11/14/06 - Portland 89, Wolves 101

Timberwolves.com wrap-up

Video Highlights

Some pros from the game....

-Ricky Davis: Just as I called him the antithesis of the Wolves' problems, he steps up with an excellent game: 27 points on 11 for 18 shooting, only one 3 pointer taken, 4 assists, and only 1 turnover. You saw him get aggressive and make his way to the basket, and although he still was shooting some jumpers, they were in the flow of the offense.

-Passing: The Wolves dished out 27 assists on 38 made baskets, and were playing the draw and kick game to perfection. When the Blazers tried to double team Kevin, he was able to pass out to an open team mate. Overall, a much better team basketball effort.

-Rebounding: The Wolves outrebounded the Blazers 50-31, and everyone got involved. KG had his usual 13 rebounds, but if you look down the stat sheet, everyone was getting r or 5. Craig Smith grabbed 8 in 13 minutes, providing a much needed big body off the bench.

Some cons from the game....

-Eddie Griffin: The more I see him play, the more I'm convinced that he doesn't belong on this team. He had a solid first game, but since then, it's been nothing but inconsistency. Add that to Craig Smith's emergence, and I just don't see him getting big minutes.

Not too many cons from this game!

General thoughts....

This is the kind of basketball that reminds me of the 03-04 season; KG would get his normal 20-10, one of the two guards would get 25+, and the Wolves would win. Guys came off the bench and played into the rhythm of the game, which was to attack the basket and either get to the line or kick it out to an open teammate. Even Troy Hudson looked to be more in control and had a decent game. It was also nice to see Mark Madsen get back into the lineup and get some decent run. His energy, enthusiasm, and rebounding will be valuable to this team.

Other NBA thoughts.....

-The Jazz, at 7-1, are the best team, record-wise, in the league. Wow....

-Peja drops 42 on the Bobcats, including 20 in the first quarter. People seem to have forgotten that this guy is the best shooter in the league....maybe this will remind them.

-The Wolves cut Vin Baker a few days ago. Ho hum.

-Darius Miles needs microfracture knee surgery, ending his season and perhaps his NBA career. Good thing the Wolves didn't trade for him....

Wolves' Overall Record: 3-4
Division Rank: 5th

Wolves' next game:

Friday, November 17th
@ Cleveland
6:30 PM on KSTC 45

Game Preview

This game will depend on if the Wolves can force two things: 1) the Cavs not named Lebron James to beat them and 2) when Lebron does get the ball, beat them over the top. I liked the way they played Zach Randolph last night; when he got the ball, they quickly doubled and forced him to pass out of the double team. With a non-offensive point guard such as Eric Snow, Mike James should be able to help out when Lebron gets the ball. Drew Gooden can't guard KG, so I'd like to see the Wolves' offense running through him on nearly every possession. Trenton isn't really strong enough to bother Lebron offensively, so getting a bigger, stronger defender like Justin Reed to put on Lebron might be valuable.

I LOVE THIS GAME!