A Weekend With Wolves

 

A Weekend With Wolves

Todd Swank's Diary Entry for February 25, 2024

I bought a pack of tickets to the Minnesota Timberwolves back in December and selected a version that was heavily concentrated on weekend games.  I didn't really pay attention to the fact that this weekend included games for both Friday and Saturday night.  So it ended up being a Weekend With Wolves.

Luke joined me on Friday night.  He wore his favorite new shirt and if you're a fan of the team, you'll find it hilarious.  If not, you probably don't get it.  Understood.

I'm like 10 in a row for getting my picture up on the scoreboard during the game.  Either I'm really lucky or I'm the only one who cares to achieve this particular goal in life.  

Giannis Antetokounmpo graced our city with his towering presence, courtesy of our friendly neighborhood rivals, the Milwaukee Bucks.  And just like going to a Vikings/Packers game in Minneapolis, it seemed like half of the crowd were Bucks fans.  I should probably add the word obnoxious Bucks fans to the end of that phrase.  

The Timberwolves are having their best season in team history and are still in first place in the Western Division.  This means that more celebrities are sighted at the games.  Last time I saw 50 Cent and this time it was ESPN's Stephen A Smith.  He was sitting next to ARod during the game which was in the same section we were seated in about 30 rows behind them.  Unfortunately Mr. Smith never turned around while I was stalking him with my zoom lens so this is the best picture I was able to capture.

We also got to see former Twolves player and coach, Sam Mitchell.  He looks a lot older than I remember seeing him last.  Given that my own aging process is less 'fine wine' and more 'milk left out overnight,' I'm hardly one to judge.

Minnesota puts on a pretty good show.  The mascot Crunch is usually pulling shenanigans and there's always something to entertain you before, after, and during the game.  

It had been 19 days since the last home game.  The Wolves had been on a 4 game win streak before the all-star break and we were hopeful to see the streak go to number 5.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.  Minnesota had a tough time making their shots and the team seemed to be a bit too discombobulated to pull off the victory.  They lost by a score of 112 to 107.  And the Bucks fans all around us were happy and even more obnoxious than they had been earlier.

On Saturday night, Miss Sheri joined me for the game.  It was Scarf Night so we felt pretty lucky.

I also made it to 11 times in a row getting our picture on the Big Screen.  I Rule.

Miss Sheri is a huge fan of the Wolves and watches a lot of pregame shows, postgame shows, and videos on social media about her favorite team.  She's a big fan of Wolves announcer, Marney Gellner, and wanted to get a picture with her.  Miss Gellner was nice enough to participate.  She's awesome.

Our opponents for the evening were the Brooklyn Nets.  When we were driving to the game, my wife asked me who the big names were on their team and I must admit, I struggled to identify anyone who she would recognize.  I kind of forgot Ben Simmons plays for the team, but is he even a big name?  

Even Kyle Anderson is befuddled by that question.

I imagine Jaden McDaniels was chanting "Naz Reid" over and over again in this huddle.

Rudy Gobert  had 19 boards for the Wolves on Friday night, but must have pulled his groin or something because he was sitting on the bench for this game.

Our Wolves get less respect from the refs than I do when I claim I can dunk the ball.  Both Karl Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards seem to get fouled an awful lot, but never get the whistles they feel they deserve.  They spend a lot of time telling the referees how to do their jobs, but I'm not sure it has the effect they're hoping. 

Nevertheless, the Timberwolves took control of the action and went on to win the game by a score of 101-86.  That puts them at 40-17.  I've been coming to Timberwolves games since the Christian Laettner years and this is the best team I've ever seen.  Their lead in the west is tenuous, but they've been holding it almost the whole season.  I think this team will continue to gel and do some real damage in the playoffs.  Let's Go!