Game notes, Wolves @ Lakers, 12/1/02
Could be a big win for the Wolves in LA tonight; they haven't beaten the Lakers there since '93, and most of the games haven't been close. AP's finally hitting some shots, and Joe Smith is giving them good fourth-quarter minutes.
Anybody see Devean George leave Joe Smith in his wake on that first-half breakaway? That wasn't right. I know Joe Smith isn't exactly a gazelle, but he looked like he belonged in the Vikings secondary on that play.
Rasho fouled out; nice game against Shaq, 10 and 8 tonight; a couple seasons ago, Shaq put such a beat-down on Rasho that he went into a shell for the rest of the year. Shaq's still getting his legs, but you can see that Rasho is growing a little bit.
What about the Lakers? They aren't quite the team they have been the last three years, but it's hard to say whether it's a real fade or just the Lakers taking their time rounding into form. One tell-tale sign of how little overall talent the Lakers have after KobeShaq is that Kareem Rush is getting 5 to 10 minutes in some games. Rookies usually sit at the end of Phil Jackson's bench. I think Rush has the goods to play, but even still, on a more talented team with Jackson as coach, he wouldn't be getting this kind of time.
Garnett's offensive game is starting to change a bit. Ever since the game last week against the Grizzlies, he has been more creative and assertive in the post, using more pumps and drop-steps to the basket, instead of just relying on the fadeaway. It's a necessary change. He's having a very nice game tonight, playing under control and staying aggressive. Garnett's also had a great defensive game. I'm not sure how often he was matched up on Kobe, but it was much of the night. Kobe hasn't exactly gone off. After the awful loss in Utah, this could be a signature win.
Or could it? Seems like their season has just been a series of bad losses followed by a decent win, one step ahead and one back, seemingly treading water all year, and for most of the past four (or six).
Still, a win against a healthy Laker team in L.A. is always sweet, and might put some pep in this team's step. They badly need it.
11:02:29 PM 
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