Saturday, June 4, 2011
Randolph scored 20 points and nabbed his second consecutive player of the game award.
January 3rd, 2011. The Minnesota Timberwolves travelled to Boston to take on the top seed in the East, the Celtics. Going into the night the Wolves sat 25 and 9 while the Celtics were 25 and 6, each leading their respective conferences. Only one team would come out victorious in what some called a potential NBA Finals preview (although I'm sure the Bulls, Heat and Spurs would have something to say about that).
The game started much like a finals contest with both teams amping up the defensive pressure. The Celtics would create 9 steals on the night while adding 7 blocks, the Timberwolves only managed 3 steals, but the return of Deandre Jordan strengthened the inside with the Wolves amassing 11 blocks. Jordan only had the one block himself, but his presence made it easier for Wesley Johnson to come flying out of nowhere on several occasions on his way to a game high three blocks in the contest.
The Wolves turned the ball over 10 times on the evening, to the Celtics four occasions, but many of the Wolves blocks created a change of possession. The defensive pressure led to a low scoring opening term, which saw the visitors in front 19 to 14.
For the Celtics, Ray Allen struggle greatly in the first half only hitting on 1 of 7 field goal attempts. While Rider's production was also limited, as the Wolves looked to Anthony Randolph to carry them on his back. Unfortunately for the Wolves Randolph struggled with foul trouble and had to sit a lot in the first half, but was effective for the time he was on the court.
Fortunately for the Wolves the absence of Love and Jordan in previous weeks had allowed the Wolves to give solid court time to Nikola Pekovic who had seized his opportunities and shown much promise. While Pekovic only scored two points on the night in 16 minutes, he did grab 7 rebounds including two on the offensive glass. Jordan grabbed 9 rebounds on his return and 8 points, but let himself down with poor free throw shooting.
The Wolves broke the game open in the second on the back of contributions from everybody with a 32 to 24 point quarter. From that point the Wolves pretty much cruised until the last four minutes when the Celtics mounted a come back and pulled within four points, but forced to go to the foul line the Timberwolves held their nerve and drilled their free throws. The final score 98 to 91, Timberwolves victorious.
Rider finished with 15 points and 5 assists, while Eric Bledsoe scored 14 points in 18 minutes while also sharing 5 dimes. Randolph had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks and no turnovers in an excellent all round performance. With Kevin Love due back within the next two to three weeks the Wolves have a plethora of talented young big men at their disposal.
Ray Allen overcame his first half shooting woes to pace the Celtics with 18 while Garnett toiled workmanlike for his 17 and 7 rebounds. Rondo fell one point shy of a double-double with 9 points and 11 assists, but only shot 30% from the field.
The Wolves return home to face the Bobcats on Wednesday, 5th of January.
Season Record: 26-9.
Friday, June 3, 2011
| NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 1, 2011 | |||||
| ATLANTIC | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Boston Celtics | 25 | 6 | -- | 7-1 | 20-4 |
| New York Knicks | 18 | 15 | 8.0 | 6-1 | 13-8 |
| Toronto Raptors | 13 | 19 | 12.5 | 2-6 | 8-12 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 13 | 20 | 13.00 | 2-5 | 8-14 |
| New Jersey Nets | 10 | 24 | 16.5 | 1-5 | 8-13 |
| CENTRAL | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Chicago Bulls | 19 | 13 | -- | 4-2 | 9-7 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 16 | 15 | 2.5 | 4-1 | 9-5 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 14 | 19 | 5.5 | 4-3 | 10-14 |
| Indiana Pacers | 11 | 20 | 7.5 | 2-4 | 8-11 |
| Detroit Pistons | 7 | 26 | 12.5 | 0-4 | 4-14 |
| SOUTHEAST | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Miami Heat | 24 | 11 | -- | 4-2 | 15-5 |
| Orlando Magic | 18 | 16 | 5.5 | 4-4 | 13-10 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 16 | 19 | 8.0 | 5-2 | 12-12 |
| Washington Wizards | 12 | 20 | 10.5 | 2-6 | 7-15 |
| Charlotte Bobcats | 11 | 20 | 11.0 | 2-3 | 10-10 |
