Hey there, sexy.
Yay, more below-.500 teams to beat up on. Or maybe to be pissed about after the Spurs inexplicably keep the game close but manage to narrowly eke out the win. Sorry for the cranky tone (and I don't mean to threaten the mojo gods), but until we get a quality W, I'm stuck with hacking previews out. Wolf leap, everyone.
Has anyone told you how crazily enjoyable Teen Wolf is when you watch it again after several years? It's just high and low comedy, I swear to FSM. There's the fat kid setting monstrous picks and shoots baby hook shots with the form of an amoeba, the ruthless mauling being done by the Dragons' main guy that would've merited an ejection in today's softie NBA league, the goofy 80s hairdo and outfits, and of course, Michael J. Fox as your point guard making behind-the-back assist passes and jumping into teammates as his form of celebratory move is just comically epic.
As a tribute, here's a video of the final game in Teen Wolf, complete with awesome soundtrack which practically represents my feelings for this pretty uneventful game.
Maybe it's not such a coincidence to be playing such a young T-Wolves team. I should be calling them the Teen Wolves then. Now, if only everyone will grow a full beard, that'd be historic and we might finally get to see a sequel from one of the campiest flicks of all time.
 Minnesota Timberwolves @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: December 29, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN Southwest
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Tony Parker Little Man |
Point Guard Despite his height (listed at 6'0" but probably shorter), Jonny Flynn is one of the best rookies in his class, and it'd be interesting how he matches up speed-for-speed with Frenchie McWonderbutt. TP's had two solid games in a row so far, and I'm optimistic he can handle Li'l Jonny. Advantage: Spurs |
 Jonny Flynn Little-r Man |
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 Keith Bogans Miss You, Brucie |
Shooting Guard I thought he's gonna be a complete bust but Corey Brewer has sprang back to life this season and it shows in his stats. He's like Scottie Pippen Version 0.3 out there with his length, and shows a lot of promise on defense. But still, it's not like he's going to kill the Bogeyman like the Kobes and Wades of the world. Advantage: Neither |
 Corey Brewer Not Quite Sidekick Material |
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 Richard Jefferson Need U Tonight |
Small Forward Okay, how bad can the T'Wolves be if they start Damien Wilkins? Okay, he might've scored 41 points in a game eons ago, but still. The basketball genes can only take you so far. So RJ, I hope you know what to do you pricey dude, you. Advantage: Spurs |
 Damien Wilkins Not Quite Uncle 'Nique |
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 DeJuan Blair OM-NOM-NOM-NOM goes the Sound of Blair Rebounding |
Power Forward It's a battle of rebound hounds, girth vs. butt-width, low center of gravity vs. lack of hang time, turkey sandwich vs. beef jerky, you name it, both have probably eaten it. Given more minutes, I'd think Blair's stats would resemble that of Kevin Love's. That's not a slight there, but more of a testament to both men's knack for knowing where to coral missed shots. If Blair can avoid the rookie foul calls, this should be a battle. Advantage: Tied |
 Kevin Love The New Big Sexy |
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 Tim Duncan GPFOAT |
Center Ahh, despite TD's overall brilliance this season, I believe this will be a tough matchup. Al Jefferson is a monster in the low post, and also gobbles up a lot of rebounds. Timmy should be able to take advantage of Big Al's semi-decent defense on the other end, so I'm calling it (gasp) a battle of equals. For now. Advantage: Tied |
 Al Jefferson The Guy Swapped For KG |
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 Manu Ginobili Still Sporadic Brilliance |
Bench & Role Players Well... other than Ramon Sessions, who is having a really subpar season, 'Sota's bench is kinda pitiful, and it's sad that the franchise seems a long way off from even contending for a playoff spot. Where are you, Ricky Rubio? If our bench doesn't destroy theirs, I'll be quite disappointed. Advantage: Spurs |
 Ramon Sessions Lost in PG Translation |
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 Gregg Popovich Wise Guy |
Coach
Kurt Rambis has long been Phil Jackson's disciple of the triangle offense in LA, but with his merry bunch of players, I don't even know if he's using it. Best of luck to him against the most sarcastic man on the planet. Advantage: Spurs |
 Kurt Rambis Used to Wear Those Goofy Goggles |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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OTHER FACTORS
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Intangibles |
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Oh wow, the Teen Wolves have beaten the Jazz and the Nuggets, two teams which we haven't beaten yet. Maybe they know a thing or two about defeating playoff teams. Advantage: T-Wolves |
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Mojo |
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Both teams are on a two-game roll, ganging up on sub-.500 teams. I say we have the mojo because we're better at beating non-contenders. Advantage: Spurs |
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Winner |
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::twiddles fingers::
Prediction: Spurs.
Although it's never a far-fetched idea to think that this game has the potential of a cardiac finish.
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleCool, the Spurs just went 2-0 on an East back-to-back set. This game is only on one day of rest, and will continue to be that way for the next game (vs. Miami Heat) before the team flies away with one day off for another Eastern conference back-to-back with the Wiz and Raptors. The Wolves are coming off a 2-day rest, and before that a 3-day hiatus. Considering their young lineup, they should be stoked to be back on the court again.
Last Time They MetThe Spurs had a close encounter with them Teen Wolves last season, prevailing at home by the score of 93-86. Big Al and Timmeh sat out that game, so take the results with a grain of salt.
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Some Other ReadingTimberwolvesCanis Hoopus - The SBN blog for the Wolves. Their two-man team is doing a pretty awesome job keeping the content fresh and frequently updated. You might want to drop by and say hello, and maybe offer a trade proposal or two along the way. Howlin' T-Wolf - The TrueHoop blog for the T-Wolves. I'm liking the name. About the blog, for a mediocre team like 'Sota, it's pretty good, actually. Wolves fans are lucky in that respect. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: The best TH blog around. Don't believe me? Well, at least Mr. Miyagi does. Project Spurs: Lots of good folks in here. Visit, read, comment, come back. And don't miss their podcast, either. The (sort of) Daily Twitter
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Other things of possible interest (Teen Wolf Edition)
Have some Space Wolf! (poor thing, though) |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired on Fox Sports Network's Southwest affiliates, and of course, if you're in the Twin Cities area, they'll probably have it, too. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area.. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |