Purple Game Report - Wolves v. Blazers
Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 9:42 am
Great game last night as all of you who watched it know. The spirit in the arena was terrific with an upbeat, near capacity crowd getting into the game under the purple lights. Speaking of purple, I love those uniforms. Really cool purple uniforms, purple lights, great music from the Prince of pop and a really good all-around performance from the team made for a fun night at Target Center last night. We should have a Prince night once every season.
As for the game, the win was the product of a total team effort. Everyone in the rotation played well even thought some obviously played better than others. It's been a long time since I've seen such a total team effort from the Wolves. The point disparity between the two teams is a bit misleading because Portland missed some shots they normally make. But the Wolves would have won last night's game even if the Blazers had hit those shots. The Wolves simply outplayed Portland on both ends of the court.
The team's newfound positive chemistry and comraderie were on full display against last night as they were Wednesday night. The positive change in the way the players conduct themselves and interact with one another both on the bench and the floor is enormous. And if I could come up with a stronger word than enormous to describe the change, I would. Honestly, it's almost unbelievable. In shoot-around, KAT was grabbing Saric's shoulders from behind and hopping along as Saric walked from one side of the court to another. Saric was smiling and clearly enjoying KAT's antics. Meanwhile Covington was smiling and talking with teammates as he went through his pregame shooting. Wiggins looked like he had an extra spring in his step in the pre-game shoot-around and that extra spring carried through during the game. But I noticed the same thing Wednesday from him and others. Lot's of smiles, lots of talking, but also a serious approach to the game once the ball goes up. Meanwhile, the guys continue to talk on the bench and on the floor. You see the players repeatedly huddle among themselves as they come out of timeouts after hearing from Thibodeau. These are things I can't remember seeing from Wolves players in a long long time.
A few more interesting tidbits. It's clear that Gorgui and Okogie have become close. The two are always talking or joking around with one another. Last night, Gorgui had his arm around Okogie, perhaps consoling him as he endured being out of the rotation. But honestly, neither Okogie nor anyone else on the bench looked unhappy. Lots of smiles, lots of talking and the players on the bench all standing a cheering for their teammates on the floor. The only player who looks a bit unhappy is Teague -- same thing Wednesday night. I'm not sure what to make of it, but my wife and I have noticed it both nights. It's too obvious to be dismissed as nothing. Something's going on with him. Once again last night, he ended up standing out side the huddle of his 4 teammates. He didn't have the same look of joy on his face that the others had. But the good news is that Teague played hard and played well last night and that's what matters most.
More tidbits. I saw Derrick Rose's girlfriend and little baby last night. The sat just across the isle from us. The season-ticket holder who sits just in front of me told me he was at Paisley Park the night before and met a bunch of the Wolves players. When he shoot Derrick Rose's hand, Derrick said, "hey, I see you at every game. Thanks for supporting us. You're a great fan." Then, last night, Derrick looked up in our direction and pointed at this guy with a smile as the guy pointed back. A really cool moment. This guy also said he got to talk to Towns a bit. He said he was amazed Towns actually remembered him from two weeks ago when Towns signed a shoe for him. He said Towns actually remember the type and color of the shoe. He also got to meet Covington and Saric. He said the only players who weren't friendly were Teague, Gorgui and Wiggins. But who knows what that was about. My season ticket rep said he met Covington. He said that RoCo seemed like a great guy. He asked my rep what he does for the organization, how long he's been there, etc. In other words, he treated him like a peer.
I suppose I should write something about the game, but I'm assuming it's all been written in the game thread and various media reports. I loved the way all the guys played last night, so I won't dwell on individual performances. But will highlight Wiggins for a moment. His 3-point shooting was very good last night as you all know. Yet, what stood out for me was his hustle and defense. He was really getting after it, challenging the ballhandler and forcing the issue on the defensive end. He was also rebounding the ball. If this is the Wiggins we see every game the rest of the season, the Wolves can make the playoffs. The team needs to run even more post-ups for Wiggins than they ran last night and Wiggins needs to be quicker and more asserting in taking advantage of those post-up mismatches. No more fading away in the post when guarded by a smaller player. I loved his power drive and layup in the 3rd quarter. Towns didn't have a great game offensively or on the boards, but he found ways to positively impact the game just battling Nurkic, fighting for rebounds, challenging shots and making his presence felt on both sides of the ball.
