Howlin' T-Wolf

“We weren’t playing to win the game (last year). This year, we are playing to win the game. We are confident. Real confident.” -Kevin Love

PEK SMASH!

Hey, remember what watching the Wolves was like last year? I…me neither. I have vague recollections, but trying to pinpoint the exact feeling is like trying to remember a nightmare from two nights ago. The general theme is still around, but the details keep slipping through the cracks in your mind, and it’s tough to remember why you were so scared in the first place.

It has become redundant to point out, but with every game it becomes more abundantly clear: the Timberwolves have a totally new mentality. There is no way, absolutely NO WAY, Minnesota would have won that game last year. They wouldn’t have closed out. They would have lost by seven or eight, and we would be talking today about how well they performed for most of the game. Then we would have said something about how “we can’t wait until they learn how to close out games.”

With 3:27 left in the fourth quarter, Gary Neal buried a three on the Wolves, giving San Antonio a two point lead for the first time in quite a while. At that point I was having ‘Nam-like flashbacks, and I thought Minnesota was cooked. Apparently, every lesson the Wolves have taught me about their resiliency has been lost so far. But that shot would have been curtains for last year’s team.

Not this year.

The Wolves came storming back, scoring the last 10 points of the game. Up four, and looking for a dagger with 37.3 seconds left, Love barreled through the lane with very little time left on the shot clock and buried a floating baby hook (perhaps double dribbling on the way? Tough to tell), and it was time to party in Minnesota.

Now, this isn’t Minnesota’s first big win of the season. It isn’t the first time they’ve been a game away from .500. Heck, it isn’t even the first time they’ve beaten the Spurs at the Target Center, and the first time, they won by more. So why am I so excited about this win? Why do I feel like it was so monumental?

Because Minnesota didn’t play exceptionally well. Beasley was inefficient, Ridnour was ineffective, Darko was inactive (actually, that may have helped), Love didn’t make a three, and Ellington was 1-4 in 18 minutes of action. The Wolves didn’t blow San Antonio away by playing at an unsustainable level, like last game. The Wolves shot just 43% from the floor, and the Spurs stayed close throughout.

No, Minnesota won because, last night, they were the better team. They continued to grind and they continued to defend, holding the sixth most offensively efficient team in the NBA to 19 points below their season average, and they made some very clutch shots to come up with a gritty win.

That’s what good, confident basketball teams do, and now Minnesota has done it in consecutive games against playoff-caliber Western Conference opponents. This is something new. It’s something we haven’t seen from the Timberwolves since…well…since KG was traded. Despite his many, many well publicized blunders, David Kahn has built a real basketball team here in Minneapolis, capable of winning real basketball games.

Pinch me, someone. I want to make sure I’m not dreaming.

Bullet points!

