Does anyone else want to just fast forward to next season? Whether you answer yes or no, I would welcome it. Speed up the development. Get through some important player transactions. Just to put a bandage on the long, slow bleed that has been this franchise for most of it's existence.
The recent stretch of play marks the beginning of the end of the season for the pups. It was fun for like two weeks...
The Wolves Sucked
Headline says it all. I really don't feel like elaborating.
Avoiding Extinction
Win number 20 in 53 tries. Getting 10 more over the final 29 is certainly feasible. But that's not the story right now. Getting a good win over a good team is.
Wiggins and Towns continued to produce the way that they have since the third corner of their triangle went down. Of no small significance is the fact that it came in a winning effort this time. The single biggest play that Andrew made was the pass to Tyus Jones to get the clinching three point basket. More then any one play though, the Timberwolves got the victory because they clamped down on defense enough to hold the Raptors to only 46 points in the second half - after allowing 63 in the first half.
What impact Lance Stephenson had on the game wasn't clear just now but any good he can do on a ten day contract will be a bonus. Tyus getting a bunch of minutes in the fourth quarter short of another injury was surprising. But it worked. If it is indeed another sign that Thibs is starting to press the right buttons with this team then things will keep improving, even as bad as the last several games have been. It leaves us all wondering whether he press the trade button at all. My gut says no, but as well as Shabazz is playing right now, I wouldn't be shocked if he sold high on him.
So many tenticles. All unintended. The Timberwolves avoided playoff extinction for one more game and in so doing got closer to the feasible goal.
Black Magic Brows
Anthony Davis either really dislikes Minnesota or is just very committed to showing up his fellow Wildcat big man. I would be shocked if he has higher averages against any other team in the association. He's a great player, that's not a subtle jab at him - it just seems like he goes off big each the Pels and Wolves face off.
KAT matched him admirably for the first quarter and I would still wager that he'll be the better player at the 5 year mark. Health could become the career differentiator for the two great players.
The defense for the Wolves was abysmal, again. I hope that Thibs has a strong heart and does what it takes to stay "healthy" or this team may cause a cardiac event. Allowing 61 normally would have all but sealed it in the first half. Minnesota matched them for the first 30 minutes and lead by four. The second half went the way that coach T would have wanted, if he were the coach for New Orleans. But he's not. His team gave up another 61 points in the second half while only managing to put in 41 points.
It was a second half loss like we haven't seen in like a month, if memory serves.
Offensively speaking, the starters held their own - tallying 97 points. 9 points in nearly 66 minutes of bench time is a sickening number. It is unfortunate ammunition for T to limit his usage of the reserves.
The story is the defense though. The story's going to keep being the defense. No more excuses.