Minnesota Sports Forum

It's a bit late, but here's my inaugural game report for the 2014/15 season. After a tumultuous franchise-altering summer, it was great
to have the new-look Wolves back in action at Target Center in a game that matters. I can tell you that not for one second did I miss Kevin Love. Nor did I miss Rick Adelman. And while I started out missing JJ, I got over it about 2 minutes after Mo Williams first entered the game in the first quarter.

The crowd was disappointingly small. Way too many empty lower bowl seats for a home opener, especially given the excitement generated by the arrival of Wiggins and LaVine. And although the crowd had some life, it the fans didn't create a lot of energy. But fortunately the Wolves players showed up and generated their own energy. I love the way the veterans stepped up with their play tonight but also through their interaction with the young guys. At one point in the 4th quarter, Turiaf was standing on the court during a timeout with all 5 players in the gAme at the time gathered around him as he addressed them with instructions, advice or perhaps just some motivational words. There were no coaches in that huddle. I loved watching Pek embracing Wiggins after his first bucket tonight. Pek treated him like a proud papa would treat his son after a major achievement.

Overall, it was apparent tonight that this team will have its struggles this season. But there were a lot of positives tonight in addition to the fact that we won the game. Those positives from a team standpoint included a lot of hustle, generally very good team defense, good shot selection and some impressive mental toughness. I'll offer some additional observations on a more individualized basis. I'll do that by identifying my one game ball recipient followed by a list of my game ball runners up. In the future I may have a list of shame ball winners or losers of the night, but interestingly no Wolves player played poorly enough to merit such an honor.

GAME BALL

I know many on this board have given their MVP award for tonight to Mo Williams. While definitely deserving of the award, I'm giving my game ball to Flip Saunders. Why? Because the single biggest positive difference between what I saw tonight compared to last season was the positive energy, chemistry and basketball intelligence we saw from the Wolves tonight. Heck, it was such a huge pleasure just watching an engaged head coach roaming the sidelines, talking to players and quietly working the officials. Flip's positive influence on this team was already apparent tonight in the team's nice 48.7% FG percentage and In the fact that Ricky had only one turnover. It was also apparent in the nice screens and generally high quality jump shots we saw from the Wolves tonight.

GAME BALL RUNNERS UP

This list is long and starts with Mo Williams. His 13 points on better than 50% shooting tells only part of the tale. Mo kept us in the game early when the rest of the team appeared to have their minds on the World Series or something else. Then Mo came through late as a key to the Wolves putting the Pistons away late in the 4th. I live his shooting and composure. And I really love his mental toughness.

My next runner up ball goes to Thad Young. 19 points on better than 50% FG shooting along with 5 boards and 3 steals tells a good part of the story. But I loved his leadership even more than his stat line. He took and made the big shots when his team needed it -- none bigger than that 3-pointer to. Real the tie late in the 4th.. He's not a rebounder, but he does almost everything else well.

Next is Ricky. His jumper has clearly improved. His improved shooting led to his 11 points on a respectable 40% FG night. But the three things I loved about his stat line tonight were the 7 boards, 8 assists and only 1 turnover. And don't underestimate the value of those 7 rebounds. Ricky is s tremendous rebounder at the PG position .

OTHER OBSERVATIONS

Bennett looked really good in his limited 14 minutes. He has excellent court vision and timing on his passes. And he has a nice-looking jumper. If he works, he'll be a very good player.

Dieng really came through as our backup center tonight when Pek struggled.

Wiggins really needs to work on his handle. It's worse than I thought. But he has a very nice looking shot he showed flashes of his special talent.

Overall a nice win against a bad team. Go Wolves!

Good to have the game report back.

Interesting that Bud got the DNPCD tonight. I wonder if he emerges as the odd man out with Shabazz coming on.

Flip really is the right guy for this job. He's more like a college coach in his approach, which is what this team needs. Also, with a tie game late it was nice to see a play run that got a guy (Thad) a wide open shot.

This is an interesting team right now. Pretty much everyone, including the average hometown fan (note that doesn't include the hardcore fans that frequent this forum), has written them off this season (Kevin Lynch also commented on the crowd not having "opening night energy" tonight). My thought is they could very quickly go off the rails early if a few early losses pile up. On the flip side (no pun intended), a few surprise wins or even one big signature win early could go a long ways to creating the excitement and confidence the team needs to believe they are going to more than just a bottom feeder in the west.

