I agree Blake it’s Kevin’s fault.
This is exactly what TNT had in mind when they made this a nationally televised game. Right? With an expected starting line up of: Ridnour, Shved, AK-47, Dante Cunningham, and Big Pek (according to Jon Krawcyznski, the Wolves may shuffle it up tomorrow night and insert Rubio and D-Will into the starting lineup) the Wolves definitely do not possess the sex appeal as L.A.’s other team – historically speaking. But they still have Pekovic, who will try to add DeAndre Jordan to his medieval knight skull collection tattoo. Although Pek will get his tomorrow night the loss of Kevin Love will be hard felt, as his ability to stretch the floor and get Blake Griffin out of the lane will be absent.
The Clippers come into this game efficient on both ends of the floor. They are 7th in the NBA with 102.1 points per game, while only allowing 93.3 – good for 4th in the NBA. The key for the Wolves will be containing Jamal Crawford, who went for 30 points last game against the Rockets in a high scoring battle. The Clippers currently hold the second best record in the West only 1/2 game back of the Thunder. (Looks like the Thunder are going to beat Denver to take a one game lead over the Clippers). We know Blake Griffin can dunk but outside of rim-rattling jam sessions he does not have range and is horrid from the free throw line, shooting a magnificent 63%. His running mate DeAndre Jordan is shooting a whopping 41% from the charity stripe. How is that even possible for an NBA player to shoot 41% from the free throw line? Anyways, containing Chris Paul and not allowing him to penetrate through the lane and kick it to the Clippers 3-point shooters will be a huge task for the Wolves. Paul is currently day-to-day with a knee injury. He missed Tuesday’s game against the Rockets. The Wolves will be coached by Terry Porter again and they hold a 1-3 record with him as coach after a tough road trip.
The Wolves are 0-1 this year against the Clippers with the loss coming at Staples Center. K-Love led Wolves scorers with 19 points, on a harsh 3 for 12 shooting night. We’ll be without Love this game, but I expect the rest of the team to finally get over his absence and play an inspired game. The real key is how D-Will plays, which is why Derrick is this games Daily Wolf to Watch (looking for a sponsor). I expect a big game from Derrick and think he will get plenty of playing time. The key will be on the defensive end for Derrick as Griffin is much stronger and apparently Griffin can jump over Kia’s which somehow might be useful. I hope that Derrick Williams gets off the Kanye West “Workout Plan” soon with all the weight he lost this off-season. The Wolves will need him to be more physical with him expecting to get more minutes at the power forward position now that Love is out.
The Clippers are coming in hot – like victims on KDWB after they find out they’re on, “War of the Roses” – winning five of their last six and not losing one game in December. The Wolves, on the other hand, are coming into this game like every new Eddie Murphy movie; awfully bad and incredibly boring. Yeah, A Thousand Words will be a good movie, said no one ever. The Wolves are struggling mightily, that much is clear. Losers of 4 straight and going 3-7 in their last 10 means that they need this game a lot more than the Clippers do. Being nationally televised will give them a chance to show they do not need K-Love and his coats (or vice versa, that perhaps they actually really do). They definitely need D-Will to come out like his glory days at the University of Arizona, and for Rubio to be the Spanish Unicorn we know he can be.
Predictions for the game.
- D-Will comes out with the intensity that we occasionally see, but always hope for. He is aggressive and able to handle the strength of Griffin. Bold prediction: 22 points, 11 rebounds, and two 3-pointers. Not too much to ask for, right?
- Rubio wants to increase his minutes and gets over the 30 minute mark for the first time this season. Plays lock down defense on Paul and is able to hit at least 40% from the field.
- Shved brings his all-time sexy Shved game and goes off. This will happen.
- J.J. Barea wants to impress his soul-mate, who may or may not be at the game. That cannot be confirmed or denied. My bet is that J.J. has one of his typical ‘Puerto Rican Jordan’ type games and goes off for about 18, while screaming and grinding the referees with complete disregard for their feelings.
Have you met Mike?
This is my first game being able to watch the Wolves from Chicago. The sheer excitement of this is comparable to Brent Musburger’s reactions after taking Cialis. I expect the Wolves faithful to come out strong for this nationally televised game. Prediction: Clippers 97 Wolves 102
I love everything about this.
Unless Shved comes out with this hair. If that’s the case Wolves win by 50. Go Wolves!
Follow me on twitter @mikecomer89
The Daily Wolf 
Great stuff