Wolves Lose at Home to Cavs
LeBron James played huge in the 4th quarter and KG looked a little worn out. That essentially was the difference. The Wolves gave KG a few good looks in the 4th, but he shot 1 for 5. He came up short on 2 short jumpers from the lane, missed one turnaround, and was blocked by Ilgauskas on an up and under layup attempt in the final minute. He had to have been tired. He finished the game with 18 boards and 6 assists and switched onto LeBron James several times in the period. He also finished the game having played 45 minutes.
LeBron on the other hand, was huge down the stretch. He'd shot poorly all game, but in the 4th was almost unstoppable. He hit a big 3, a tough turnaround at the shot clock buzzer over Trenton, and he drove the lane for a clenching layup in the final minute. He also picked up a few assists in the fourth with big Z, Damon Jones, and Donyell Marshall also hitting shots. LeBron played 46 minutes, one more than KG, but seemed fresher down the stretch. He finished with 11 boards and 8 assists.
The only real problem spot for the Wolves in this game was the end of the third quarter. This was when LeBron started to get hot after starting the game 5 for 17 or something. Naturally, everyone became more focused on LeBron, especially when he went towards the basket. There were some hard double-teams and some cheating overs, but the Wolves had poor defensive rotation and left spot up shooters, Marshall and Jones, wide open to nail 3 pointers. Cleveland outscored Minnesota by 10 in the period, primarily because of that late flurry.
The only other numbers that jump out from this game are Ricky Davis' 29 shot attempts (does he need to take that many shots?), Mark Blounts 1 rebound in 12 minutes (is he really that bad of a rebounder?), Marko Jaric's 0 minutes via DNPCD (is he that far into the doghouse after starting the first 40+ games?), and Anthony Carter's 19 minutes and 6 assists. On the Carter numbers, it really seemes that he's the best Wolves guard at distributing the ball to KG and Ricky Davis. Marcus Banks id explosive and can score, but he's prone to mistakes and defensive lapses. A few plays that I remember include him not going hard after a ball on the ground near Ilgauskas, and him gambling for a steal that led to an open 3 pointer. Both were in the 4th quarter and both were costly. I know Carter and Banks are both short, but it might be interesting to try the lineup of KG, RD, Trenton Hassell, Banks, and AC for stretches. Seems like enough good guards in the NBa are uncomfortable backing a smaller player down that the Wolves wouldn't give up too many easy opportunities on defense. And I think that would be a terrific scoring unit.
This loss was bad because we need all the wins we can get. But the effort was there, and for the most part, so was the execution. It's good to know that even with KG being slowed offensively in the 4th, the Wolves were still hanging around. Oh well, Friday's game should be a good one.
PS - I blame myself for the loss. I was supposed to watch at home, but decided to do something else for the first half and watch only the second half. When I arrived, the Wolves led by 10 in the third quarter. They immediately lost that lead and Cleveland went on the previously mentioned run to lose the third, and the Wolves never led again. I blame myself for trying to just jump in for the good part. It won't happen again. Sorry guys.
LeBron on the other hand, was huge down the stretch. He'd shot poorly all game, but in the 4th was almost unstoppable. He hit a big 3, a tough turnaround at the shot clock buzzer over Trenton, and he drove the lane for a clenching layup in the final minute. He also picked up a few assists in the fourth with big Z, Damon Jones, and Donyell Marshall also hitting shots. LeBron played 46 minutes, one more than KG, but seemed fresher down the stretch. He finished with 11 boards and 8 assists.
The only real problem spot for the Wolves in this game was the end of the third quarter. This was when LeBron started to get hot after starting the game 5 for 17 or something. Naturally, everyone became more focused on LeBron, especially when he went towards the basket. There were some hard double-teams and some cheating overs, but the Wolves had poor defensive rotation and left spot up shooters, Marshall and Jones, wide open to nail 3 pointers. Cleveland outscored Minnesota by 10 in the period, primarily because of that late flurry.
The only other numbers that jump out from this game are Ricky Davis' 29 shot attempts (does he need to take that many shots?), Mark Blounts 1 rebound in 12 minutes (is he really that bad of a rebounder?), Marko Jaric's 0 minutes via DNPCD (is he that far into the doghouse after starting the first 40+ games?), and Anthony Carter's 19 minutes and 6 assists. On the Carter numbers, it really seemes that he's the best Wolves guard at distributing the ball to KG and Ricky Davis. Marcus Banks id explosive and can score, but he's prone to mistakes and defensive lapses. A few plays that I remember include him not going hard after a ball on the ground near Ilgauskas, and him gambling for a steal that led to an open 3 pointer. Both were in the 4th quarter and both were costly. I know Carter and Banks are both short, but it might be interesting to try the lineup of KG, RD, Trenton Hassell, Banks, and AC for stretches. Seems like enough good guards in the NBa are uncomfortable backing a smaller player down that the Wolves wouldn't give up too many easy opportunities on defense. And I think that would be a terrific scoring unit.
This loss was bad because we need all the wins we can get. But the effort was there, and for the most part, so was the execution. It's good to know that even with KG being slowed offensively in the 4th, the Wolves were still hanging around. Oh well, Friday's game should be a good one.
PS - I blame myself for the loss. I was supposed to watch at home, but decided to do something else for the first half and watch only the second half. When I arrived, the Wolves led by 10 in the third quarter. They immediately lost that lead and Cleveland went on the previously mentioned run to lose the third, and the Wolves never led again. I blame myself for trying to just jump in for the good part. It won't happen again. Sorry guys.
posted by Big Ticket Fan at 9:12 PM
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