Saturday, May 21, 2011
Rider came out strong against the Warriors
Leading into the game against Golden State, the Timberwolves coach emphasized defence as key. The Warriors play an up tempo style of game, so when the chance was there to force them into mistakes the Wolves needed to do just that. They forced several turnovers early in the first against the Warriors and stretched a lead out to 15 points, but the bench for the Wolves struggled to find good looks and allowed the Warriors back in it. Wolves lead 33 to 29 going into the second quarter.
At the half the Warriors have cut the margin by a point to trail 55 to 58. For the Wolves they seem to be just taking their time and looking to play more half court offence and less run and gun. The emphasis has been on ball control while trying to force turnovers. Rider has 13 points to lead the Wolves while Flynn has 6 points and 10 assists at the half. Dorell Wright has 14 for the Warriors while Curry has 12.
The second half started disastrously for the Warriors with Curry and Biedrins both being forced to sit within the first minute for having accrued 4 fouls each. Rider was unstoppable driving the lane and earned himself a couple of and one situations as the Wolves took advantage and went on a 13 – 4 run to start the half, pushing the lead out to 12 points, forcing the Warriors to burn a timeout early in the half. After the timeout things only were made worse and even once Rambis subbed in the bench dwellers for some valuable game time, the Warriors just could not put a run of their own together. With Rider leading the way on 27 points and six other members of the team in double figures scoring already, the Warriors fell behind 83 to 103 at the final change.
The Wolves entered the fourth with a starting lineup of Telfair, Webster, Johnson, Dorsey and Pekovic, to provide some valuable rest time to the starters. The Warriors pounced on this opportunity, cutting the margin to 9 points, while Rambis refused to budge on the bench, he wanted to develop the depth of his team and insisted the bench players work through the charge being made by Golden State.
The Wolves bench pushed it back out to 11 only to collapse to the point of only leading by 1 point, at this stage Rambis decided enough was enough and subbed his starters back into the game. The Wolves had three and a half minutes to restore their lead, or face certain humiliation. Despite giving up the lead to the Warriors on a Dorell Wright (42 on the night) trey, the starters forced their way back into the game, with Flynn being the main play maker hitting a fade away to give them a four point lead late, and then calmly drilling his free throws as the Warriors tried to find their way back again. The Wolves held on 129 to 125 after allowing 42 points in the fourth quarter.
Johnson enjoyed extra court time
Season record: 12 - 4.
Love scored 9 in the opening quarter
It’s a tight contest early between the top two teams in the West in San Antonio and Minnesota. The Spurs lead by a single point in a back and forth affair that saw both teams missing a lot of shots early. Ginobli’s smothering defense made it hard for Rider to assert his will on the game, as shot after shot rimmed out. Thankfully for the Wolves Kevin Love put in a top notch effort scoring nine points on perfect shooting in the quarter. Beasley also did well with his looks. For the Spurs Duncan and Ginobli lead the way with seven points each. Looks to be a tough contest here in Minneapolis for the Timberwolves.
The second quarter didn’t start well for the Wolves with the Spurs able to have their way often. It wasn’t until Rambis subbed rookie Johnson in to play on Ginobli and Webster in at small forward did the offence start working.. Flynn has 11 assists on the half and Ginobli 14 points. Love has 11 to lead the Wolves but spent most of the second on the bench after racking up some quick fouls. The Wolves are looking rough around the edges in comparison to the Spurs side who look calm and composed. Spurs lead 52 to 48 at the half.
The third quarter shows the class of the Spurs, with them having their way with the Wolves for the most part, the young pups struggled to make any real inroads and face a 12 point deficit going into the final quarter. It’s hard to see what the Wolves can do here to get back in the game.
In the first 90 seconds of the final period the Wolves went on a run to get within 3 points, led by Eric Bledsoe who had a couple of steals and fast break scores. The two teams went back and forth as the Wolves fought hard to finish the comeback. Leveling the scores with two minutes to go, the Wolves fought hard as they may, but couldn’t get past the Spurs. Webster missed a contested shot to try and send the game to over time, the Wolves falling by two points in the end.
Rider struggled against Ginobli
Record stands at 11-4.
Rider dropped 20 points in the opening quarter
The first quarter of the Timberwolves matchup with the Thunder has shown how much the Thunder rely on Kevin Durant, who is missing due to injury. The Timberwolves led by Rider with 20 points and Flynn with 8 assists have absolutely torn the Thunder to shreds. Rider has thrown down several giant dunks and hit two three’s in the face of little resistance, figuratively and literally, his opponent… Nate Robinson (although he has scored 13 points of his own to lead the Thunder). The Wolves lead 41 to 26 at the first break.
During the second quarter the Wolves maintained their lead even extending it beyond 20 points early on, only to be forced into a spate of turnovers by a desperate Thunder side, who cut the deficit to 10 points at half time. Rider wasn’t as accurate in the second period, but still leads all scorers with 29. Robinson and Westbrook both have 15 for the Thunder.
The third quarter saw an absolute blow out as the Wolves bench started to see more time. With Webster on fire though, it was no reprieve for the Thunder, who limited Rider to just 6 more points, moving his tally to 35. Webster moved up in his teams scoring list with 18. Westbrook and Robinson both have 19 for the Thunder. The Thunder trail 70 to 100 at the final break.
Final score 137 to 96. Absolute shambles in Oklahoma City, as Rider wins his 5th consecutive player of the game with 41 points and 5 assists. Webster chimed in with 23 off the bench, Bledsoe added 12 points and 8 assists and Flynn had 9 points to go with his 16 assists. Westbrook scored 20 and dished 14 for the Thunder who are seriously missing Durant.
Wes Johnson throws one down against the Thunder
Friday, May 20, 2011
Timberwolves Surge.
When the Minnesota Timberwolves lost their season opener to the Sacramento Kings by a single point the long time suffering fans held some optimism that the young pups would at least be competitive this year. That was all they could hope for, right? Wrong.
The Wolves responded to their opening night loss with wins over Milwaukee and Memphis, which again could be considered feasible by a young improving team striking at the right time. The Florida road trip would sort the men from the boys thought, right? Wrong. Minnesota went into the Heat’s house and scrapped out a victory that shocked the nation then backed it up with a four point victory over Orlando. Had we entered the twilight zone? Another win against a highly fancied opponent in Atlanta and all of a sudden every one was paying attention.
Embarking on their second road trip of the season the Wolves went into Houston to take on a struggling Rockets team, and fell flat on their faces. Nothing went right and the basketball viewing public all exhaled, the old Wolves were back, right? Wrong.
