[外電] Bad weather a boon for Wolves
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/basketball/16823491.htm
Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said before Friday's game that he wasn't worried
about his team's travel problems.
Turns out, he didn't need to fret as the Jazz shot 57.5 percent en route to a
109-83 victory over the Timberwolves at Target Center.
Because of Thursday's snowstorm, the Jazz didn't arrive in the Twin Cities
until Friday morning. They sat on the runway in Memphis for almost five hours
on Thursday before deciding to spend the night there and leave Friday morning.
The Jazz took an 8 a.m. flight that landed a little after 10 a.m. here, but
Sloan said the travel problems wouldn't be a big issue for his players.
"They had everything you would need: food, water, warmth, a nice place to lay
back in a chair and relax," Sloan said.
The Jazz couldn't hold practice Thursday and didn't have a shootaround Friday
morning. Sloan wasn't worried about that, either.
"If our guys use that for an excuse, they're looking to lose," Sloan said.
Utah was Minnesota's opponent on Nov. 1, 1991, on the heels of the legendary
Halloween blizzard that hammered the Twin Cities.
Turkey talk: Jazz center Mehmet Okur is a little envious that the Wolves are
going to Istanbul, Turkey, for training camp next season. Okur is one of two
Turks in the NBA, along with Hedo Turkoglu.
"We should go," Okur said. "I talked with (NBA Commissioner) David Stern at
all-star break. I asked him why we don't go instead of Minnesota. He said
they're going for this summer, and hopefully in the future we'll go to
Turkey. Good for them. It's a great city."
Cooling off: Wolves center Mark Blount shot just 39.3 percent in his first
five games after the all-star break, with the Wolves going 1-4. He averaged
10.6 points and 4.4 rebounds after he averaged 22.8 points and seven rebounds
in the previous four games.
Wittman said defenders are closing out quicker on Blount, a midrange jump
shooter.
"I think sometimes when he then tries to beat the guy off the dribble, he
gets himself in trouble with turnovers or travels," Wittman said.
Briefly: The start of the game was delayed about 30 minutes because the
baskets weren't the correct height, and maintenance crews had to fix them.
‧ This was the first time the Wolves lost consecutive home games by at least
20 points. Dallas beat Minnesota 91-65 Tuesday night at Target Center.
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