http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolve ... LanchO7DiU
Jim Souhan: Good things are happening with McHale at helm
No denying five in a row is progress, and count Saturday's rally as another crowd-pleaser.
By JIM SOUHAN, Star Tribune
If you've forgotten just how deliciously claustrophobic a good NBA game can feel, you should have been courtside at Target Center on Saturday night. Kevin McHale should have been there, too.
The Wolves beat Milwaukee 106-104 to win their fifth game in a row, giving them their first five-game winning streak since 2005, and if their improvement is relative -- like the stock market surging back to 8,500 -- it's also a matter of fact and trend:
• McHale, who got ejected after the first quarter, is a pretty good coach. He went 19-12 in his last stint on the bench, and he's responsible for this mini-surge.
He's playing the right people (more Rodney Carney, more Brian Cardinal, less Rashad McCants). He's provided a common-sense framework for what had been an aimless offense, attacking weak defenders and pushing the tempo.
McHale has also provided a more positive aura on the bench, using his credibility as an all-time great to coax his players, where his predecessor whined at them.
Long after the game ended Saturday night, McHale was still walking through the locker room, slapping hands, even whispering in Sebastian Telfair's ear.
• Randy Wittman might be one of the worst NBA coaches of all time, and for all of the mistakes that cause fans to criticize owner Glen Taylor, hiring Wittman is too often underplayed.
Wittman went 62-102 as the head coach in Cleveland. He went 38-105 as a coach in Minnesota. The coach who preceded Wittman, Dwane Casey, was 20-20 when he got fired; the team went south under Wittman.
Wittman was 4-15 this season; McHale has gone 7-10 with the same players. While 7-10 doesn't sound too exciting, the style of play and the current winning streak signal a difference in the way this team is playing.