The Lakers were the next team the young pups had to face and years of being mocked by Kobe Bryant must have surely hit home, because they left Staples Center with a 17 point victory and some serious momentum, which helped them defeat Sacramento in the second of their season series matchups. Still, the pundits believed this surging Wolves team would eventually fall back into old habits. A high scoring loss to the Knicks, who lost Stoudemire early provided the Wolves motivation for the week just gone.
November 14th, 2010: Minnesota 120 defeated Atlanta 105.
November 15th, 2010: Minnesota 100 defeated Charlotte 91.
November 17th, 2010: Los Angeles Clippers 97 lost to Minnesota 99.
November 19th, 2010: Los Angeles Lakers 89 lost to Minnesota 120.
Atlanta has eight wins and five losses on the season, two of those to these upstart Wolves. The Lakers have started slowly with six wins and seven losses, but were probably counting on two wins over Minnesota by this time in the season. The Clippers are eight wins and six losses and could have so easily defeated the Wolves in their matchup, being as much as 20 points up midway through the second quarter.
The match against the Clippers could well be a playoff matchup for the Wolves if they keep their play up, as the Clippers look an impressive team and the Wolves have surprised everyone. The Lakers are looking old and just not the team they were last season. Minnesotans have enjoyed the recent results between the two teams.
So what exactly have they put in the water up in Minnesota? Perhaps the answer lies in the growing bond between the teams second year point guard Jonny Flynn and dunk champion Isaiah Rider, who struggled to find his feet during the first three weeks of the season while his team thrived. His play improved dramatically in conjunction with Flynn’s ability to get him the ball in good positions during the past week.
Rider’s stat lines:
V Atlanta: 43 points (17-22 FG), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal
V Charlotte: 23 points (9-21FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
V LA Clippers: 23 points (11-18), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
V LA Lakers: 35 points (13-19), 2 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals
Rider rises up against Charlotte
Rider was named player of the game in all four games and is starting to show greater consistency and better shot selection. His game against the Clippers was ugly, but he did come up with the game winning dunk. Rider is starting to exert himself and demand more touches, never mind the electrifying effect he has on the crowd with his high flying dunks and dagger three’s. The Wolves are going to continue to surge and Rider will be an integral part of how far the Wolves go as he is the one with the true X Factor.
Flynn flies for the dunk against the Clippers
Flynn’s stat lines:
V Atlanta: 13 points, 20 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover
V Charlotte: 11 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers
V LA Clippers: 10 points, 15 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover
V LA Lakers: 17 points (5/6 3P), 15 assists, 4 turnovers
Love looks to score against Lakers
Other key games from Wolves players:
V Atlanta – Webster: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals (3/5 3P)
V Charlotte – Love: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
V LAC – Love: 15 points (7/7 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks
V LAL – Love: 18 points (2/3 3P), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Bledsoe slams one home against Charlotte
Season Record: 11-3.
When the Minnesota Timberwolves lost their season opener to the Sacramento Kings by a single point the long time suffering fans held some optimism that the young pups would at least be competitive this year. That was all they could hope for, right? Wrong.
The Wolves responded to their opening night loss with wins over Milwaukee and Memphis, which again could be considered feasible by a young improving team striking at the right time. The Florida road trip would sort the men from the boys thought, right? Wrong. Minnesota went into the Heat’s house and scrapped out a victory that shocked the nation then backed it up with a four point victory over Orlando. Had we entered the twilight zone? Another win against a highly fancied opponent in Atlanta and all of a sudden every one was paying attention.
Embarking on their second road trip of the season the Wolves went into Houston to take on a struggling Rockets team, and fell flat on their faces. Nothing went right and the basketball viewing public all exhaled, the old Wolves were back, right? Wrong.
The Lakers were the next team the young pups had to face and years of being mocked by Kobe Bryant must have surely hit home, because they left Staples Center with a 17 point victory and some serious momentum, which helped them defeat Sacramento in the second of their season series matchups. Still, the pundits believed this surging Wolves team would eventually fall back into old habits. A high scoring loss to the Knicks, who lost Stoudemire early provided the Wolves motivation for the week just gone.
November 14th, 2010: Minnesota 120 defeated Atlanta 105.
November 15th, 2010: Minnesota 100 defeated Charlotte 91.
November 17th, 2010: Los Angeles Clippers 97 lost to Minnesota 99.
November 19th, 2010: Los Angeles Lakers 89 lost to Minnesota 120.
Atlanta has eight wins and five losses on the season, two of those to these upstart Wolves. The Lakers have started slowly with six wins and seven losses, but were probably counting on two wins over Minnesota by this time in the season. The Clippers are eight wins and six losses and could have so easily defeated the Wolves in their matchup, being as much as 20 points up midway through the second quarter.
The match against the Clippers could well be a playoff matchup for the Wolves if they keep their play up, as the Clippers look an impressive team and the Wolves have surprised everyone. The Lakers are looking old and just not the team they were last season. Minnesotans have enjoyed the recent results between the two teams.
So what exactly have they put in the water up in Minnesota? Perhaps the answer lies in the growing bond between the teams second year point guard Jonny Flynn and dunk champion Isaiah Rider, who struggled to find his feet during the first three weeks of the season while his team thrived. His play improved dramatically in conjunction with Flynn’s ability to get him the ball in good positions during the past week.
Rider’s stat lines:
V Atlanta: 43 points (17-22 FG), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal
V Charlotte: 23 points (9-21FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
V LA Clippers: 23 points (11-18), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
V LA Lakers: 35 points (13-19), 2 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 steals
Rider rises up against Charlotte
Rider was named player of the game in all four games and is starting to show greater consistency and better shot selection. His game against the Clippers was ugly, but he did come up with the game winning dunk. Rider is starting to exert himself and demand more touches, never mind the electrifying effect he has on the crowd with his high flying dunks and dagger three’s. The Wolves are going to continue to surge and Rider will be an integral part of how far the Wolves go as he is the one with the true X Factor.
Flynn flies for the dunk against the Clippers
Flynn’s stat lines:
V Atlanta: 13 points, 20 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover
V Charlotte: 11 points, 11 assists, 2 steals, 6 turnovers
V LA Clippers: 10 points, 15 assists, 1 block, 1 turnover
V LA Lakers: 17 points (5/6 3P), 15 assists, 4 turnovers
Love looks to score against Lakers
Other key games from Wolves players:
V Atlanta – Webster: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals (3/5 3P)
V Charlotte – Love: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block
V LAC – Love: 15 points (7/7 FT), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks
V LAL – Love: 18 points (2/3 3P), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Bledsoe slams one home against Charlotte
Season Record: 11-3.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Need feedback from those that are following. What aspects do you like the most? The little bit of a story, the box scores? the pictures? The match recap videos? Because while I am enjoying doing all this, it's time consuming and I was thinking of limiting stats to the three best Wolves and three best opposition players from now, while changing up the way I do the videos... have a weekly recap instead (plus a weekly Rider highlight video, since this association is about him anyways and leaves it open for me to follow him to a new franchise down the track should it become stale being the Wolves) and a few more screenshots (taken from the 2k game reel). Mostly I just want to have more time to play the game... so I am leaning more towards weekly recaps. Thoughts?
