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It's Timberwolves.
This game. This month. This season. It's Timberwolves.
If ever there was a microcosm of Timberwolves existence, this was it. They played badly enough to get booed then played amazing enough to get a standing ovation, then they forced overtime, then a second overtime, then they shot themselves in the foot and lost.
The game...and the season, and the team in general....they're like a hardwood version of Game of Thrones. They show you something promising. Then show you something awful. Then they get your hopes up just enough to crush your soul in a way that nevertheless leaves you impatiently waiting for the next season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>80-70 Jazz after 3. Not an inspiring performance</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456609358067937280">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Martin for 3. Crowd wakes up, realizes it's a 2 point game</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456616370713526273">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Overtime. Wolves' clever plan clear as day now, giving fans free basketball for fan appreciation night</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456618374106071040">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Jazz miss prayer at the buzzer. 119-119 at end of first OT</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456621782074523649">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Burke gets the inbounds by decking Rubio. TC crowd ready to drown someone</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456626554831781890">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Wolves fall 136-130 to Jazz. Postgame stuff to come soon</p>— canishoopus (@canishoopus) <a href="https://twitter.com/canishoopus/statuses/456627127765307393">April 17, 2014</a></blockquote>
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I mean, that's your game summary, right there. Awful first three quarters, comeback storm, two wildly entertaining OTs, then crushing defeat anyway. It was absolutely an appropriate way for this season to end. We earned this. We deserved this.
After the game, you could feel the disappointment coming off Adelman. He wasn't even frustrated really, just....kinda sad. Not the way he wanted the season to go, not the way he wanted it to end. Not the way anyone wanted it to end.
This coming offseason is going to be a doozy for us guys, as the Wolves now face several monsterous questions whos answers will shape the team for possibly the next decade. Is Adelman going to stay? Is Love going to stay? Should Kevin Martin and/or Nikola Pekovic stay? How much is Dieng worth? How much is Rubio worth?
To the first question, Adelman didn't say any more post game than he did pregame: he'll meet with Saunders and Taylor in the next few days and that's all he's willing to share:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Tried a few times to get Adelman to crack. No luck. A decision will come fast. Will meet with Taylor and Flip in next 24 hrs. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Twolves&src=hash">#Twolves</a></p>— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarrenWolfson/statuses/456568179687297024">April 16, 2014</a></blockquote>
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If I were to speculate, I'd say we've probably seen the last of Adelman coaching this team. The result will probably be a run at Hoiberg that he'll turn down, followed by Saunders stepping back into coaching duties. We'll see. Hopefully a decision will at least come sooner than later this time. It'd be nice to have the coaching situation in place far enough ahead of the draft to actually y'know....run a real draft.
Adelman certainly commands respect and admiration from the players.
Turiaf put him at the same level as Phil Jackson (I'll try and find Wolfson's interview with him for you guys) And it's no secret that he came here to coach Love, and Martin came here to have him as a coach again. But whether Adelman wants to stay is a different story.
As for Love, well, that's something that will need its own story. Look for that coming soon.
Looking ahead now, the Wolves are currently slated for the 13th pick in the draft. Get ready to hear a lot about Gary Harris, Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, James Young, and Rodney Hood. The only way we won't keep that pick is if Phoenix gets insanely lucky and vaults to the top of the lottery, which would push us down to 14, which would then turn our pick over to.....Phoenix. Ish.
Anyways, I'm not sure what else there is to say about this team or this season. We're a fanbase used to strange and unusual basketball happenings but this year was genuinely bizarre. The pieces were in place, the fans showed up, and the numbers said we were winners. But it just didn't come together in the standings. The NBA has pretty much never seen a team put up this combination of production and losses, and well....ever time we think we've seen it all, the Wolves come up with something new.
Add historical outlier to that list. Because it's Timberwolves.
Random Notes:
- I don't know why the Jazz expended so many small forward minutes on Marvin Williams and Richard Jefferson this year. Jeremy Evans. Jeremy Evans Jeremy Evans Jeremy Evans. You're at the bottom of the standings. It's a lost year. And you invest your resources in a lottery bust and a 33 year old who's best days are well behind him? I feel like that's as big an indictment on Ty Corbin's coaching as anything.
- Evans, by the way, deserves a lot of credit for defending Love tonight. Granted Love was kind of checked out anyway, but Evans did a fantastic job of crowding and frustrating him both on and off the ball. Evans plays smart, and is absurdly athletic...if he ever develops any kind of shooting range, he'll be a monster.
- Kevin Martin was a one man team summary tonight. 36 points on 50% shooting, 11 FT attempts, led the comeback in the fourth with 7 straight points on 3 straight possessions. Which he then stuck a nail in by missing a key FT, throwing an easy pass on the fast break straight out of bounds, and fouling out.
- Someone check on Lisa down at the Dallas blog. I think tonight's Mavs/Grizz game might have given her a heart attack.
- Sid Hartman spent a good 3 minutes postgame tonight trying to goad Adelman and Love into a fine by ranting about the refs. Like....dude....
- When I get time, I'll be setting up a Youtube channel for this blog to post HD videos of the pressers and postgame stuff on. I know it's poor quality right now. Blame Apple.
- Community always asks the really important questions