PUTTIN’ UP POINTS: WILLIAMS AND BEASLEY MORPH INTO HUMAN FLAMETHROWERS IN WIN OVER CLIPPERS

WOLVES (18-17) 109, CLIPPERS (20-12) 97

BOX SCORE — AP RECAP

As someone who writes for a living, it bothers me when I see other writers use improper words when describing certain events, situations, people, etc. Writers have a responsibility to their readers to portray the subject of their work as accurately as possible. Following the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 109-97 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, I saw the word “collapse” thrown around to describe what happened in the fourth quarter. It made me cringe.

The Clippers held a three-point lead after three quarters and were outscored 36-21 in the fourth. I suppose if you only looked at the box score it may seem that the Clippers collapsed, but that’s hardly accurate. The Clippers lost to the Timberwolves on Tuesday because Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley were simply unstoppable in the fourth quarter. It’s not a collapse when your opponent goes 10 minutes, 30 seconds into a quarter without missing a shot. That just means your opponent was en fuego and you, unfortunately, didn’t have immediate access to a fire hose.

L.A.’s defense on D-Will and Beasley in the fourth quarter wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible, either. What happened was that two incredibly talented offensive players got it going, and when they got it going, they couldn’t be stopped. You’ll be hard pressed to find a power forward in the league who can successfully defend this move that D-Will put on Kenyon Martin:

Minnesota’s two super subs unloaded their offensive arsenal on Tuesday, as they each finished with 27 points in the game and 13 points in the fourth. Both players had moments in the game when they took the ball to the rim, pulled up for mid-range shots or stayed beyond the arc and let it fly. They had the Clippers off balance, and they looked so smooth while doing it all. The two combined to shoot 20-for-25 in the game, and D-Will even made some history on a night when Minnesota’s bench scored 72 points, an NBA season high.

ELIAS: Derrick Williams is 1st player in NBA history to shoot 90% FG (min 10 FGA) and 100% on 3s (min 4) & FT (min 5) in a game.

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 29, 2012

The Wolves were historically hot. There was no Clippers collapse. L.A.’s top two stars even admitted as much.

We couldn’t get a stop. The effort was there, we played hard, but those guys beat us. – Chris Paul via the AP game recap

Between Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley, they were unbelievable. Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams hit tough shots, and they hit a lot of them in a row. – Blake Griffin via this pointless ESPN column

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin both had very good games on Tuesday. In the first quarter it seemed like Blake might have a shot at upstaging Kobe’s 81-point game when he put up 18 points against a defenseless Kevin Love. And CP3 was solid through most of the game in his point guard battle with Ricky Rubio. Even with the Clippers’ two stars playing well and Minnesota’s two stars having an off night, the Timberwolves were still able to run away with the victory in the fourth. That’s what makes this Minnesota team so intriguing. The Wolves achieved a .500 record at the All-Star break, even with much of their potential still untapped. Rick Adelman took the first half of the season to survey the land. Now he’s starting to drill and the potential is rising quickly to the surface.

Time to get into the points.

• Adelman started the fourth quarter with Beasley, Williams, J.J. Barea, Martell Webster and Darko Milicic out on the court. I usually try to take notes while I’m watching a game, and after D-Will hit a three within the first 40 seconds of the quarter to tie the game at 76, I typed “This group might finish the game.” I was wrong. They got a lead so big that some of them were able to sit for the final couple of minutes. This lineup was just so effective offensively, other than Darko, obviously. Barea, Beasley, Williams and Webster all created shots for themselves at times during the game. None of the guys in the starting unit are very skilled in that area. I just really liked how these guys played together, and not just because Beasley and D-Will were on fire. Darko had five assists and zero turnovers in the game. Barea had seven assists and two turnovers. Webster had a nice baseline jumper and a strong drive to the hoop in the fourth during his efficient 5-for-7 shooting effort. And although there were plenty of one-on-one moves by Beasley and Williams, it didn’t seem like the ball was sticking much. They all picked their spots perfectly and did a good job of exploiting L.A.’s defense.