Beasley put up his best numbers as a Wolf.
Nov 12th, 2010. The Wolves back at home for one game before returning to the road, hosted the New York Knicks and their two superstars in Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. Early in the game the Wolves were inspired by Michael Beasley who had his best quarter in a Wolves jersey, dropping 12 points on Anthony and helping the Wolves to a 31 to 26 lead at the first break.
The second period did not start well for New York with Amare breaking his wrist in a seemingly innocuous incident. The Knicks had to shuffle their line up a little, and with Stoudemire out Carmelo was called upon to step up. The Knicks went on a run in the second and erased the deficit as the Wolves sixth man Martell Webster struggled to find his range, despite several open looks. Isaiah Rider tried to keep the Wolves within striking distance as they entered the half 7 points behind.
The Knicks broke strong at the start of the second half and looked like they were going to completely break the game open, if not for the heroics of Isaiah Rider who really came through hard in the third, dropping 14 points on the Knicks to get the Wolves within two points going into the final change.
With Anthony and Billups leading the charge for New York they once again forced their way out to a double figure lead. Rider, Beasley and eventually Webster worked hard at breaking down the lead, eventually taking the lead on a Rider dunk. Things didn't get better from there though for the Wolves, with Billups sinking a three to take the momentum back for the Knicks who held on gallantly to win the game 119 to 114. The Knicks improve to 7 – 3, the same record the Wolves now hold.
Nov 12, 2010 - NYK at MIN | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
New York Knicks (6-3) | 26 | 37 | 23 | 33 | 119 |
Minnesota Timberwolves (7-2) | 31 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 114 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 29 | 4-13 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 |
Isaiah Rider | 27 | 14-23 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Michael Beasley | 29 | 11-14 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 25 |
Kevin Love | 27 | 4-5 | 1-1 | 3-3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
Anthony Randolph | 24 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 22 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Martell Webster | 14 | 7-15 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
Wesley Johnson | 12 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Eric Bledsoe | 11 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Sebastian Telfair | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Joey Dorsey | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Nikola Pekovic | 6 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
TEAM TOTALS | 47-80 | 11-27 | 9-11 | 26 | 38 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 114 |
Audio disabled... oh well cannot be bothered re-uploading.
Season Record: 7-3.
Flynn drops 20 points and 19 dimes
Nov 10, 2010. The Wolves arrived in Sacramento ready to avenge their one point loss at home in the season opener. The Wolves took a lot from that loss and have been working on their killer instinct and as recent results have shown they are putting teams away.
The game against Sacramento looked a lot like recent games for the Wolves in the first half as the shot out to lead by 14 points at the break. Even contributions across the board were being seen by the Wolves starters as they pushed to become the go to players. Flynn directed the offense brilliantly in what would turn out to be his best all round performance of the season.
Sacramento came out of the half time break determined to not allow the Wolves to walk all over them in their house and systematically set about working their way back into the game, lead by Evans and Marcus Thornton who scored a team high 25 points on the night.
The Kings outscored the Timberwolves by eight points in the third period and the Timberwolves front office were starting to get nervous. What was it about the Kings that caused their young talented side to struggle so much? Eric Bledsoe briefly steadied the ship for the Wolves as Flynn rested, but the Kings continued to work, even going ahead 90 to 89 at one point in the fourth period on the back of two Donte Greene trey's.
The Wolves were forced to call a timeout and rejig their offense. Rider moved to the small forward position and Webster slotted in at the two and the pair of them went to work on the Kings, trying to create breathing space. The young Wolves forced their way back in front and maintained a four point lead going into the final minute, where they held their composure and hit their free throw's when the Kings sent them to the line. It was a seven point victory 110 to 103, but the game in the second half had been a lot closer than the final score indicated.
Notes: Newest member Joey Dorsey joined the team, and while he was intended to sit for the game, despite being suited up, he had to take the court when Love battled foul trouble and the bigs were being run off their feet by the Kings. Wolves coaches are liking what they see from Eric Bledsoe and are looking to increase his minutes at the detriment of Telfair.
Nov 10, 2010 - MIN at SAC | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (6-2) | 28 | 30 | 24 | 28 | 110 |
Sacramento Kings (3-3) | 19 | 25 | 32 | 27 | 103 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 27 | 8-13 | 0-0 | 4-6 | 3 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
Isaiah Rider | 25 | 7-19 | 1-6 | 4-4 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
Michael Beasley | 29 | 7-12 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
Kevin Love | 28 | 4-7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Anthony Randolph | 22 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 20 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Martell Webster | 16 | 7-13 | 6-8 | 1-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
Wesley Johnson | 8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Eric Bledsoe | 9 | 5-7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
Sebastian Telfair | 9 | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Joey Dorsey | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Nikola Pekovic | 8 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
TEAM TOTALS | 44-85 | 10-21 | 12-16 | 35 | 34 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 110 |
Season record: 7-2.
Nov 9th, 2010. The Minnesota Timberwolves road trip continued in Los Angeles against the Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The first thing that had the Timberwolves coaches scratching their heads was when the Lakers came out with a lineup that had Kobe Bryant running the point with Shannon Brown at the two spot. At this point Rambis did consider subbing in Wesley Johnson to run the point with Kobe, but in the end decided to just see how Flynn would do against the significantly taller man.
The Wolves started fast with Isaiah Rider scoring the first 7 points for his team as they streaked to a 7 - 2 lead. Rider soon went cold however, and wouldn't do much more until the second half. The Lakers tried to run the ball through Kobe, but Flynn and Bledsoe when subbed in managed to keep up tight D, however Shannon Brown found it easier to score on the more offensive minded Rider.
The Wolves however, went into the first break with a six point lead. After this it was pretty much a case of the Timberwolves setting the pace and spreading the load. Martell Webster was highly efficient scoring, only missing one of his 10 shots for the game (itchy trigger finger i let go way too early) and he partnered well with Rider who finished the game with 25 points. Lakers coach Phil Jackson had this to say about the pair, "It's really hard with those two (Rider and Webster), they can damage you in so many ways and tonight we just could not shut them down."
