Game Report - Wolves v Grizz

[Lipoli390]

It's been a while since I've posted one of these, but this is the first time in a long time The game did t leave me too depressed to write about it. :).

This was a really fun game to be at. The best crowd in a long time - bigger and louder. We actually had some real energy in the building. And more importantly, the team played well. The turning point for the Wolves iappeared to be KAT's emphatic running dunk. That brought nearly everyone to their feet. It looked like he was going to commit a charge or, at a minimum get the ball knocked out of his hands. Then he suddenly exploded to the rim. It was fantastic!

Everyone played well tonight except Belly. He looks lost and tentative - a guy with no clue and no confidence. Wiggins and KAT played well. Martin was shooting well, so hopefully he enhanced his trade value tonight. LaVine was hounded by Chalmers but interestingly he looked more comfortable and confident than he's been in a long time.

No doubt the stars of the game for the Wolves were Ricky and Bazz. It was vintage Ricky tonight with no-look and behind the back passes. His 12 assists and 15 points stand out in the box score, but I was particularly impressed by his 6 rebounds. Rebounding was huge for us today and Ricky was a big part of that, grabbing some really key boards with his hustle and tenacity. The other star was obviously Bazz who had 25 points. But what impressed me almost as much as his scoring was his defense. You can tell he's been working on it and he alway hustles on both sides of the ball.

As for Sam, he was ok tonight until the 4th when he inexplicably waited far too long to get Ricky and Towns back in the game.

[SameOldNudityDrew]

Nice to see a game report, Lip, and nice to see a win! I almost forgot what that felt like.

We can't keep blowing these leads, but at least we hung on to this one. The good news is that we've had stretches for a couple quarters the last few games or so where we've looked good on both sides of the ball, especially early on. I've also noticed for the last couple weeks or so, this team is getting out and pushing the pace more. Tonight that was key for us. With a young, inexperienced team, that could be an advantage for us, so I'm glad to see we've been doing that more lately.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Thanks for the report Lip. Man, watching that game you could see how a different coach might take a completely different approach with this roster and make it into one of the faster paced teams in the league.

Instead, we're 20th in pace of play. This is due to Sam's decision to start a very defensive-oriented lineup with a couple of old dudes that aren't going to get out and sprint. Also, we have a young wing in Andrew Wiggins who until very recently, was a reluctant runner. It's nice to see him get out and sprint - he's getting rewarded for it.

This could have been a much more fun team to watch if a different approach was taken, but part of me wonders if the old-man-half-court starting 5 will pay dividends in the future, as it really forces Towns and Wiggins into featured roles while also giving them a master class in team defense.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Very minor observation... is there another top-notch athlete in the game that lays it up as gently on a wide open fast break than Wiggins?

Nothing fancy. Just an easy "dunk" like he was walking onto the court for 10:00 am shootaround. Would/does a more emphatic slam really make any difference in riling up the crowd, getting on SportsCenter, et al?

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Very minor observation... is there another top-notch athlete in the game that lays it up as gently on a wide open fast break than Wiggins?

Nothing fancy. Just an easy "dunk" like he was walking onto the court for 10:00 am shootaround. Would/does a more emphatic slam really make any difference in riling up the crowd, getting on SportsCenter, et al?

Depending on one's perspective, you could call it either weak sauce or graceful. I think it's both.

One upside to Wiggins' more reserved style on the court is that he has certainly done a good job keeping himself healthy. Perhaps not trying to destroy the basket every time he drives will help give his career some longevity. I wonder when Russell Westbrook starts to break down? I'm not sure how much longer that cat can play like that.

[mjs34]

Very minor observation... is there another top-notch athlete in the game that lays it up as gently on a wide open fast break than Wiggins?

Nothing fancy. Just an easy "dunk" like he was walking onto the court for 10:00 am shootaround. Would/does a more emphatic slam really make any difference in riling up the crowd, getting on SportsCenter, et al?

It is something I really like about WIggins. He doesn't seem to get too excited, and certainly isn't wasting any energy out on the court. It always bugged me when KG would jump to grab a shot after the whistle. I wonder if KG thinks about how many wasted jumps he took, and if he could have played hard for another season if he hadn't.

What really jumps out at me about last nights game is the difference in how the opposing defense plays when Rubio is on the floor as opposed to Lavine. They extend out another couple of feet, pressuring our perimeter guys immediately when Lavine is playing PG. Clearly they don't respect our cutting ability with Zach running things. It seems even worse when Gorgui is on the court with Zach. The D is praying for those two to run the PnR.

[thedoper]

Great report as usual Lip. Wish I was there for that one. The whole team played some solid D from what I can see. I agree that Zach looked really well too. I noticed a huge difference in ball movement in the 2nd unit. Nice to get a win against a team that is better than us.

[Monster]

The observation of Wiggins gentle finishing is something I have thought about too. I like that he doesn't always thy and make a highlight play but sometimes I think it hurts him a little. One positive thing about Wiggins is he has legit finishing tools to get the ball in the hoop around the basket other than just dunking.

[Monster]

Lip I think Belly is just fine yeah he passed up some shots but he was at times falling into the strange and yet wonderful addiction the wolves were having with moving the ball. Lol he did get up some long range bombs too. I've been encouraged by his play lately. The box score isn't going to show anything impressive for him a lot of games and probably for his entire NBA career but he is a guy I think does or ultimately will make an impact. This year I big for him and the Wolves because I think it's likely next year he will be much more effective on a consistant bases. It will help when he gets some love on the fouls although not sure what was up with him taking out Chalmers on that screen but Chalmers was so annoying most of the night I sorta liked it. lol

[Coolbreeze44]

I think Wig's penchant for finessing the ball into the hoop definitely hurts him in some situations. Not on breakaways obviously, but when he's trying to finish in traffic. He's really good at getting the ball to the rim, but I'd like to see him be a little more authoritative on a consistent basis. Sometimes he thunders the ball down, but often he's too passive at the tin.

I don't who is at fault for Drew's lack of fast break opportunities, but I think you saw the potential of what this team could be last night. It could be systemic, the team just isn't being coached to get out and run. It could be personnel, our starting 5 isn't conducive to a fast break offense. It could be Andrew, either he's conserving energy or just not aggressive enough. Personally, I think it's a combination of Sam's lack of focus on the running game, and the players realizing that burning energy by running isn't likely to be rewarded. It's kind of like the NFL wide receiver who doesn't get the ball for the first half, and then doesn't run his routes as sharp in the 2nd.

in any event. I've mentioned that our next coach needs to be someone with a fast break pedigree. And I think you saw why last night. It's rather shameful we're not playing this way.