Spurzilla
12-15-2005, 06:11 AM
MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
Looking back won't help Wolves to move forward
Everyone took one last peek at Bonzi Wells' game-stealing three-pointer from Tuesday, then geared up to challenge San Antonio.
Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune
Last update: December 14, 2005 at 9:49 PM
LINK (http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/5783364.html)
On a television in the reception area of the Timberwolves' headquarters, off the skyway at Target Center early Wednesday afternoon, a replay of the team's game against Sacramento the night before ground towards its inevitable, incredible thud of an ending. Employees entering or exiting the office would notice the game being shown, pause, then quickly scurry away. "I can't watch," said one. "Oh no," said another.
Moments later, through the magic of recorded video, Bonzi Wells again would loft that rainbow three-pointer, which again would nestle through the net as the horn sounded and stick the Wolves, again, with a knee-buckling 93-91 loss.
Downstairs, after their own video session, the players and coaches worked through a light practice and did their best to scurry away mentally from the setback.
"Bonzi threw up almost a wish-and-a-prayer, and it went in," forward Mark Madsen said.
Madsen claimed he couldn't bear to watch the play again, then said: "Congratulations to him. The dogs bark and the caravan moves on."
Dogs? Caravan? Huh?
"That's actually a Phil Jackson line," Madsen, a former Laker, 'fessed up. "He came in after one of our losses, I expected him to chew us out. He said: 'Well, fellas, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on. Practice at 11:30 tomorrow.' "
The Wolves don't have any Zen masters in their midst, but out of necessity, they needed to move on quickly from the hangover of losing two close, gut-wrenching, winnable games -- at Philadelphia, vs. Sacramento -- in a span of 28 hours. They face the NBA defending champion San Antonio Spurs tonight at Target Center, and licking yesterday's wounds will get the Wolves nowhere against Tim Duncan and his crew.
That's why the direction was forward, the tone positive by the end of practice. Some might look at the Wolves' fragile record in close games -- 3-6 when the margin is five points or fewer -- and fret. At 12-8, though, they see it as being in every game but two.
"We're in a good mood," guard Marko Jaric said. "We were a little disappointed in the morning. We talked about it. As long as we keep together and have a good confidence, everything is good."
Said Madsen: "[Coach] Dwane Casey showed us the tape [of Tuesday's game]. We could all see 100 things that we could do better. Two hundred. And he showed us the 500 things we did well. ... It's not about us winning the game, it's about us playing at the highest level possible."
That would be nice and that will be needed against the Spurs (17-4), who have won more games than anyone else so far and look bound for another run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy. San Antonio leads the NBA in scoring differential (+7.8) and field-goal percentage (47.6), is second in rebounds per game (44.48), fifth in points given up (89.8) and sixth in blocks (6.19). The Spurs are 10-1 at home, 16-1 when leading after three quarters and 2-0 in games decided by five points or less. Curiously, three of their four defeats have been by 10 points or more.
Forward Tim Duncan has been his reliable self, averaging 21.0 points on 52 percent shooting and 12.4 rebounds. Point guard Tony Parker has been better than ever, at 20.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists while hitting 53.6 percent of his shots. Guard Manu Ginobili did not make the trip, sidelined because of a right foot sprain. But that only means coach Gregg Popovich will turn to Michael Finley, the veteran addition from Dallas, for his fourth start.
No question, Minnesota's two losses this week took some luster off this matchup. Had the Wolves tipped off tonight with a 14-6 mark, some might have billed this as a power struggle in the Western Conference or, at least, a preview of postseason clashes to come. Now they come with neither momentum nor buzz.
"Even if we had won [both games], I don't think this early in the year you can say, 'This is a must-win, this is a measuring stick,' " Casey said. "Yes, you take pride in playing against a great team like San Antonio. Yes, you individually get hyped up to go against the so-called best. But I don't think that measures our success or failure, as a team, this early in the year. I'd hate to put that kind of pressure on ourselves."
The Wolves, after all, are still finding themselves and grateful for the 82 games they'll have to do it. The Spurs haven't been perfect -- they lost by 10 at Atlanta on Saturday, against one of the NBA's true bottom feeders -- but they are a known quantity. They navigate the regular season to avoid serious injuries and stay sharp for the stuff that starts in April.
"Pop, his teams are usually slow-growing," Casey said. "You can do that when you've got a team that's been together for a while. You've got the same plays, same system. They've got a couple of new guys -- [Nick] Van Exel, Finley -- but the core guys are the same. Plus, they've had great success. They know which way they're going, they know what's expected."
