18 - 17, first in Northwest
I went to the game today (yesterday) at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. It was good and bad in several ways, but good in (I suppose) the best way. The Wolves won 96 - 90. I got to the game early and got to see the full shootaround before the game. I wonder how much the performance of a player in shootaround predicts their performance in the upcoming game. KG shot great in shootaround, and shot well in the game. Marko Jaric shot poorly in shootaround but in the game also shot 50%. I'm pretty certain that nobody keeps shootaround statistics (as well they shouldn't) so I can never formally answer this question, but I'll be on the lookout circumstantially at all games I go to from now on.
The actual game was pretty neat. The Wolves led by a little throughout the first half. Then they opened up a double-digit lead in the third quarter before the Knicks trimmed it to 9 to end the period. The Knicks made a big run in the 4th quarter, but the Wolves held them off. Troy Hudson hit big shots, most notably a deep 3 at the end of the shot clock with 7 seconds left and the Wolves clinging to a 2 point lead. That effectively ended the game. Garnett and Wally both played great games.
Rashad McCants got a lot of minutes again, following last Friday's game where he played a lot. McCants hit a few shots but made a few rookie mistakes, letting the shot clock expire without shooting and committing silly offensive fouls. I'm sure he's getting better and I guess he should be playing. It never feels like him being in the game actually helps the team, but I guess he'll be a better player commensurate with the playing time he receives. It makes you wonder, though, if he's getting time because the team is in rebuilding mode or because the teams wants him for the stretch run for the playoffs. I guess it doesn't have to be one or the other.
Olowakandi played only a few minutes and didn't shoot much. I likened his role in this game to that of Bobby Hill as "the Stick" in an episode of King of the Hill. It seemed as if he played just long enough and badly enough to motivate Eddie Griffin to play hard while he was on the floor.
The bad of this game was that Stephon Marbury went down with an apparent shoulder injury during that Knicks run in the 4th quarter. I like Steph -- I think he's a great player and has an unduly harsh reputation as being selfish. I really respect his effort and commitment to changing his game under Larry Brown and I think he's becoming a dominant player both mentally and physically. He went down after a hard screen set by Wally. At the time, I could tell a) he didn't see it coming, and b) Wally was frustrated about something that happened earlier and was releasing some steam or sending a message or something. I didn't think the play was dirty -- or at least no dirtier than any other screen where the screener adds a little umph. I feel bad for Marbury though. Knicks fans have such short tempers and memories and I think if he misses time or plays through the injury at a lower level, they'll turn on him like they did earlier this season. I feel like he was just starting to get their respect and approval and I hope this injury doesn't keep him out or set him back.
The actual game was pretty neat. The Wolves led by a little throughout the first half. Then they opened up a double-digit lead in the third quarter before the Knicks trimmed it to 9 to end the period. The Knicks made a big run in the 4th quarter, but the Wolves held them off. Troy Hudson hit big shots, most notably a deep 3 at the end of the shot clock with 7 seconds left and the Wolves clinging to a 2 point lead. That effectively ended the game. Garnett and Wally both played great games.
Rashad McCants got a lot of minutes again, following last Friday's game where he played a lot. McCants hit a few shots but made a few rookie mistakes, letting the shot clock expire without shooting and committing silly offensive fouls. I'm sure he's getting better and I guess he should be playing. It never feels like him being in the game actually helps the team, but I guess he'll be a better player commensurate with the playing time he receives. It makes you wonder, though, if he's getting time because the team is in rebuilding mode or because the teams wants him for the stretch run for the playoffs. I guess it doesn't have to be one or the other.
Olowakandi played only a few minutes and didn't shoot much. I likened his role in this game to that of Bobby Hill as "the Stick" in an episode of King of the Hill. It seemed as if he played just long enough and badly enough to motivate Eddie Griffin to play hard while he was on the floor.
The bad of this game was that Stephon Marbury went down with an apparent shoulder injury during that Knicks run in the 4th quarter. I like Steph -- I think he's a great player and has an unduly harsh reputation as being selfish. I really respect his effort and commitment to changing his game under Larry Brown and I think he's becoming a dominant player both mentally and physically. He went down after a hard screen set by Wally. At the time, I could tell a) he didn't see it coming, and b) Wally was frustrated about something that happened earlier and was releasing some steam or sending a message or something. I didn't think the play was dirty -- or at least no dirtier than any other screen where the screener adds a little umph. I feel bad for Marbury though. Knicks fans have such short tempers and memories and I think if he misses time or plays through the injury at a lower level, they'll turn on him like they did earlier this season. I feel like he was just starting to get their respect and approval and I hope this injury doesn't keep him out or set him back.
posted by Big Ticket Fan at 11:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home