GameThread #21: @ Toronto
by wyn on Dec 8, 2009 5:30 PM CST
244 comments
Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto Raptors, Dec 8, 2009 6:00 PM CST
The Raptors will be wearing Toronto Huskies throwbacks tonight in honor of the team that played the first NBA game ever against the Knicks in 1946.
Tonight is the Wolves' 3rd shot at their 1st winning streak this season. In John Hollinger's Playoff Odds article today, he put the Wolves "best" projected finish at 36-46, with their predicted finish at 18-64. With Kevin Love's return, though, this Wolves team looks completely reenergized after stumbling through a terrible start.
The Raptors are 4-6 in their last 10 games and site at 9-13 overall, which is good enough for 2nd place in the Atlantic. After a busy offseason (the Raptors were the only team with more new players on opening day than the Wolves), the Raptors were thinking Finals. But after a mediocre start, convincing Chris Bosh that Toronto is a place he can win has likely moved to the top of Bryan Colangelo's priorities.
See Raptors HQ for our opponents' points of view.
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Yep..this one isn't on TV folks...
in the Twin-Cities Metro Area…But it is on League pass..i’m looking for a stream guys…
P.S. Everybody in the southern Part of the State stay safe…I type this from my lawn char relaxing in this Steaming Hot -5 degree weather we have :)
Winnable game
If any team plays even less defense than we do, it’s the Raptors.
Just gotta make sure somebody chases Bargnani all the way out to the arc.
It's weird
but I’m actually kind of excited about this game. For the first time this season I’m going into a game thinking maybe we could win.
That pick & roll...
doesn’t work so well when the defender drops under the screen. Flynn will need to expand his game a little bit. Those ball-stopping possessions with him dribbling around behind the screener are not good.
flynn
when are we going to start seeing some proof of kahn’s post-draft comments that jonny will be a “tremendous on-ball defender.” it seems every team has been abusing him on the defensive end. he has improved since the debacle with leaving rondo wide open a number of times, but still a long ways to go…
Love Getting Out on the Break
Didn’t see that last year at all!
Oh, Calderon's not playing
We might actually have a bench advantage since Jack is starting. When’s the last time we had that?
I don't like this Kevin Love/Amir Johnson matchup
Shades of the Love/Ty Thomas matchup from preseason…
Love + 3 pt. attempts = not there to crash the glass...
…i’m not a fan…
…
when he misses.
woops. long 2...
i’m just gonna stop typing.
Kevin Love
8 Points
3 Rebounds
1 Assists
1 Steals
0 Turnovers
All in less than 6 minutes of court time. Love is a winner.
Bargnani
Tough cover man. They are doing the right thing by making him put it on the floor, but he’s got some decent quicks and handles.
Yeah he's come a long way...
he used to seem pretty soft. He’s much-more aggressive with the ball in his hands.
Love is getting to the free throw line
That’s what’s keeping us in this one right now.
We need the rest of the team to start hitting shots though. Last thing we want is it to become a shootout between Love and Bosh.
Jefferson needs to do more of what he just did
stop throwing up these long push shots where there is zero chance of getting fouled.
I love watching Marcus Banks practice his craft
for the other team.
Ya, they dodged a bullet here
He’s been pretty bad this year.
It’s just to bad for Portland that they wasted that money on a player who’s been equally bad…
you gotta hand it to Hollinger
even though he has the Wolves and the Nets ending up tied for the bottom, he’s got New Jersey winning the coin flip already.
the puppy chow cup
wolves v. huskies
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
I think it's Jack Armstrong
Up in Seattle, they broadcast Raptors games on the CBC, and I agree, he’s not too shabby.
Random draft comment
There’s no way Greg Monroe is the 13th best draft prospect (where Ford currently has him). He looks like a combo of Love and Jefferson tonight. Not sure why Ed Davis gets more Love than Monroe — nowhere near the all-around skills, and not as good of a body, either.
It's because Davis is athletic and has the potential to make GMs think he can be way better soon
Monroe is ultra skilled, but more or less a finished product, at least by the traditional means of measuring such things
I agree though that Monroe doesn't get the hype he deserves
And personally I think Davis is being overrated right now. Derrick Favors is the big man everyone should be talking about.