Looking back won't help Wolves to move forward
Everyone took one last peek at Bonzi Wells' game-stealing three-pointer from Tuesday, then geared up to challenge San Antonio.
Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune
Last update: December 14, 2005 at 9:49 PM
LINK (http://www.startribune.com/stories/511/5783364.html)
On a television in the reception area of the Timberwolves' headquarters, off the skyway at Target Center early Wednesday afternoon, a replay of the team's game against Sacramento the night before ground towards its inevitable, incredible thud of an ending. Employees entering or exiting the office would notice the game being shown, pause, then quickly scurry away. "I can't watch," said one. "Oh no," said another.
Moments later, through the magic of recorded video, Bonzi Wells again would loft that rainbow three-pointer, which again would nestle through the net as the horn sounded and stick the Wolves, again, with a knee-buckling 93-91 loss.
Downstairs, after their own video session, the players and coaches worked through a light practice and did their best to scurry away mentally from the setback.
"Bonzi threw up almost a wish-and-a-prayer, and it went in," forward Mark Madsen said.
Madsen claimed he couldn't bear to watch the play again, then said: "Congratulations to him. The dogs bark and the caravan moves on."
Dogs? Caravan? Huh?
"That's actually a Phil Jackson line," Madsen, a former Laker, 'fessed up. "He came in after one of our losses, I expected him to chew us out. He said: 'Well, fellas, the dogs bark and the caravan moves on. Practice at 11:30 tomorrow.' "
The Wolves don't have any Zen masters in their midst, but out of necessity, they needed to move on quickly from the hangover of losing two close, gut-wrenching, winnable games -- at Philadelphia, vs. Sacramento -- in a span of 28 hours. They face the NBA defending champion San Antonio Spurs tonight at Target Center, and licking yesterday's wounds will get the Wolves nowhere against Tim Duncan and his crew.
That's why the direction was forward, the tone positive by the end of practice. Some might look at the Wolves' fragile record in close games -- 3-6 when the margin is five points or fewer -- and fret. At 12-8, though, they see it as being in every game but two.
"We're in a good mood," guard Marko Jaric said. "We were a little disappointed in the morning. We talked about it. As long as we keep together and have a good confidence, everything is good."
Said Madsen: "[Coach] Dwane Casey showed us the tape [of Tuesday's game]. We could all see 100 things that we could do better. Two hundred. And he showed us the 500 things we did well. ... It's not about us winning the game, it's about us playing at the highest level possible."
That would be nice and that will be needed against the Spurs (17-4), who have won more games than anyone else so far and look bound for another run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy. San Antonio leads the NBA in scoring differential (+7.8) and field-goal percentage (47.6), is second in rebounds per game (44.48), fifth in points given up (89.8) and sixth in blocks (6.19). The Spurs are 10-1 at home, 16-1 when leading after three quarters and 2-0 in games decided by five points or less. Curiously, three of their four defeats have been by 10 points or more.
Forward Tim Duncan has been his reliable self, averaging 21.0 points on 52 percent shooting and 12.4 rebounds. Point guard Tony Parker has been better than ever, at 20.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists while hitting 53.6 percent of his shots. Guard Manu Ginobili did not make the trip, sidelined because of a right foot sprain. But that only means coach Gregg Popovich will turn to Michael Finley, the veteran addition from Dallas, for his fourth start.
No question, Minnesota's two losses this week took some luster off this matchup. Had the Wolves tipped off tonight with a 14-6 mark, some might have billed this as a power struggle in the Western Conference or, at least, a preview of postseason clashes to come. Now they come with neither momentum nor buzz.
"Even if we had won [both games], I don't think this early in the year you can say, 'This is a must-win, this is a measuring stick,' " Casey said. "Yes, you take pride in playing against a great team like San Antonio. Yes, you individually get hyped up to go against the so-called best. But I don't think that measures our success or failure, as a team, this early in the year. I'd hate to put that kind of pressure on ourselves."
The Wolves, after all, are still finding themselves and grateful for the 82 games they'll have to do it. The Spurs haven't been perfect -- they lost by 10 at Atlanta on Saturday, against one of the NBA's true bottom feeders -- but they are a known quantity. They navigate the regular season to avoid serious injuries and stay sharp for the stuff that starts in April.
"Pop, his teams are usually slow-growing," Casey said. "You can do that when you've got a team that's been together for a while. You've got the same plays, same system. They've got a couple of new guys -- [Nick] Van Exel, Finley -- but the core guys are the same. Plus, they've had great success. They know which way they're going, they know what's expected."