• For my money, this Rubio-Love alley-oop is the best Timberwolves alley-oop of the year so far, narrowly edging the Rubio-Derrick Williams reverse alley-oop from the last Spurs game. Just gorgeous.
• Ever since this minor fiasco a few weeks ago, Anthony Randolph has been comically careful to make sure he passes to his point guard before running down the court. At one point in the first half, he grabbed a rebound and started to dribble before the cogs visibly turned in his brain and he stopped short looking for Luke Ridnour. At least he’s learning!
• Martell Webster looked really good in his short return to action. He only made one shot (a three pointer) and missed a dunk that would have blown the lid off the Target Center, but his defense on Richard Jefferson bothered two of Jefferson’s shots badly, and may have helped to prevent him from continuing to torch the Wolves the way he did in the first half.
• FSN needs to stop advertising these jerseys because I’m absolutely going to end up buying one. In fact…dammit. I totally am. HOW FREAKING COOL ARE THEY?!
• Wes was unmistakably more aggressive tonight. All six of his points came nine feet from the basket and closer, including two very nice dunks. But the best play of Wes’ game came in the fourth, as he was rewarded with some crunch time minutes. Tim Duncan was working on Nikolai Pekovic in the post, and the Wolves were up one. As Duncan put up a shot, Wes came flying out of nowhere, swatted the shot, and came down with the ball himself. Smart, heads up defense from Wes in a big-time moment.
• Speaking of Pek, I had several jokes ready to go when I saw him in the starting lineup…but why use them? Pek was (I’m really excited that I get to use this totally appropriate noun to describe him…) a beast. He scored 14 points on efficient 7-13 shooting (!!) and for a four-ish minute window in the third quarter, he was the best player on the floor. Lengthy players like Duncan and Tiago Splitter still give the Wolves fits, but Pek gave Minnesota some really quality minutes.
• Hey, good defense Tony.
• Take a look at this shot chart and notice the corner threes. Last year, and even earlier this year, Minnesota would have had trouble defending the corner. But last night, they were getting to the spot and contesting really well. A very encouraging sign.
• Beasley’s back! Which means overly long bullet points in every one of my recaps analyzing him are back too (I really love me some Beas). So here goes: Beasley was inefficient tonight, which is unsurprising. Again, his best basketball happened when he was working out of the post, which has been a recurring theme. He was out-played by Derrick Williams, who had 12 points on 6-10 shooting. Two things I noticed specifically while watching: first (and really, probably not that important), as the camera panned to the Timberwolves huddle in a timeout, I watched Beasley, who wasn’t going to be in on the next play. I expected to see him staring off into space, singing the words to whatever song was playing on the speakers while Adelman discussed the next play with the team. Nope. Beas was focused, watching what Adelman was drawing up, despite the fact that he wasn’t going to be in. I don’t know what it means (probably nothing), but I liked seeing it anyway. Second: Minnesota’s announcers spent two entire possessions discussing how Beasley is too much of a ball-stopper and how he needs to “pass more on a team with Rubio.” But why? Why would Minnesota want their worst passer passing the ball? Unselfish Beasley turns it over way too much, and we spent the past 11 games pining for Beasley’s return because we missed him as a shot-creator.
• Not really a new bullet point, but the last one was getting too long. Beas DID have a really nice give and go pass to Derrick Williams. So that happened too.
• I feel like Minnesota’s TV announcers are actually pretty good about being unbiased, and that they occasionally manage to actually teach me something. Can any non-Timberwolves fans confirm/deny this statement?
• Last thought: after losing to Houston, I was really discouraged about Minnesota’s prospects of getting back to .500 any time soon, considering that their next three opponents were the Mavericks, Spurs, and Lakers. Two down, one to go…

Kevin Love and the other 'bigs' were just too much for the Mavs to handle

The first victory? Sure, it may have been as flukey as they get. I mean, a team as bad as the Wolves were last year upsetting the World Champs never comes with favorable odds.

But tonight was a statement.

Undermanned even worse than last game, the Wolves came into Dallas and found their rhythm at the end of the second quarter and into the second half to defeat the Mavericks, 105-90.

By no means do I truly believe that the Mavs are chumps but they were beaten badly by a badly beaten up Wolves lineup. Thanks to the our array of ‘bigs’ (Nikola Pekovic contributed 13 points, Derrick Williams added 10 and Darko Milicic had a block party, posting seven) the Wolves were able play physical underneath despite injuries all over the place. Remember back on Monday when the Wolves played the Rockets with only nine players? Well the same happened tonight, only worse. Although Wes Johnson made his return from illness — rumor has it that he was still struggling even — but the Wolves were without Luke Ridnour, meaning the bulk of backcourt duty had to come from Ricky Rubio and Wayne Ellington alone.

But, boy, did they respond well. I made the excuse on Monday that too many minutes for these young players is going against all pros of having a youthful squad — fresh legs, hyperactivity, hustle — but they proved me wrong tonight. Rubio responded his woeful night against the Rockets with a great outing last night against the comparable counterpart Jason Kidd. The poor shooting performances are starting to catch up with him and it shows in the box score but his playmaking isn’t tarnished. Rubio dished out 12 assists in 46 minutes of play last night. Furthermore, half of those assists set up the Wolves for big three-pointers, where they shot 9-21 (Kevin Love hit four of those six dimes from deep).

It was Ellington, though, who really came through in the clutch to push this game out of reach. Having to handle a bulk of the minutes at two, Ellington wasn’t phased by moving to the point while Rubio got his short-lived rest in the third quarter. Ellington was attacking the paint and, although they weren’t all falling, he continued to shoot knowing it was his only option. Eventually he hit a dead-away three that helped pushed the threshold even further.