• Kevin Love really got worked in this game. Blake totally owned him in the first half. It wasn’t even close. The stats don’t do the domination justice. Blake was aggressive in getting a shot up every time he got the ball in the post. He showed some pretty nice footwork in the low block, as well. Love, meanwhile, was content with spotting up for a couple threes and facing up for some deep jumpers. His shot was off and he just didn’t look in sync at all. I still say Love is the better power forward, but he just doesn’t match up well against Blake. He’s not athletic and strong enough, but few people are.

• Love also got knocked around a bit, suffering a rib contusion with about two minutes to go in the third. It was an odd sequence after that, as Love just kind of waddled around the court for the final two minutes of the quarter with his hands on his hips. He wasn’t contributing anything on either end, not even trying to get his hands up to rebound. I was kind of surprised to see Adelman let him play out the rest of the quarter. Love didn’t play at all in the fourth, but it sounds like he’s going to be able to give it a go against the Lakers.

• While Love failed miserably at defending Blake, Darko actually did a pretty good job in the fourth. His length seemed to really bother Blake and he was able to poke a few balls away while Blake was trying to back him down. Blake finished with only one point in the quarter. Another great triumph for Darko.

• Nikola Pekovic was solid in the first half while Love was struggling. He had 10 of his 12 points in the half, hitting on a fadeaway, a couple pull-up jumpers and an acrobatic finish on a drive to the basket. Just kidding. He powered his way to some buckets within five feet of the hoop like he always does.

• I’m not sure what has gotten into Derrick Williams, but he has really risen his game to another level in these past two games. He was outstanding in Minnesota’s win over Utah right before the All-Star break with 13 points and nine boards. Then, returning to his home of L.A., he went off for by far his best game as a pro. Something is clicking with him. He’s far more in control of himself and not barreling into the lane like and picking up charges the he was  to start the season. I’d like to say he has clearly turned the corner, but it’s only been two games. Still, we’re seeing some very promising signs.

• With D-Will playing well, that means Love can hopefully get a little more rest and ease back on his league-leading number of minutes. The thing is, if they’re both playing at a high level, their time on the court will have to overlap. Since they’re both power forwards, it makes things  a bit difficult. We all knew that this situation would arise when Williams was drafted. This is where Adelman is really going to earn his money. He’s obviously not afraid to throw unconventional lineups out onto the court, so I think he’ll come up with some sort of solution to deal with this conundrum. Adleman put D-Will, Love and Beasley all on the court at the same time Tuesday, but I didn’t get to see enough of that lineup to form an opinion on how they all played together.

• Ricky Rubio quietly had nine assists in the game. He had a couple of nice passes, but didn’t come close to controlling the game like he has in the past. His shot was really off the mark Tuesday, as he went 1-for-8 from the field. Ricky was shooting alright a couple games ago, but he may be back in a bit of a slump. He was settling for a lot of jump shots against the Clippers, possibly because he was a bit scared of getting stuffed by DeAndre Jordan, who swatted one or two of his attempts near the basket.

• Martell Webster hit this shot from three-quarters court at the end of the first quarter. It didn’t count, but it was still pretty sweet.

•  The Wolves owned Twitter during the fourth quarter. Here’s a snapshot of the national trending topics:

• Another fantastic T-Wolves GIF. This one is Ricky dusting off Beasley’s shoulders. via @cjzero

• You go, Jim Pete!!!

Eat your heart out @AllThatIsMan14. Have fun with Laverne. twitter.com/JimPeteHoops/s…

— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) February 29, 2012

• Through 35 games last season, the Timberwolves sported a 9-26 record and had a cumulative point differential of -205. Through 35 games this season, the Timberwolves have an 18-17 record and a point differential of +52.

• NBA League Pass Broadband has a free preview going on through March 4. Usually League Pass blacks out T-Wolves games that are broadcast on FSN North if you live in the FSN North coverage area, but for some reason I was able to watch the Wolves/Clips game on Tuesday without a problem (other than my power flickering off and on due to a nasty ice storm). You can sign up for the free preview here.

