Timberwolves at the Clippers... Live and In Person
I will admit, although I hate Los Angeles as a city, I love that any time the Wolves visit either of their two teams I get to watch them on TV. In the case of the Clippers, I can even attend some of their games (do you know the price of Laker tickets???). Well Saturday, November 5th was one of these ocassions. I made the 2 hour drive down the gane with my buddy from home, Steve, who is also one of those enlightened individuals who understands the brilliance of Kevin Garnett's game.
When we arrived we immediately headed to our seats... Section 102, Row 8. Appoximately 25 feet behind the visitors bench. As soon as we got there, we noticed Mad Dog was walking to the first row to sign some autographs. We ran down there and we said "Oh, it's great to see some Timberwolves fans out here!" I then showed him that I was wearin 4 KG jerseys, and he said "Wow! You really came prepared, man!" We shook hands, he autographed my hat, then went to do some shooting around. After that I got autographs and had very brief conversations with Trenton Hassell, Anthony Carter, and Richie Frahm. They were all nice guys. When Wally came out, however, about 6 of us began calling his name, his response? A glare in our direction. And how'd you play in that game, Wally? Karma at it's finest.
Seeing these guys was cool, but there's a reason people pay a lot of money to sit that close to the Timberwolves. That reason's name is Kevin Garnett. When the team ran out for it's organized warmups, you could tell everyone's eyes on that half of the gym just lit up. We all know Kevin Garnett is beautiful to watch, but seeing him warmup (without 3 guys trying to force him out of the lane and rough him up at any chance) was pure pleasure. That man can stroke it. Holy shit. I think he missed 4 shots in about 12 minutes of shooting. He came over and shot baseline jumpers right in front of us... good... good... good... good... good... like a machine. He then went over to the other side... good... good... good... good. It was unbelievable. Much like the game I went to last year, there were a number of KG jerseys in the audience. When the players were introduced, KG got a larger cheer than any Clipper (and Olowokandi was showered with boos). KG and Cassell had a playful exchange at center court, then it was gametime.
I'll spare an in-depth game recap, as I'm sure many of you watched it. Basically, Kevin Garnett played very well. I can't imagine how exhausted he must've been, but he was able to will the team into overtime for the second straight day. Unfortunately, the result was also similar... a loss. I thought Trenton Hassell played very good defense, which I was unsure off before. Hudson was obviously huge, but I don't think that this will become the norm with him. Wally was atrocious. He couldn't hit a shot or grab a rebound. That little bank shot he missed was bad, but not getting back on defense and letting Quetin Ross all but ice the was inexcusable. I hope his effort increases. Also, Rashad McCants is getting the rookie treatment big time. He has been hacked going to the basket at least 6 times this year, but has yet to shoot a free throw. I'd like to see him get more time, especially when KG isn't out there, because McCants is the only Timberwolf that doesn't own an MVP award, but can create his own shot with ease.
Here are some of pictures from the game.
I will admit, although I hate Los Angeles as a city, I love that any time the Wolves visit either of their two teams I get to watch them on TV. In the case of the Clippers, I can even attend some of their games (do you know the price of Laker tickets???). Well Saturday, November 5th was one of these ocassions. I made the 2 hour drive down the gane with my buddy from home, Steve, who is also one of those enlightened individuals who understands the brilliance of Kevin Garnett's game.
When we arrived we immediately headed to our seats... Section 102, Row 8. Appoximately 25 feet behind the visitors bench. As soon as we got there, we noticed Mad Dog was walking to the first row to sign some autographs. We ran down there and we said "Oh, it's great to see some Timberwolves fans out here!" I then showed him that I was wearin 4 KG jerseys, and he said "Wow! You really came prepared, man!" We shook hands, he autographed my hat, then went to do some shooting around. After that I got autographs and had very brief conversations with Trenton Hassell, Anthony Carter, and Richie Frahm. They were all nice guys. When Wally came out, however, about 6 of us began calling his name, his response? A glare in our direction. And how'd you play in that game, Wally? Karma at it's finest.
Seeing these guys was cool, but there's a reason people pay a lot of money to sit that close to the Timberwolves. That reason's name is Kevin Garnett. When the team ran out for it's organized warmups, you could tell everyone's eyes on that half of the gym just lit up. We all know Kevin Garnett is beautiful to watch, but seeing him warmup (without 3 guys trying to force him out of the lane and rough him up at any chance) was pure pleasure. That man can stroke it. Holy shit. I think he missed 4 shots in about 12 minutes of shooting. He came over and shot baseline jumpers right in front of us... good... good... good... good... good... like a machine. He then went over to the other side... good... good... good... good. It was unbelievable. Much like the game I went to last year, there were a number of KG jerseys in the audience. When the players were introduced, KG got a larger cheer than any Clipper (and Olowokandi was showered with boos). KG and Cassell had a playful exchange at center court, then it was gametime.
I'll spare an in-depth game recap, as I'm sure many of you watched it. Basically, Kevin Garnett played very well. I can't imagine how exhausted he must've been, but he was able to will the team into overtime for the second straight day. Unfortunately, the result was also similar... a loss. I thought Trenton Hassell played very good defense, which I was unsure off before. Hudson was obviously huge, but I don't think that this will become the norm with him. Wally was atrocious. He couldn't hit a shot or grab a rebound. That little bank shot he missed was bad, but not getting back on defense and letting Quetin Ross all but ice the was inexcusable. I hope his effort increases. Also, Rashad McCants is getting the rookie treatment big time. He has been hacked going to the basket at least 6 times this year, but has yet to shoot a free throw. I'd like to see him get more time, especially when KG isn't out there, because McCants is the only Timberwolf that doesn't own an MVP award, but can create his own shot with ease.
Here are some of pictures from the game.
posted by Ryan Kinkade @ 4:46 PM
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