As terrific as the backcourt adapted to the injuries, though, it was Love’s night. Such a fairy tale pressed for a beautiful ending, right? After signing his new, shiny contract, Love trotted out onto the court and led the Wolves with his sixth 30+ point – 10+ rebound performance of the year (In case you were wondering, the next closest player has only one game with those kinds of numbers). Love continues to work in such an efficient manner, going 9-16 from the field — 4-6 from three-point land — and 9-10 from the free throw line. To much dismay over Twitter yesterday, Love’s new deal wasn’t exactly what everyone was hoping for. After all, he’s playing like a max player but wasn’t given the deal to match. I’ll try my best to explain why it was a good deal for everyone involved later on today.

Overall, last night’s victory meant a lot to this team. It was another big road win — the last coming against the Clippers in L.A. — despite Dirk Nowitzki not being in the lineup. Dallas got rings, but the Wolves got the win, and an impressive one at that.

Next up is is the San Antonio Spurs at home on Friday at 7 pm. A little birdie says Martell Webster may suit up and even play. Just have to wait and see. Until then, get some rest, Ricky, you reeeaaaallly need it.

Dallas Mavericks (11-7) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (7-10)

This is still a Picture of the Year candidate to me.

Last game: Minnesota: L, 107-92 vs Houston, Dallas: 97-83 vs Phoenix

Minnesota rallied in the third quarter to tie the game against Houston on Monday, but then hit a brick wall with an injury depleted roster, as Houston put the Wolves away with a flurry of fast breaks and three pointers. Kevin Love was completely dominant, scoring 39 points on supremely efficient 13-19 shooting from the field to go with 12 rebounds, but Ricky Rubio had the type of game that reminds the viewer that he is still adjusting to the NBA game, as he turned the ball over five times, all at very inopportune moments.

Dallas, without Dirk, edged the Suns on Monday, as Shawn Marion (!!!) caught fire from deep, hitting four 3-pointers, and scoring 29 points for the Mavericks, who have won 4 in a row, two in a row without Dirk.

The Key Questions

#1. What difference will injuries make in this game?

Rick Adelman, after Monday’s loss:

I have three guards and no small forward. We tried to adjust, but you’re putting people out of position…We just didn’t have enough answers.

Not exactly a boost of confidence. JJ Barea and Michael Beasley will both miss tonight’s game as well, and I can’t find confirmation anywhere that Wes will return, although one hopes he’d be feeling a bit better today.

The good news for Minnesota, of course, is that they still have their best player, the newly extended Kevin Love (much more on that coming from Jonah later today). The same can’t be said for Dallas, who will be missing Dirk Nowitzki for the fourth consecutive game.

#2. What should we make of Minnesota’s first win against Dallas?

Literally nothing. The Wolves beat a Dallas team that wasn’t mentally ready for the season to start yet. They did it in Minnesota in front of a jazzed crowd, with Beasley and Barea both contributing significantly. And, on the other hand, Dallas had Dirk.

Tonight’s game could go either way, but don’t expect Minnesota to win just because they beat Dallas earlier this season, and don’t expect Dallas to lose just because Dirk is out. Dallas has been excellent at home this season (7-2), and they have been hot lately. This team is more than just Dirk.

#3. How worried should we be about Rubio’s 5 turnover performance against Houston?

For my money? Not worried at all. We have been spoiled watching Rubio play like a point guard well beyond his years so far this season. He has made smart decisions, especially (oddly) shooting the ball, and he has led Minnesota to seven wins so far.

But we can’t expect a point guard experiencing his first year of NBA basketball to be perfect. Rubio is going to make mistakes, he’s going to have bad games, and we are going to have to suffer through them with him. That’s the trade off of getting a flashy player like Rubio. On his off nights, just remember this. It will help with the pain.

The Key Matchups

We saw a preview of Jason Kidd vs Ricky Rubio earlier this year, but now Rubio is in the starting lineup. Of course, he was essentially playing starter’s minutes before, but now he’s playing EXTRA starter’s minutes. So. There’s that.

