Dancing with Wolves - A Re-Do of Life After KG

[TheDominator273]

So through the first season I was struggling to stay motivated to play games because the process to get a game posted took so long. So I am going to try a slightly different game recap method that takes considerably less time to prepare.

So without further ado, here is the first recap with the new format:






For the first time this season we saw what GM Lyndon Johnson has been trying to assemble in the Post-KG aftermath working at full capacity as the Timberwolves demolished the Sacramento Kings on Halloween night. The Wolves took a jaw dropping 33 3 point shots, hitting 48% of them. The 3 point barrage was lead by rookie Steph Curry launching 14 attempts, hitting 6 of them en route to his 30 point 10 assist outing. Mike Miller got in on the fun putting up 11 attempts of his own, hitting a whopping 8 of them en route to his 40 point outburst.

Not to be excluded from the fun, Al Jefferson put up his first 3 point attempt on the season on a shot from the corner that much closer to going in than you might expect. While Jefferson wasn't much of a focal point offensively, he had a great rebounding game pulling down 16 boards, and provided more of his seemingly newfound rim protection notching another 5 blocks.

Next up for the Timberwolves

vs Dallas Mavericks - 11/4
at Indiana Pacers - 11/6
at Chicago Bulls - 11/7
at Denver Nuggets - 11/9

[TheDominator273]

After the Chicago Bulls exploded for 35 points in the opening quarter, and we headed into half with a 62-61 Bulls lead it looked like we were on our way to a high scoring game, but alas it was a tale of two halves as both offenses went ice cold in the 2nd half.

The Chicago Bulls veteran defensive leadership was too much for the young Timberwolves to overcome as the Wolves were lead in scoring by rookie PF Mo Speights who shot a team best 7-10 from the field en route to his team high 14 points.

For the Bulls, vet PG Kirk Hinrich destroyed the Wolves defense in the first half as he scored 30 of his game high 32 points in the first half. Hinrich nearly notched a triple double, coming up just 2 rebounds and 7 assists short as he sat for most of the 4th quarter with the game already in hand.

[TheDominator273]

Despite a blistering hot start for Mike Miller, who was 4/4 from 3 point range in the 1st quarter, the Minnesota Timberwolves just couldn't match the offensive output of the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets were lead by Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, who got whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it all game long...unless Wolves Center Al Jefferson was around as the big man notched another 3 block performance. Jefferson leads the NBA in blocks per game with a 3.6 average. He has also been stellar on the boards all season and tonight was no different as he pulled down 20 against the Nuggets who had no one who could keep Big Al in check. For the season Jefferson's 13.1 rebound per game average is 4th in the NBA.

[TheDominator273]

Behind a triple double from Big Al Jefferson, the Minnesota Timberwolves rolled over the struggling Toronto Raptors. Jefferson scored 23 points, almost all of which came in the 1st half in which he was so dominant the Raptors started sending double and triple teams. Jefferson responded by kicking out to shooters or dropping passes over the defenders to cutters for easy layups en route to his 12 assist performance. As if his triple double wasn't impressive enough, Jefferson also tallied another 5 blocks as he continues to lead the league in that category.

Mike Miller has been extremely streaky all season long, but tonight he was on fire, hitting 4 of 5 3 point attempts and 8 of 12 overall. He also successfully attacked the closeout when the Raptors were so worried about him throwing up another 3 point attempt, and it lead to Miller living at the free throw line where he hit 7 of his 9 attempts on the night.

Quietly, backup center Eddy Curry had another solid game off the bench as he chipped in 7 points on 2-2 shooting and hitting all 3 of his free throw attempts. Curry also grabbed 10 rebounds, picked up an assist and blocked 2 shots all in only 13 minutes. For the season Curry is averaging 9.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in his limited minutes, but when we look at his per 36 he ranks 2nd among centers at 20.9 ppg, and he is also 2nd among all centers in PER with a 23.3 score. Starting center Al Jefferson is 3rd in both categories with 19.5 ppg per 36 min and a PER of 21.2. Curry has been the stabilizer of the Wolves bench, as when they need to break a dry spell he has come up big again and again. If the big man continues this kind of play, he should be considered for the 6th man of the year award come April.

[TheDominator273]

[TheDominator273]

[TheDominator273]

The Timberwolves have been on a tear in the back half of November, goin 6-3 in that stretch with their only losses coming twice against the Detroit Pistons, and once against the Dallas Mavericks. This run of good play, including a 3 game win streak, has the Timberwolves just a game outside of the 8th seed in the Western Conference which is currently held by the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Wolves have been lead by the strong play of rookie guard Steph Curry, who has taken more and more of a primary ball handler role as the season has progressed, to the point where its up in the air whether Curry or Randy Foye is the starting point guard. Curry is 3rd in scoring among rookies scoring 19.8 points per game, which is behind only Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and Milwaukee's Derrick Rose who are averaging 20.7 and 20.0 points per game. Curry is also 2nd in assists per game with 7.7 which trails only Clippers guard Jerryd Bayless who is averaging 7.9 per game. He does however lead all rookies with 1.8 steals per game, as well as 3 point shooting percentage as he is shooting 41.7% from downtown on a staggering 8.4 attempts per game.

[TheDominator273]

With the end of November comes our first look at the league's statistical leaders.



Points
1. Carmelo Anthony (DEN) - 30.4 ppg
2. Brandon Roy (POR) - 27.5 ppg
3. Kevin Durant (OKC) - 27.4 ppg
4. Gilbert Arenas (WAS) - 26.7 ppg
5. Tracy McGrady (HOU) - 25.9 ppg

Rebounds
1. Tim Duncan (SAS) - 17.2 rpg
2. Dwight Howard (ORL) - 13.8 rpg
3. Al Jefferson (MIN) - 13.4 rpg
4. Kevin Garnett (BOS) - 13.0 rpg
5. Marcus Camby (DEN) - 12.6 rpg

Assists
1. Steve Nash (PHX) - 11.2 apg
2. Chris Paul (NOP) - 10.8 apg
3. Gilbert Arenas (WAS) - 9.9 apg
4. Kirk Hinrich (CHI) - 9.5 apg
5. Deron Williams (UTA) - 9.3

Steals
1. Stephon Marbury (NYK) - 2.7 spg
2. Carmelo Anthony (DEN) - 2.5 spg
3. Steve Nash (PHX) - 2.2 spg
4. Kirk Hinrich (CHI) - 2.2 spg
5. Devin Harris (DAL) - 2.0 spg

Blocks
1. Dwight Howard (ORL) - 2.8 bpg
2. Al Jefferson (MIN) - 2.7 bpg
3. Tim Duncan (SAS) - 2.3 bpg
4. Andrew Bynum (LAL) - 2.3 bpg
5. Andrew Bogut (MIL) - 2.3 bpg