Kevin Love scored 15 for Minnesota.
For the first time in four matches Marquis Daniels actually saw the court, and amazingly just 30 minutes after the game Wolves GM AJ Stuart had this to say about Daniels, "We'd like to announce that we will be sending Marquis to Golden State, where we hope he will have more opportunities. This trade has been in the works for a couple of days now and all parties have agreed. I'll release more details via press release later. We wish Marquis and his family all the best in California."
Rumours continue to swirl around the Wolves, with several teams showing some interest in obtaining Sebastian Telfair. Stuart denied this while speaking at the press conference, "I have not taken any calls regarding Telfair, as far as I am concerned he is a valued member of the organisation."
Season record: 6-2.
Confirmed Trade:
Minnesota Sends: Marquis Daniels
Golden State Sends: Charlie Bell, 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Toronto Sends: Joey Dorsey, 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Minnesota Receives: Joey Dorsey, Raptors 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Golden State Receives: Marquis Daniels
Toronto Receives: Charlie Bell, Warriors 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
The Wolves started fast with Isaiah Rider scoring the first 7 points for his team as they streaked to a 7 - 2 lead. Rider soon went cold however, and wouldn't do much more until the second half. The Lakers tried to run the ball through Kobe, but Flynn and Bledsoe when subbed in managed to keep up tight D, however Shannon Brown found it easier to score on the more offensive minded Rider.
The Wolves however, went into the first break with a six point lead. After this it was pretty much a case of the Timberwolves setting the pace and spreading the load. Martell Webster was highly efficient scoring, only missing one of his 10 shots for the game (itchy trigger finger i let go way too early) and he partnered well with Rider who finished the game with 25 points. Lakers coach Phil Jackson had this to say about the pair, "It's really hard with those two (Rider and Webster), they can damage you in so many ways and tonight we just could not shut them down."
Kevin Love scored 15 for Minnesota.
For the first time in four matches Marquis Daniels actually saw the court, and amazingly just 30 minutes after the game Wolves GM AJ Stuart had this to say about Daniels, "We'd like to announce that we will be sending Marquis to Golden State, where we hope he will have more opportunities. This trade has been in the works for a couple of days now and all parties have agreed. I'll release more details via press release later. We wish Marquis and his family all the best in California."
Rumours continue to swirl around the Wolves, with several teams showing some interest in obtaining Sebastian Telfair. Stuart denied this while speaking at the press conference, "I have not taken any calls regarding Telfair, as far as I am concerned he is a valued member of the organisation."
Nov 9, 2010 - MIN at LAL | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (5-2) | 34 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 117 |
Los Angeles Lakers (4-1) | 28 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 100 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 18 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Isaiah Rider | 23 | 10-18 | 2-3 | 3-3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 25 |
Michael Beasley | 22 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Kevin Love | 23 | 7-10 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
Anthony Randolph | 25 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 21 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Martell Webster | 13 | 9-10 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 23 |
Wesley Johnson | 19 | 4-7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Eric Bledsoe | 14 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Sebastian Telfair | 9 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Nikola Pekovic | 13 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Marquis Daniels | 6 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
TEAM TOTALS | 47-83 | 9-18 | 14-15 | 38 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 117 |
Season record: 6-2.
Confirmed Trade:
Minnesota Sends: Marquis Daniels
Golden State Sends: Charlie Bell, 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Toronto Sends: Joey Dorsey, 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Minnesota Receives: Joey Dorsey, Raptors 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Golden State Receives: Marquis Daniels
Toronto Receives: Charlie Bell, Warriors 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Nov 7th, 2010. The Wolves landed in Houston to take on the 2 – 3 rockets, feeling quite confident given their performances against three top play-off contenders from the East earlier in the month.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Rockets had set themselves for the inter-conference match up with it clear from the get go that the Rockets were on defensively. The Timberwolves didn't panic early, but the writing was on the wall after the first quarter when the rockets had taken a 32 to 20 lead.
The wheels began to fall off in the second period when Coach Rambis almost exhausted the bench trying to find a player who could hit a rhythm. Martell Webster would eventually top score for the Wolves, but the sixth man who has proven consistent in the early part of the season just couldn't find a groove and was subbed in an out during the course of the game. Jonny Flynn struggled to back up from his 41 point performance against Atlanta, just unable to find space for open looks he chose to defer to teammates, who were unable to find consistency. The Wolves trailed 41 to 61 at the half.
In the second half Kevin Martin and the Rockets basically did anything they wanted, picking pockets, blocking shots, and slamming down many a fast break point. Martin also found his range and it was an ugly, ugly game for the Wolves. Almost every player on the active roster saw double figures in minutes, except Bledsoe who fell just shy on nine for the game, and Marquis Daniels who was once again over looked. Daniels was seen to be clearly frustrated after the game, as he registered his third DNP – Coaches decision in three games.
The Rockets ran away with the game, extending the margin to 27 at the final break, only losing the fourth period by two points the Wolves fell to a humiliating 25 point loss 104 to 129. Rambis had this to say at the after game press conference, “Clearly we still have things to work on. I don't want to be the one saying I told you so, but I did indicate that there were a lot of fundamentals we still had to work on, holding onto the ball being the big one. There were too many turnovers tonight.”
Flynn finished with a double-double scoring 11 points while dishing 14 assists. Rookie Wesley Johnson had his highest scoring game, but struggled from deep shooting 0 from 5. Six wolves scored in double figures, which may have normally seen a win, but not on a night when their defence leaked like a sieve.
Wes Johnson with one of the few highlights for the Wolves tonight.
Season Record 5 -2.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the Rockets had set themselves for the inter-conference match up with it clear from the get go that the Rockets were on defensively. The Timberwolves didn't panic early, but the writing was on the wall after the first quarter when the rockets had taken a 32 to 20 lead.
The wheels began to fall off in the second period when Coach Rambis almost exhausted the bench trying to find a player who could hit a rhythm. Martell Webster would eventually top score for the Wolves, but the sixth man who has proven consistent in the early part of the season just couldn't find a groove and was subbed in an out during the course of the game. Jonny Flynn struggled to back up from his 41 point performance against Atlanta, just unable to find space for open looks he chose to defer to teammates, who were unable to find consistency. The Wolves trailed 41 to 61 at the half.