Elsewhere, Shawn Marion has been playing very well in Dirk’s absence. On Wes Johnson’s DraftExpress profile, it lists his best case scenario as a Shawn Marion-type player. They will probably get some minutes tonight guarding each other, if Wes is back in the lineup. If not, Derrick Williams played a serviceable, if not amazing, game in his first start against Houston, and he’s certainly strong enough to fight Marion off in the post. Whether or not he can get out and defend the three point line against Marion may remain to be seen.

Remember when we were all crowing about how deep Minnesota’s bench ran? That was nice. Now we see Minnesota’s bench going just nine deep. Against Houston, every starter played over 30 minutes save Darko, and Love played over 40, while Wayne Ellington played 34 off the bench. No wonder Wayne needed a cryogenic bath.

The Outlook

I’m hesitant to be too optimistic, since the Wolves are exhausted and undermanned, but it’s tough to be too down about playing the Mavericks when Dirk Nowitzki will spend the evening suited up like Barney Stinson. But it’s a road game against the defending champs. Don’t expect anything easy.

Game starts at 7:30 on Fox Sports North.

Despite leaked reports last night, Love signed a four year extension with the Timberwolves this afternoon.

Via ESPN:

The Minnesota Timberwolves and star forward Kevin Love have at last reached terms on a contract extension, according to sources close to the situation, beating Wednesday’s midnight ET deadline.

To do so, Minnesota had to grant Love a player option in the final year of a four-year deal worth in excess of $60 million, sources said.

Much more analysis will be available once details are released, so stay tuned.

Jonny Flynn doesn't miss Minnesota.

Ok, so “beef with Rubio” might be sensationalizing a wee bit. But Jonny Flynn definitely doesn’t appreciate the way that Minnesota’s fans turned on him during his time with the team, and after reading what he has to say, it’s a little hard to blame him.

From The Pioneer Press:

Jonny Flynn…said he was disappointed with fan criticism when he was with Minnesota last season and the speculation about Ricky Rubio joining the team.

I let (the Rubio talk) get to me too much,” Flynn said. “Everybody was always talking about Ricky coming here. My two years here was like five years to me.

Flynn said he “tried to stay a professional” about the situation.

“I remember all of that,” Flynn said of the criticism. “It felt like we were playing 82 road games last year when your own crowd was on you. What did I do to deserve that? I never spoke bad about Minnesota or the organization.”

Flynn makes a pretty convincing case. Minnesota’s fans turned on him quickly during his sophomore season when he was struggling to come back from an injury. As he struggled, it was probably natural for fans to pine a little bit for someone else to come along and save the team, but in doing so, it wouldn’t be hard to infer that they helped wreck Flynn’s confidence. Young point guards have to make huge adjustments coming into the league, and it’s incredibly important for any young player to have confidence. Flynn was never given that chance.

Of course, one of the things Flynn failed to mention is that his struggles were probably more due to the system he played in than a lack of fan support. We all knew that Rambis’ triangle offense was a godawful abject failure, but it’s possible it may have ruined the career of Flynn, who never got comfortable shackled within it and consequently lost a lot of playing time.

As someone who has been cheering for Flynn for a couple of years, it definitely stings a little to see that he feels the fans treated him this badly. It also stings to see him badly buried on the depth chart in Houston, barely even getting garbage-time minutes.

I, for one, truly hope he finds a role somewhere in the NBA, far away from Kurt Rambis. Good luck, Jonny.

We assumed he was celebrating, but now we are reading it as "what the hell is happening?!"

So let’s sort through this mess as best we can, with the knowledge that it could very well be entirely different by the time you are reading this Wednesday morning.

The Pioneer Press reported Tuesday that Love and the Timberwolves had agreed to a contract extension of 4 years and $62 million. ESPN, presumably basing their information off the same report, ran a story as well. Kevin Love was staying in Minnesota! Yay! Smiley face!

Then ESPN ran a report that said discussions were “ongoing” and that no agreement had yet been reached. Sad face.

Also, Love himself tweeted a snarky comment about the current state of affairs, with a nice little zinger for internet journalists as well: “If you read it on the internet it must be true right? #sarcasm.” Sarcasm?! PANIC FACE!

Now TwinCities.com has an updated post, as of 12:55 CST on Wednesday, saying that Love IS going to sign the extension today, and that David Kahn has flown down to Dallas to complete the paperwork. Happy…sad…confused….what face?

