A Look Back

January 19, 2011 | From: Wolves Radio

A few years ago, well it may have been longer than that, there was an NBA marketing campaign that showed highlights and excited fans and at the end was capped off with the slogan "I love this game!"

They have since moved on to the 'Where Amazing Happens' which is a great campaign but sometimes I find myself watching a Wolves game or any number of other NBA games we enjoy in the NBA Tonight Studios on a nightly basis and am reminded once again why 'I love this game!"

Let's just look back to the first half of the Timberwolves season at a number of games that got me out of my seat down here in the NBA Tonight Studios.

Opening night, Wolves-Kings, MN shoots 47%, got 20 points from Luke Ridnour, saw Anthony Tolliver step up in the 4th quarter as they battled Sacramento down to the wire but fell short. Disappointing way to open the season yes, but what a back and forth battle it was, Wes Johnson scoring his first NBA points on a ferocious dunk and seeing MN battle without Jonny Flynn, without Martell Webster and with Kevin Love still working to find his groove gave hope that there were brighter days ahead.

Then two nights later Michael Beasley introduces himself to the home fans scoring 21 grabbing 10 boards, Kevin Love 17pt 16 rebounds second straight double-double (foreshadowing for what was to come) and MN picks up a win over Milwaukee.

Then after a couple of tough road losses the Wolves found themselves in LA to take on the Lakers. Love comes up with 23pt and a then career high 24 rebounds MN fell short 99-94 but put a scare into the defending Champs.

The following night Beasley goes off for 42pts and MN wins in Sacramento, their first road win of the year 98-89.

Two nights after that Kevin Love posts the historic 31pt 31rebound, 5assist night, Michael Beasley chips in with 35 of his own and MN rallies back from down 21 to beat NYC 112-103. Tough to put that one into words but just know that with every rebound Kevin Love grabbed Alan Horton's (Wolves Radio Play By Play voice) voice rose with excitement until Love grabbed 31 and Horton erupted '31rebounds, he is the best rebounder in the NBA' a statement it's hard to argue with.

Then came November 17th, Kevin Love was still putting up double-double's easy as flipping pancakes, but with the Clippers in town it was Michael Beasley's time to shine as he scored the game winner, a jump shot over former Wolf Ryan Gomes, part of a 33 point night. That was in the midst of a 5gm stretch where Beasley was averaging over 32pts a night and MN went 3-2.

Later in the month MN took San Antonio to overtime on the strength of 32pt 22rebounds from Kevin Love who in the Month of December would drop a career high 43 on Denver, in Denver during the 2nd game of a back to back that saw MN switch time zones nearly every day as part of a 6 game road trip.

Already in January MN has beaten the Nets, and Wizards (both without Michael Beasley showing that they are growing as a team and that they are finally getting healthy and able to take advantage of their depth) and battled the top two teams in the NBA, San Antonio and Boston, down to the final possessions.

Not to mention in January we have seen 5 technical fouls called in 10 seconds and seen Darko tip a jump ball into the his own basket! You never know what you'll see!

While the record is not what many fans would like the see there are plenty of reasons in the first half of the season only to make you stand up and shout 'I love this game!' and you can bet there will be many more as we move into the 2nd half of the season...