Category Archives: Game Logs

2012 Game Logs: Game 21 Pacers @ Wolves

If you haven't listened yet make a point to tune into listen to DK, cheaptoy, Stick, and myself , but mostly me, talk about the Wolves and the NBA in today's podcast. In the next NBA podcast cheaptoy, bjiggum, and myself will work out a three way trade involving Dwight Howard in our fantasy league. It might be more exciting that what you listened to today.

Onto tonight's game though-- we have Mag's Pacers facing off against everyone else's Minnesota Timberwolves. While I usually root for the Wolves to win by 30 points I'd be okay with the Wolves sending Mags off to the Prague without too much of a beating.  Normally, I would take some stats from covers.com to show why the Wolves are going to win tonight. However, as someone who follows historical trends and often times wagers I.O.U.'s for mowing a sportsbook's lawn based on those historical trends, I am not thrilled by this matchup. The Pacers are a good team and a victory tonight counts as a legitimate win against a good team.

Aww nuts, who am I kidding?  The Wolves will probably pop off for 113 points tonight.

2012 Game Logs: Game 21 Timberwolves @ Rockets

Tough loss last night followed by a tough opponent tonight.  The Wolves need to stop giving up giant leads in the first half if they want to win games consistently.  You can coast against teams like Charlotte, NOLA, and the Wizards but when you face off against teams like Houston, LAL, and the Heat you are going to have a really tough time winning games if you only show up for one half.

From SNP's twitter feed last night:

...and it was against a terrible road Lakers team with no bench and a terrible coach on the tail end of a b2b.

Anyone who looks for moral victories in this one needs to be punched in the face by Pek. This was their 1st crack at .500 since Casey...

Minny's guards were 8-40 from the floor.

The Wolves shot 104 fg tonight, turned it over only 4 times, equaled their opponent on the offensive boards and free throw line...and lost.

Wolves stunk up the joint against a team that lost to Milwaukee last night and was 1-7 on the road and with no bench #awfulloss

3rd game in team history with sub .385 fg%, sub .240 3p%, and with more than 100 fga. 1 of those was an ot game. tinyurl.com/7vtays2

Wolves had 17 more oreb, equal fta, and 4 to and they lost. That's equals some horrific shooting.

 

Let's hope the Wolves can put up points in the first two quarters tonight followed by more points in the third and fourth.  In theory the Rockets should be a good match up for Minnesota since they don't really have a dominant big man and the Wolves can play small ball. Plus the Wolves now have Brad Miller, which naturally should make up for the difference between the two teams last time they played.

2012 Game Logs: Game 20 Lakers @ Wolves

The Lakers franchise returns home tonight to find a Wolves team that is not the push over LA has been used to. Here is some facts about this game bullet point style

  • The Lakers have beaten the Wolves 15 games in a row.
  • The Wolves, with a win, will have a .500 record.
  • The Lakers are 1-7 on the road this season.
  • There probably isn't a more difficult place to play on the road than the Target Center.
  • Josh McRoberts is the third best player on the Lakers. He would be the 10th best player on the Wolves.
  • Last season the Wolves allowed 107.7 ppg. So far this season the Wolves have improved this number to 93.5ppg.
  • The Lakers have never won a game being played at the same time as the Pro Bowl when being played the week before the Super Bowl in their franchise history (0-1).
  • This will be the first match up between JJ Barea and Andrew Bynum since Bynum attempted to murder Barea in last year's playoffs. If you think JJ isn't gunning for Bynum, well, you've got another thing coming.
  • Vegas realizes all of these things and as a result have made the Lakers 1.5 underdogs to the giant killing Minnesota Timberwolves.

Today has the possibilty of being a really fun game, you guys.

2012 Game Logs: Game 18 Minnesota @ Dallas

Tonight the Wolves players will watch Dallas receive their championship rings for last season.  By all accounts this will be considered the turning point in the Wolves season that catapult them to 3 of the next 5 NBA Championships.  As of writing.  the Wolves have not signed Love to an extension yet. I imagine this will be rectified by game time.  Yep, today is going to be a pretty big day in Wolves history.

