NFL
By: Randall Gimm
Since my last article, the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers on November 12th and continued to go 7-3 in their last 10 games. During that stretch; Their 7 wins came at an average of +18.4 point differential. Mostly due to their 43 point win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Also winning by 24, 25, 14,12, and 10 (1 point win in 2OT vs PHI) in their other wins.
The BIG 3’s averages in their last 10 games:
D’Angelo Russell: 21points, 1 steal, .8 blocks, 6.3 assists, 2.3 turnovers, and shooting 33% from Three (Highlighted game: 35 and 8ast, Ice in the veins celly, W vs PHI). Ant Edwards: 18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, .9 block, 3.5 turnovers (Highlighted game: 33 and 14 rebs in W vs Miami). Karl Anthony Towns: 24.2 points, 3.1 assists, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.7 turnovers (Highlighted game: 35 and 13reb with 7TO in Loss vs PHX).
This is the Timberwolves team that I have been waiting to see. With some flashes of old habits, the Wolves stayed the course and won against some tough competition. The Lakers would have been on this list last year but, I had a feeling that the Wolves know who they are as a team and the Lakers don’t, I expected that win. The Suns beat the Timberwolves 99-96 and the Wolves were in it the whole way through. The Wolves perimeter defense held Devin Booker to 2/7 shooting in the first half but the Suns earned that win down the stretch. The Wolves also handled the Heat and controlled the outcome of that game. Lastly, Sunday’s matchup vs the 76ers did not disappoint going 2OT and D’Angelo Russell cooking Matisse Thybulle in crunch time. The Wolves more than held their own against some of the league’s toughest matchups.
“I just believe we can beat any team. It’s as simple as that. I’ll take our five against any five, match up and take our bench against any bench. I’ll take our coach, coach coached his (butt) off.” – D’Angelo Russell after their monster 43-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies (RIP Young Dolph). I genuinely agree with D’Angelo Russell. Coming into the season, I labeled them as a certain playoff team. I didn’t know their defense was going to be this good but, I knew the Wolves could score with the best of them. Now that they have both, they really can compete with any team… during the regular season.
I think the league knows the Wolves’ strengths and weaknesses like any good team should. But I think the league did not anticipate the level of hustle, heart, and cohesiveness this team has. All thanks to people like Patrick Beverley for bringing a winning mentality to this team. Emotionally and physically. Anyone with eyes can tell this team has bought in and are all on the same page. The only issue, consistency.
The Wolves have yet to have this team through 82 games. So, it takes time to develop consistency and stick to the game plan. That was evident through their first 10 games and now we saw it when the Wolves played the Hornets (L 133-115), and the Clippers (L 129-102). Both of those teams controlled the entire game and the Wolves didn’t show much resistance. But, instead of the Wolves walking back with their heads down, they are more proactive than ever after losses. They DO NOT like to lose. Tristan Thompson went on a rant after his Sacramento Kings loss to the Timberwolves and said, “They aren’t trying to win games… I could tell you every front office in the NBA’s plan”. He couldn’t be more wrong on this one.
The Wolves’ schedule is about to get tougher and I promise you the Wolves are not planning on folding over for anyone. Upcoming games: Pacers, @ Wizards, @ Brooklyn, Hawks, Jazz, Cavs (Ricky Rubio Homecoming), @ Blazers, @ Nuggets, Mavericks. This streak is full of star players that all have unique attributes. Chris Finch’s game-planning skills are going to be put to the test for these next 10 games. His leadership has been stellar to this point. Let’s see if they can maintain their winning mentality through this stretch.
The Wolves are finding the balance between giving it their all and limiting the emotion behind it. After their win against the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards was asked about playing in an emotional game like that, and he said, “no game is emotional for me”. You could tell that was the case when Jimmy Butler tried to get in his face. Ant does not care. He’s here to hoop. When he showed a lack of emotion during the draft process, it reminded me of Andrew Wiggins. I did not realize his lack of emotion was going to be his biggest strength. Seeing poise such as this from a second-year player is so promising. Ant has an extremely bright future ahead of him and he’ll be in the moment every step of the way. I think the Wolves will be happy to go 6-4 through these next 10 games. But, if they are able to get 8 to 10 wins, you have to consider them for the bottom portion of the Power Rankings.