Monroe looks quite a bit better than last year...
at least in this game. I bet he goes before Davis, when the full season of work is behind these guys.
Does Monroe still not try hard? That was the knock on him last year, and is a quick way for a skilled 6’11 guy to drop his stock.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
I guess that was the knock on him. This is the first I’ve seen of him this year, but he’s a bigtime force in this game. His size, post game and passing ability are pretty tough. Also, he took a 3 with nice form on his shot — so he’s pretty much doing a little of everything tonight.
So if we've already fallen apart by the second quarter...
… does that mean we won’t have a third quarter collapse? >_>
You were a daydreamer, a sass-mouth, and, not infrequently, a bit of a gigglepuss. Somehow I doubt twenty years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve that.
by Kevin Loves McHale's Navy on Dec 8, 2009 7:21 PM CST reply actions
From David Thorpe's Twitter account
“Kevin Love is a rebounding demon version of Brad Miller. He’s shooting 3’s with confidence, and having success.”
What next?
What are our other options. Because all the links at the top lead back here.
I would recommend a heated discussion
about the ancestry of the NBA maroons who do their best to keep the games locked up as leverage to sell cable packages.
Followed by a discussing as to which Bugs Bunny cartoon you pulled 'maroon' from...
… which would likely lead to discussion about the term’s rather offensive etymological roots.
You were a daydreamer, a sass-mouth, and, not infrequently, a bit of a gigglepuss. Somehow I doubt twenty years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve that.
by Kevin Loves McHale's Navy on Dec 8, 2009 7:42 PM CST up reply actions
ok, we get it, announcer guy #1
you think announcer guy #2 was alive during the inaugural huskie game. it was funny the first time. maybe even the second. now it’s just annoying.
You were a daydreamer, a sass-mouth, and, not infrequently, a bit of a gigglepuss. Somehow I doubt twenty years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve that.
by Kevin Loves McHale's Navy on Dec 8, 2009 7:48 PM CST up reply actions
Oh, I know.
I was just looking for an excuse to post that rather hilarious picture.
You were a daydreamer, a sass-mouth, and, not infrequently, a bit of a gigglepuss. Somehow I doubt twenty years of amphetamines and failure have done anything to improve that.
by Kevin Loves McHale's Navy on Dec 8, 2009 7:49 PM CST up reply actions
Jefferson Openly Pouting on the Court
When he doesn’t get the ball. Don’t care if Flynn missed him or not, his attitude is dreadful, especially if you’re a rookie trying to play the toughest position on the court
by Son of Gerald Green on Dec 8, 2009 7:49 PM CST reply actions
seriously, why doesn't rambis chew al's ass for that
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 7:49 PM CST up reply actions
there's no excuse
for throwing a tantrum like that on the court just because you were missed on one pass. lord knows al hogs the ball enough, in spite of double and triple teams.
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 7:52 PM CST up reply actions
We're getting rocked by Chris Bosh
Guy with that much talent? He’s gone by next year. Wade and Bosh are gonna start winning rings in Miami, that’s my prediction.
indeed
seriously, why doesn’t rambis chew al’s ass for that
Can’t do that, Jeff is our “leader”. What a joke
by Son of Gerald Green on Dec 8, 2009 7:51 PM CST reply actions
LBJ and Kobe do that plenty...
especially when their teams weren’t so good. Ever see the looks Drew Gooden would get from LeBron?
if you are comparing Al to Kobe and LeBron
I don’t know how to take that seriously.
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 7:53 PM CST up reply actions
God I love Klove’s rebounding abilities. There are so few guys in the league who have rebounding skills that could actually be described as such, and he’s one of them.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
I mean, what does he get, a solid 4 FT attempts a game just off of fouls he draws underneath the hoop on over the backs? That’s HUGE!
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
I would put up with it if Jefferson had half their talent
obviously
by Son of Gerald Green on Dec 8, 2009 7:54 PM CST reply actions
Big Al/K-Love
Is it too early to say the K-Love has a better chance than Al of being on this team long term?
by TWolvesFanInLA on Dec 8, 2009 7:58 PM CST up reply actions
No, it's not
Even Jerry Zgoda’s convinced Love is here to stay
Question is, who do you pair him with in the frontcourt? He’s a unique player, but not a go-to one.
take Zgoda with a grain of salt, however
i would trust a 13-year girl’s opinion over Zgoda’s unequivocal “hunches.”
and yes, i am salty tonight.