The Wolves have the chance to put together a great winning streak here. The team is gelling with a fresh positive atmosphere and infusion of new talent. I'm looking forward to Sunday afternoon.
As for the game, the win was the product of a total team effort. Everyone in the rotation played well even thought some obviously played better than others. It's been a long time since I've seen such a total team effort from the Wolves. The point disparity between the two teams is a bit misleading because Portland missed some shots they normally make. But the Wolves would have won last night's game even if the Blazers had hit those shots. The Wolves simply outplayed Portland on both ends of the court.
The team's newfound positive chemistry and comraderie were on full display against last night as they were Wednesday night. The positive change in the way the players conduct themselves and interact with one another both on the bench and the floor is enormous. And if I could come up with a stronger word than enormous to describe the change, I would. Honestly, it's almost unbelievable. In shoot-around, KAT was grabbing Saric's shoulders from behind and hopping along as Saric walked from one side of the court to another. Saric was smiling and clearly enjoying KAT's antics. Meanwhile Covington was smiling and talking with teammates as he went through his pregame shooting. Wiggins looked like he had an extra spring in his step in the pre-game shoot-around and that extra spring carried through during the game. But I noticed the same thing Wednesday from him and others. Lot's of smiles, lots of talking, but also a serious approach to the game once the ball goes up. Meanwhile, the guys continue to talk on the bench and on the floor. You see the players repeatedly huddle among themselves as they come out of timeouts after hearing from Thibodeau. These are things I can't remember seeing from Wolves players in a long long time.
A few more interesting tidbits. It's clear that Gorgui and Okogie have become close. The two are always talking or joking around with one another. Last night, Gorgui had his arm around Okogie, perhaps consoling him as he endured being out of the rotation. But honestly, neither Okogie nor anyone else on the bench looked unhappy. Lots of smiles, lots of talking and the players on the bench all standing a cheering for their teammates on the floor. The only player who looks a bit unhappy is Teague -- same thing Wednesday night. I'm not sure what to make of it, but my wife and I have noticed it both nights. It's too obvious to be dismissed as nothing. Something's going on with him. Once again last night, he ended up standing out side the huddle of his 4 teammates. He didn't have the same look of joy on his face that the others had. But the good news is that Teague played hard and played well last night and that's what matters most.
More tidbits. I saw Derrick Rose's girlfriend and little baby last night. The sat just across the isle from us. The season-ticket holder who sits just in front of me told me he was at Paisley Park the night before and met a bunch of the Wolves players. When he shoot Derrick Rose's hand, Derrick said, "hey, I see you at every game. Thanks for supporting us. You're a great fan." Then, last night, Derrick looked up in our direction and pointed at this guy with a smile as the guy pointed back. A really cool moment. This guy also said he got to talk to Towns a bit. He said he was amazed Towns actually remembered him from two weeks ago when Towns signed a shoe for him. He said Towns actually remember the type and color of the shoe. He also got to meet Covington and Saric. He said the only players who weren't friendly were Teague, Gorgui and Wiggins. But who knows what that was about. My season ticket rep said he met Covington. He said that RoCo seemed like a great guy. He asked my rep what he does for the organization, how long he's been there, etc. In other words, he treated him like a peer.
I suppose I should write something about the game, but I'm assuming it's all been written in the game thread and various media reports. I loved the way all the guys played last night, so I won't dwell on individual performances. But will highlight Wiggins for a moment. His 3-point shooting was very good last night as you all know. Yet, what stood out for me was his hustle and defense. He was really getting after it, challenging the ballhandler and forcing the issue on the defensive end. He was also rebounding the ball. If this is the Wiggins we see every game the rest of the season, the Wolves can make the playoffs. The team needs to run even more post-ups for Wiggins than they ran last night and Wiggins needs to be quicker and more asserting in taking advantage of those post-up mismatches. No more fading away in the post when guarded by a smaller player. I loved his power drive and layup in the 3rd quarter. Towns didn't have a great game offensively or on the boards, but he found ways to positively impact the game just battling Nurkic, fighting for rebounds, challenging shots and making his presence felt on both sides of the ball.
The Wolves have the chance to put together a great winning streak here. The team is gelling with a fresh positive atmosphere and infusion of new talent. I'm looking forward to Sunday afternoon.