That’s all I got for points today. Please feel free to share your own in the comments section. That was obviously a great win against a possible contender in the Western Conference. The Wolves get another chance to pick up a nice win today against the Lakers back in Staples Center. It sounds like Kobe is going to be out with a concussion he got during the All-Star game, so that will be a big break for Minnesota. Better take advantage of it.

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WILD’S MOVES ON DEADLINE DAY MEAN … I HAVE NO CLUE

So at 2 p.m. the trade deadline came and went in the NHL. Yes, I know everyone was on pins and needles to see what happened. It’s just slightly more exciting than the NFL trade deadline, which I am sure many you did not think existed until I mentioned it.

Anyway, I figured the clip above would highlight the two big names on the trade deadline – Rick Nash of Columbus and Minnesota’s Nick Schultz. OK, well Nash was a big name. I only posted the video because Nash was the big name rumored to be traded and he wasn’t, and trading Schultz probably came as a big surprise to Minnesota fans. Well, at least it did to me but I have mostly tuned out just like the Wild have done since last December.

The Wild have made three moves since Feb. 24, and I have no idea if it means Minnesota is folding the season or not. In fact, I think the trades mean the Wild are actually going to stay on the ship they are on and continue the ride of mediocre.

Schultz was traded for Tom Gilbert, another defenseman, to Edmonton. Gilbert and Schultz are the same age with almost the same cap hit and I think the same contract length. So why was this trade made? Gilbert moves the puck better than Schultz, who is more of a pure defenseman. With an offense that is 23rd in the league, the Wild needed someone who still plays solid defense and can move the puck around. That’s why the trade was made.

The move was stunning because Schultz has been with the Wild forever. He was their second-ever draft pick. So it was sad to see him go and it was apparently a tearful goodbye, no doubt.

Then, right before the deadline, Greg Zanon was moved to Boston for another defenseman, Steve Kampfer, who is a prospect, so this was clearly made for the future. Kampfer will go down to Houston. He was a former standout for the University of Michigan, I guess.

Earlier, the Wild traded Marek Zidlicky to New Jersey. Zidlicky and coach Mike Yeo never got along, so that brought this about. Zidlicky’s play showed, as well, which explains the haul – of crap – Minnesota got for him. They basically got two players back who used to be Minnesota players – Kevin Foster and Stephane Veilleux. These two were forgotten about when they left because they were bit players, and Nick Palmieri, who was also in the deal, is also just a bit player.

The second-round pick in 2012 and 2013 are basically what the Wild can hang their hats on.

Basically, none of these trades made Minnesota better or worse for this year, for a team that is probably missing the playoffs.

The Wild are kind of like Ryan Reynolds’ career. Every time you think they are going to break free, you realize they are never going to get over the hump. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place was when we were really introduced to him (7.6 on IMDB). You will thank me later.

Yes, I realize that YouTube clip is from WE. Shut it. That show had Nathan Fillion, as well, and you don’t want me to get started on his awesomeness, I will fight you. Wait, I was talking about Ryan Reynolds…

Okay, well after that show, Reynolds was a breakout star in the movie Van Wilder in 2002. He was so good, and Tara Reid actually wasn’t awful, even though she was.

Then came the In-Laws and Blade: Trinity, the latter of which was suppose to make Reynolds an action star. While he was actually good, that movie was just downright awful. Seriously, Triple H was in it. So Reynolds had to toil again and make it again.

After that it was The Amityville Horror, which he was terrific in, followed by Waiting. Seriously, only a 6.8 on IMDB for Waiting? What a bunch of prudes. Obviously, not enough people who work in the food service industry has seen that movie, because a lot of that movie was true, trust me.

Once again, he followed up the brilliant Waiting (seriously, if you doubt me, start working at a Ruby Tuesday) with the flop that was Just Friends. Granted, he did the under-rated and crazy Smoking Aces and became the female heartthrob in Definitely, Maybe. Adventureland was OK and he was OK as the Merch with the Mouth in X-Men Wolverine, which was just amazingly bad.

After the chick-flick The Proposal and some movie called Buried, that I heard was awful, he finally landed his big role in a big motion picture, Green Lantern.