In the second half Kevin Martin and the Rockets basically did anything they wanted, picking pockets, blocking shots, and slamming down many a fast break point. Martin also found his range and it was an ugly, ugly game for the Wolves. Almost every player on the active roster saw double figures in minutes, except Bledsoe who fell just shy on nine for the game, and Marquis Daniels who was once again over looked. Daniels was seen to be clearly frustrated after the game, as he registered his third DNP – Coaches decision in three games.
The Rockets ran away with the game, extending the margin to 27 at the final break, only losing the fourth period by two points the Wolves fell to a humiliating 25 point loss 104 to 129. Rambis had this to say at the after game press conference, “Clearly we still have things to work on. I don't want to be the one saying I told you so, but I did indicate that there were a lot of fundamentals we still had to work on, holding onto the ball being the big one. There were too many turnovers tonight.”
Flynn finished with a double-double scoring 11 points while dishing 14 assists. Rookie Wesley Johnson had his highest scoring game, but struggled from deep shooting 0 from 5. Six wolves scored in double figures, which may have normally seen a win, but not on a night when their defence leaked like a sieve.
Wes Johnson with one of the few highlights for the Wolves tonight.
Nov 7, 2010 - MIN at HOU | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (5-1) | 20 | 21 | 31 | 32 | 104 |
Houston Rockets (2-3) | 32 | 29 | 38 | 30 | 129 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Jonny Flynn | 24 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 5-8 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | |
Isaiah Rider | 19 | 5-12 | 0-3 | 1-4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 11 | |
Michael Beasley | 24 | 4-8 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
Kevin Love | 24 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
Anthony Randolph | 23 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Deandre Jordan | 23 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | |
Martell Webster | 17 | 7-15 | 3-8 | 2-3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 19 | |
Wesley Johnson | 20 | 6-13 | 0-5 | 3-3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |
Eric Bledsoe | 9 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Nikola Pekovic | 12 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
Sebastian Telfair | 10 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
Marquis Daniels | -- DID NOT PLAY -- | ||||||||||
TEAM TOTALS | 39-75 | 5-24 | 21-29 | 25 | 35 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 104 |
Season Record 5 -2.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Nov 5th, 2010. The Timberwolves came home boasting a 4 – 1 record and a match up against the Hawks who had the same record from their outings. This game started terribly for the Wolves, who quickly fell behind 10 to 20 on the back of 4 Flynn turnovers. Flynn was benched briefly, until Telfair and Bledsoe also both proved ineffective, and the turnover king was returned to the game.
Flynn worked hard on the offensive end to break the shackles of his terrible passing, and started nailing points from beyond the arc. Rambis decided to put the ball in the hands of Bledsoe, who had a much better history with holding onto the ball and moved Flynn to the two spot. It was an inspired move, as Flynn continued to outsmart Crawford and Hinrich and get open time after time for the three ball.
The Hawks held on to their comfortable lead for the first half, but in the third quarter the combination of Flynn and Webster reeled them in to the point that the Wolves went into the third just in front. Early in the fourth the Wolves shot out to a double digit lead themselves, only to watch as the Hawks showed their grit and fought back within one, as Flynn again started turning the ball over (he finished with nine turnovers). With fourteen seconds left in the game the Hawks inbounded to Jamal Crawford who worked hard to make space, but missed the deep ball. Flynn was fouled as he grabbed the rebound and calmly sunk both free throws to give his team a three point lead and himself a career high 41 points. Hinrich's hail mary missed and the Wolves had escaped their worst effort holding onto the ball all season with a 104 to 101 victory.
The Hawks had five players in double figures, Crawford leading his team with 29 points and Joe Johnson added 23. For the Wolves after Flynn's 41, Webster's 22 was well in truly of the rest of the team, with nobody else scoring more than 8 points. Flynn hit 9/12 trey's for the game.
Flynn rises up to hit a buzzer beater to end the first
Season Record: 5-1.
Flynn worked hard on the offensive end to break the shackles of his terrible passing, and started nailing points from beyond the arc. Rambis decided to put the ball in the hands of Bledsoe, who had a much better history with holding onto the ball and moved Flynn to the two spot. It was an inspired move, as Flynn continued to outsmart Crawford and Hinrich and get open time after time for the three ball.
The Hawks held on to their comfortable lead for the first half, but in the third quarter the combination of Flynn and Webster reeled them in to the point that the Wolves went into the third just in front. Early in the fourth the Wolves shot out to a double digit lead themselves, only to watch as the Hawks showed their grit and fought back within one, as Flynn again started turning the ball over (he finished with nine turnovers). With fourteen seconds left in the game the Hawks inbounded to Jamal Crawford who worked hard to make space, but missed the deep ball. Flynn was fouled as he grabbed the rebound and calmly sunk both free throws to give his team a three point lead and himself a career high 41 points. Hinrich's hail mary missed and the Wolves had escaped their worst effort holding onto the ball all season with a 104 to 101 victory.
The Hawks had five players in double figures, Crawford leading his team with 29 points and Joe Johnson added 23. For the Wolves after Flynn's 41, Webster's 22 was well in truly of the rest of the team, with nobody else scoring more than 8 points. Flynn hit 9/12 trey's for the game.
Flynn rises up to hit a buzzer beater to end the first
Nov 5, 2010 - ATL at MIN | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Atlanta Hawks (4-1) | 24 | 29 | 19 | 29 | 101 |
Minnesota Timberwolves (4-1) | 17 | 30 | 31 | 26 | 104 |
Atlanta Hawks | |||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Jonny Flynn | 30 | 15-22 | 9-12 | 2-2 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 41 | |
Isaiah Rider | 21 | 3-8 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
Michael Beasley | 28 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
Kevin Love | 26 | 0-5 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
Anthony Randolph | 26 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Deandre Jordan | 20 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | |
Martell Webster | 17 | 7-11 | 3-5 | 5-5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | |
Wesley Johnson | 10 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
Eric Bledsoe | 14 | 1-6 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
Nikola Pekovic | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Sebastian Telfair | 8 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Marquis Daniels | -- DID NOT PLAY -- | ||||||||||
TEAM TOTALS | 38-76 | 12-21 | 16-17 | 33 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 15 | 101 |
Season Record: 5-1.
Nov 3rd, 2010 Fans of the NBA all around the country are starting to pay attention to the Minnesota Timberwolves, following their third straight win on their current road trip, this one against the Magic the day after defeating the fancied Heat. The Wolves are a young side packed with potential and it appears Coach Kurt Rambis is doing something right. “The guys are pleased to have stuck to their processes and come out of this game with a win, but they know it is a long season and there is a lot of work to be done.” Rambis wasn't ready to talk about the potential of his team just yet, wanting instead for the Timberwolves to continue to focus on the fundamentals, “People can hype us up all they want, but we know there is so much more we can improve on and until we do, we are no guarantee to win on any night.”