2012 Game Logs: Game 16 Minnesota @ Utah

I had to take a small nap during half time last night that extended about 8 minutes into the third quarter but I watched the end of the game last night on East Coast time. I think I am really falling for this team. As many of you on the site know I have always considered myself and "NBA fan" but never really had an affiliation towards a team until I started hanging out in these parts. Seeing Stick's love of the Wolves, warts and all, was kind of contagious and I started to monitor the team a little more closely. And though I am still looking for proof, there are rumors that I said I would move to the Twin Cities if the Wolves drafted Rubio in 2009.  Well, the Wolves drafted Rubio and while I am still here in Buffalo, I am watching this team with much more interest than I have watched with any of my local teams in some time.

I know I volunteered myself to the Wolves last season when I made my formal decision to take my fandom to the Twin Cities. But I will admit, as the season wore on, my interest waned. I found myself watching more Oklahoma City, Trailblazers, or Heat games than anything else.. This season, well, I don't think I am going to run into that problem.

Bonus points for a Wolves win tonight as Minnesota has Utah's first round pick in the next draft!

 

 

 

 

 

2012 Game Logs: Game 15 Wolves @ Clippers

364 days ago I left for work in the morning with an extra hop in my step. The Minnesota Timberwolves were scheduled to play the Los Angles Clippers that night. Two of the best power forwards in the league would be facing off, in Kevin Love and Blake Griffin. Blake was really hitting his stride about this time last season, quickly becoming must watch tv for anyone with League Pass.  I even thought about taking a brief nap after work just to make sure that I would be able to stay up all night at watch the game.

I didn't get to watch the game that night. Instead I was in a hospital room, watching a PBS documentary on Jeff Bridges and checking for score updates on my telephone as Mrs Buffalo yelled at me and told me to put that thing away-- I did. A couple of hours later I was feeding her ice chips, shortly after that  a new member of our herd joined us.

I've gotta say, I really don't remember who won that game but I am pretty sure it wasn't the Wolves. Maybe it worked out for the best that way. Maybe this way the Calf and I will be able to watch the Wolves take their revenge. Then again, it will probably be past his bedtime.

 

 

2012 Game Logs: Game 14 Detroit @ Minnesota

An interesting fact about tonight's opponent, the Detroit Pistons:

They are bad.

How bad are they? Well, last year the played the Timberwolves twice and lost both times. That was LAST YEAR. With that said, the Wolves, I believe, are roughly 13.2% better than last season. By my half baked calculations that means the Wolves should win by somewhere between 14-18 points tonight.

I think it is getting to the point where, as a team, the Wolves and their fans should start to put together realistic goals or expectations for the season. While I think a NBA title is a little hopeful and a Western Conference Final birth might just be wishful thinking, a playoff birthday is closer to a statistical improbability than a drug induced pipe dream at this point. I think the Wolves should dream a little bit bigger than just making the playoffs though. I think there is one goal the Wolves should aim towards as a litmus test to best judge the season. One goal that would mean as much to Kevin McHale as it would mean to David Kahn. A goal that would finally let Minnesota fans that things are turning around. This year the goal should be for Minnesota to have a better record than the Celtics.

Do it for Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract. Do it for Ryan Gomes and Bassy. Do it for the first round draft pick that turned into Wayne Ellington and Al Jefferson.  Don't do it for Jonny Flynn though. That guy stinks so bad he should be on the Pistons. Alright, you can do it for Jonny Flynn, too.

 

 

 

 

2012 Game Logs: Cowtown @ Wolves

The Wolves were up by 18 points late in the third quarter Saturday night before the Hawks went on a 24-2 run as Minnesota grabbed defeat from the clutches of victory. Love and Co. look to rebound tonight against a Kings team that looked seriously awful on Saturday night-- Sacramento scored 23 points in the first half Saturday, for real.

Minnesota is a 7.5 point favorite at home, let's see if DeMarcus Cousins is ready to make the Timberwolves pay for drafting Wesley Johnson ahead of him in the 2010 draft. Hopefully he will go easy on Minnesota as Wes himself seems to have taken the lead on punishing the Wolves.

2012 Game Logs: Game 12 Timberwolves @ Atlanta

Minnesota did their best to do a 2010-11 Timberwolves impression last night in giving away a 4th quarter lead. The main problem for the Wolves last night was Emeka Okafor being unguarded by Anthony Randolph for much of the game last night. Thankfully, Al Horford is going to be out for (likely) the rest of the season leaving Zaza Pachulia as Atlanta's starting center.

Here is a weird gambling fact about tonight's game:

Road team is 9-1-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.

The Wolves are 7.5 point dogs tonight against a Al Horford-less Hawks team. I appreciate these teams having their better players injured to give the Wolves a chance while Beasley is out. It is mighty sporting of them.