| EAST PLAYOFF RACE | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Boston Celtics | 25 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Miami Heat | 24 | 11 | 3 | ||
| Chicago Bulls | 19 | 13 | 6.5 | ||
| New York Knicks | 18 | 15 | 8 | ||
| Orlando Magic | 18 | 16 | 8.5 | ||
| Milwaukee Bucks | 16 | 15 | 9 | ||
| Atlanta Hawks | 16 | 19 | 11 | ||
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 14 | 19 | 12 | ||
| Toronto Raptors | 13 | 19 | 12.5 | ||
| Philadelphia 76ers | 13 | 20 | 13 | ||
| Washington Wizards | 12 | 20 | 13.5 | ||
| Charlotte Bobcats | 11 | 20 | 14 | ||
| Indiana Pacers | 11 | 20 | 14 | ||
| New Jersey Nets | 10 | 24 | 16.5 | ||
| Detroit Pistons | 7 | 26 | 19 | ||
| NORTHWEST | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 9 | -- | 3-3 | 14-7 |
| Denver Nuggets | 19 | 13 | 5.0 | 4-2 | 13-7 |
| Utah Jazz | 18 | 16 | 7.0 | 5-2 | 12-10 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 17 | 16 | 7.5 | 4-4 | 10-12 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 15 | 20 | 10.5 | 1-6 | 6-14 |
| PACIFIC | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 20 | 13 | -- | 4-3 | 11-7 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 16 | 3.0 | 4-3 | 13-12 |
| Golden State Warriors | 17 | 16 | 3.0 | 3-2 | 9-12 |
| Phoenix Suns | 14 | 17 | 5.0 | 3-3 | 8-13 |
| Sacramento Kings | 10 | 20 | 8.5 | 2-5 | 6-13 |
| SOUTHWEST | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 11 | -- | 5-2 | 14-9 |
| Houston Rockets | 19 | 13 | 2.5 | 2-3 | 11-8 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 18 | 14 | 3.5 | 2-5 | 9-10 |
| New Orleans Hornets | 18 | 16 | 4.5 | 3-3 | 10-9 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 15 | 18 | 7.0 | 3-2 | 9-12 |
| WEST PLAYOFF RACE | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 25 | 9 | 0 | ||
| San Antonio Spurs | 22 | 11 | 2.5 | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers | 20 | 13 | 4.5 | ||
| Denver Nuggets | 19 | 13 | 5 | ||
| Houston Rockets | 19 | 13 | 5 | ||
| Dallas Mavericks | 18 | 14 | 6 | ||
| New Orleans Hornets | 18 | 16 | 7 | ||
| Utah Jazz | 18 | 16 | 7 | ||
| Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 16 | 7.5 | ||
| Portland Trail Blazers | 17 | 16 | 7.5 | ||
| Golden State Warriors | 17 | 16 | 7.5 | ||
| Phoenix Suns | 14 | 17 | 9.5 | ||
| Memphis Grizzlies | 15 | 18 | 9.5 | ||
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 15 | 30 | 10.5 | ||
| Sacramento Kings | 10 | 20 | 13 | ||
Pekovic scores career high 30 in defeat of Hornets
Not as much of a write up for this one, as I played a couple of these games last week and I want to move on to the next week, but also spend time adding a few stats.
Nene was named player of the game in Nuggets away victory over Wolves
December 26th, 2010 Minnesota 100 @ Cleveland 92
December 27th, 2010 New Orleans 102 @ Minnesota 118
December 29th, 2010 Denver 120 @ Minnesota 116
January 1st, 2011 New Jersey 84 @ Minnesota 95
Season Record: 25 – 9.
Randolph was named Player of the Game in Victory over Nets
MVP Race as of January 1st, 2011:
- Dwyane Wade – Heat
- Chris Bosh – Heat
- Isaiah Rider – Timberwolves
- Jonny Flynn – Timberwolves
- Kobe Bryant – Lakers
Wade thinks Bosh and Rider are more deserving at this stage in MVP race.
League Leaders as of January 1st, 2011.
Points Per Game
Carmelo Anthony – 30.5 PPG (1)
Isaiah Rider – 24.7 PPG (8)
Rebounds Per Game
Dwight Howard – 14.1 RPG (1)
Anthony Randolph – 5.9 RPG (64)
Assists Per Game
Jonny Flynn – 13.7 APG (1)
Jason Kidd – 9.9 APG (2)
Steals Per Game
Stephen Jackson – 2.8 SPG (1)
Jonny Flynn – 1.3 SPG (50)
Blocks Per Game
Ben Wallace – 2.0 BPG (1)
Anthony Randolph – 1.9 BPG (2)
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Apologies for the delay, I have been very busy recently. And now with the impending arrival of Ricky Rubio next season... I am contemplating starting a new Association... Will have to think about it.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Devin Harris helped lead the Jazz past the Wolves
December 22nd, 2010. In a somewhat surprising turn of events the Timberwolves returned home from their road trip to host the Jazz, only to slump to their third straight defeat. Devin Harris was the best for the Jazz as he scored 25 points while dishing 7 assists to lead his team in both categories.
