Observations vs Minn

[macdaddy]

1 hour ago, rd79 said:

Either I wore Hawks-glasses or you watched another game. Minny hit everything 1st half and they clearly had 8 men on the court...

 

 

22 minutes ago, kurupt said:

Oh well, the sky is falling :D

1. They didn't "lay an egg". If you (and others) think any team can just win every game every time, you should check your expectations. Teams have bad games, opponents have great nights and sometimes it happens at the same time. The Hawks didn't play terribble defense, the Wolves just hit everything. The thing that was "bad" about the first half was the offensive execution and too many turnovers. They played well enough to go into the half at 72:60'ish, making the (inevitable) run easier to pull off.

2. The T-Wolves are loaded with talent (Rubio, X, Wiggins, Bjelica, Towns could play together for 5-6 years easily - yikes!). They are just inconsistent and (usually) don't shoot well. If players like Wiggins or LaVine shoot 60% on (difficult) jumpers, there is only so much you can do. The thing is, it won't happen often or over stretches for them. So it was absolutely expected for them to have a drougth in this game and when it came, the Hawks got back into it.

3. Wiggins shot 33% (!!!) from the field so far this season. To make it seem like the difference was "a superstar in the making" for the Wolves and "no one" for the Hawks is oversimplifying it. He shot terrible so far this season, he was bound to have a big game eventually in order to get back to his ~40% from the field for the season. It happened against the Hawks, shit happens :)

How many teams would have even kept playing and fighting in a regular season game to come back after trailing by 34 (and should have won)? To be "concerned" after this game is hyperbolic in my opinion.

I don't care that they lost the game and i'm not a sky is falling guy.   I think the whole team would admit they laid an egg in the first half.   It was only 12-6 about 5 minutes in.  Rubio hit a couple but they were missing early on before they got seriously hot.   But they mainly got seriously hot because we were just sleep walking.  Hence the Bud tirade.  I don't think Bud calls 2 timeouts in 18 seconds if we aren't playing terrible defense.  

I'm not saying the wolves or wiggins are going to be great.  I don't care about them.   All i'm saying is that this game came down to crunch time sloppy basketball and we got beat by a guy who created his own shot and we totally lost our composure at the end.    Why am i concerned about that in game 9?  Because that is kind of the story of our playoffs. 

I still think we're one of the two top teams in the east.   I'm still a believer we can go to the finals but we have work to do.    Our defense hasn't been good for a complete game yet and we have some guys who need to play within themselves with the game on line.  Baze, Teague, Horf were all guilty of sloppy play at the end.    Man i'm usually the ultimate homer but this was a pretty unacceptable game despite the historic comeback.  

 

[Lurker]

If you exclude the AD explosion game, both of the worst defensive performances and losses this season has come with teams fiercely attacking Bazemore on offense.

You’d think teams would eventually connect the dots and start to exploit him enough that it becomes a major issue.

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, Lurker said:

If you exclude the AD explosion game, both of the worst defensive performances and losses this season has come with teams fiercely attacking Bazemore on offense.

You’d think teams would eventually connect the dots and start to exploit him enough that it becomes a major issue.

Wait, what other game was Bazemore abused defensively?  Serious question, I don't recall that even in the DET game.  I saw that as an overall foggy performance by all.

I tend to think there's a dearth of wings that could realistically carry a team that way though.   Wiggins had a career night, he's not usually 'that guy'.  I see Durant, George ... who else, Evan Fournier (hehe, don't google that name though seriously).

[Lurker]

Just now, kg01 said:

Wait, what other game was Bazemore abused defensively?  Serious question, I don't recall that even in the DET game.  I saw that as an overall foggy performance by all.

I tend to think there's a dearth of wings that could realistically carry a team that way though.   Wiggins had a career night, he's not usually 'that guy'.  I see Durant, George ... who else, Evan Fournier (hehe, don't google that name though seriously).

Against Detroit the Morris twin constantly shot over him and Detroit overall fiercely attacked him.

[sturt]

At the risk of stating the obvious... still, if I'm Bud... I'm getting up this morning and figuring out (a) what I could have done differently in that first half, and just as importantly, (b) what I could have done differently in that last 3:25 that would have kept us from hitting a wall and losing 11-0.

And maybe nothing could have been done. But looking at this and last year's games, this one was about as out of character for us as they come.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Lurker said:

Against Detroit the Morris twin constantly shot over him and Detroit overall fiercely attacked him.

Ah, I do somewhat recall that.  However, I still think it's a little early to push the panic button on Bazemore.  And I came into the season really disliking him as our starter.  I just don't think teams can effectively hurt us that way on a consistent basis.  I think we've seen aberrations so far.  I should add that I think DET is a total fluke so far.

Did Bazemore do well vs. Beal in your eyes (again, serious question.  I don't recall)?  I'd be more worried about that matchup.

[Lurker]

2 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Did Bazemore do well vs. Beal in your eyes (again, serious question.  I don't recall)?  I'd be more worried about that matchup.

Yes.

[Lurker]

17 minutes ago, sturt said:

At the risk of stating the obvious... still, if I'm Bud... I'm getting up this morning and figuring out (a) what I could have done differently in that first half, and just as importantly, (b) what I could have done differently in that last 3:25 that would have kept us from hitting a wall and losing 11-0.

