Game Report - Wolves v. Nets

[Lipoli390]

What a relief! We played a bad team and we obliterated them. That's what good teams do. Yes, the Wolves are a good team. But how good we just don't know yet. Good enough is when they beat the slightly better Eastern Conference teams like the Wizards and Cavs on the road, especially after getting a double digit lead. By I digress.

Actually, I don't have much to say. The crowd seemed pretty quite and there were too many empty seats for a Friday night. But the crowd around me was great - a bit younger and more fun. As for the team, credit them for coming out with a lot of energy. I can't say we played with great intensity because we actually didn't. The Nets were simply horrible and the Wolves didn't need to play with a lot of intensity.

Garnett acted like the punk he is tonight. His flagrant foul and related technical stopped his own team's run and spurred the Wolves 19-2 run that put the game completely out of reach. Actually, KG should have been given another technical as he continued to run his mouth off at the official. It would have been one thing for Garnett to do what he did if his team was faltering at the time -- an attempt to light a fire under his team. But his antics came at the very time his team was finally making a run. He ended up lighting a fire under the Wolves, not his own team. As his skills atrophy, Garnett's punk attitude becomes more apparent and uglier.

Here are a few thoughts and observations on individual Wolves players tonight:

1. Ricky Rubio -- My game ball goes to Ricky. He looked under control for the most part tonight. His defense was there, his passing very good and yes, he shot well. You can't help but like his night -- 12 points on 50% shooting from the field and 2-3 from behind the arc, 8 assists and 3 steals in 25 minutes.

2. Corey Brewer -- My runner up for game ball is Corey. As a Brewer skeptic, I'm glad I get to see him live because that's when you appreciate him the most. The energy and excitement he brings to his team and the arena are really tremendous. There are very few like him in the League. Kenneth Faried is another and I'm sure I could come up with several others with some more thought. But not many. Yes, I squirm in my seat every time he takes a 3-point shot and yes I squirm even more when I see him put the ball on the floor, reminding us all of the "drunken dribbler" label he earned in college. But every time I see him live, I'm reminded of McHale's comment to a group of us several years ago that every winning team needs a Corey Brewer.

3. Kevin Love -- Kevin's numbers were very solid with 17 points on 45% shooting, 7 out of 7 from the line, 16 boards, 4 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes. But he continues to struggle with his three. And that's because opposing defenses are getting in his face at the arc and not allowing him to get set to launch threes. So I don't think this is a temporary fall-off in Kevin's three-point shooting. I think we're going to see his point totals fall as teams deny him the high volume of unchallenged threes that drove his really high scoring average so far this season. I'm ok with that. What really disturbed me tonight were two instances where Love simply refused to run the floor. On one occasion, his momentum carried him out of bounds behind the Nets basket. When the Wolves took control of the ball and headed the other way, Love stood there behind the basket and then, in a bizarre twist, he sat on the table behind our basket and watched his teammates run the offense on the other end of the court. He did NOT look out of breath or dog tired. It was NOT a fast break. It was disgusting. Soon thereafter, Kevin thought he was fouled on an offensive possession, and when the Nets came down with the ball, Kevin just stood there whining while the Nets attacked he Wolves basket. And guess what. The guy Kevin was guarding got the ball and scored on a driving layup. My friend turned to me then and said, "boy, Love is a spoiled brat." Just when you thought he had turned the corner as a leader, he reverts back to his old self. I hope Adelman had the gonads to get in his face after the game.

4. Pekovic -- Pek had a nice game. I'm not crazy about his 41.6% shooting percentage, but he defended well and really beat up the Nets fighting for position down low. It's amazing how nimble the guy is on the pick and roll. We really need to do more pick and rolls with him.

5. Kevin Martin -- An ok game from Kevin, but his shooting accuracy wasn't there again tonight like the Wizards game as he hit only 6 of his 16 shots and 2 of 6 from behind the arc tonight. Not much else from him with only 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal in 31 minutes.

6. Robbie Hummel -- I really like the way he plays, but his shooting woes continue. If he can start hitting his threes consistently, he'll be a heck of an asset for this team going forward. In the meantime, he plays hard and plays smart. A coaches dream. He's jumped ahead of D-Will in the rotation and he definitely has earned it. But if he doesn't start hitting his threes, we can't continue to rely on him for significant minutes.

7. Dante Cunningham -- Great energy and hustle from Dante tonight. Unfortunately his mid-range jumper deserted him again. But he was a difference-maker with his energy and effort, which translated into 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in only 19 minutes.

8. D-Will -- Wow, this guy just doesn't get it. He gets an extended 15 minute run in the 4th in so-called garbage time, but idiotically plays like he's in warm-ups or just shooting around with some friends. Every other T-Wolf player during that stretch -- Hummel, Dante, Shved, Dieng and eventually Price played with intensity and purpose even if they didn't play particularly well. But not Williams. Yet, Williams was clearly the most talented player on the floor for either team during that stretch. What a waste.

9. Shved - Speaking of Shved, he continued to shoot poorly. But I really liked his effort. No doubt he's feeling down, but he's taking his limited minutes seriously and playing with pride and purpose. Makes you really wish he could get it together and be the player he was the first third of last season. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm still holding on to a glimmer of hope for him.

10. Dieng -- I absolutely love this guy's attitude. Yes, his length and shot-blocking instincts are his calling cards. But it's his attitude that has me convinced he'll become a very good NBA player. This guy is all business. You'll never ever see him smile on the bench or the floor. Before the season is over, I expect to name him captain of my all game face team. And he plays with the effort and intensity you'd expect from someone with the seriousness you see on his face. His stats tonight tell an impressive tale -- 3 boards, 3 blocks and 5 points in only 8 minutes. He's still raw, but he's not that far away from putting it all together. He's a honest to goodness rim protector -- the type of player this team has needed for a long time. If you're not pulling for Dieng, there's something wrong with you.

11. AJ Price -- D-Will is the most talented player on our bench, but Price is the best basketball player. He had 2 assists but should have had at least 5 assists in his limited 8 minutes on the floor. He knows how to play. I also love his attitude on the bench. Tonight, as always, he was encouraging, high-fiving and supporting his teammates. Before the season is over, Price will win a few games for this team.

12. JJ Barea -- He gets the ball and he shoots. Whether it's dribble drive or from behind the arc, he loves to score. He actually had a decent night. And while he showed his customary shoot-first proclivities, he did have 2 assists in his 15 minutes on the floor. While he didn't shoot particularly well, he did hit 2 of his 4 three pointers and went 2 for 2 from the line. And like Corey, he brought great energy and intensity to the team.

Interesting moment in the 3rd quarter. Adelman had the team huddled around him during a timeout. Pekovic seemed to be day-dreaming as he was staring up into the crowd. Adelman barked at him and emphatically motioned for him pay attention.

All in all, a fun and satisfying night at Target Center. Now it's on to Houston and let's win there. A Bobby Kennedy paraphrase as a tribute to his brother on the 50th anniversary of his brother's assassination.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Another well-done game report Lip. Let's hope the Kevins find their shot for tomorrow night. It could, and likely will, become a shootout. Who do you think guards Harden? Do we put Corey on him and pray Parsons doesn't feast on K-Mart? I think that's the only thing we can do.

[Lipoli390]

Cam -- I'm with you in thinking that our best hope is to put Corey on Harden and pray over Parsons. :) But ultimately, it will come down to team defense and shooting. We might be able to slow Harden down a bit with some double teams and traps. Tomorrow's a night when you'd like to have Turiaf to give us some beef and fouls against Howard. It would be a great lift if the Wolves can steal one tomorrow night in Houston. I'm not expecting it, but I think we're due for a break.

[Mstermisty [enjin:6864008]]

Good report, pretty much a ho-hum game where we took care of business against a train wreck of a team. Being able to rest the starters was huge, and despite the rigors of travelling there should be no "tired legs" excuse tomorrow night.

The next 7 games are brutal:

@ Hou
@ Ind
Den
@ Dal
@ OKC
SA
Mia

I think 3-4 should be the goal, but going 4-3 or better would really say something about the team.

[worldK]

Thanks for the report lip. Glad your game report is back.

Your insights on dw's demeanor are the things that we dont noticed watching at home. Those are the things that adelman probably sees daily that keeps him from trusting him.

I agree that dieng will be a valuable contributor down the road. The thing with him right now is he seems to be playing too fast, he needs to be more compose and play within the flow of he game and he will be fine in regular rotation minutes. That comes with being a rookie but based on his hard work, he will definitely be our backup center in due time.