CJ Miles added 19 for the Jazz, who were in complete control of the game except for the third quarter, when the Wolves fought back from a 22 point half time deficit to level scores seconds before the final break, only to watch as Devin Harris drilled his only three of the game over two defenders to give the Jazz a three point lead going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was simply the worst basketball seen from a Wolves team all season, conceding 42 points to 23, to slump to a 95 to 117 defeat. Rider top scored for the home team with 32 points, while also adding four rebounds and assists. The next highest scorer was Wes Johnson with 15, followed by Beasley on 14 and Eric Bledsoe, who returned to the lineup with 13. Anthony Randolph recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards, while Flynn dished his usual number of high assists (15) while only conceding four turnovers.
Johnson scored 15 for the Wolves
The coaches of Minnesota have recognized that since returning from injury Martell Webster has been a little slow to catch up with the pace of the game and have indicated a preference to allocate more minutes to Eric Bledsoe, who continues to maintain a level of consistency, even when returning from injury. It's not yet known when the change will be made, nor how Webster will react to losing his 6th man status. We've just heard to expect changes soon from the Timberwolves camp, as they look to halt their losing streak as they head into week nine of the season.
Season Record: 22 - 8.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Wolves were in disarray against the Clippers
Result: Minnesota 106 @ Los Angeles Clippers 123
December 20th, 2010. The Los Angeles Clippers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves intent on revenge for the close lost they felt the last time the two teams met. This time the advantage would be purely in the Clippers court with the Wolves without the services of Kevin Love and Deandre Jordan.
The first half was not even close as Eric Gordon went nuts, hitting almost every shot he made in the first and almost as efficiently in the second. Gordon would finish with 43 for the game, and 27 of those he scored in the first half as the Clippers would take a 68 to 52 lead into the main break. Blake Griffin was proving tough to stop for Beasley as well, who had shifted into the power forward position after Deandre Jordan's injury earlier in the season. Griffin scored 21 points on the night from 8 of 12 shooting from the field and 5 of 6 from the free throw line. Another highlight for the Clippers was the defensive play of Aminu who had five swats on the night.
There was no point in this game the Wolves were even close to being competitive. Isaiah Rider led scoring for the Wolves with 35 points, but they came from 12 of 23 shooting while also nailing 7 of 8 free throws. Given the difficult conditions and constant defensive momentum the Clippers had Rider could be forgiven for his below average shooting percentage. Unfortunately for Rider and the Wolves nobody else really stepped up to help out. Martell Webster, fully healed and back scored 16 points but did not know when to put his shot away, shooting an abysmal 3 from 11 from down town.
The Wolves were seriously missing Eric Bledsoe (rested due to twisted ankle), who helped restrict Eric Gordon last time the two teams met. Another issue for the Wolves was Jonny Flynn and his 8 turnovers. At first glance his 14 points an 17 assists would look good for the second-year guard, but the 8 turnovers are a reminder of his turnover issues and the growing concern amongst the front office that perhaps Flynn is not the guard of the future. Don't be surprised to see Flynn dealt for a top rookie point guard prospect at draft time.
This is the first time this season the Wolves have lost two games in a row and the coaching staff are hoping that a return home to face the Jazz will right the ship.
Season Record: 22 - 7.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
It was a tight contest through the first half with the Wolves leading by five points at the break with Beasley dominating on the boards and on the scorecard. Coming off the bench Eric Bledsoe was scoring well, 14 points in 7 minutes action, until he had to leave the game with a twisted ankle. This threw the Timberwolves rotations into mayhem, coming into the game with only 10 players really capable of making a contribution and having that cut down to nine was disastrous for the young pups.
Denver led by Wilson Chandler (27 points, 5 Rebounds) and Nene (16 points and 9 rebounds) started picking the reeling Wolves apart, taking advantage of their tiring legs and unfamiliar rotations. The Wolves looked to be headed to a double digits defeat as the Nuggets held on to a 12 point advantage with two and a half minutes to go. Coach Kurt Rambis used the final time out at this stage to give his team a breather, not realising how much this would come back to haunt him.