And maybe nothing could have been done. But looking at this and last year's games, this one was about as out of character for us as they come.

Most of it was effort. Defensive rotations were very poor and the team just didn't look like they cared at all in the first half. The only thing that could've been changed is maybe if the 6'7" or less lineup isn't used it isn't as big of a deficit at halftime.

[Atlantaholic]

I'll join the chorus in stating I'm not overly worried about our defense and chalk it up to Minnesota having their best shooting game of the season. Most of their players had been ice cold coming in so they were due to bust out and return to the mean. Reminds me of the first Cleveland game where they made like 13 three pointers in the first quarter. 

[capstone21]

21 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Ah, I do somewhat recall that.  However, I still think it's a little early to push the panic button on Bazemore.  And I came into the season really disliking him as our starter.  I just don't think teams can effectively hurt us that way on a consistent basis.  I think we've seen aberrations so far.  I should add that I think DET is a total fluke so far.

Did Bazemore do well vs. Beal in your eyes (again, serious question.  I don't recall)?  I'd be more worried about that matchup.

Could it be a size issue?  Beal is a shooting guard at probably 6'3 or 6'4 (I know he is listed at 6'5 but he is def smaller then that) ... Baz is a SG playing as an undersized SF ... is he having trouble with bigger and atheletic small forwards?  At the same time he might just have had a bad game like everyone else.  They all looked gassed before the game even started and played like zombies throughout the first half.

[Plainview1981]

This team will have a solid season, but they're nothing more than a minor speed bump for Cleveland come playoff time. So, whatever.

This game really isn't that big of a deal.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Hotlanta1981

[Guest]

My only concern is the slow offensive start I'm seeing to games.  Seeing that too often to start the season for my liking.

 

[macdaddy]

16 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

My only concern is the slow offensive start I'm seeing to games.  Seeing that too often to start the season for my liking.

 

 

I agree.  They went through the motions of the offense but no one seemed to know what to do.   To me this is where Sap has to be recognized as the best offensive go to guy we have.   When we aren't clicking let him go to work.     But i also felt like we lost our composure toward the end.   You make that comeback you need to finish it off against a young team like that.

[Guest]

No doubt that some big shots had significant $ on this game. For the last few years I haven't really blamed the refs (at least in the regular season), but this was really bad. They acted as if Minny was the home team. I know KAT can play but he was getting all the calls like a vet would, what the heck? Chalk it up as one loss but you gotta respect ANY opponent in the NBA and jump on them early and often. I hope we kill this team in Minny in a couple weeks.

ps Our clock operators suck. In particular there are 2 old white dudes who always f*ck $hit up. RETIRE ALREADY. We got rid of our deadwood trainer, they need to be next. 

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Spud2Nique said:

No doubt that some big shots had significant $ on this game. For the last few years I haven't really blamed the refs (at least in the regular season), but this was really bad. They acted as if Minny was the home team. I know KAT can play but he was getting all the calls like a vet would, what the heck? Chalk it up as one loss but you gotta respect ANY opponent in the NBA and jump on them early and often. I hope we kill this team in Minny in a couple weeks.

ps Our clock operators suck. In particular there are 2 old white dudes who always f*ck $hit up. RETIRE ALREADY. We got rid of our deadwood trainer, they need to be next. 

Agree with all this.  We seem to have a clock operator error every game.  It happens in other places but sheesh not every game.

[Guest]

11 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

 

I agree.  They went through the motions of the offense but no one seemed to know what to do.   To me this is where Sap has to be recognized as the best offensive go to guy we have.   When we aren't clicking let him go to work.     But i also felt like we lost our composure toward the end.   You make that comeback you need to finish it off against a young team like that.

I think the responsibility for our offensive flow falls to Jeff Teague.  He needs to set the tone and pace for the start of games.

[sturt]

I suppose one question I could be asking myself if I'm Bud... who do I have on my bench that might have been full of hunger... someone who couldn't possibly be gassed... and so, maybe, full of energy... and so, could have provided a needed spark?

Hmmmmmm... who could that beeeeeeeee....

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, sturt said:

I suppose one question I could be asking myself if I'm Bud... who do I have on my bench that might have been full of hunger... someone who couldn't possibly be gassed... and so, maybe, full of energy... and so, could have provided a needed spark?

Hmmmmmm... who could that beeeeeeeee....

 

I'm gonna say Thabo...some defensive plays he makes are unbelievable. A few times I had to rewind to see how he stole the ball...Bruce Lee quick!

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, sturt said:

I suppose one question I could be asking myself if I'm Bud... who do I have on my bench that might have been full of hunger... someone who couldn't possibly be gassed... and so, maybe, full of energy... and so, could have provided a needed spark?

Hmmmmmm... who could that beeeeeeeee....

 

we want Tim .... we want Tim .... we want Tim .... WE WANT TIM!!!!

[macdaddy]

1 hour ago, sturt said:

I suppose one question I could be asking myself if I'm Bud... who do I have on my bench that might have been full of hunger... someone who couldn't possibly be gassed... and so, maybe, full of energy... and so, could have provided a needed spark?

Hmmmmmm... who could that beeeeeeeee....

 

 

Put me in coach!