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What do you say about a team that played like dogs against a squad that appeared to shut it down somewhere in the 2nd quarter?  I've got nothing.  I was tempted to turn the channel to a football game right around the time the camera pulled away to show KG joking around with Pierce on the bench with about 10 minutes to go in the 2nd.  It was over at that point.  The Wolves clawed their way back into the teens against the Boston scrubs, but the only reason this tilt wasn't a 50-point blowout was because Boston took their foot off the pedal...early.

I would like to point out two things.  First, at no point during this game was Jonny Flynn ever in danger of setting up a teammate for an easy shot.  Never before have I seen someone with more than 20 points get taken apart like he got taken apart by Rajon Rondo.  Flynn spent the game about 10 feet off of Rondo begging him to shoot.  Rondo did not take the bait and he still found ways to torch Flynn for 13 points (on .500 shooting), 15 rebounds, and 3 steals. 

Second, I'd like to point out this fanpost from Rumblebee:

David Kahn about a month ago implied he may not make any significant moves (beyond the draft) to improve the team before next season (such as using cap space). I just saw another comment that gives me the same impression:

Sam Amick: Wolves content to wait for Rubio in the Sacramento Bee.

In the article about Rubio, Kahn mentioned he thinks the Wolves are three or four years away and will then explode as a contender (I'm paraphrasing). This is not the kind of comment someone would make if he were planning on using cap space to bring in a dynamic player this summer, or at the deadline in February. I am sure Kahn would pull the trigger if offered a ridiculous deal, but otherwise it appears the cap space will not be leveraged for at least another year.

That's my read on it too.  I know the team will not turn up its nose at a target of opportunity, but this fan base isn't going to wait 2-3 more years with this type of product.  It's not.  There's not that many of us left.  I'd like to think that they have the time to be patient but they don't.  On a night where the Wolves played the team that turned itself around faster than any other team in the league, I think most fans are hoping for a Boston-esque approach rather than the Portland plan. 

Oh well.  It was a bad game and the late game "effort" was only brought about by playing a team that didn't give a rat's you-know-what and passed on beating them down by 30+. 

What did you notice about the game?

Dear Wolves Marketing:

Please start selling Kevin Love.  Please see the attached video for a suggestion about how local sports franchises actually feature their players in TV ads.  The ad practically writes itself: Nick Punto and Michael Cuddyer are sitting in a ice shanty on a lake watching video of Kevin Love grabbing rebound after rebound after rebound.  Cuddy looks over to Punto and says something along the line of "Winter piranhas, who knew?" Fade to black and a sign that says "Come see the Big Piranha." Show the ticket hot line and cut!

Thank you,

Stop-n-Pop

Moving on, last night's post game show contained something of a big moment for the FSN crew.  During the game wrap, analyst (and fellow former Bloomington Kennedy Eagle) Mike McCallow said something that we here at Hoopus have been saying since the latter part of last season: Kevin Love is the best player on this team.   Yes.  Yes, yes, yes, and more yes. 

I know we're in danger of getting repetitive on this point, but the reason why Kevin Love is the best player on the Wolves is simple: He does the most stuff.  Last night he was 9-14 from the floor with 16 boards (5 offensive) and 20 points.  He controlled the defensive glass, he started fast breaks, he sealed off defenders for easy angles to the bucket for the team's guards, and he even ran a successful 1-on-1 fast break against Tyreke Evans.  Al Jefferson can be the best post scorer in the league but that's probably all he could ever be.  Love's impact on the game won't be as deep in a single area, but it will be much, much, much wider.   When this team gets good (and it will), Kevin Love is going to be its MVP.  He will be a much larger-scaled version of what Ozzie Guillen talked about here:

"That's special stuff over there," Guillen said of the Twins club. "All those guys, they don't have big money or big stars, but the way they go about their business is awesome. That's why I call them the little piranhas, because they beat you to death. I would rather someone hit a home run with the bases loaded in the ninth rather then get murdered little by little. Those guys bite you little by little and, all of a sudden, you wake up and you are dead."

Instead of extra bases and hard slides, Love will bite the other teams with hard screens, impossible tips to teammates, and outlet passes.  Each one won't seem like much all by itself, but at the end of the day, someone is going to wake up dead.  And yes, that's one of the best sports quotes of the decade.  Thank you Ozzie. 

A few notes from the game:

• Why on earth did the Kings not roll with their large front court lineup of Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson?  Did the Kings' coaching staff not see what they did to Love and Jefferson last weekend?
  
• Tyreke Evans is a dominant physical presence but he's going to have to figure out what to do on nights when his shot isn't falling. 
  
• Sasha Pavlovic is not an NBA player right now.  His worst play last night was when Kevin Love screened off a wide-open angle to the lane for Pavs and instead of going right up with the layup he went under the rim and was forced to pass it off.  It's almost like he's forgotten the basic language of basketball...if that makes sense. 
  
• Another win, another solid wing performance.  How much more evidence do we need that the Wolves need a solid (and consistent) wing player more than anything else?
  

That does it for tonight.  Bottom line: Kevin Love + competent wing and point play = W. 

Gotta run.

It's time for yet another match up against a team that was worse off than the Wolves last season but now...not so much.  Will the 4 win Wolves be focused and give a solid effort throughout?  Is anyone starting to get a bit tired of a 4 win club making excuses about effort?  Will anyone watch this game? 

Enjoy the tilt.  Opposition blogging going on at Sactown Royalty.

For those of you who are fans of the noon to three program on KFAN you are probably aware of the (in)famous preposterous statement contest where the host and the interim producer gather the silliest and most over-the-top statements from the world of sports and then run them off against each other in a winner-take-all tourney for preposterous statement champion of the world.  

During yesterday's pro'grum they added the following statement (from a caller): "If [the Wolves] add a good shooting guard and a center, they'd be a .500 team."

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You are now responsible for 1/2 of the Wolves' victories.  Well done.  A zombie dance for you. 

Game wrap in a bit.

UPDATE: Game wrap below the fold.

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I know I promised a double game wrap so let's quickly deal with the Laker game before moving along to the tilt that, unfortunately, says the most about Our Beloved Puppies: The Lakers are the best team in the NBA and there is no shame in losing to a team that could end up as one of the all-time greats.  The end.  As for the Kings...

I'm a big Apple fan but one of the things I can't stand the most about the company is their willingness to spring new products on their consumers with little or no warning.  My personal experience dates back to the little iPod you see above.  I went out and bought that little doohicky about a week, maybe two, before the iPod video launched.

I enjoyed my iPod.  It iPoded well and was able to hold nearly all of my music.  Yet, it probably became irrelevant at just about the time I bought it.

And so begins the career of Jonny Flynn in a league with Tyreke Evans.

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...will follow after the Sacramento game.  Today is sledding and shopping time.

Can ugly be fun?  Without alcohol? We may find out tonight. 

Enjoy the tilt.

More photos » by Ann Heisenfelt - AP

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Let's begin with the commenting call of the year:

(Hand claps.)

Interestingly enough this is exactly what my daughter said to me while watching the game and I'm pretty sure it was in the minds of the couple hundred or so people who decided to head on out into the snow and make their way to the Target Center.

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