Wolves Vs Thunder -- Pre Game

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

I'm wondering if I'm the only one here, but I'm expecting a Minnesota win tonight. I think if the Thunder had Russell Westbrook it would be a coin flip as to who got the dub, but with him unavailable for OKC, we should win this one. We always play them tough and position-wise it's good matchups across the board.

Love stretches the floor and that pulls Ibaka away from the rim where he likes to come over on help defense and get those blocks. Pekovic has OWNED Perkins the last several games. K-Mart Vs Thabo is the classic Offense Vs Defense matchup, and I actually think it's great for K-Mart. Thabo's best at iso defense where he can stay in front of the opposition and contest shots. That's not K-Mart's game anymore. His off-ball movement and coming off screens should get the better of Thabo from time to time. Also, Thabo not being much of an offensive player helps with K-Mart on defense. Thabo can shoot the three no doubt, but he's not going to do much to become involved. OKC has other guys to do the heavy lifting on offense. Rubio Vs Reggie Jackson is a win for us, no disrespect to Jackson. Just think Ricky is going to be way too crafty for him. Brewer Vs Durant is something to worry about, BUT, Durant put up 42 two nights ago against Utah and they only won by three. I wasn't impressed by the Thunder opening night. As long as we hold Durant to a less than stellar shooting%, we'll be fine.

MIN/OKC
PG- Rubio/Jackson
SG- Martin/Sefalosha
SF- Brewer/Durant
PF- Love/Ibaka
C- Pekovic/Perkins

Seems to me we have another game that our starting lineup is better than our opponent's. I always watch for our bigs to be too much for OKC's, though. Love/Pek seem to always bully Ibaka/Perkins. Pek needs to have a good game.

2012 Apr 14th- Pek: 14 pts, 13 rebs
2012 Dec 20th- Pek: 24 pts, 10 rebs
2013 Jan 9th- Pek: 17 pts, 10 rebs
2013 Feb 22nd- Pek didn't so hot, but I'm pretty sure he was injured.
2013 Mar 29th- Pek: 22 pts, 15 rebs

We need to establish Pek on the block early. MIN didn't do that against ORL and I didn't like it nor did I understand it. Get Pek in a rhythm and it's a long day for the opposing center.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

No, you're not alone, Cam, in expecting a win. I will be disappointed if we lose this game...OKC is simply too thin on talent to start the season 2-0 on the road.

Your analysis is excellent, Cam. We do always play OKC tough, and the absence of Westbrook really swings the balance of power our way (not to mention the fact that they have not replaced Martin). I really like Reggie Jackson, but I see him ideally in a JJ role...as a potent scorer off the bench.

I'm afraid that a loss tonight may tell us a lot about Pek. I agree that he always seems physically superior to Perkins or whomever they have matched up against him. If he plays like he did against Orlando (or at least how I assumed he played since I didn't see the game), it will make a victory much more difficult, and dampen my enthusiasm for the year.

Here's what I would like to see tonight:

1) Pek playing with intensity and dominating Perkins like we have seen in the past.

2) Winning the rebounding battle (I wasn't happy that we were out rebounded by Orlando...Corey will always be a below average rebounding forward, so it's incumbent upon Pek to supplement Love)

3) You can't shut Durant down, but I want to be able to say that Corey made him work hard for his points.

4) I liked the volume of 3-point shots last game (25), but I want us to improve on the 32% hit rate.. I know 36% or 40% only means making 1-2 more of those attempts, but those 3-6 points are important and may be critical. I want the Wolves to take at least 25 threes (with Love, Martin and Barea taking 20 of them) and at least 9 makes.

Regardless, it will be fun to watch. I have canceled all Friday night plans and will be planted in front of the TV.

[Monster]

Pek missed some easy shots last night I didn't see anything that concerning. People are upset we didn't establish him early in the game. You mean the quarter we scored 38 points in despite Pek missing a couple easy baskets? I know there may not be a bigger fan of Pek on this board but it seems like he is now the guy everyone is going to dump on this year following in the little footsteps of JJ and Ridnour.

