Wolves!

What a difference between the LA Lakers and the T-Wolves.

The Lakers start 1-4 and they fire their head coach. Poof! He's gone. And the first thing they do is win big on Friday night with an interim head coach.

The T-Wolves on the other hand, lose their two biggest stars to injury before the season starts and then lose a couple of MORE starters (three actually) to injuries before and during the game and they STILL play a great game and pull it out at the very end to go 4-1.

This is the TIMBERWOLVES we're talking about, the perennial cellar dwellers who can't win even when they HAVE known stars perfectly healthy.

This season they have a great head coach who teaches defense and finding the open man, while having players who are smart enough to execute basic, sound, WINNING basketball.

I watched the last eight minutes again last night (as is my habit, I'll say it again, the rest of the game simply doesn't matter) and I was absolutely AMAZED how good these players play as a team down the stretch in the clutch. They even missed an open layup with ten seconds left that would have put the game away, but made up for it as time ran out with yet ANOTHER great pass that led to any easy layup for the win.

I have NEVER really enjoyed a Timberwolves game until last night. Yes, I've seen them win in the past, but I've never ENJOYED the game itself. They worked for that win last night, and even though most of those players are total unknowns to the rest of the league, they played the best TEAM basketball I have ever seen in the NBA.

I don't say that lightly. Most great teams have 2 or three superstars and an adequate support staff that is able to give the stars some rest during the game. But last night, I saw no stars, I just saw a lot of of very good basketball players who know what basketball IS.

It's a team sport and this is one solid team.

I have no idea how they'll match up with great superstar teams when the fluffy part of their schedule comes to a close shortly, but I am super psyched to continue following this team at least for a while longer. I KNOW it could all come crashing down tomorrow, since this is still the T-Wolves team that always somehow manages to ultimately disappoint, but until they crash and burn, they will have at least one more fairly regular viewer.

On a side note: I LIKE the way Lakers management fired their head coach. This is a team that EXPECTS success and they realized that if they didn't take immediate charge of what was happening that their playoff hopes were already in jeopardy.

FIVE games into a 70 plus game season they made an IMMEDIATE course correction to save their season. The Vikings management, on the other hand, sees how bad their situation is and they are content to THROW away the season week after week as an inadequate coach destroys this season one week at a time, while killing the morale of this team.

Sports fans you have the example. A team that desires to win at all costs, and a franchise that is content to merely have a better record than the previous season. In pro sports you DON'T settle. In Minnesota, except for the current Wolves, we settle all the time. I'm sick of settling.