Wolves Feel the Heat in December

What happens when there's great energy and flowing adult beverage at Target Center and the surrounding area? Next morning game review.

<-- Beasley just realized that he wasn't invited to LeBron's birthday party. (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Another game for the Timberwolves, and another narrow loss with sub-par free throw shooting partially to blame. The Minnesota Timberwolves fell 103-101 last night to the Miami Heat at Target Center. If you want to see 60% free throw shooting and 25 turnovers in a box score, here it is.

The Timberwolves played a great game when the starting lineup wasn't intact. Unlike most writers, I do not feel the Timberwolves gave the Heat all they had. As previously stated, our squad shot an eighth-grade-basketballesque 60% from the free throw line and turned the ball over an alarming 25 times to only 15 turnovers from the Heat. Those turnovers morphed into a lot of fast break highlights from the best fast-break team in the league.

From our spot in Target Center, the crowd was often up in arms by the amount of calls that went against the Wolves, especially on the offensive side. I agreed at the time, but a review of the box score shows the Wolves got to the line more often and had 22 total personal fouls to the Heat's 21. The Wolves also worked the glass hard, out-rebounding Dwayne Wade, his sidekick and the rest of the Heat 49 to 41.

The minutes column in the box score also has a telling tale. With the exception of Love, the second unit's minutes were higher than the starting five's. This is a good thing. I like what Rick Adelman's offense has created early this season (a lot of open looks and a fan-friendly pace), but I remain puzzled by his insistence on a starting lineup that was largely responsible for a 17-65 record last season, and a starting lineup that just lost it's 18th consecutive regular season game. The second unit scrapped hard in the second quarter to take a 53-51 lead at the half. The starting unit returned for the third quarter, and nobody was subbed until 6:20 left in the third when Tolliver came in for Beasley. By the time Coach Adelman subbed out Milicic, Ridnour and Johnson, there was 3:11 left in the quarter and the Heat had pulled away by four.

I understand that teams have to have rotations and that the best players cannot play the whole game every game. However, the starting lineup the Wolves trot out each night is, again, responsible for 18 consecutive losses. It's a proven loser. Why make your second unit come in and have to make up the difference every game? Why not try to start out with leads and make the other team expend all the energy coming back?

Other observations:

1) I think his performances are going to get my top observation every game. Kevin Love had another outstanding performance with 25 points and 12 rebounds. In all the excitement with Ricky Rubio coming over, let's not forget to appreciate what Kevin Love is doing. Speak of the devil...

2) Great night for Ricky Rubio. I think his assist line would have been closer to 12 against OKC, too, if the Wolves hadn't gone 3 for 22 from beyond the arc, but his guys knocked a few down last night and he even showed some range in hitting two three-point shot.

3) I know LeBron put up 34 points, but I want to give a some props to Anthony Tolliver for his game last night. Tolliver put up 10 points, had 7 rebounds, and scrapped the whole time he was in the game. He's the perfect off the bench player for a team that aims to be good.

3) Let's flip the script. Wes Johnson. If Wes cannot consistently get himself open shots, then knock those shots down, then his career is going to lack any luster because he cannot create a shot off the dribble, and he cannot get to the free throw line. When you get a product that's a 23 year old rookie that played so many years in a 2-3 defense, you're getting a product that is largely finished. I don't think this tiger is going to change his stripes. He is a taller, more athletic Wally Szszczcerbiak, only he doesn't hit the shots consistently like Wally did (he also doesn't have that "I'm constipated" look every time he runs down the court).

4) +/- ratings (completely overrated in my book, but not for this game): Milicic -18, Johnson -11, Ridnour -11. Let's bring these boys off the bench.

5) Michael Beasley. Only six second-half minutes, no 4th quarter minutes, no problem here. Look, Beasley is the classic basketball player I just cannot root for. I admired how he played hurt a lot last year, but the bottom line is that he's not making the most of what he's been given. It sucks to have a player on your team that has so much talent, yet sulks around like a 6 year-old that got sweaters and socks rather than Transformers from Santa. Derrick Williams seems to have the same skill set combined with a great attitude and maximum effort.

6) On the flip-side of the ball, I'm bummed this was the only time we get the Heat here, but thankful they weren't one of the Eastern teams that won't make it to Target Center. Their fast-breaking is the best executed and most exciting fast-break to watch.

7) What would you do for a Klondike Bar? Well, against OKC, one guy got a tattoo. Last night, some dude had to sit in a sauna for a large portion of the second quarter. To make matters worse for the tattooed one and sauna boy, some dingo got $500 during halftime just for dancing for 10 seconds.

8) Speaking of halftime, we're 2 for 2 this season for Loon's Nest shooters not hitting the rim on their shots. However, it looks like someone at the lottery decided to make some sense. If you read my OKC game review, I wrote that the person who chose to make a layup would get $50 in lott0 tickets, yet if you missed a free-throw chance for $500, you still got $100 in lotto tickets. Last night, they changed the layup to $100 and gave the airballer $50 for his sad effort.

Happy New Year, and quick healing to JJ Barea! See you at Target Center Sunday for the Mavericks.