Again, good win and appreciate the report lip.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Cam -- I'm with you in thinking that our best hope is to put Corey on Harden and pray over Parsons. :) But ultimately, it will come down to team defense and shooting. We might be able to slow Harden down a bit with some double teams and traps. Tomorrow's a night when you'd like to have Turiaf to give us some beef and fouls against Howard. It would be a great lift if the Wolves can steal one tomorrow night in Houston. I'm not expecting it, but I think we're due for a break.

Guess who's on a back-to-back, ON THE ROAD, playing against a team that's better rested? The Timberwolves. :/

I really don't understand why Sota got the shit end of the stick in terms of game scheduling.

I think as long as Pek does his job on Howard, this game should be ours to win (close game). He normally bodies him pretty good and pushes Dwight around and I expect the same to happen tomorrow. I would gladly take a cancellation in this position matchup, though. The other night Dwight got hot and everything started falling for him with those damn running hooks. It's the only move Dwight even semi feels comfortable with.

Kevin Love against Terrence Jones... Is this allowed? I feel like this should be illegal. Hell, it might as well be illegal. 20-20 game in Love's near future.

I hope Harden continues this trend to be a "ball-watcher" on defense. If he does, I fully expect Corey and/or K-Mart to eat on backdoor cuts.

All in all, I think basketball fans everywhere are in for a treat with this game. I expect a good, close game that hopefully ends in a W for the Wolves. I have a feeling that free throws are a huge factor in deciding who wins this game. ;)

[TAFKASP]

Great report as is typical! Thanks Lip.

How's that tennis elbow doing?

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Loved the report, Lip. I can't get down on the team for not being able to keep up the intensity against the pathetic Nets, but it was nice to see us dominate against a weaker team, even on a night when we were not firing on all cylinders. Completely agree with your Price description...team-player guys like him and Turiaf are often found an the end of the bench of championship caliber teams. You can't underemphasize the importance of guys like that...I really like having both of them on the team. I appreciated the KG analysis too. There's never been a local sports hero that I have been more conflicted about...couldn't help but admire his intensity and incredible all around play, but also couldn't help but notice the ugliness inherent in him. Tough guy for me to cheer for when he was with us, but I did anyway...with reservations...but a really easy guy for me to cheer against after he left. I have to admit I suffered through all those Celtic losses, and that made me enjoy last night's thumping even more.

I really loved the timely Kennedy reference...let's just hope that our next stop works out better for us than Bobby's did! This is not only a back to back against a rested team, but also a dreaded fourth game in five nights. Really tough defensive challenge against a deep, rested high-scoring team. Cam's question about who guards Harden out of the box is an intriguing one, and I'm interested in seeing what RA does. I think he leaves Corey on the small forward Parsons, who has really become a strong scorer for them, and swaps the defensive roles in the backcourt. Of their three smaller starters, the only one I don't fear is Lin, so I want Martin on him, and I think Ricky has the best chance of defending Harden.

Keep up the good work, Lip!

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Loved the report, Lip. I can't get down on the team for not being able to keep up the intensity against the pathetic Nets, but it was nice to see us dominate against a weaker team, even on a night when we were not firing on all cylinders. Completely agree with your Price description...team-player guys like him and Turiaf are often found an the end of the bench of championship caliber teams. You can't underemphasize the importance of guys like that...I really like having both of them on the team. I appreciated the KG analysis too. There's never been a local sports hero that I have been more conflicted about...couldn't help but admire his intensity and incredible all around play, but also couldn't help but notice the ugliness inherent in him. Tough guy for me to cheer for when he was with us, but I did anyway...with reservations...but a really easy guy for me to cheer against after he left. I have to admit I suffered through all those Celtic losses, and that made me enjoy last night's thumping even more.

I really loved the timely Kennedy reference...let's just hope that our next stop works out better for us than Bobby's did! This is not only a back to back against a rested team, but also a dreaded fourth game in five nights. Really tough defensive challenge against a deep, rested high-scoring team. Cam's question about who guards Harden out of the box is an intriguing one, and I'm interested in seeing what RA does. I think he leaves Corey on the small forward Parsons, who has really become a strong scorer for them, and swaps the defensive roles in the backcourt. Of their three smaller starters, the only one I don't fear is Lin, so I want Martin on him, and I think Ricky has the best chance of defending Harden.

Keep up the good work, Lip!