Which leads us to the Chicago game Saturday night. This is exactly the type of big game they need to win right now. And with Chicago coming off a back to back and us a day of rest, the game could be there for the taking.

Good report. Regarding the crowd, the TV crew kept saying the crowd had such energy - but I didn't hear/see it either. I was wondering if my spearkers needed adjusting. I guess not.

I'll give Flip credit for team building, drawing up plays and playing the vets down the stretch. But nobody walks away happy unless players execute and win. Things almost got away again last night. The score was 86 to 85 with 2:15 left to play. We were only up by one stinking point and Detroit had momentum after coming back from 10 down. But in the remaining time Mo scored six points going 2 for 2 in the field and 2 for 2 at the line plus a critical rebound. That's just Stone Cold! There's just something about the way he carries himself out there....it's calming. Hope he can do that all year - it's great for the young guys to see how to slow things down and play in control.

Lip, any impressions on Bazz?

Always good to read your in-person game reports, lip, and we can hear your enthusiasm in your write up. The crowd may not have been into it much last night (Kevin Lynch pointed that out too), but it's clear you enjoyed the game...so did I.

I agree that the Flip impact was on display last night...so good to have a coach fully engaged. It's only been two games, but it seems this club is reflecting the personality of its coach, just like last year's unfortunately did. And the senior leadership on this team...Mo, Thad, Ronny, Martin, and yes, even Pek now...is definitely setting the right tone for our youngsters.

Some may say that Detroit isn't very good, especially without Monroe. But any team with Drummond in the middle and a ridiculously hot outside shooter like Butler is going to be formidable. But the Wolves didn't fold like they have in the past, and as a result are now 1-1 rather than a discouraging 0-2 with the Bulls on the horizon.

Pek was A Tale of Two Nikolas, as he was the best of times and the worst of times. He was as magnificent in the final 75% of the game as he was horrid in the first 25%. Kudos to Flip for staying with him, although he did stray from his intention to divide minutes more evenly between the centers (31 for Pek, 17 for Gorgui). Gorgui's defense looks much improved over last year...he now has 5 blocks, countless altered shots, and only one foul in the first two games. He is a true difference maker on defense, and Flip needs to get him at least 20 minutes every night.

I felt good about Bud's dnp-CD last night, and look for him to come back strong on Saturday. I have categorized the lack of stars and depth of this team as a challenge for Flip, but handled properly, it can be a huge asset. It's a long season, and the roster's depth gives him the luxury of giving certain players a night off now and then to keep them fresh. I think there will be nights where players like Pek and Martin will be healthy scratches, a move Pop uses from time to time, and that will really help their legs throughout the season.

Odd to see Muhammad on the court for 12 minutes and not take a shot...I didn't think that was possible! But it's a sign of his continuing maturity, as the opportunities just weren't there for him last night, and he didn't feel the need to force things like he did last year. And he continues to work relentlessly on both sides of the court. Watch him on the defensive side of the ball and you will get excited...still has some technique areas to work on, but much quicker than the Muhammad we saw in college and last year.

A very satisfying victory that left me hungry for the next game!

It was only one night, but the Wolves' holding on against Detroit last night will buoy the spirits on this forum for awhile.

Contrast that with what happened in Cleveland last night. Can you imagine the hand-wringing on this board if the Wolves lost their home opener to a Knicks team playing a back to back? But the fact of the matter is that there just isn't a dramatic difference in talent across the NBA, and on many nights the winner will be the team that wants it more. The Knicks didn't want to start 0-2, and the Cavs probably came in feeling a little entitled, and that combo was a gambler's dream last night...the smart money was on the Knicks.

Flip is going to have the Wolves ready to play hard most nights and that will allow us to steal a few games we lost last year. But keep last night's Knicks/Cavs game in mind the next time we show up flat and lay an egg, because it will happen.

Dieng made a couple of solid plays on D, but he was also manhandled a couple times by Drummond. Good to see Pek make his impact felt finally.

Pek and Dieng had to face two of the more imposing Centers in the game their first two games: Gasol and Drummond. It won't be like that every night!

Thanks Lip. We need to get your prediction in the wins thread asap.

And anybody know what happened to Cam?

Thank you Lip. It is not Wolves season without your reports.

It is odd. I was more excited about the Griz game then this game when I was watching. I think it had a lot to do with Shabazz/AB/Dieng bringing us back from a blow out to a 2 point lead. Anyways I am excited about this team. I think Flip is really committed to the culture of a team. He knows first hand now that changes everything.