Here's the view from the Minneapolis paper on yesterday's game: Please lock if posted. http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/70429682.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUqPk4DyCc75DiUiacyKUUr Wolves-Houston game recap Last update: November 19, 2009 - 12:15 AM MVP Luis Scola, Houston No Yao? No McGrady? No problem, not with Scola leading an overactive, undersized front line with a 20-point, 16-rebound performance. NUMBERS 2 Wolves' losses away from equaling the worst start in franchise history, 1-13 in the 1994-95 season. 16 Ramon Sessions' season-high points on a night when rookie Jonny Flynn (nine) didn't reach double-figure scoring for the first time this season. JERRY ZGODA http://www.startribune.com/sports/w...qPk4DyCc75DiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr Eleventh loss prods inspiration quest The Wolves, nearing a record for poor starts, need one for the Gipper. Or anyone. By JERRY ZGODA, Star Tribune Last update: November 19, 2009 - 12:48 AM Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say. Played a great game ... all of you. Great game... I guess we just can't expect to win 'em all ..." Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis claims he has an inspirational speech tucked away in his pocket, but he's not using it. Not now. Not yet. Not even after a 97-84 loss to Houston at Target Center on Wednesday night made his team 1-11 to start the season. "It's not my job to provide them with a Knute Rockne speech every single practice, every single game, every single halftime," he said about a team that lost 11 consecutive games and hasn't won since opening night against New Jersey three weeks ago. "I can do that once in a while, but that stuff gets really old." In the movies, Old Knute continued on well beyond those opening three lines in urging his boys to win one in trying circumstances for the Gipper. In real life Wednesday, Rambis popped into the postgame interview room before you knew it after his Wolves, waiting since Saturday's game at Memphis, played one efficient quarter against a Rockets team that had lost at home to Phoenix on Tuesday. "I did my normal postgame speech with them," said Rambis, who often this season has spent many more minutes before emerging from the locker room. "I didn't feel like they were ready to play. They should have brought more energy than a team that played last night, flew and got in here late." The Rockets are overactive and undersized with Yao Ming likely out for the season and Tracy McGrady still not back from microfracture knee surgery. On Wednesday, they were -- tired or not -- simply just better, of course, than a Wolves team that started the night by forcing shots and didn't find its pulse until the third quarter. That's when backup point guard Ramon Sessions (a season-high 16 points) led a group of mostly reserves on a 13-3 run that turned what was a 10-point deficit earlier in the quarter into a brief one-point lead that didn't last. "Our bench did a great job tonight," Wolves starting rookie point guard Jonny Flynn said. "We should have just let them play the rest of the game out. Our starters weren't out there giving as much energy as we could have, and our bench really held it together for us. I applaud them. I kind of take the blame for our starters not going out there and playing as hard as possible." Wolves forward Al Jefferson returned Wednesday after missing two games -- nearly a week -- while he was in Florida, where his grandmother died last week. He started the game by making his first eight shots (didn't miss one until the third quarter) and delivered his second double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) in 10 games this season. His teammates got a fright when he dropped to the court in a heap after getting kicked in the head when he reached low for a ball in the fourth quarter. He left the game briefly but returned to play down the stretch. "It's still early for us to get out of what we're in," Jefferson said. "We're going to have to get tough and learn. We're going to have to finish games, unless we plan on losing 81 games." If this continues, Rambis just might have to use that speech sooner rather than later. "It's good, it's really good," he said. "Not yet. This team has to learn how to play before that's going to come out." THE NUMBER 2 Losses needed by the Wolves in their next two games to match the franchise record for worst start (1-13 in 1994-95).
Not including his rookie season, Al Jefferson has won 83, lost 187 games (that's a 25/82 game average).
Here's an interesting comment from the comment section below the article. [rquoter]what are the odds... After many years of watching Twolves basketball and watching the game last night, where an ordinary, undersized and mostly second round draft pick team manhandled the Wolves when it counted - late in the game, I was thinking that it is more than bad luck, and poor drafting all these years that has produced this team. It is almost impossible to be this bad this long without some sort of reverse karma in the air. Virtually every other team has had someone that can take over a game and once in a while scare the opposition. This pathetic squad defies all the laws of logic, probability and odds in how it has been so bad so long. Reminding of the Goof-er football team - pathetic from the top down... posted by shira123 on Nov 19, 09 at 8:01 am | 0 of 1 people liked this comment. [/rquoter]
A player like Rubio would make them a lot better, passing is infectious, and he would be getting them the ball in the right spot. DD
Well whether Rubio will eventually play for Wolves or not. Wolves just seemed lost on floor. Rubio won't be here for another year or two, so they need to figure something out themselves.
The Rockets made a key defensive adjustment in the second half. It was really simple and really effective. Double team Jefferson everytime he touches the ball, and dare someone else to beat you. It worked extremely well because everybody else on that team is a scrub. They couldn't get open shots because they are not a good offensive team and don't move the ball effectively, the Rockets were pretty crisp with their defensive rotations, and their shooters suck anyway. Last night's game should have been a blowout, over by halftime. The Rockets just kept them in the game with their pathetic and sloppy play on the offensive end.
Wasn't that pretty much the way other teams used to take Yao out of the game? That is what is great about Adelman's Rockets is that you can't just take one player out of the game. :grin:
Great Points!!! I saw that and thought of Yao, poor guy has NO help and it was brilliant by the Rox BUT I think that Jefferson being the only player on there team should find a way to get the ball in the hoop even if its via bad shots. I blame it on Rambis and the "Triangle Offense", they are not using there little talent wisely IMO. The T-Wolves need Jefferson to score or there dead so finding creativy ways to counter strategy like last night is pretty much essential.
Thanks for the link, Sishir. I always enjoy reading the other team's media perspective. The view from the other side, if you will. Here's a quote I enjoyed: MVP Luis Scola, Houston No Yao? No McGrady? No problem, not with Scola leading an overactive, undersized front line with a 20-point, 16-rebound performance. On a night when Carl just couldn't get untracked (the worst line in the box score for Landry since, hell, I can't remember a worse one!), Luis played 35 minutes in the second game of a back to back and uncorked one of his best games in a long time. The guy is unreal. He should have run out of gas and, instead, just cranked up the effort, drawing double teams and freeing space for the other guys to get open. We've talked a lot about Landry taking a step up with his game this season, and he is, for sure, but Scola is as well. The Rocks have to have one of the league's best two 4's covering the spot, and they continue to be underrated, at least in the media. The output to contract cost ratio for these guys is just rediculous! There can't be a better pair in the NBA, not for the money, or should I say, thanks to Morey.
I don't think it was directed at the coach so much. I think he was just criticizing his fellow starters for not playing with enough energy, and then praising the bench by saying they deserved to play more.
I think that says something. That we do it when it counts. Grit, hustle, whatever it is you want to call it, we do more of it during the game, and when it counts we do even more of it. Teams can't keep up. We also wear them down. Love this team.
Couldn't agree more. For years we've had a tendency to win games against strong teams and then lose the next night, or the night after, to a weak team ripe to get crushed. I hate to jinx the Rocks, but so far this season we are beating the teams we should beat. I just love it!