As Lip showed in the other thread there are no easy games right now but this is a game we should look to win and it would be a nice victory early in the season. Love seems to always play well against okc and JJ has had some nice moments too. I really like him coming off the bench I hope he stays healthy this year it could be significant.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Even without Westbrook, OKC is a formidable opponent. While any team with Durant is going to be dangerous, don't underestimate the effectiveness of Ibaka, Collison, Jackson and Sefolosha. I think we have a decent chance of winning, but I'm not putting this one in the bank by any means.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Pek missed some easy shots last night I didn't see anything that concerning. People are upset we didn't establish him early in the game. You mean the quarter we scored 38 points in despite Pek missing a couple easy baskets? I know there may not be a bigger fan of Pek on this board but it seems like he is now the guy everyone is going to dump on this year following in the little footsteps of JJ and Ridnour.

As Lip showed in the other thread there are no easy games right now but this is a game we should look to win and it would be a nice victory early in the season. Love seems to always play well against okc and JJ has had some nice moments too. I really like him coming off the bench I hope he stays healthy this year it could be significant.

I didn't see anything concerning either and I didn't mean to come off that way if I did. I just think we're better off for the entire game if we get Pek involved early and he gets some buckets to fall. It creates more space for Martin/Brewer to cut, passing and driving lanes for Rubio and it makes Love's defender slack off just a bit. I'd like to see a good handful of possessions tonight where we just throw it to Pek on the block against Perkins and clear out because there's a great chance that either Pek gets the bucket or he gets fouled, especially since Perkins can't hold his ground most times against Pek without fouling.

Also wasn't making it out to be an easy game. The Magic game was supposed to be easy. OKC's one of the top teams in the West. I'm as big of a KD fan as you'll find because I love his game, demeanor and off-the-court personality. I just think with Westbrook being out and OKC not replacing K-Mart that we should win this game, especially at home.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Even without Westbrook, OKC is a formidable opponent. While any team with Durant is going to be dangerous, don't underestimate the effectiveness of Ibaka, Collison, Jackson and Sefolosha. I think we have a decent chance of winning, but I'm not putting this one in the bank by any means.

We're going to have to be outscored in this game, Q. Ibaka, Collison, Jackson, Thabo, Lamb, Perkins, P.Jones, etc. None of those guys scare me with their offensive ability. Durant, Westbrook when healthy and Jeremy Lamb are the guys that would scare me.

I'm not putting it in the bank per say, but we SHOULD win tonight. At home, vs an opponent who is without their second best player and it's a division game. These teams are familiar with each other. Wolves have the edge, in my opinion, going into tonight's game.

[60WinTim]

Well, I already put it in the bank. Hopefully none of my checks bounce after tonight! ;-)

[AbeVigodaLive]

O/U on free throws for Durant?

Will he average 15 per game this year? Yikes.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

I think it was me that was maligning Pek, cam. I didn't see the Orlando game but I didn't like his line vs. Vukovich. And I sensed he was playing at half speed in preseason. If Corey continues to get most of the SF minutes, I think we need Pek to average close to 10 boards a game. I'm hoping to see a physical Pek tonight.

Sefolosha is known as a very good defender, but Kevin Martin has been effective against him. In his previous 18 games prior to joining the Thunder, Martin averaged 22.3 points while making 44.6 of his threes against them. I'm looking for a more efficient scoring effort from Martin tonight than he showed in the opener.

I like it that Love, Pek, Martin and Berea consistently play well against the Thunder. OkC will be battling to the finish with the Spurs this year, but the Wolves win tonight 110-102 despite 35 from Durantula.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Just to add a little reality to my optimism about tonight, I should point out that the oddsmakers have OkC as a 3 point favorite. I still think the Wolves win, and if I were still a betting man, I would jump all over the Wolves plus 3...maybe that's why I'm no longer a betting man!