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Last night wasn't much fun. It just isn't when the shots won't go in. It's worth noting again, though, that five of the Wolves six losses have been by a combined 15 points. Only against Golden State was the team really out of it late.
However, this has been a problem the last couple of nights:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23twolves&src=hash">#twolves</a> entered the week allowing 11 fast break points per game, 4th best in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NBA&src=hash">#NBA</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wizards&src=hash">#wizards</a> scored 33 on 75% shooting, <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23clippers&src=hash">#clippers</a> 25 on 73%.</p>— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) <a href="https://twitter.com/WolvesRadio/statuses/403371996995530752">November 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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I tweeted last night that it seems like our guys wait a beat like they are hoping for a loose ball before heading back down the court. Can't keep doing that. Still, it was much better in the 2nd half.
Here's what Adelman had to say on it:
"Transition D. I've said before it's a lot of what you do offensively. It's your turnovers, some of it is getting back. They are the highest scoring team in the league...It's not just turnovers, it's our execution on offense. We don't have any balance. They are outrunning us and we aren't taking the first 3 or 4 steps. You have to run...
..."It's not execution or taking the quick shot. If Ricky drives to the basket, the other two have to get back, learn from Corey. Because he's going to take off and that's what they do. We've all done that since the first day of camp and we are going to keep working on that."
Kevin Love on his arm:
Q: Was your right arm bothering you, especially in that 4th quarter?
A: Yeah, I got a stinger and then I got hit again. I got a stinger earlier in the game and then got hit in the 3rd quarter. It still felt ok and I just had to find other ways to impact the game.
Moving on.
Trey Burke made his debut for the Jazz last night. Scored 11 points on 5-8 from the field in 12 minutes. That's nine more points than Shabazz Muhammad has on the season.
I present this tweet without comment:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>What could possibly go wrong? "Project next to <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Vikings&src=hash">#Vikings</a> stadium races City Hall leadership change" <a href="http://t.co/MfP9PGwXUU">http://t.co/MfP9PGwXUU</a></p>— David Brauer (@dbrauer) <a href="https://twitter.com/dbrauer/statuses/403376055735435265">November 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Tim Faklis with some advice on Twitter:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>2003-04 Wolves started 5-5, for example. I'm not saying the Wolves are a 100% lock, but the people overreacting need to chill.</p>— Tim Faklis (@timfaklis) <a href="https://twitter.com/timfaklis/statuses/403377820258152449">November 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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As of this writing, the Rockets have hung 100 on the Mavs in three quarters. Dwight Howard is 11-11 from the field....and now the game is over and the Rockets managed to lose, 123-120, as the Mavs blew by them in the 4th. Dwight finished 12-16. Dirk Nowitizki and Monta Ellis combined for 72.
Today is the birth anniversary of Voltaire. Feel free to chime in on that topic. One of the cleverest writers in the Western canon, he was an early advocate of freedom of expression and religious freedoms. Not a fan of the Church. Perhaps best known for Candide, his satirical novella attacking, among other things, the idea of naive optimism.
MLS is expanding to Orlando, along with a 2nd New York area franchise. I commented on this elsewhere, but I wish they would go to a promotion/relegation system. It could work, and would really help build a pro soccer infrastructure in the U.S.
So charges were dropped against the bullies who drove a Florida girl to suicide. This whole story is depressing, though ultimately charging a 12 and 14 year old with crimes wasn't helping anyone. My son just got on Facebook for the first time, and of course who knows what goes on online? I tend to be on the permissive side: he's smart enough to know how to behave. Still, it's a little weird when it reaches the point where you don't know a lot of his friends.
Meanwhile, that cohort seems pretty excited about the opening of the second Hunger Games movie. Anyone else?
No appealing musical birthdays today that I could find, so here is Bach's Invention #11 (G Minor) which my son is playing in a competition this weekend. This is not him playing.
This, as you can see, is an open thread. What's on your mind?