Fortunately, we here at Howlin’ T-Wolf can exclusively report that Kevin Love is definitely a basketball player who has definitely played the past few seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and we’d really like him to continue to do so.

Whatever is happening, it’s definitely probably not nothing, and we will keep you updated throughout the day.

The ghost of Kevin McHale steps out onto the Target Center hardwood

And, perhaps, one more step backwards.

Despite Kevin Love’s valiant efforts, the Wolves were straight thwarted by Rick Adelman’s former team — who just happened to be led by Timberwolves’ fans greatest enemy — and lost by 15, 107-92.

The Wolves continue to dig themselves into deep holes to start off games. Tonight the Wolves couldn’t get the ball to fall through the net in the first quarter and found themselves down by nine at the end of the first. And the only reason the Wolves were even that close was because of Love.

Honestly, Love was the only player who attempted redemption after the last pitiful performance against the Utah Jazz, where he went just 5-21 from the field — 1-7 from three-point land — and only grabbed eight rebounds (Which just so happened to end his consecutive double-double streak). But tonight, Love came out guns-a-blazin’ and continued his hot first quarter start throughout rest of the night. He finished with a whopping 39 points on 13-19 shooting — 5-5 from three-point land.

The evil that prowled the opposing sideline that is Kevin McHale said during pregame that he hoped Love didn’t go off for that huge game/stat line that he’s accustomed to against them. Well, he did, and it still didn’t help. This is how bad the Wolves lost tonight: Take away 15 of Love’s 39 points, equaling his season average, and the Wolves would lose by 30 tonight. 30 points.

The Wolves did attempt to close the gap in the third quarter and eventually took a slight lead mid-quarter, thanks to the regular Rubio-to-Love three bomb. And in that stretch, the Wolves’ defense started to perk up yet again. It’s a recurring theme through the season, trail big early, fight back late and hope they can do enough on both ends to pull out the win. But it wasn’t enough tonight. The Wolves made mental errors all over the court in the fourth quarter – unnecessary skip passes that found their way into the stands, dropped balls, missed lay ups — and the Rockets cashed in on the opportunities. Literally, the Wolves handed the game to the Rockets on a silver platter lined with gold. It was a sad, disappointing sight.

Not only did the Wolves lose big tonight but it made it that much worse losing to the “Land of Timberwolves’ Misfits.” Houston’s organization is lined with ex-Timberwolves from the coaching staff — the aforementioned McHale as well as “Former head-coach-to-be” J.B. Bickerstaff — to the roster, where Jonny Flynn lies (Literally, he doesn’t play). And the ties between Minnesota and Houston go beyond that, after multiple trades in the past few seasons but I digress. Again, this lost made it extra disappointing losing big to the Rockets but consider the very obvious silver lining: the injuries.

Specifically in the last two losses, the Wolves have suffered from a lack of supporting cast to supplement Love and Ricky Rubio; Luke Ridnour and Wayne Ellington can only do so much, especially offensively (Speaking of, Ellington had been on such a hot start in the last few games, he came out and laid an egg, 2-11 from the field). The Wolves were without six players tonight; five to injuries (Malcolm Lee, Michael Beasley, Brad Miller, J.J. Barea and Martell Webster) and one to sickness (Wes Johnson). Adelman had just nine players to rotate in and out of, what I believe, was a matchup between two evenly skilled teams. The rotations were odd and the minutes weren’t equally divided, and for good reason. Love played 42 minutes, Ridnour played 36 and, in his first start as a rookie, Derrick Williams was in for 37 minutes of burn time. Even Rubio, who clearly had a troublesome outing, played 38 minutes. The luxury of a deep bench is the ability to swap in fresh legs for seasoned ones that aren’t performing. As tough as it is, Rubio needed to sit this one out and would’ve benefited from Barea being healthy. Same goes for Williams, who could’ve used breathers in place of Beasley.

Rubio and Love, specifically, visibly need some rest and they’re only going to get it once this team is fully healthy. And once the injured are healed, the bench goes on for days, giving those starters some much needed breathers. Young teams thrive on having more energy and fresh legs — we saw that especially early on this season with Rubio and co. coming off the bench — but when they’re working as hard as they are and playing as many minutes as veterans around the league, things start to fall apart, as we’ve seen in the last two tilts.

