Wolves record: 2-9
Game recaps:
Stone-faced, Garnett went through his warmups as if it were any other game in any other venue, with that trademark intensity smoldering from the moment he stepped on the court.
He was introduced first and received a standing ovation, but nothing compared to the thunderous welcome he got in his first game back in this building last February, though he did not play with an abdominal injury.
“It’s just another team that I play against,” Garnett said. “I don’t put no more or no less than that into it.”
But Boston coach Doc Rivers wasn’t buying that for one second…
After leading Boston with 17 points en route to a 95-78 blowout of the Wolves, Garnett returned the favor when summarizing his performance.
“Always good to go somewhere and feel the love, obviously, in the building,” he said. “It’s even better to win in the place I used to play. Good feeling. Lot of good energy in the building. Thank you, fans.”
The Wolves bench would outplay the Boston second unit in the second quarter. The shooting touch remained absent for Minnesota but the team attacked the basket to force Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe to sit down with three fouls apiece. At halftime, the Wolves held a three-point lead despite shooting 27 percent from the field.
Minnesota dropped to 2-9 on the year while the Celtics improved to 12-2. The Wolves will practice tomorrow before hitting the road for a contest at Detroit and the new-look Pistons with Allen Iverson.
The Wolves shot 31.3 percent (26-for-83) one game after they shot 51.4 percent against Philadelphia and ended an eight-game losing streak. Their starters made 14 of 49 shots — Foye 2-for-12, Gomes 3-for-11, Al Jefferson 8-for-20, Kevin Love 3-for-10. Sebastian Telfair was the only Timberwolf who made more shots than he missed (6-for-10).
At one point, Wolves coach Randy Wittman surveyed the floor and yelled to his players, “What’s wrong with an 18-footer?” He should have modified that quote later to a 5-footer.
Al Jefferson had 23 points to lead the Wolves (2-9), who shot just 11.8 percent (2 of 17) in the crucial period and 31.3 percent (26 for 83) for the game.
How bad was it?
The Wolves’ two third-quarter field goals tied the team record for fewest in one period, and even Jefferson went just 8 for 20.
The Celtics’ advantage in the third period was 35-10. The Wolves made two of 17 field goals for 11.8 percent. They didn’t have an assist or blocked shot and were outrebounded 13-6.
“Oh, the humanity!” Big Brock was alleged to bellow as the quarter came to a close with Rajon Rondo’s buzzer-beating three-pointer.
I’m not going to finish this comment, but at one point in the fourth Kevin Love, Brian Cardinal, Mark Madsen and Brian Scalabrine were all on the court at the same time. Anyone want to finish that joke?
Rookie Kevin Love missed his only shot attempt in the third quarter. He finished the game 3-for-10 and failed on all three of his three-point attempts. Although he fared well when matched up on defense with Garnett, being on the court during Boston’s monster third quarter was a “letdown.”
“They punked us,” Love said. “It’s real frustrating. But we’re young. They’ve got a bunch of vets on their team; they’ve got three of the best players in the NBA. They’ve got pieces put together on their team and a great coach to where they can win every game. And they really turned it on in the second half.”
The closest Garnett came to opening up about his return to the Target Center came in response to a question about his dunk over the man he was traded for – Al Jefferson [stats].
“It’s not personal,” Garnett said. “People try to make it personal, but I don’t think about that. He’s a competitor, I’m a competitor. I’m trying to get another ring, and he’s trying to take his team in the direction that will make the situation better. It’s two different stages on two different teams.”