[外電] Avalanche of miscues (again) buries Wolves
Avalanche of miscues (again) buries Wolves
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Kevin Love said the team was flat during warmups, and the byproduct was a
defeat that ranks as a low point of the season.
There have been losses, big and small, for the Timberwolves this season. Some
were one-sided, some one-possession. Some bitter, some biting.
This one was the worst. Easy.
"By far," Kevin Love said, sitting in his locker at Target Center after the
Wolves lost 108-105 in overtime to a Charlotte team missing three injured
players, including its top two scorers. "And not because it happened right
now. We made a bunch of mistakes. To say we started the game poorly is an
understatement. ... We came out and warmed up like we were dead."
Love sighed. "That is just unacceptable."
"That" would be just about everything associated with this strange game. The
fact that the Wolves came out looking half asleep. That, just days after a
similar loss to an injury-ravaged Denver team, no lesson had been learned.
The Wolves used a spectacular third-quarter run to take a lead entering the
fourth and led by eight with 3 minutes, 21 seconds left.
"That was all on us," said Love, who scored 35 points and had 15 rebounds.
"This one definitely hurts the most."
Where to start? How about the beginning, when the Wolves got an early
eight-point lead only to see the Bobcats spend the rest of the first half
building a 57-43 edge? With Love leading the way, the Wolves used a 30-14
third quarter to take a lead into the fourth. It was a lead that grew and
looked solid, until another defensive collapse led to another defeat.
"Same thing," said Michael Beasley, who scored 28 points with 12 rebounds but
also missed four of eight free throws, including two down the stretch. "They
wanted it more than us today, and they got it."
Afterward, coach Kurt Rambis, sounded as exasperated as he has all season.
"We only played one decent quarter," he said. "Turning the ball over, they
had 25 points off our turnovers, 54 points in the paint, 20 second-chance
points, their bench killed us."
All true. Tyrus Thomas came off the Bobcats bench to score 21 points, 15
coming after the third quarter. D.J. Augustin scored 16, 12 from the start of
the fourth quarter. Boris Diaw also had 16 and Kwame Brown contributed 14
rebounds.
"Our defense was subpar, at best, tonight," Rambis said. "The effort was
nonexistent for the vast majority of the ballgame. ... Until the point is
driven home that we need to play defense in order to win, until that point is
driven home with our guys, until it's driven home to them that the basketball
is a very valuable possession -- not something to be kicked around -- we're
always going to struggle. We will always struggle to win ballgames."
Case in point: The second quarter, when the Bobcats scored nine points off
turnovers and shot 52 percent.
The Wolves countered with one great quarter, emerging from the third with a
73-71 lead. That lead grew in the fourth, to as much as eight with 3:21 to go
on a Beasley 20-footer.
Then the Wolves collapsed.
Thomas hit from 13, then again on a layup, then Augustin hit a three-pointer,
and the lead was down to three with 2:08 left. Wes Johnson scored, but
Augustin hit another three and it was two. After a Beasley miss, Augustin
missed a three-pointer but was fouled by Jonny Flynn and made two free throws
to tie it, forcing an overtime.
During the Bobcats' rally, Love missed a technical free throw and Beasley
missed two with 2:22 left and the Wolves up six.
As for overtime, it was a comedy of errors. Seven of Charlotte's 13 overtime
points came off Wolves turnovers by Love, Darko Milicic and Johnson. It was
tied at 102-102 with 2:39 left, but Eduardo Najera scored. Johnson's turnover
turned into Thomas' layup. Love was called for an offensive foul and Augustin
hit a 19-footer for a 108-102 lead.
So what now?
"I don't think any of us accept losing," Love said. "We're going to fight
until we figure it out. ... I hope that it's much sooner than later."
--
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01/06 22:40, , 1F
01/06 22:40, 1F
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