Game 75: DET at MIN

[jscott]

Handing Detroit a loss is gravy on an impressive win.

[Loaf_of_bread]

Is TSJ lowkey on Finch’s ****??

Guy was playing well mid-season, and isn’t particularly young. If he cannot sniff a minute with ddv gone, then trade him. Finch is a clown

I like Terrence Shannon Jr. a lot, but he has some problems with decision making. The truth is that Jaylen Clark (who is a younger player that Coach Finch is playing!) is a much more stable player for the coaching staff to pick.

Not sure why Finch is getting heat here, Minnesota is playing good ball tonight.

I have been thinking about some of this teams shortcomings and also some of Finch’s stubbornness/head scratchers as some sort of potential brilliance this team/him thinks they can come up with in terms of postseason bb.

Idk, maybe there is something finch is up to for success in the playoffs.. we will all find out.

[shrink]

His best game in my memory. It's a shame he rarely brings it.

It’s not that rare. This is fourth straight double-double

19 PTS, 25 RB is extra special though. Not numbers you get if you just “bring it.”

Far, far too many nights he under achieves. Double figures like 10 and10 don't impress me. Blocking out, blocking shots, rebounding like a demon is what impresses me. He just doesn't do it anywhere enough for me, especially for the money he makes.

Tonight shows what he can be. He needs to be that for us to go anywhere.

Maybe we're starting to play our best ball when we need to. Can we start being consistent every night like good teams are.

I guess you’re consistent, because even though he “rarely brings it,” he’s averaging a double-double for the season while simultaneously being one of the best defenders in NBA history..

Also, when he rarely brings it, he’s still 8th in the NBA in RPG, before tonight’s 25. I suppose that’s not “rebounding like a demon,” but he is one of the best rebounder in the NBA.

You can rank people however you like. But to me, I’m not poopoo-ing anyone that averages double-doubles. And just because he CAN go 19 PTS and 25 RB, it’s unfair to expect it. If feels like you are intentionally creating standards that can’t be realistically met, to justify your emotional views on Gobert.

[Ethomasp31]

Gobert with 17 points, 19 rebounds so far. 20/20 game?

His best game in my memory. It's a shame he rarely brings it. We desperately need this Rudy. He played engaged and possessed.

I'm proud of the guys effort this half. Mike Conley is playing his best ball now too.

I'm loving Jaylen Clark playing in crunch time. Finch is finally getting it.

Wow I thought he was just as good against Phoenix on Friday. I thought he had a few more dumb decisions tonight actually.

[Ethomasp31]

6 player rotation after ddv, naz ejected.. Great win, but i don't get it.

JMD
Ant
Randle
Rudy
Conley
NAW
Clark

That's 7

[TimberKat]

Gobert with 17 points, 19 rebounds so far. 20/20 game?

His best game in my memory. It's a shame he rarely brings it. We desperately need this Rudy. He played engaged and possessed.

I'm proud of the guys effort this half. Mike Conley is playing his best ball now too.

I'm loving Jaylen Clark playing in crunch time. Finch is finally getting it.

Wow I thought he was just as good against Phoenix on Friday. I thought he had a few more dumb decisions tonight actually.

Yes, still playing thru some rookie mistakes. I think he is ahead of TSJR and you can really play one of them to have significant minutes

[shrink]

I just saw that our game in DEN is the first in a home back-to-back for the Nuggets, facing the Spurs on Wednesday.

If we came out and punched the Nuggets (especially Jamal Murray) in the mouth for the first quarter, like we did the Suns, they might just bail out early, and save their energy for the easier win the following night. They may not want to exhaust themselves against us in a rock fight, lose, and then be too tired to beat a Spurs team that would have been a gimmie.

[TimberKat]

I just saw that our game in DEN is the first in a home back-to-back for the Nuggets, facing the Spurs on Wednesday.

If we came out and punched the Nuggets (especially Jamal Murray) in the mouth for the first quarter, like we did the Suns, they might just bail out early, and save their energy for the easier win the following night. They may not want to exhaust themselves against us in a rock fight, lose, and then be too tired to beat a Spurs team that would have been a gimmie.

I don't know if that is a metaphor after tonight. DDV or NAW may actually literally go that.

[shrink]

Read on Twitter

The play before “the brawl,” Stewart nudges the off-balance DDV as he’s falling, tries to swipe the ball away from him, then punches him in the lower back as he’s walking away. But, pistons Twitter says Donte hurt his feelings when he missed a basket?

I don’t think Stewart’s action that preceded the fight are horrible, but certainly unnecessary and bad for the game.

[cmoss84]

@NickK and LOB. I'm sorry, but your takes are...not great. You are upset with Donte? Rudy can't do anything right? Finch is a bad coach? Come on man.

[moss_is_1]

Is TSJ lowkey on Finch’s ****??

Guy was playing well mid-season, and isn’t particularly young. If he cannot sniff a minute with ddv gone, then trade him. Finch is a clown

Tsj was in street clothes. Pretty sure he has a groin injury.