It was a game that could have so easily gone the other way for the young Wolves, especially when Orlando jumped out of the gate with a 12 – 2 run. Fortunately for the Wolves they did not panic and set about just slowly working themselves back into the game, only trailing by two points at the end of the quarter. Martell Webster hit several deep twos late in the first to warm himself up for what was to come in the second.
The second quarter was a high scoring affair and once again it looked like Orlando was going to show their supremacy and take a handy lead into the half time break, however they were not expecting a 12 point blitz from Webster in the space of 90 seconds at the end of the period. The Wolves sixth man nailed 4 three pointers in a row thanks to beautiful passes from third string point guard Sebastian Telfair and the Wolves went into the half up by one. Webster had 22 points at the half, matching Jason Richardson's output for the Magic.
Webster nails his first of four trey's to end the first half
The back and forth struggle continued in the third, with Webster going cold the Wolves had to find someone else to step up. Michael Beasley who had taken a back seat in the early part of the season to Webster and Rider stepped up and helped his team keep pace with the Magic. The lead changed once again at the end of the quarter though with the Magic up by one. Hedo Turkoglu nailing a couple three's in the period to help the Magic set the pace.
The Wolves came out hard in the fourth and pushed the lead to 10 points and then set about trying to maintain that lead. The Magic battled hard, with third string point guard Chris Duhon (behind Arenas and Nelson) pulling off a couple classy shots to try and get the Magic back into the game. The Magic still trailing by six started fouling with 90 seconds on the clock, and the young Wolves while a little shaky managed to hold on and win by four points, 115 to 111 in one of the highest scoring games of the season to date.
Telfair makes a case for more game time
Notes: Telfair played the most minutes he had seen all season and made the most of the time, dishing an assist a minute for ten minutes. Johnson also put in one of his more polished performances, dropping 10 for the Wolves. Webster continues his push to be considered as a starter, finishing the game with 29 points.
Season Record: 4 - 1.
It was a game that could have so easily gone the other way for the young Wolves, especially when Orlando jumped out of the gate with a 12 – 2 run. Fortunately for the Wolves they did not panic and set about just slowly working themselves back into the game, only trailing by two points at the end of the quarter. Martell Webster hit several deep twos late in the first to warm himself up for what was to come in the second.
The second quarter was a high scoring affair and once again it looked like Orlando was going to show their supremacy and take a handy lead into the half time break, however they were not expecting a 12 point blitz from Webster in the space of 90 seconds at the end of the period. The Wolves sixth man nailed 4 three pointers in a row thanks to beautiful passes from third string point guard Sebastian Telfair and the Wolves went into the half up by one. Webster had 22 points at the half, matching Jason Richardson's output for the Magic.
Webster nails his first of four trey's to end the first half
The back and forth struggle continued in the third, with Webster going cold the Wolves had to find someone else to step up. Michael Beasley who had taken a back seat in the early part of the season to Webster and Rider stepped up and helped his team keep pace with the Magic. The lead changed once again at the end of the quarter though with the Magic up by one. Hedo Turkoglu nailing a couple three's in the period to help the Magic set the pace.
The Wolves came out hard in the fourth and pushed the lead to 10 points and then set about trying to maintain that lead. The Magic battled hard, with third string point guard Chris Duhon (behind Arenas and Nelson) pulling off a couple classy shots to try and get the Magic back into the game. The Magic still trailing by six started fouling with 90 seconds on the clock, and the young Wolves while a little shaky managed to hold on and win by four points, 115 to 111 in one of the highest scoring games of the season to date.
Telfair makes a case for more game time
Notes: Telfair played the most minutes he had seen all season and made the most of the time, dishing an assist a minute for ten minutes. Johnson also put in one of his more polished performances, dropping 10 for the Wolves. Webster continues his push to be considered as a starter, finishing the game with 29 points.
Nov 3, 2010 - MIN at ORL | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (3-1) | 25 | 35 | 28 | 27 | 115 |
Orlando Magic (2-1) | 27 | 32 | 31 | 21 | 111 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | |||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Jonny Flynn | 20 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
Isaiah Rider | 25 | 7-14 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | |
Michael Beasley | 24 | 6-9 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 15 | |
Kevin Love | 25 | 5-12 | 0-3 | 6-7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | |
Anthony Randolph | 24 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 11 | |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Deandre Jordan | 25 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
Martell Webster | 18 | 12-21 | 5-12 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | |
Wesley Johnson | 13 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 3-3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
Eric Bledsoe | 15 | 3-7 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
Nikola Pekovic | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Sebastian Telfair | 10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Marquis Daniels | -- DID NOT PLAY -- | ||||||||||
TEAM TOTALS | 42-77 | 11-28 | 20-26 | 30 | 38 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 115 |
Season Record: 4 - 1.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Nov 2nd, 2010 The Minnesota Timberwolves were looking like they were headed for a long night early in the first quarter with Dwyane Wade running rampant, scoring 11 points from 5/5 shooting. Wade proved more than Rider could handle and had his way with the young pups, but in the end he drove the lane one too many times, separating his shoulder following a collision with Deandre Jordan.
The Wolves battled valiantly back into the game after Wade exited and trailed by one point going into the second quarter. It was a tight affair again in the second with Lebron James trying to pick up the slack for his injured teammate. The Wolves battled valiantly trying to keep the superstar from taking over the game, with Wes Johnson and Beasley both working hard to keep James quiet. 20 points a piece in the second and the Heat maintained their one point lead going into the half time break.
Bosh and Love were both efficient scorers for their team in the third, with Love finding a comfortable groove in the post, scoring easily on Bosh. Like wise Bosh found a comfort zone 18 feet from the hoop, drilling many a mid range jumper on his way to 20 points for the game on 8/11 shooting. it was another close encounter in the third, with a Pekovic dunk giving the Wolves a slender one point lead going into the final term.
Love and Bosh battled hard
Early in the fourth Bledsoe and Webster lead a mini break out by the wolves, who pushed the lead to 10 points in a battle of the benches. When the starters subbed back in the defensive effort from both teams lifted, with the Heat pushing on the back of a Lebron James effort, getting within 5 before Kevin Love sank a dagger of a 3 with a minute remaining to ensure the Wolves would leave victorious. Telfair, added insult to injury when he hit a buzzer beater to end the game, rather than just dribble out the clock. Telfair went 3/3 in 5 minutes, after complaints about not being given a fair run given the youth of the Wolves PG brigade.
Lebron James scored 25 points, but in the end his inefficient scoring proved costly (and yet was the only reason the Heat were in the game) hitting only 11 of 28 shots.
Once again Martell Webster proved the spark off the bench hitting a team high 19 points, while Love added 13 and Bledsoe 10 to follow his 30 point effort against the Grizzlies. Tomorrow the Wolves face the Magic, yet another test of where they are headed this season.
Video Highlights here http://youtu.be/HfHGi5jhyKo.
Season Record: 3-1.
The Wolves battled valiantly back into the game after Wade exited and trailed by one point going into the second quarter. It was a tight affair again in the second with Lebron James trying to pick up the slack for his injured teammate. The Wolves battled valiantly trying to keep the superstar from taking over the game, with Wes Johnson and Beasley both working hard to keep James quiet. 20 points a piece in the second and the Heat maintained their one point lead going into the half time break.
Bosh and Love were both efficient scorers for their team in the third, with Love finding a comfortable groove in the post, scoring easily on Bosh. Like wise Bosh found a comfort zone 18 feet from the hoop, drilling many a mid range jumper on his way to 20 points for the game on 8/11 shooting. it was another close encounter in the third, with a Pekovic dunk giving the Wolves a slender one point lead going into the final term.
Love and Bosh battled hard
Early in the fourth Bledsoe and Webster lead a mini break out by the wolves, who pushed the lead to 10 points in a battle of the benches. When the starters subbed back in the defensive effort from both teams lifted, with the Heat pushing on the back of a Lebron James effort, getting within 5 before Kevin Love sank a dagger of a 3 with a minute remaining to ensure the Wolves would leave victorious. Telfair, added insult to injury when he hit a buzzer beater to end the game, rather than just dribble out the clock. Telfair went 3/3 in 5 minutes, after complaints about not being given a fair run given the youth of the Wolves PG brigade.
Lebron James scored 25 points, but in the end his inefficient scoring proved costly (and yet was the only reason the Heat were in the game) hitting only 11 of 28 shots.
Once again Martell Webster proved the spark off the bench hitting a team high 19 points, while Love added 13 and Bledsoe 10 to follow his 30 point effort against the Grizzlies. Tomorrow the Wolves face the Magic, yet another test of where they are headed this season.
Nov 2, 2010 - MIN at MIA | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (2-1) | 24 | 20 | 26 | 23 | 93 |
Miami Heat (3-1) | 25 | 20 | 24 | 15 | 84 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 24 | 4-7 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
Isaiah Rider | 26 | 4-11 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Michael Beasley | 26 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Kevin Love | 28 | 6-11 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Anthony Randolph | 26 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 19 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Martell Webster | 17 | 8-17 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
Wesley Johnson | 11 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Eric Bledsoe | 16 | 4-9 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
Nikola Pekovic | 5 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Marquis Daniels | 2 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Sebastian Telfair | 5 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
TEAM TOTALS | 40-80 | 6-22 | 7-9 | 35 | 28 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 93 |
Video Highlights here http://youtu.be/HfHGi5jhyKo.
Season Record: 3-1.
An aside... I am continuing to adjust sliders to try and make it more even and realistic... I don't know if I am winning simply because I am playing against teams that cannot cover my strengths... will know for sure after a trip to Florida to take on the Heat and Magic. Feel like the CPU is not hitting enough trey's or going to the line enough, so I tweaked sliders slightly. Will continue to monitor as I aim for a truly competitive association.
Eric Bledsoe Starred for the Wolves
Oct 30th, 2010 The Wolves entered the back end of a double header facing their first away game against the Memphis Grizzlies and their strong core of Gasol, Randolph, Gay, Mayo and Conley. The Wolves starters were clearly sluggish and allowed the Grizzlies to set the pace early. With 4 minutes to go in the quarter Rambis subbed in Eric Bledsoe the young backup to Flynn for a little spark. Bledsoe duly responded pilfering two balls and slamming both home on the fast break, before also finishing off a third fast break in a stirring minute and a half of defensive action for the Wolves, giving them the lead. Rudy Gay and Memphis responded, ensuring the deficit was only three going into the second period.
With Flynn struggling, Rambis once again turned to Bledsoe who combined with Rider to tear Memphis apart in the second period. The Wolves piled on the points as their active defence lead by Bledsoe and Anthony Randolph (5 blocks on the night) brought the Grizzlies offence to a grinding halt. The Wolves piled on 33 to 20 in the second to take a commanding 16 point lead into half time.
While the Grizzlies, lead by Rudy Gay who scored 28 points and grabbed 9 rebounds fought hard, they were just no match for the Timberwolves in the end. A Tight third quarter was followed by an absolute shellacking in the fourth as the Wolves ran away comfortable winners. GM Aj Stuart was happy to see a young player (in Bledsoe) step up to take some limelight. The Wolves will have a couple days to prepare for their road trip to Florida to face the Heat and Magic in what figures to be a true test of where they stand.
Bledsoe drains a three.
Video Highlights here: http://youtu.be/KSc0nh5PHss
Season Record: 2-1.
Eric Bledsoe Starred for the Wolves
Oct 30th, 2010 The Wolves entered the back end of a double header facing their first away game against the Memphis Grizzlies and their strong core of Gasol, Randolph, Gay, Mayo and Conley. The Wolves starters were clearly sluggish and allowed the Grizzlies to set the pace early. With 4 minutes to go in the quarter Rambis subbed in Eric Bledsoe the young backup to Flynn for a little spark. Bledsoe duly responded pilfering two balls and slamming both home on the fast break, before also finishing off a third fast break in a stirring minute and a half of defensive action for the Wolves, giving them the lead. Rudy Gay and Memphis responded, ensuring the deficit was only three going into the second period.
With Flynn struggling, Rambis once again turned to Bledsoe who combined with Rider to tear Memphis apart in the second period. The Wolves piled on the points as their active defence lead by Bledsoe and Anthony Randolph (5 blocks on the night) brought the Grizzlies offence to a grinding halt. The Wolves piled on 33 to 20 in the second to take a commanding 16 point lead into half time.
While the Grizzlies, lead by Rudy Gay who scored 28 points and grabbed 9 rebounds fought hard, they were just no match for the Timberwolves in the end. A Tight third quarter was followed by an absolute shellacking in the fourth as the Wolves ran away comfortable winners. GM Aj Stuart was happy to see a young player (in Bledsoe) step up to take some limelight. The Wolves will have a couple days to prepare for their road trip to Florida to face the Heat and Magic in what figures to be a true test of where they stand.
Bledsoe drains a three.
