Random 2nd half real time thoughts posing as a game wrap below the thread.
OK folks, we'll try something different tonight. With 6:00 minutes to go in the 3rd the score is 61-55 in favor of the good guys. Let's do this.
5:08- Wes Johnson with the hustle turnover. You don't see too many of these.
4:40- Zach Randolph has no clue what to do with Love near the perimeter. In the lane, he's good to go, but out on the wing...not so much.
3:39- Luke Ridnour with a heat check drive to the lane. After a nifty layup the last time down the court he goes to the well one too many times and is stripped by Mike Conley.
3:19- OK, we have the worst call of the year. Tony Allen is going for the layup and Martell Webster fakes like he is going up to block the shot, draws back, and Allen blows the gimmie. The refs blow the whistle as soon as the ball doesn't go in. Webster maybe laid a hand on Allen's waist. This combined with a non-call on a charge or block on Williams on the previous possession has really changed the tone of the game.
COMMERCIAL BREAK: What character is David Kahn in the Wolves' new Kevin Love/magical beast commercial? I'm not sure how I feel about a unicorn in a commercial about a non-Rubio Timberwolf.
3:05- Memphis could not be happier letting Ridnour jack up as many shots as possible.
2:42- Is there any bigger dude who goes up softer than Derrick Williams? (Outside of Darko, that is.) He just doesn't seem to have any ability to absorb contact and finish the play when he gets hit in the air. Love to the bench....here's hoping the Wolves can maintain a 5 point lead until the end of the quarter.
0:34- Annnnnnnndddd...there goes the lead.
0:05- I wish we could find out what the FG% is for Luke's running floaters. I wish we could see more running gloaters.
COMMERCIAL BREAK: I like my iPad as much as the next guy but they just upped the screen, right? It is insane how bad this team is without Kevin Love. They're just awful. David Kahn can't possibly be resigned after this, right?
11:42- Even Love cannot overcome the suckiness of the mid range jumper.
11:20- Anthony Tolliver with the worst shot of the game, so far. A 16 foot jumper in transition with 4 defenders back. On the next possession the Griz goes up by 3.
10:05- Another midrange miss from Love. The Wolves have gone completely passive. Movement has tried up and they all seem to be waiting for someone else to make the play. OJ Mayo and Malcolm Lee are getting their USC/UCLA battle on.
9:36- OJ Mayo is in full pest mode. He just drew a foul on Love by running in front of him. Well done.
COMMERCIAL BREAK: Whatever you do, don't waste $89 on League Pass for the remainder of the season. That would be stupid.
9:19- This has gotten out of hand in a hurry. Malcolm Lee has no idea what he's doing with the ball. He is being absolutely hounded by Mayo and the offense is doing nothing.
8:38- Love with some garbage points to create offense all by his lonesome. Wait!!! Don't pass the ball to Malcolm Lee. Give it to Loooooooooooveeeeeeeeeee!!!!
ONE MAN TEAM BREAK: NASCAR? How much of do the NBA and NASCAR demographics cross?
7:40- And Lee is gone. Huzzah. He needs a nickname that recalls the Rambis buyout tradeathon.
6:18- Memphis has a better #22.
6:00- Love is eventually going to have a stretch of really bad games. I shudder to think what this team will look like during that period. Ooooh, slow-mo of the last Martell Webster drive. He shoved off, skipped a bit, and turned it over. Wings!
5:48- For the love of everything holy, give the ball to Love. Williams with another weak drive...oh, he was hit in the face. No foul called, the Griz go down to the other end and convert on the 5-4 (with Williams still hurt on the other end). Griz up by 9. Game slipping away. Can the Wolves switch out the Muskies jerseys for the Minnesota Loves?
COMMERCIAL BREAK: Let's take a peak at the box score. OK, that was enough of that.
5:10- Luke now 0-2 on crazy runners in the 2nd half. Just stop already. Give Love the damn ball. Annnnnddd....he hits on the next possession.
4:02- Luke is having one of his "hey, I think I'll kill the team" games. Simply does not have it going tonight and he continues to jack up crazy shots. This time, an awkward 3. He's now 4-12.
3:20- Wolves can't even get Love the ball when they try. This time around, Wayne throws it out of bounds. It's nights like these where I'd swap out the non-Loves for Kentucky. As I write this, Love hits another 3 to pull the Wolves within 8.
2:15- Love gets fouled on the next possession while taking a 3 but no call.
1:33- Wayne Ellington becomes the first non-Love to contribue something positive in ohhhh, 5 or so minutes.
0:51- Ellington misses a 3 that would have made it a single-possession game. Tony Allen grabs the tough rebound and is fouled. He misses the 1st free throw. Makes the 2nd. And we're off to another timeout. This has a college game feel to it.
0:43- Levin Love tackled. Griz ball. 6 point game.
OK, that about does it. This game is done. This loss hurts. Any loss against the Jazz, Houston, or Memphis just guts the team's chances of making the playoffs. The Griz entered this game on a bad stretch of ball and the Wolves were unable to close the deal because Kevin Love can't win games all by his lonesome.
Think about all the resources this team has spent on point guards. Now think about them only having 3 available backcourt ball handlers, 2 of them being deep bench talents. Ugh. Losing 1 guard shouldn't collapse a team's backcourt like this.
Well folks, that about does it.
Until later.