The Timberwolves won in impressive fassion. What a game for Cassel and Garnett. Garnett scored 30 points while grabbing 20 rebounds. Cassel was out of his mind scoring 40 points on 16-24 shooting and 5/6 beyond the 3 point line. Sprewell was the only other player in double figures with 11 points. The Nuggets made it interesting after the Wolves took a commanding lead and brought the game to within 5 but thats as close as they would get.
I think that the one thing that the nuggets can take from this game is the nobody on the t-wolves can keep up with Earl Boykins. He set the pace during every nuggets run. Sprewell & Wally didnt get a chance to get going tonight because it was all about KG & Sam. But I expect Flip to run plays to get those 2 involved early in game 2. Having Sprewell & Wally is important thru out the playoffs. Trenton Hassell did a good defensive job forcing Carmelo to take some difficult shots.
Boykins is awesome on O, but he can't defend anybody. He is a defensive liability, of who the Wolves take advantage.
The Wolves ended up having a great game. Garnett player great and Cassell was amazing. The Wolves looked very strong, and they shouldn't have any trouble winning this series. The only thing I didn't like in that game was how poorly they started the game. They were leting Denver get the ball inside and score, and they were making stupid mistakes. They did come out of that pretty quick and ended up having no trouble in the game, but they can't make that a habit because it will be harder to come back in the later rounds.
The Nuggets can gain confidence from this game with Boykins and Camby's additions last night. But that also opens the eyes of the Wolves to see where they need to fix some leaks. I expect the Nuggets driving to the basket more often and look for the foul. Boykins is a great harrasser, but I expect that the Wolves won't change much on the D end and live with his occaisional jumper. Derrick Martin was doing o.k., but I expect him to play with a little more confidence because he looked very timid to me.
It's nice to read yall's personal thoughts on the game since most reports on the web are pretty useless. Question: Do you guys feel more or less confident in us winning this series now after you've seen game one? Of course the win is a huge step in the right direction, but did the game itself provide any answers to where this series is going?
Timberwolves played great, and I see them contiuing to do so for the rest of the series. The Nuggets gave me a little scare when they pulled within 5, but we got back on the right track after that.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting SGRA:</div><div class="quote_post">Question: Do you guys feel more or less confident in us winning this series now after you've seen game one? Of course the win is a huge step in the right direction, but did the game itself provide any answers to where this series is going?</div> If I am a Wolves fan I am a lot more confident in our chances of winning this series. They started the game slow and gave Denver some life but they were not fazed and came back to take the commanding lead. The Nuggets also made some runs to cut the score to 5 yet the Wolves didn't panic and regained the lead. This is definately a good sign for the Wolves. KG finally has the help he needs. BTW- That was great how Cassel took Boykins in the post and absolutely skooled him for his final basket. It was sweet.
If the T-Wolves continue to counter Boykins scoring explosions, by exploiting him in defense, there is no reason why there cannot be a sweep. Hassell staying tight on Anthony, and blocking Camby off the boards and you have a very comfortable series.