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:02 PM CST up reply actions
i'm not disagreeing with this "hunch"
just sayin’
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:04 PM CST up reply actions
I was just thinking that...
Need an athletic, legit center…but how many are there in the league? Howard, Bynum??? I don’t think Cole A is the right fit.
by TWolvesFanInLA on Dec 8, 2009 8:03 PM CST up reply actions
nice
nice run to end the 3rd quarter
by DedicatedFollowerOfFashion on Dec 8, 2009 7:59 PM CST reply actions
great end of the third quarter
nice love sessions.
because for every pech that gets on the floor, there is a rasho
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:00 PM CST up reply actions
Toronto can't play defense
All year they’ve been prone to giving up leads. The real question might be why are we even behind, because it’s nothing more than our own poor shooting that’s hurting us
Can't stick with this lineup...
even if they finished the 3rd well. Hollins last post move should be all Rambis needs to see.
All night..
Toronto has been throwing their bodies around, getting calls. It’s not Monta Ellis body-hunting, it’s just reckless. They shouldn’t be getting so many whistles, in my opinion.
Right now, I'd like them to break the 2:1 free throw advantage
But breaking their streak would be nice too :-)
Would we not be the best rebounding team in the league
with a starting lineup of Sessions/Wilkins/Gomes/Love/Jefferson?
And really its probably one of our better offensive lineups too.
Love better get going
because he is absolutely not allowed to have the same number of rebounds as Damien Wilkins in roughly the same amount of time.
thus far our best defense has been toronto's offense
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:17 PM CST up reply actions
shouldn't the ball have a trail of flames as it leaves his hands?
damn that was a sweet game.
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:18 PM CST up reply actions
Remember out last "Fourt Quarterer"?
I hope it sticks beyond this year
Why are they not isoing Bosh on every play? He’s ridiculous.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
you what else about bosh is ridiculous?
his hairdo.
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:21 PM CST up reply actions
I think our defense against him
Should have consisted of our players being covered in mud as to appear invisible through heat-vision.
Especially against us
This is ultimately why either Love or Jefferson has to go. Anytime we face an athletic big man, we get killed
Is there an end of the year award for the player who most looks like a hobo? I’m penciling Reggie Evans in as winner for the past, well, however long he’s been in the league. Get some braces dude, you’re a millionaire.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
sadly, i went to iowa when he was there and was a "stud"
and luke recker was a complete douchebag
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:23 PM CST up reply actions
42 FTAs on 26 fouls
unbelievable. Is it possible to win a game when your opponent makes more than twice as may FTs than you attempt?
Because there are no fours.
Toine
fair enough
but corey was a tad too out of control for my liking
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:26 PM CST up reply actions
zz
“Chance to tie or take the lead for MN” and Corey’s dribbling the ball up court. I cringe. Corey makes a retarded pass that somehow gets tipped and yet goes to Toronto.
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
he looked good..
…for the first 15 or so games (and “good” being used in a relative sense) and has really fallen off a cliff here lately.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
What are your odds that Brewer is here beyond the trade deadline
I’m say less than 40% chance Brewer in a Wolf in March. He gets traded to a contender in need of a defensive player, or to Memphis in a Gay package.
Think Brewer might be hurting?
He really hasn’t gotten much PT the last couple games and he also seems to have dropped off at the same time. Not even bad play, just less noticeable. As long as he plays defense like he can, I would take tonights line on most nights.
We just need a better support system for him on defense
He’s an island out there. Great perimeter defense gets lost on a team that can’t defend the paint.
rookie mistake
now we gotta keep them shooting jumpers — these refs are doing us no favors under the basket
Yay for frozen crunch time streams!
When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.
Don't worry
you didn’t miss much. Just a 3 point swing.
Damn..
…this was there for the taking.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Nice highlights of the last time we be the Raps...
…featuring Spree, Cassell, Madsen, and KG.
Just got here, had to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas with the kids
How on earth could a computer simulation give the Wolves any possibility of winning 36 games this season, that’s better than .500 the rest of the season.