Eventually this team will heal up and it’ll practically be a new season. Here’s to believing in that idea.

Next up, the Timberwolves travel to Dallas to play the Dirk-less Mavs. Could be a special chance to steal one on the road… If the starters are feeling fresh and up to the challenge because no one, except for maybe Johnson, will be returning to action.

Houston Rockets (9-7) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (7-9)

Last game: Minnesota: L, 108-98 vs Utah, Houston: W, 105-102 vs San Antonio

Jonny Flynn should feel right at home sitting on the bench in his return to the Target Center tonight.

A clearly fatigued Minnesota team lost to the surprising Jazz Saturday night, breaking the Timberwolves three game winning streak. Kevin Love settled for entirely too many jumpers shooting just 5-21 from the field. Utah’s interior size torched Minnesota, as the starting big men Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson combined for 44 points.

The Rockets rallied late against San Antonio on Saturday, going on a 26-18 run to end the game and beat the Spurs 105-102 in Houston. The Rockets improved to 9-7 on the year, but are just 2-6 on the road.

Jonny Flynn and Kevin McHale both make their returns to the Target Center tonight.

The Key Questions

#1. Is this the new Wes Johnson?

In the first 13 games of the season, Wes attempted two free throws. Go ahead, re-read it. Then check my math. It’s the truth. In the past three games, Wes has attempted 8. Not mind numbing numbers by any means, but certainly an improvement. He has also looked more comfortable shooting the ball, shooting 11-18 from the field and 4-7 from three point range.

Listen, I’ve done my fair share of Wes bashing here on Howlin’ T-Wolf, but even I would never deny this: Wes’ athleticism is excellent and his shot is a thing of beauty when it’s falling. If he can continue to show signs of improvement like he has over the past few games, I’ll be very encouraged.

#2. Which is stronger: the Rockets six game winning streak or their bad road record?

As mentioned before, the Rockets are just 2-6 on the road. Part of that stems from their difficult road schedule, and their relatively easy home games. On the road, Houston has faced the Clippers, Grizzlies, Thunder, Spurs, and Magic. At home, they have been matched up against the Pistons, Kings, Hornets, and the struggling Trailblazers.

Of course, the Wolves have challenged teams like the Heat, beat Dallas at home, beat the Clippers on the road, and lost to teams like Toronto, so are the Timberwolves going to be another road test for the Rockets, or an opportunity to improve that 2-6 mark? It’s hard to say.

#3. Oh Barea, where art thou?

JJ Barea is out for yet ANOTHER week with a sprained ankle, as is Beasley with his sprained foot. Rubio has been doing an excellent job creating open shots for his teammates to kickstart an occasionally stagnant offense, and Wayne Ellington continues to make a solid case for himself for minutes. But at some point, the Wolves are going to need a player (or two) who can create for himself, and the two most capable shot creators on this team are both nursing sprains.

The Key Matchups

Kyle Lowry is a beast. Really, I just wanted to start off by saying that. He is incredibly athletic, but more importantly, he makes good basketball decisions. Lowry is averaging 16 points and 8 assists per game. His turnovers are up (3.6) but his usage rate is up 4% as well, so he’s being entrusted with the ball more often. But it’s his style of play that will make tonight’s matchup against Rubio so interesting. Lowry is kind of similar to Westbrook in that he goes crashing to the basket to try to score. It will be fun to see how Rubio is tested defensively tonight after a big night offensively against Utah (17 points, 11 assists).

Love will be matched against Luis Scola, whose range will test Love on defense. Scola, however, is a below average defender, so look for Love to start a new double double streak in impressive fashion tonight.

Derrick Williams showed some really great flashes against Utah. He still took some contested long twos, showing some inner Beasley, but he spent quite a bit more time working his way to the basket and to the free throw line, which was really great to see. It would be nice to see him get some more quality minutes tonight.

The most disappointing thing about tonight’s matchup? Brad Miller is injured and Jonny Flynn doesn’t get any playing time, so there’s very little chance of a Miller/Flynn grudge match. *sad sigh*

The Outlook

I have no idea what to expect from Minnesota anymore. They are capable of beating just about anyone and equally capable of losing to anyone. They had a night off in between games, so hopefully that will give them enough rest time to come out fresh. But honestly? I refuse to guess one way or the other.

