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Tireder is a word because I'm too tired for it not to be a word. Ok then.
So. That went about as well as you'd expect for the second game of a back to back against a superior team after playing overtime the night before.
Only two things really even worth mentioning.
One, we made enough of a 'comeback' (as it were...) in the fourth to scare McHale into putting his starters back in. It's ok Kevin. Rick Adelman knows that feeling.
Two, of course, was Gorgui Dieng. In just his third career start, Dieng posted a monster 22 points, 21 rebound, 4 assist line, taking full advantage of Rubio's creativity and Houston's defense chasing Love around. Thanks in large part to him grabbing just about every rebound to be had early on, the Wolves were able to build a quick lead in the first quarter before exhaustion/indifference/Bad Barea caught up to them. And while most of the team threw it in in the second half, Dieng powered on. Hell, he even hit 10 of his 11 foul shots. No hack-a-Dieng here.
My only disappointment was he fell one assist shy of a 20-20-5 line. I was counting on that as a moral victory. Now I must get over the trauma of having no victory at all. Someone don't call Britta.
Considering this is just his third start ever...and only the 10th or 11th time he's even gotten real minutes at all....Dieng's performance tonight is quite something to ponder. He's outpacing the rookie learning curve at Usain Bolt speed. And he's showing court vision, timing, and touch for the game that puts his success firmly beyond just being a guy with a lot of energy that other team's haven't been able to scout yet.
With the Wolves all but eliminated from the playoffs this point, I say sit Pekovic for last 3 weeks and just roll with Dieng. See what he can be. I've said it all season and I believe it more than ever now: there's a Marc Gasol in the guy. The sooner the Wolves can figure out if that's really true or not, the better. A rookie-contract center who can play 30 minutes a night and put up 12-10-3 would give this team flexibility it otherwise doesn't have.
Wolves return home SUnday for a game against Phoenix that could have massive implications for both teams, even if neither make the playoffs. The drama.
Also, let it never be said I did not hawk Community to you guys enough. Dean Pelton dressed as a snack bar rapping about paycheck delays and white oppression? Check
.