The Minnesota Timberwolves have given the state reason to get excited once again. Through five games, the Wolves are 2-3 with losses to two of the three best teams in the NBA. Here, we break down the first five games for the Timberwolves and rate them on a scale of “A to F”, with “A” being a superb performance and “F” representing a lack of effort or poor performance.
1) Game one loss to Oklahoma City, 104-100. The Minnesota Timberwolves played in front of a sold out Target Center, and that place was electric. The Timberwolves matched Oklahoma City point for point until the very end, when the Thunder pulled away. This was Ricky Rubio’s introduction to Minnesota fans, and they were not disappointed. He made some flashy passes and gave the audience everything they could have asked for. While it was a loss, the Thunder are likely to finish in the top two teams in the Western Conference. Grade: A-
2) Game two loss to Milwaukee, 98-95. Coach Rick Adelman was not at this one, so one has to hope that his presence might have made a four point difference in the game. The Bucks are an average NBA team at best, so this was disappointing to say the least. One positive note was Kevin Love, who dominated inside with 31 points and 20 rebounds. While this game was on the road, it is one that we would hope the Wolves can win this year. Grade: B-
3) Game three loss to Miami, 103-101. If you wanted to know if the Timerwolves had improved from last year, this game should have given you the answer. Minnesota answered Miami’s “Big Three” every step of the way. Kevin Love again had 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Ricky Rubio had 12 assists. Miami had looked pretty invincible to this point; since then, they are still favorites to win the Eastern Conference but looking a little more vulnerable. Still, it took a last second alley-oop to Dwyane Wade to pull away. The Timberwolves looked like a team that could contend for a title. True, it was only one game, but it was a great one. The only thing the Wolves could have done differently? Win. Grade: A
4) Game four win against Dallas, 99-82. Before the Wolves closed the game on a 15-0 run, this game was 84-82. This was the first win for the Timberwolves in the 2011-2012 campaign, and ended a losing streak that ran back to early 2011. Kevin Love hitting step back three pointers and Ricky Rubio dazzling the crowd once more with his amazing passing ability were the highlights of this one. In years past, Minnesota would have crumbled in the fourth quarter. This year, they were clearly the better prepared team in this battle against the reigning world champions. Grade: A
5) Game five win against San Antonio, 106-96. Another quality win against an opponent that many people believe will be playing late in the playoffs. The Timberwolves once again looked like a team that might have playoff potential. The excitement is clearly building around these young Wolves, as the Target Center has now become the place to be when the Wolves have a game, and old and new fans alike are gathering around their televisions like the Kevin Garnett days of old. Against the Spurs, Love once again had a double-double, and the surprise of the night was Luke Ridnour leading the way with 9 assists. Again, there wasn’t much more this young team could have done right. Grade: A-
Through this point in the season, the Timberwolves deserve an overall team grade of somewhere between an A- and B+. The loss to the Bucks has been a sore spot, but wins against the Spurs and Mavericks easily bring the grade way up. Now, the question will be if the Timberwolves can keep their momentum going forward against a weaker part of their schedule.