[Guest84]

Is TSJ lowkey on Finch’s ****??

Guy was playing well mid-season, and isn’t particularly young. If he cannot sniff a minute with ddv gone, then trade him. Finch is a clown

I like Terrence Shannon Jr. a lot, but he has some problems with decision making. The truth is that Jaylen Clark (who is a younger player that Coach Finch is playing!) is a much more stable player for the coaching staff to pick.

Not sure why Finch is getting heat here, Minnesota is playing good ball tonight.

Was his decision making that much worse than Ant or any other player on the team to not sniff at least one minute?

I thought he played within the system and only pushed it in transition on occasion. What exactly did he do to go straight to dnp?

I’m not in the fire Finch camp but man stop playing with these young guys confidence and development. But it was expected since the trade created a logjam at the 2/3 spots.

[younggunsmn]

Really big games from Mike and Rudy salvaged this one.
Nice to see Mike finding his shooting touch and two aggressive games from Rudy in a row.
Detroit didn't have much to go to offensively without Cade, Ivey, and Harris.
On paper this shouldn't have ever been close,
but on paper we aren't the team we were last year either.

Once we put Conley on Beasley and he put on a clinic on how to defend ballscreens, Detroit's offense really sputtered.
That's as much about positioning and using your Brain to anticipate and react as it is athleticism and want-to.
They ran the same play for Beasley like 10 times in a row in the first half and we kept responding with the same basic failing strategy.
If you're gonna continually pile on Finch you have to give him credit for that adjustment too.

Donte really woke the team up with his intensity but it was dumb to get himself thrown out of the game like that.
It was a little bit disgraceful how we kept baiting Stewart because we knew he was a hothead.
That whole fiasco didn't look like a couple of winning teams headed for the playoffs, it looked like a bunch of immature kids more concerned with their trash talk than winning the game.

Finch is right the refs brought this on by missing so many blatantly obvious calls.
But both coaches also let their players get out of hand.

Don't discount how much Bickerstaff getting tossed impacted the rest of the game.
Of all the guys thrown out that one probably hurt the most.

[younggunsmn]

Important win, tough game against Denver coming up.

Why is it that I have about the same amount of faith in us beating Denver on Tuesday as I do Brooklyn and Philly?
Which is about 50/50.

It's frustrating being that team again that you can't count on to beat the cupcakes but goes 3-0 against Denver and 2-2 vs OKC.

[Klomp]

Detroit's offense is going to be predicated on whether Beasley and Hardaway can make shots, and if Schroder's flopping keeps getting rewarded. I think Beasley's mouth will do him in down the stretch of this one.

Interesting how quiet the not-so-supercool Beas got down the stretch.

[Klomp]

Don't discount how much Bickerstaff getting tossed impacted the rest of the game.
Of all the guys thrown out that one probably hurt the most.

I agree with that. Luke Walton has ridden the coat tails of Steph Curry for far too long. He is not a genius coach.

[Klomp]

Read on Twitter

[Nick K]

Gobert with 17 points, 19 rebounds so far. 20/20 game?

His best game in my memory. It's a shame he rarely brings it. We desperately need this Rudy. He played engaged and possessed.

I'm proud of the guys effort this half. Mike Conley is playing his best ball now too.

I'm loving Jaylen Clark playing in crunch time. Finch is finally getting it.

Wow I thought he was just as good against Phoenix on Friday. I thought he had a few more dumb decisions tonight actually.

I agree that he was good against Phoenix but you're missing the point....he was mediocre far too often this season overall.

[BlacJacMac]

It’s not that rare. This is fourth straight double-double

19 PTS, 25 RB is extra special though. Not numbers you get if you just “bring it.”

Far, far too many nights he under achieves. Double figures like 10 and10 don't impress me. Blocking out, blocking shots, rebounding like a demon is what impresses me. He just doesn't do it anywhere enough for me, especially for the money he makes.

Tonight shows what he can be. He needs to be that for us to go anywhere.

Maybe we're starting to play our best ball when we need to. Can we start being consistent every night like good teams are.

I guess you’re consistent, because even though he “rarely brings it,” he’s averaging a double-double for the season while simultaneously being one of the best defenders in NBA history..

Also, when he rarely brings it, he’s still 8th in the NBA in RPG, before tonight’s 25. I suppose that’s not “rebounding like a demon,” but he is one of the best rebounder in the NBA.

You can rank people however you like. But to me, I’m not poopoo-ing anyone that averages double-doubles. And just because he CAN go 19 PTS and 25 RB, it’s unfair to expect it. If feels like you are intentionally creating standards that can’t be realistically met, to justify your emotional views on Gobert.

Rudy is probably the most under-appreciated player in the league - even by many Timberwolves fans.

So much of what he does on both ends of the floor never shows up in boxscores. He opens up so much offense as one of the best screeners in the game. And while he doesn't block a ton of shots, he forces so many guys to completely bail out of paint attempts just by his presence.

[winforlose]

I love the argument that Donte taunted Stewart to start the fight, especially after Beasley was screaming in Wolves faces and taunting the whole building.