Well, guess what, that movie did not do well, at all, but not because of Reynolds, from what I have been told. Yes, I haven’t seen it. I looked at rottontomatoes before I saw it. So once again, he has to do movies like The Change-Up and Safe House, which is just OK at best as I have been told and has cracked the $100 million mark, thanks to Reynolds and Denzel Washington.

This describes the history of the Minnesota Wild. Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place was the expansion  year. The victory over the Avalanche in the playoffs many years ago was the Van Wilder years. However, the following years were the Blade: Trinity with a Waiting year or two in there.

After Marian Gaborik was traded, those were the X-Men Wolverine years. Yikes.

But this year was the Green Lantern year. Everything looked great to be a hit. A super-hero movie rarely misses…but this one did. Just like the Wild’s rise to the top…and then tumble down to out of the playoff race as they start to build up again with Change-Ups and Safe Houses.

The Change-Up could clearly be defined as Gilbert, and the Green Lantern can be defined as Dany Heatley.

Yes, the Reynolds thing was a ploy to build of the former Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place actor. I really did need to build up a word count here. It’s the Wild. I needed a topic to distract me from the Wild. It’s bad enough the Tubby Smith-led Gophers crapped the bed. The Wild had to outdo that and go from first to 12th.

So go and pick up a copy of the Green Lantern to rent for the night. It’s exactly the same disappointment that the Wild season has been so far.

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GOPHERS REVIVE MEMORIES OF CLONES VERSUS CLEAVES

Yes, this is the perfect time for the “We let them off the hook” rant by Denny Green, but since I love Iowa State way to much, I am going another route. For your pleasure, though, Denny Green flipping out because the Spartans are who Tubby Smith and the Gophers thought they were…and they let them off the hook!

Also, pretty sure Green lost his job that season, so maybe this leads to Tubby… let’s save that for another time.

It’s been a while since I vividly remember a team blow it against Michigan State like Minnesota did on Wednesday, and heck, I only saw the highlights on Sportscenter. In terms of importance, this was a huge game for Minnesota. The Gophers were falling quickly out of tournament contention, so Minnesota needed this game…just like Iowa State needed the win against the Spartans in 2000.

OK, so the circumstances are not the same at all. Minnesota is trying to get into the tournament, and Iowa State and Michigan State played for a Final Four spot. The Clones led for much of the game and were giving Mateen Cleaves and the Flintstones easily their toughest game of the tournament.

But as time the went off the clock with three minutes left, Michigan State not only chipped away at the lead, but started to build one of its own and the Spartans Yabadabadoo’d all the way to the national championship.

Minnesota also had a decent lead, seven points with 7:47 left to go against a team that has been playing some of the best basketball in the country outside of Lexington.  But Tubby Smith made a great call to waste time off the clock and take the pedal off, forcing the Gophers to play not to lose instead of playing to win. That took all of the fight out of the Gophers, so thanks Tubby.

Once Michigan State started coming back, I think everyone in the building knew that not only were the Spartans going to win, but Minnesota’s NCAA tournament hopes were gone. And they were with Michigan State’s 66-61 win.

Minnesota was already on Lunardi’s “Next Four Out” after losing the last three games against teams that will (or should in Northwestern’s case) make the tournament. This loss took Minnesota off the next four. If the Gophers would’ve won, I bet they would have flown up all the way to Last Four In because Michigan State is slated for a No. 1 seed.

But no, Tubby Smith could not see the big picture and the Gophers played scared instead of playing to win.

So what does Minnesota have to do? Win out the regular season and make the semifinals of the Big 10 tournament. The end of Minnesota’s schedule has the Gophers taking on Indiana and Wisconsin, which are both ranked and tournament teams, without a doubt. But a win over just one of them does not carry the prestige to get them back in the tournament that Michigan State offered. Even if Minnesota beats those two and Nebraska, they would be on the bubble and I think one of the first four teams out.

If you saw the game, add your comments below. All I have are the SportsCenter highlights. I just know this loss to Michigan State makes the Gophers’ NCAA tournament hopes as realistic as the Minnesota Wild making the NHL playoffs.

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