Oct 30, 2010 - MIN at MEM | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Minnesota Timberwolves (1-1) | 25 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 119 |
Memphis Grizzlies (1-1) | 22 | 20 | 32 | 19 | 93 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 23 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Isaiah Rider | 24 | 16-23 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
Michael Beasley | 25 | 6-9 | 0-1 | 4-4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
Kevin Love | 25 | 3-6 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Anthony Randolph | 25 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 18 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
Martell Webster | 10 | 2-7 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Wesley Johnson | 14 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Eric Bledsoe | 19 | 11-17 | 2-4 | 6-6 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 30 |
Nikola Pekovic | 13 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Marquis Daniels | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Sebastian Telfair | 5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
TEAM TOTALS | 50-83 | 6-16 | 13-15 | 33 | 41 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 119 |
Video Highlights here: http://youtu.be/KSc0nh5PHss
Season Record: 2-1.
Rider slams one home with authority
October 29th, 2010 and the young pups host Andrew Bogut and the Bucks. The onus was on the Wolves to start strong and stay strong, with many pundits fearing an onslaught from the Bucks who appeared to have more experience and a dominant big man to trouble the young bigs in Randolph and Jordan for Minnesota. Coach Kurt Rambis also felt the foul drawing capacity of Corey Maggette may put pressure on the front court of the young Wolves team.
Wolves General Manager AJ Stuart felt much trepidation leading into the match, but this went away after a first quarter onslaught started by Michael Beasley and matched by star recruit Isaiah Rider. Offensively the Wolves were on fire and defensively they were forcing turnovers, but second year guard Jonny Flynn was found wanting when pushing the tempo from the turnovers, often giving the ball straight back early on. Flynn reached his turnover total of 3 in the first quarter.
Once the Wolves slowed the tempo down after forcing turnovers, the offensive possessions were made to count and the Wolves led by 32 to 19 after the first. Milwaukee seemed to be lax in defence and not functioning on offence and failing to take advantage of Bogut's experience. This continued for the entire game leaving a lot of questions as the Bucks start their season 0 and 2.
For the Wolves though, Rider stamped his authority on the game top scoring with 26. Flynn and Bledsoe both racked up double figures in assists while Martell Webster scored 25 off the bench to steal player of the game honors.
Oct 29, 2010 MIL at MIN | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Milwaukee Bucks (0-1) | 19 | 23 | 16 | 26 | 84 |
Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1) | 32 | 27 | 25 | 29 | 113 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 23 | 4-7 | 1-3 | 4-4 | 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Isaiah Rider | 26 | 11-18 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 |
Michael Beasley | 25 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
Kevin Love | 28 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Anthony Randolph | 25 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 20 | 5-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
Martell Webster | 20 | 10-16 | 5-6 | 0-1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
Wesley Johnson | 11 | 4-6 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
Eric Bledsoe | 14 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Nikola Pekovic | 6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Marquis Daniels | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sebastian Telfair | 4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
TEAM TOTALS | 46-75 | 10-16 | 11-12 | 36 | 37 | 10 | 6 | 12 | 113 |
Highlight Video here: http://youtu.be/4XBFkc6jUUw
Season Record: 1-1.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
The Wolves hosted the Kings on opening night with high expectations on the season. The fans finally felt like the Wolves had a GM that cared about winning and who was actually capable of making some smart moves. It was time to run with the pack.
Rider debuts for Wolves
The Kings, like the Wolves have a pretty young core and some growing stars in Evans and Cousins. The Wolves anticipated a tough match up and the Kings didn't let them down, with Tyreke Evans doing pretty much anything he wanted, no matter the defense that was placed in front of him.
In what was a back and forth match with no team leading by more than 8 points at any stage, the Wolves managed to take a lead late in the fourth only to watch it crumble in spite of the best efforts of Martell Webster who scored an incredible 32 points in only 15 minutes shooting 8/10 from beyond the arc. Evans scored 32 of his own and that was enough to land him player of the game as the Wolves lost a heartbreaker 111-112.
Webster with the putback
Game Highlights can be found here: http://youtu.be/eJScoZwFbek
Season Record: 0 - 1.
Rider debuts for Wolves
The Kings, like the Wolves have a pretty young core and some growing stars in Evans and Cousins. The Wolves anticipated a tough match up and the Kings didn't let them down, with Tyreke Evans doing pretty much anything he wanted, no matter the defense that was placed in front of him.
In what was a back and forth match with no team leading by more than 8 points at any stage, the Wolves managed to take a lead late in the fourth only to watch it crumble in spite of the best efforts of Martell Webster who scored an incredible 32 points in only 15 minutes shooting 8/10 from beyond the arc. Evans scored 32 of his own and that was enough to land him player of the game as the Wolves lost a heartbreaker 111-112.
Webster with the putback
Game Highlights can be found here: http://youtu.be/eJScoZwFbek
Oct 27, 2010 - SAC at MIN | |||||
TEAM | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
Sacramento Kings (0 - 0) | 30 | 25 | 26 | 31 | 112 |
Minnesota Timberwolves (0 - 0) | 31 | 24 | 31 | 25 | 111 |
Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Beno Udrih | 21 | 8 | |||||||||
Tyreke Evans | 32 | 32 | |||||||||
Francisco Garcia | 29 | 15 | |||||||||
Jason Thompson | 32 | 15 | |||||||||
Demarcus Cousins | 19 | 7 | |||||||||
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS | |
Marcus Thornton | 26 | 15 | |||||||||
Samuel Dalembert | 22 | 12 | |||||||||
Hassan Whiteside | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
J. Taylor | 7 | 2 | |||||||||
Anthony Tolliver | 5 | 2 | |||||||||
Omri Casspi | 8 | 0 | |||||||||
Donte Greene | -- DID NOT PLAY -- | ||||||||||
TEAM TOTALS | 48-85 | 2-15 | 14-14 | 33 | 29 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 112 |
Minnesota Timberwolves | ||||||||||
STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Jonny Flynn | 24 | 5-10 | 2-4 | 2-2 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 14 |
Isaiah Rider | 25 | 5-10 | 0-1 | 3-4 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
Michael Beasley | 25 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 4-4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Kevin Love | 24 | 6-7 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
Anthony Randolph | 23 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 5-6 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 |
BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PTS |
Deandre Jordan | 19 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Martell Webster | 15 | 12-18 | 8-10 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 |
Wesley Johnson | 17 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Eric Bledsoe | 14 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
Nikola Pekovic | 13 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Marquis Daniels | 4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sebastian Telfair | 3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
TEAM TOTALS | 40-70 | 13-20 | 18-23 | 30 | 33 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 111 |
Season Record: 0 - 1.
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