Game starts at 7 on Fox Sports North

Love followed his "big shot" with a forgetful performance

You didn’t expect Utah to give us roses and hugs after our big victory last night, did you?

A three game winning streak and a huge win over the NBA’s new golden child, the L.A. Clippers, on national television puts a target on your back. And, when you’re as young as the Wolves are, being targeted is uncharted territory and feels plain, old awkward.

The Utah Jazz knew that. They didn’t let any of that momentum from the Wolves’ win last night be harnessed in any way whatsoever. One ongoing theme the Wolves have shown this year is a special scrappiness, especially late in games. But tonight that scrappiness just turned into desperation in the fourth quarter. The Wolves failed to play scrappy defense, which was the downfall in the end, and then it turned into desperation on the offensive side.

As for the individual performances, Ricky Rubio can only do so much. Without the help of a true supporting cast — especially in areas where your opposition is strong — Rubio was severely limited all night long. He did have 11 assists but should’ve had 15+ if others were playing at the same level of competitiveness as him.

The number one culprit: Kevin Love. It hurts to say it, especially after last night’s big shot that captivated SportsCenter from an entire day. What makes that statement even worse is that he didn’t even get a double-double (He ended with 15 points and only eight boards). He was out-muscled and over-finessed underneath the hoop all night long. And it was a mirage of opponents doing the damage. Al Jefferson, Paul Milsap and even Enes Kanter all had field days in the paint, hitting shots and grabbing offensive boards all night long.

With Love on this team, the Wolves are one of the strongest rebounding teams in the NBA. But having an off night against a strong frontline like the Jazz is never a good idea, and that’s ultimately what decided this outcome.

On to the bullets:

• Not to belabor Love’s rough night anymore, but he went 5-21 from the field — 1-7 from three-point land — and was visibly frustrated all night long. I noticed that the Wolves, as a whole, started to lose their cool in the third quarter. A string of iffy calls and poor officiating overall got under Love’s skin, which led to his second technical of the season. To me, Love doesn’t play well angry and tonight was the best example of that.
• Rubio shot poor early on tonight, just like last night. The only difference is that he didn’t let it get to him and he started attacking instead. We’ve learned this from Wes Johnson the past few games but the best cure of poor outside shooting is to attack the rim and draw fouls. Rubio did that tonight, and just seeing those few lay-ups and free throws go down gives you enough confidence to shoot another from outside.
• Speaking of Johnson, this dude is starting to figure things out. I joked with my father last week that Johnson just used his rookie season and the first 10 games of this year to fake others into thinking he’ll always shoot from outside. Dude was just hustlin’ everybody. It was a lengthy ploy but it’s starting to work. Whenever he gets the ball on the perimeter, a simple pump fake gives him enough space to drive to the hoop where he’s starting to hit some shots. He had an And-1 in the first quarter tonight. Enough said.
• Darko Milicic followed his gaudy performance last night with another 10 points but only played 16 minutes due to a sore hip.
• You had to be impressed with Derrick Williams tonight. He came out aggressive, which usually doesn’t go his way, but tonight it worked out for the better. He’ll continue to learn and develop and these performances will only aide that growth.
• Everyone is so surprised by the Utah Jazz but why? Their bench is rather impressive. I love the way Earl Watson plays and CJ Miles gives them a special scoring option off the bench. And that frontline rotation, if they keep them together, is going to be something special.
• You’ve read this far and you still have no clue what I mean by the title, do you? Before tonight’s tilt, the Wolves had a chance to go to .500 and have eight wins already this season. That’d be one hell of a win in all aspects. But even though they lost, that gives the Jazz one more win and pushes them that much closer to a playoff spot. The Wolves own the Jazz’s lottery protected first rounder this year, so if they make the playoffs, the Wolves will have a first rounder after all. Sure, it’s not much of a win but in a draft as deep as this upcoming win, any pick in the first round is going to help.

Next game is Monday night against the Houston Rockets at the Target Center. Rick Adelman faces off against is old team and Kevin McHale comes home — can’t wait to hear the crowd reaction to his announcement.