Game Report - Wolves v Knicks
Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2023 11:13 pm
Fun game to watch with a great ending.
This was the biggest and loudest Monday evening regular season crowd I’ve been part of in a long time - dating back at least two seasons and maybe not since the KG era. This was the first game I’ve been at this season without JMac’s mom in attendance two rows in front of me. Wally Z was in the house. He autographed a basketball and threw it down into the crowd. The guy who caught it was in my row just four seats to my right.
I don’t think I’ve even see Finch work the sidelines as hard as he did tonight. I’ve attended a lot of games since Finch came here, but I’ve never seen him so intense and vocal communicating with the players during play from beginning to end. He wasn’t constantly barking like Thibs and he wasn’t jumping around like some head coaches. One thing I really like about Finch is his controlled, mature intensity and activity. As I was reflecting tonight on how well the team has been playing so far this season, it occurred to me that the players are essentially reflecting the character of their head coach.
Regarding the specifics of the game tonight, the Wolves poor rebounding and turnovers kept the Knicks in the game the first half. But they improved on those two things the second half. I love the way we came out early in the Third Quarter. That’s when the Wolves took command of the game and they never relinquished it. Our defense was terrific all game and the key in the second half was that we kept scoring. At he same time, the Wolves rebounded and protected the ball better. Rudy seemed sluggish in the first half but he picked up his game in the second as did Edwards.
Once again, KAT was our best player. He was productive and highly efficient on the offensive end and played outstanding defense. I just can’t get over how well KAT has been playing all season so far on the defensive end. He ultimately fouled out so that continues to be an issue for him, but no player is perfect and I think KAT got screwed by the officials tonight. NAW has been terrific all season so far, but he really stepped up even more when Jaden went down. NAW’s defense was terrific as always, but he also took his offense up another notch, hitting 50% of his shots, including 50% of his threes. I think he made the play of the game when he got to that loose ball and made a fantastic pass for a dunk. Conley was his usual steady, veteran self. The value we received in the DLO trade continues can’t be overstated, considering how well Conley NAW have been playing and how important they both are to this team’s success thus far. Kyle Anderson was terrific, except for his free-throw shooting and I liked the minutes we got from Troy Brown Jr with his defense and hustle.
The only guys who didn’t play well for the Wolves tonight were Naz and Shake, but neither one was terrible.
So we remain on top of the Western Conference and undefeated at home. There’s an excitement in the arena I haven’t felt in a long time. Let’s keep it going.
This was the biggest and loudest Monday evening regular season crowd I’ve been part of in a long time - dating back at least two seasons and maybe not since the KG era. This was the first game I’ve been at this season without JMac’s mom in attendance two rows in front of me. Wally Z was in the house. He autographed a basketball and threw it down into the crowd. The guy who caught it was in my row just four seats to my right.
I don’t think I’ve even see Finch work the sidelines as hard as he did tonight. I’ve attended a lot of games since Finch came here, but I’ve never seen him so intense and vocal communicating with the players during play from beginning to end. He wasn’t constantly barking like Thibs and he wasn’t jumping around like some head coaches. One thing I really like about Finch is his controlled, mature intensity and activity. As I was reflecting tonight on how well the team has been playing so far this season, it occurred to me that the players are essentially reflecting the character of their head coach.
Regarding the specifics of the game tonight, the Wolves poor rebounding and turnovers kept the Knicks in the game the first half. But they improved on those two things the second half. I love the way we came out early in the Third Quarter. That’s when the Wolves took command of the game and they never relinquished it. Our defense was terrific all game and the key in the second half was that we kept scoring. At he same time, the Wolves rebounded and protected the ball better. Rudy seemed sluggish in the first half but he picked up his game in the second as did Edwards.
Once again, KAT was our best player. He was productive and highly efficient on the offensive end and played outstanding defense. I just can’t get over how well KAT has been playing all season so far on the defensive end. He ultimately fouled out so that continues to be an issue for him, but no player is perfect and I think KAT got screwed by the officials tonight. NAW has been terrific all season so far, but he really stepped up even more when Jaden went down. NAW’s defense was terrific as always, but he also took his offense up another notch, hitting 50% of his shots, including 50% of his threes. I think he made the play of the game when he got to that loose ball and made a fantastic pass for a dunk. Conley was his usual steady, veteran self. The value we received in the DLO trade continues can’t be overstated, considering how well Conley NAW have been playing and how important they both are to this team’s success thus far. Kyle Anderson was terrific, except for his free-throw shooting and I liked the minutes we got from Troy Brown Jr with his defense and hustle.
The only guys who didn’t play well for the Wolves tonight were Naz and Shake, but neither one was terrible.
So we remain on top of the Western Conference and undefeated at home. There’s an excitement in the arena I haven’t felt in a long time. Let’s keep it going.