From the 2:03 moment in the fourth Isaiah Rider went on a tear, nailing 5 trey's and an and one to bring the Wolves within two as Lawson missed one of two free throws in the last 3 seconds on the intentional foul. Unfortunately for the Wolves having no time out meant they could not advance the ball and set up for an inbounds play. Flynn passed the ball to Rider, but he could not get his shot off on time and the Nuggets would be victorious on the night, 101 to 99.
Rider scored 20 of his 28 points for the night, in the final quarter, including 18 in the last 2 minutes. Beasley backed him up with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Bledsoe's 14 in 7 minutes was the next best for the Wolves. Jonny Flynn scored 9 points and had 15 assists, but his turnover rate continues to be a problem, he had six on the night.
The Wolves only have two games in week eight as they wrap up their road trip against the Clippers before returning home to face Utah. The Wolves are now 22 and 6 on the season.
File Photo: Rider scored 18 in the last 2 minutes to almost win it for Wolves
Video highlights for week seven...
Rider dunks one down in game V Warriors
Results:
December 14th, 2010 Minnesota 106 @ Golden State 103
December 15th, 2010 Minnesota 120 @ Phoenix 85
December 17th, 2010 Minnesota 96 @ Portland 86 [SIMMED]
The Wolves debuted a new starting five for the game against the Warriors, following the injury to Deandre Jordan in the previous game against the Chicago Bulls. Jonny Flynn, Isaiah Rider, Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasley and Anthony Randolph ran out against the Warriors.
The Warriors broke out of the gates early, looking to start stronger than they did in the two teams previous meeting. Monta Ellis (28 points) and David Lee (18 points, 9 rebounds) were the go to guys early in the game as the Warriors pushed themselves out to a 5 point lead at the first break.
The Wolves fought back to tie it up at the half on the back of a solid team performance, with several players looking to do their bit. The Warriors were not to be deterred though as when the third period closed they were back in front by three. It set the scene for a classic struggle in the fourth quarter, with rookie point guard Eric Bledsoe forced to spend some time playing the two spot he relished the opportunity and continued his recent run of good form, scoring 8 of his 22 points in the fourth as the Wolves pressed their advantage.
When the Wolves finally hit the front, try as they may the Warriors just could not bridge the gap as the Wolves held on for a three point victory. Isaiah Rider also scored 22 for the Wolves, Beasley 20 and Wesley Johnson 18. Depth player Rashad McCants took advantage of his opportunity to get some decent minutes by nailing two trey's in the game on his way to 8 points on 3/3 shooting.
Wes Johnson had 18 points against the Warriors
The Wolves hit Phoenix after defeating Golden State and systematically pulled them apart. It was a case of a three headed beast for the Wolves in this game with Rider scoring 35 while Beasley and Bledsoe each added 27. Flynn had 14 assists and Telfair 11 on the back of some serious shooting performed by Bledsoe as he developed his role as the backbone of the second unit.
For Phoenix Carter scored 20 points and Channing Frye recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Pietrus scored 18 off the bench.
Beasley scored 27 in the big win against the Suns
The Portland game was simmed because I had played halfway through the third quarter when my xbox froze, I was trailing by four at the time and quite enjoying the challenge, however when I tried to replay I found myself bored and thus I simmed it and the Wolves were simmed the victory. Roy scored 33 for the Blazers and Rider 20 for the Wolves.
One more Game to come in Week 7, the Wolves at the Nuggets... that will be written up in the next entry.
Rider helped the Wolves to a 3 - 1 record in week 6 of the season.Results
December 6th Minnesota 105 @ New York 84
December 8th OKC 97 @ Minnesota 106
December 10th Detroit 86 @ Minnesota 106
December 11th Minnesota 106 @ Chicago 123
During the first game of the week the Timberwolves turned the tables on the Knicks, who had defeated them earlier in the season. Isaiah Rider provided a dominating performance for the away team, scoring 30 points while dishing 10 assists and shooting 7 of 8 from the free throw line. The other pleasant surprise for the Wolves was the continued improvement shown from Eric Bledsoe, who managed to score 22 points in 19 minutes of action shooting 10 of 19 from the field, while also handing out 7 assists. Deandre Jordan and Anthony Randolph provided solid defence, each snaring 3 blocks.
Bledsoe scored 22 for the Wolves.
The game had been pretty even in the first half, but the Wolves blew it open with a 32 points to 19 effort in the third, from which the Knicks were never able to recover. The Knicks, already without Amare who was injured the last time these two teams met, lost Landry Fields early to a 2 week injury. Knicks faithful would be forgiven for thinking the Wolves had it in for their franchise. Unfortunately for the Knicks the Wolves shut down Carmelo Anthony, while top scoring with 17 for his team, shot a terrible 7 of 27 from the field. Chauncey Billups continued to showcase his veteran leadership with 16 points and 10 assists, although his shot selection from distance had a lot to be desired, shooting a paltry 2 of 10.
Rider top scored with 30 for the Wolves against the Knicks.
The first time the Wolves faced the Durant-less Thunder, they had blown them so far out of the water it was hard to imagine what was to come in their second match up. The Thunder, on the back of an exhilarating performance from Russell Westbrook started the game on fire, playing impressive defence while also scoring efficiently. The Thunder had shocked the Wolves, and took a 33 to 19 lead into the first break.
Opening the second Westbrook and James Harden continued to tear the Wolves apart, stretching their lead over the Minnesota team to 22 before the young Wolves led by Eric Bledsoe started to chip away at the margin, reeling it back to an 8 point deficit by the half. Bledsoe combined well with Sebastian Telfair who managed to dish 7 assists in 9 minutes of game time. Wes Johnson provided the defensive impetus to fight back amassing five steals and two blocks during the game.
Flynn throws down a dunk during the fightback
The third saw a back and forth affair as the Wolves pushed hard to cut the margin. The Thunder held for a while, but the Wolves finished strong to once again cut the margin by four, meaning they only trailed by four points going into the final quarter. Westbrook and Harden continued to play well, ably supported by Nate Robinson who scored 19 points on the night, but the tide had turned and Rider and Bledsoe tore the Thunder apart on their way to a 33 to 20 point quarter and a 9 point victory.
For the Thunder Westbrook scored 29 points while dishing 12 assists (however he had 10 turnovers) and Harden scored 25. For the Wolves Bledsoe backed up his 22 point performance against the Knicks with the team high 27 points. Rider scored 21 while shooting terribly from beyond the arc (1 of 6) and Beasley scored 18. Jonny Flynn recorded 7 points and 13 assists, in another excellent effort directing the team.
Bledsoe top scores for Wolves with 27
Despite an awesome 46 points from a completely unstoppable Rip Hamilton (who kept Detroit in the game until the final quarter, the Pistons just could not stay with the Wolves who went with a complete team effort to ground the Pistons down.
Rip, ripped into Wolves, scoring 46 points
Michael Beasley scored 20 to lead the team, while also grabbing 8 boards. Rider scored 19 and Martell Webster returning from injury scored 18 off the bench, although continued to complain of a sore back after the game. Anthony Randolph also added 18, 8 boards, 3 blocks and 2 assists on his way to the player of the game performance (although best individual performance was that of Hamilton by far).
Randolph was named player of the game
Eric Bledsoe struggled during his appearance, only scoring 6 points, but he did dish 10 assists, one shy of the assists dished by Flynn who also scored 6 points. Despite this lesser performance, it is understood the Wolves are viewing Bledsoe with one eye to the future. It has been said that Flynn, while prolific with assists, doesn't look to score enough at times. Bledsoe has a smooth shooting touch and at 19 years of age shows a lot of promise. Will be interesting to see how the Wolves progress in the future at the point spot, especially with several solid point guard prospects in the draft.
Rider flies high against the Bulls
The final game of the week saw the Wolves meet Chicago and just never get out of second gear. The Bulls, lead by a dominant Derrick Rose (20 points, 12 assists, 5 steals) and Luol Deng (31 points) took a 12 point lead into the half and despite the best efforts of Isaiah Rider (40 points), nothing the Wolves did could allow them to peg back the margin, especially after Deandre Jordan went down hurt in the second period. Bledsoe scored 17 points on the night, and Martell Webster put in a shocking shooting performance on his way to 12 points and it was at this stage the Wolves made a decision to not play any hurt players in any subsequent games, the risk was just too high.
Rambis had this to say post game, "That Rose kid is just amazing, his vision is incredible. We didn't work hard enough tonight and we settled for too many deep looks rather than pushing into the rack. JR was the only guy out there willing to work hard for us in the paint. There just are not too many nights a guy drops 40 and his team loses by 17. A few guys will need to take a look at themselves after this performance.
Jordan is injured and will miss a couple of weeks
Round Six Video Highlights
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Beasley had his best game for the Wolves
December 4th, 2010. With Kevin Love and Martell Webster out, the Cleveland Cavaliers came into Minnesota fancying their chances. For the Timberwolves it was a game they wanted to work on their processes and find better ways to get people involved. Michael Beasley benefited most from this attitude, putting on his best all round performances since joining the Timberwolves. Beasley has been struggling as he adjusts to not being the alpha scorer he expected to be when he first was traded to the Timberwolves. For Beasley the acquisition of Isaiah Rider seriously dented his desire to be in Minnesota, but showing class of character he has knuckled down and tried to prove himself worthy of being the second go to scorer.