Must be borrowng the BCS computer models.
I wonder if the Raps..
….can finish the game with 20 more FTAs than the Wolves.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
In fairness...
The wolves shouldn’t even be in this game. I’ll take a tough loss like this over the crap we had to deal with two weeks ago
Toronto is always going to make them look bad.
Bosh and Bargnani is exactly the type of frontcourt duo that Al and Love have no chance at defending.
How much faith does it take?
All he has to do is shoot threes better than Corey.
Because there are no fours.
Toine
corey...
…fubard the defense on that 3 attempt.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
www.canishoopus.com
Takes a lot more faith to put him in in crunch time
and 20mpg or so for the last few.
i still think...
…the nba needs to give out an offensive foul on any play where an offensive player jumps into a defender like what jack did. plus a delay of game.
Forever splitting the Cheechakos from the Sourdoughs
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that rule
would cause Kobe and Pierce to foul out of every game. I’d be complteley in favor of it.
HEY!
My pet issue! I totally agree, it’s absolutely ludicrous to call defenders for a foul when a guy jumps into them intentionally. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I feel like it’s happened more and more as time has gone on, though others have disagreed with me.
jonny also has to learn
some sense of urgency in the closing minute of a game. too slow dribbling around and juking at the top of the key with less than 20 seconds to go.
Why was Brewer out there in the 4th?
I get that Ellington’s shot wasn’t there tonight, but still.
speaking of wayne
has anyone else noticed that the release on his shot isn’t all that speedy?
by BVP on Dec 8, 2009 8:43 PM CST up reply actions
I'd like to know..Why Kahn traded Richardson?
Did he really think a SF would work in a Shooting guard position..Ridiculous.
Let's assess our wins from tonight
Our opposition shot 32.1%! Don’t know how much of that was us… but it happened!
Flynn has had yet another game with a nice A/TO ratio.
Love with 7FTA
Brewer’s usage rate is going down to what it should be around
Jefferson had another decent rebounding night and also only 1 TO
Pecherov had a tremendous rebounding game again
Well, Love is a great rebounder, but...
He got worked on the glass tonight by Bosh. And on defense. Toronto obviously made a point of telling Bosh to get to the glass first.
what were his 5 tos about?
Did he just have a few instances of bad luck to go with one or two truly bad decisions? or did he try to make a few too many heroic outlet passes?
by oblivionspocket on Dec 9, 2009 8:23 AM CST up reply actions
Stat of the game ....
FTA: Raptors 48 to Wolves 23
I just don't get
why we signed Sessions to have him do this. I guess we’ll definitely find out what we have with Jonny, which we need to do at some point to figure out the Blond Ricky situation. No “well, he never got starter’s minutes so who knows what his deal is.”
And I'm sure it was discussed at the time
but man, that pass at the end was unbelievably bad. But it’s the sort of thing where you clap unnecessarily hard in encouragement and say “rookie mistake, rookie mistake, keep your head up” and continue clapping for a couple more seconds, trailing off a bit at the end, before swearing. He’ll figure out not to do stuff like that.
How much longer
before we can make Sessions the starter? Every game this happens.
And it’s not like Flynn as the backup would be that bad. He’d go against shorter, inferior competition, and wouldn’t have to pass as much as we wish he would as a starter.
Sessions: +10 in 16 minutes. Jonny -16 in 32 minutes.
Jonny was never on the floor without Chris Bosh on the floor as well. Ramon got every minute on the floor that Bosh wasn’t there. Mystery solved.
exactly right
Sessions happened to be the PG on the floor when Bosh, Jack, DeRozan, and Turkey Glue sat. The Wolves went 11-1 during that time, but that had little to do with Sessions and lots to do with the Raptors bench.
On a somewhat positive note...
the Bobcats beat Denver tonight. Come on Charlotte – we want that pick!
Grizz
Memphis edged Cleveland tonight behind 60 points from OJ & Z-Bo. They are putting all that volume scoring to good use, having won 8 of their last 12, including wins over the Cavs, Mavs and Blazers (pre-Oden injury). Not bad.
Rudy Gay was the guy that made it happen too
Hit the tying basket for Memphis, then forced LeBron into an airball at the buzzer.
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