watch even as the losses pile up. The bar is set quite low, but a better than .500 finish down the stretch is what I'm hoping for...even if it means deferring our pick until 2022.

Nothing wrong with enjoying this team. I'll always take winning over whatever else we have seen since KG left. Go Wolves.

Just a note on that study Drew....did they bump fists, high-five etc. more because they had good chemistry or is it because they actually made more good plays? In other words, does making good plays cause the good chemistry rather than the other way around?

Just nit-pickin'....

Q12543 wrote:Just a note on that study Drew....did they bump fists, high-five etc. more because they had good chemistry or is it because they actually made more good plays? In other words, does making good plays cause the good chemistry rather than the other way around?

Just nit-pickin'....

Great question. Cause or correlation? Chicken or egg? Not sure. Logic might suggest that it's a feedback loop. It's logical to think that winning often (but not always) builds chemistry, and I suspect that when you have good chemistry, you play harder, share the ball more, and play better team defense. It might be tough to prove definitively. I wouldn't say simply touching each other if your mind isn't really in it would actually help the team. I'd say the touches themselves are almost entirely an effect of the chemistry--although there are some studies out there that show that even "faking" physical gestures associated with feelings can actually increase those feelings somewhat. So maybe those seemingly mindlessly automatic hand slaps after each free throw could have some small effect, although of course, I'd prefer the hard high-five or excited hand slap with eye contact, the flying chest bump, or that thing where guys put their heads right near each other and yell words of . . . uhhh, encouragement and punch each other in the chest. But regardless of the relationship between touches and chemistry, I do think that chemistry may be both an effect and a cause of good play.

I couldn't find the specific article I read, but I did find a few other articles about the study, plus a page in a book. I thought I remembered reading an article about this study just as the playoffs were starting, but the only articles I could find about it came during the finals (but before Dallas won). It sounds like the Berkeley researchers did their study throughout the season, but then the Wall Street Journal basically did a case study of the study during the first few games of the finals.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/winning-touch-nba-teams-touch-win-study/story?id=13801567

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304392704576373641168929846

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/6/9/2215200/nba-finals-2011-dallas-mavericks-miami-heat-high-fives

https://books.google.de/books?id=aYdKRMjW5vIC&pg=PT161&lpg=PT161&dq=Dallas+mavericks+physical+contact+chemistry+study&source=bl&ots=utnS7w4we-&sig=ACfU3U0mXeD4gEwk6VFOu77ztmxlj7nZJw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBkvTYrp_wAhXUg_0HHVaXBRcQ6AEwCHoECAUQAw#v=onepage&q=Dallas%20mavericks%20physical%20contact%20chemistry%20study&f=false

It does sound like the Mavs were disproportionately "touchy," compared to how they were playing against the Heat in those first four games. During that stretch, they were 82% more likely to touch, but the series was tied at 2-2. That might suggest that their touches may have been more than simply the effect of good plays. If "touches" were simply the effect of good plays, then you might expect the Heat and Mavs to have a relatively close number of touches, given the series was pretty even at that point. The fact that the Mavs were touching more frequently indicates they had better "chemistry efficiency," or the amount of chemistry compared to their performance. Coupled with the fact that the Heat were the favorites in that series, I suspect that Dallas's higher chemistry efficiency reflects the fact that they were playing better than expected, getting more out of their talent, but I think it's also reasonable to conclude that their better chemistry might have been motivating them to play better as well. It's just tough to prove causes for anything, really, especially something as abstract as chemistry and motivation.

It is possible that "touches" and the chemistry they indicate are just an effect, but that some teams just get more of that effect than others out of good plays or wins. Watching the Clippers last year, that looked like a team that won, but had very little chemistry (and I'd guess fewer touches). Same with the Warriors during that last year with KD. They both won a lot of games, but didn't have much chemistry. Then again, both of those teams underperformed the championship expectations they had in the end, although those Warriors had the injury situation. But watching the Clippers flame out in the playoffs last year, it seemed pretty clear that that team just didn't like each other and weren't really trying, and look what happened. I think it's fair to conclude that team's chemistry wasn't just an effect of losing--they won a ton of games and made it to the second round and were up 3-1. But they so clearly looked disinterested in each other, and ultimately just rolled over in 3 straight games.

I can't prove it, but I have to think chemistry was at least partly a cause of that Clippers collapse as an example, and I do think it's reasonable to try to measure chemistry through things like touches, words of encouragement, sideline celebrations, etc. I bet in that sense, our team is doing better than its record would suggest. It's great to see it as guys are pulling for role players like Josh and Vando--those guys seem to spark chemistry from others. It's even better to see it starting to perk up a bit in our better players as well, like Edwards, Beasley, and even DLO (who DOES have some good sideline celebrations, I have to admit). I'd like to see KAT show it a bit more as well. He's ok with it sometimes, but if he spent half as much time pumping up his teammates as complaining about calls, I think we'd be better off. It's no replacement for talent, but I think it's like some sort of additive to an engine that can make it run a little better.

Great report, Fungo! And thanks to one of my favorite posters, Cool, for your new nickname. :) I haven't watched the game yet, but plan to watch the DVR tonight.

As for chemistry, I don't think there is any doubt that team chemistry makes a significant difference. Don't ask me to define that term precisely; I can't. But in a team sport, players who relate well to one another tend to perform better as a team. I do think winning breeds chemistry, but chemistry breeds wins as well. I watched the 30 for 30 episode on the Chicago Bears championship team again last week. The bond those players formed with each other, especially on the defensive side of the ball, was strong and clearly made a difference in my view. Same can be said for the Detroit Pistons in the late 80s.

So I'm happy to hear about the team chemistry that Fungo described on the Wolves bench. I'm also encouraged to hear about DLO's positive leadership role in forging that chemistry and his high-level play on the court. If the DLO we've seen the past couple games is the DLO we see consistently going forward, the Wolves will be a team to reckon with in the West next season. We've all already seen KAT's significantly improved defense throughout this season. If DLO does the same as he apparently did last night and both of our max players continue to maintain their elevated level of play on the defensive end, then the Wolves can become a true contender with the continued development of Ant, McDaniels and Naz.

lipoli390 wrote:Great report, Fungo! And thanks to one of my favorite posters, Cool, for your new nickname. :) I haven't watched the game yet, but plan to watch the DVR tonight.

As for chemistry, I don't think there is any doubt that team chemistry makes a significant difference. Don't ask me to define that term precisely; I can't. But in a team sport, players who relate well to one another tend to perform better as a team. I do think winning breeds chemistry, but chemistry breeds wins as well. I watched the 30 for 30 episode on the Chicago Bears championship team again last week. The bond those players formed with each other, especially on the defensive side of the ball, was strong and clearly made a difference in my view. Same can be said for the Detroit Pistons in the late 80s.

So I'm happy to hear about the team chemistry that Fungo described on the Wolves bench. I'm also encouraged to hear about DLO's positive leadership role in forging that chemistry and his high-level play on the court. If the DLO we've seen the past couple games is the DLO we see consistently going forward, the Wolves will be a team to reckon with in the West next season. We've all already seen KAT's significantly improved defense throughout this season. If DLO does the same as he apparently did last night and both of our max players continue to maintain their elevated level of play on the defensive end, then the Wolves can become a true contender with the continued development of Ant, McDaniels and Naz.

Lip, you are awesome.

Hey Lip, with this recent success for the Wolves are you going to eventually concede that Rosas got something right with the hire of Chris Finch?