Prior to Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Rockets in Houston, our Kyle Ratke
was able to chat with Alan Horton, the voice of the Wolves. Tonight’s game will
air on Buz’n 102.9 FM at 8:30 p.m.
KR: If the Wolves want to take one tonight in Houston and move this to Game 6 in
Minneapolis, what are the keys?
AH: Somehow get back the the way they played in Game 3, where the intensity, the
focus was there right from the opening tip. With the exception of a late
second-quarter run by Houston and early in the third quarter when Thibs called
that early timeout the Timberwolves really responded and dominated the rest of
the way.
The Timberwolves really responded and kind of dominated the rest of the way.
They’ve got to get back to playing that way, the way they played in Game 3, and
they’ve done a really good job in the series I thought of not allowing (James)
Harden and (Chris) Paul together to get going, to get in a rhythm offensively,
and they did that in the third quarter of Game 4. But for the most part they had
done a really good job. Game 1 was Harden going off but Paul struggled, Game 2
the opposite, Game 3 they had numbers but they really didn’t dominate for
stretches, and I think when we saw them dominate in the third quarter we see
what Houston’s capable of.
KR: There are plenty of positives from the series if you’re a Wolves fan,
though, apart from those two really bad quarters.
AH: It’s true, the second quarter of Game 2 and the third quarter of Game 4, the
problem is in a series, even if it’s seven games, those quarters can make a huge
difference, and those quarters basically carried the Rockets to two wins. You
split the other two and that’s where we are, it’s 3-1. Thibs says it time and
time again about playing a full 48 and you can’t let up against teams like the
Rockets, and if you do that’s what happens, quarters like that happen. But
you’re right if you take away those two quarters, which you can’t and even up
until halftime of Game 4, you played three and a half games and it was
relatively even. You were a half away from stealing Game 4 and tying the series
2-2 instead that big third quarter really makes things kind of lopsided. It’s
now 3-1 and the Wolves have their backs up against the wall.
KR: We’ve heard Thibs talk time and time again about not knowing playoff
basketball until you get there. Karl-Anthony Towns has struggled in the series,
while Andrew Wiggins has had his moments. This needs to be a big learning moment
for those two, right?
AH: I hope so. I hope those guys learn from it. I hope they get to soak in the
experience of what it takes to win and see what guys like James Harden and Chris
Paul do to get their teams into form like that in the postseason, because it’s a
whole level of basketball. I think for Karl specifically kind of the way they
were defending on him, putting pressure on him to make decisions, I think we’ve
seen him get his footing a little bit over the last couple of games, but it has
to be every game, it has to be a consistent thing. But when the Wolves were at
their best that was Game 3 and that was a balanced attack, you know, three
20-point scorers. You had (Derrick) Rose coming off the bench and contributing,
you had (Jamal) Crawford contributing, it’s going to take that kind of effort to
beat Houston. You can’t just rely on KAT or Wiggins, it’s got to be both of them
and Jimmy and Jeff right down the line.
KR: If the Wolves were able to win Game 5 and head back to Minneapolis, how big
would that be for the fanbase? You force a Game 6 at home and if the crowd is
like it was in Game 3 and Game 4, who knows? And if you win that, all of the
pressure is on Houston in Game 7.
AH: I think you probably feel like you’re playing with house money, come in a
little more free, a little looser, and that’s what’s great about a series, even
down 3-1. If you keep it close tonight like you did in Game 1 maybe you eek one
out here, force them to come back to Target Center. The fanbase was not
expecting another home game, and probably the players weren’t either, now all of
a sudden you’ve got an atmosphere that’s like Game 3, Game 4, like the Denver
game, and now you’ve got a chance to even the series and then Game 7, hey, Chris
Paul, James Harden and Mike D’Antoni, as good as they are in their respective
roles, they all have something to prove, and they’ve had their struggles in the
postseason. You’d love to be able to put the pressure on them and see how they
react and take your chances. If they respond then fine, but it’s real
interesting. I always like breaking down the series like that, it makes every
game even though you’re down 3-1 and on the road, you’re able to steal one I
think it changes the complexion big time.
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/game-5-shootaround-chat-alan-horton
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets, Minnesota
Timberwolves
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Taxonomy: 2018 Playoffs
Story Link: http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/game-5-shootaround-chat-alan-horton