The game was a back and forth affair early, with scores being locked at 22 at the first break. Anderson Varejao and Ramon Sessions being the main keys for the Cavaliers team, still reeling from Lebron's defection to Miami. The Cavs did try and make this a team scoring event and this helped them keep the Wolves defence off guard, however the Wolves did break away with better shooting to lead by 7 points at half time, with Flynn having a field day dishing to Beasley and Rider who were proving a deadly tandem, Flynn would finish with 18 assists on the night.
Rider helped the Wolves to a 7 point lead in the second quarter
Not to be out done Sessions ignited the Cavs in the third quarter on his way to 15 points and 14 assists for the game. The Cavs went on a solid run to take the lead late in the third by a point. The Cavs would be further in front if not for the poor shooting from Anthony Parker from beyond the arc, he only hit one of seven three attempts all night.
Going into the final break the Wolves knew they had a game on their hands and backup point guard Eric Bledsoe decided it was time to step up, he scored 10 of his 18 points in the final quarter as the Wolves took control of the game and pushed the Cavs to arms length. The Wolves were able to hold on and win by nine points, thanks in large to Rider (30 points, six assists), Beasley (20 points, 8 rebounds), Bledsoe (18 points, 5 assists) and Wes Johnson (17 points, 3 rebounds).
Rider was player of the game with his 30 points and 6 dimes
Rashad McCants debuts against Spurs after signing a one-year deal
Minnesota arrived in San Antonio without two of their four main scoring options in Kevin Love and Martell Webster, also having lost the previous meeting between the two teams. The Wolves had signed guard Rashad McCants from free agency to help balance the roster prior to the match.
The Wolves winning ways had been helped by playing at a frenetic pace and relying on everyone for contributions, but the coaching staff didn’t think this would be wise while the team tried to get used to life without Love. Rambis reminded his team constantly to slow down the pace and run plays, because the Wolves needed to remind the NBA community they were the real deal and could change tempo at will.
San Antonio stuck with the Wolves early as both teams worked hard to get their playmakers the ball. Manu Ginobli scoring well as always against the Wolves, but this time his defence was unable to shut down Isaiah Rider, who provided great scoring power for the undermanned Wolves team, top scoring for his team with 26 points for the game.
Rider scored 26 for the away team
Manu went on to finish the game with 35 points, however by the end of the third the young Wolves had stretched their lead to nine points and they would hold on to win by eight in a performance lauded by Rambis, “They faced adversity tonight and they showed the world that when soldier falls, another takes his place. Could not be more proud.”
Spurs coach Greg Poppovich acknowledged the improvement in the Wolves team, “When we beat them last week we could see their talent, but they lacked composure. Tonight they had plenty of that and if they can maintain this consistency many teams will struggle to beat them. That being said, I am confident next time we face them we will be more prepared.”
Wes Johnson is enjoying the opportunity to spend more time on the court.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Johnson top scores with 27.
At half time in the game between Minnesota and Dallas rookie Wesley Johnson is showing his potential with 16 points, as Rambis again runs with his bench for extended periods, due to his starters dominance (with the exception of Love who just can’t seem to find the net shooting 2 of 8 so far). Kidd has 5 points and 5 assists for Dallas while Caron Butler leads his team with 12 points.
In the first minute of the second half Kurt Rambis would come to regret putting Kevin Love back in the game to work on his game, because Love was fouled hard by Nowitzki and broke his wrist and is expected to miss up to eight weeks through injury. The Wolves injury worries worsened with 30 seconds to go in the game, that was well and truly over, with sixth man Martell Webster getting knocked over by Terry after hitting a shot and landing awkwardly, suspected lower back strain could be out two weeks. A massive win 125 to 85, has turned ugly for the Wolves.
Wesley Johnson will look to fill the void left by Webster, after scoring 27 points and grabbing 8 boards without missing a single shot. Might just be the rookie’s chance to earn more playing time. Rider scored 25 for the visiting team and the injured Webster scored 21. For Dallas Butler and Terry both scored 21, while Kidd reached a double-double with 10 assists and 15 points.
File Photo: Love to miss 8 weeks with broken wrist.
Season record 13 - 4. Up next, San Antonio... good luck Wolves, going to need it.
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