Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague | NBA FINALS vs Philadelphia 76ers
Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
Fixed the Minnesota-Atlanta boxscore
Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
Last edited by Fapplatte on 30 Jun 2020, 21:05, edited 1 time in total.
Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
Timberwolves to embark on an important five-game stretch
nba.com/timberwolves/beat | November 4th, 2019
Who would have thought these Minnesota Timberwolves would be sitting pretty at 3-1, which includes a huge win over Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors? The next five-game stretch will be incredibly important for Minnesota, who will be looking to add victories to their win column. Five of Fifty-Eight is 8.6% of their schedule. Fortunately, and the reason why it's such an important stretch, the upcoming opponents have performed poorly to start the season or are just that darn bad.
As of writing, the Wolves will host the 0-4 New York Knicks in four days time, before hosting the 2-2 Indiana Pacers on 14th November. They will then travel from the North to the South to face the 2-2 Houston Rockets on 16th November. The Timberwolves will host the 2-2 Miami Heat five days later before a road trip to Motor City to see off the 1-2 Detroit Pistons a day later.
The combined record for those four teams is a paltry 7-12 (.368%). With a recent victory over the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves should win the majority of this five game stretch. If they can keep pulling out wins, this sets up a crucial contest with the currently 4-1 Oklahoma City Thunder days after their matchup with the Pistons.
I'll predict the Minnesota Timberwolves go 3-2 during this stretch. They have the firepower to come out on the other side with a winning record during the stretch. They are fourth in the league with 110.5 points per game and they have the third best bench in the league, averaging 41.0 points per game.
The contest against the Thunder will show us who these Timberwolves are. With an upset win over the Golden State Warriors, although early in the season, this wolfpack looks to make some noise this season. They have five games to build a very respectable record to show for it.
Last edited by Fapplatte on 30 Jun 2020, 21:44, edited 1 time in total.
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Captain Canada
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Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
That screen of KAT in your report either screams "I want MVP" or "Get me out of here"
Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
Billups on D'Angelo Russell: ‘He just found a home there in Minnesota’
nba.com/timberwolves/beat | November 9th, 2019
In an ideal universe, there are players who get the privilege of starting and finishing their career in the same place, over a long period of time and without interruption. This is due to their excellence and the organization prioritizes keeping them around and maintaining their relationship for the benefit of the team and the fan base.
Then there are players such as D’Angelo Russell, who is on his third team in as many years and fourth overall. Russell was highly regarded as a Lakers draft pick, but he came in during the last years of Kobe Bryant’s career. As the Lakers changed management, they lost faith in him, and he was sent to Brooklyn. He resurrected his career with the Brooklyn Nets, who them found themselves in a position to acquire Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. He was offloaded to the Golden State Warriors in a trade. Call it, a victim of the Nets’ own good fortune.
Russell has moved so often, in such a short amount of time, one can come to reasonably conclude Russell is not a valuable player for a franchise but a vagabond. A stop gap. His departure from the Lakers was due to the team’s instability, his lack of maturity and a mutual feeling of moving in different directions. Since his trade to the Brooklyn Nets, Russell has become a very good player who just hasn’t fit into the plans for the team he has represented.
That’s all changed in Minnesota. He’s regarded as a jewel for the franchise, much alike Karl Anthony-Towns, who finally got a point guard he was asking for. Consider Russell untouchable in trade negotiations.
“He found a home with the Timberwolves,” said NBA analyst, and former player, Chauncey Billups in talking about his seamless integration into the team. “You can see it on the court. He’s playing with a spark he didn’t show at any of his previous teams. He’s truly enjoying himself out there and they’re currently playing winning basketball.”
Russell, 23, is averaging 20.2 points per game, 18.3 at home and performing better on the road with 23.0 points per game. His field goal percentage of .514% is 7th best among point guards and his .560% three point percentage is second best. His defending has arguably improved, with opposing shooters converting just .29% of their shots when Russell is guarding.
Billups went on. “He looks great in those Minnesota colours, that lime green, wearing number 0. I think he just found a home there in Minnesota.”
The feeling is mutual. The organization wants the young point guard around for the long haul, and he’s showing every bit of deserving praise that’s been heaped on him so far into this current season with the Minnesota Timberwolves sitting at 4-1.
Howlin' Wolves | Minnesota Timberwolves MyLeague
With wins against Golden State and Houston, these Wolves are for real
nba.com/timberwolves/beat | November 17th, 2019
Ah, midway through November. The Minnesota Timberwolves were flying under the radar, quietly recording a 5-1 start to the season which featured a promising win over the Golden State Warriors. Then they vanquished the Houston Rockets in Texas to give them a 6-1 record, tied with Los Angeles Clippers for the best record in the Western Conference and only bested by Eastern Conference Philadelphia's unbeaten 8-0 start. Never mind their ninth ranked power ranking position. We've seen enough over the past two months to realise the Timberwolves are going back to the postseason. We just don't know which seeding... yet!
For the first time in a long time, the Timberwolves are playing exciting basketball, and it's quite highly octane. They’re currently unbeaten on the road and here’s what is scary. They are playing better on the road. At home, they average 106.5 points per game – on the road, they score 117.7 points per game record 52.3 defensive rebounds per game, 2.8 less fouls and shoot better inside and outside the arc.
They have one of the best offenses in the NBA this season. They’re second, only to the 76ers with 111.3 points per game scored. They attempt a league high 91.6 field goals per game and have the third worst conversion percentage (.434) but negate that with an incredible .445 conversion rate for three point shots – second best in the league.
The Wolves are scoring a lot, but they’re hustling too. They lead the league with 14.0 offensive rebounds per game and are unselfish too, leading the league with 31.4 assists per game. They distribute the ball nicely and you saw that against the Houston Rockets. Whether it’s D’Angelo Russell, Karl Anthony-Towns, Malik Beasley or Ben McLemore. They pass the ball around and their playmakers which present greater opportunities to find the basket.
Defensively they could be better, despite the fact they lead the league in defensive rebounds per game. You can thank Karl Anthony-Towns, who grabs around 15 per game.
If the Minnesota Timberwolves can hold onto the top spot in the Western Conference, you have to consider D’Angelo Russell or Karl Anthony-Towns for MVP. The postseason is months away. An important player could get injured, derailing the season or the team could enter a cold stretch.
Let’s hope this Cinderella season can continue, because the Timberwolves are playing exciting basketball.
