Flip and Chauncey Return To Minnesota

Check back with Wolves Hoops Blog on Saturday

for my recap, notes and analysis from this game.

After Wednesday’s lackluster effort by the Timberwolves, Coach Casey needs to find a way to motivate this team to bounce back. Their ability to recover from an effort such as that is what will be the defining point for this team as they attempt to make a return to the playoffs.

The issue at hand is that the Detroit Pistons are not a good “bounce back” team. Although they lost Ben Wallace, their anchor, over the summer to the Chicago Bulls, this team still has the heart of a champion. Especially after the overtime loss in their gym on Monday, there will also be a revenge factor to this game, trying to give Minnesota a loss in front of their home fans.

All this without mentioning the return of Flip Saunders and Chauncey Billups to Minneapolis. They certainly will have their team motivated and clicking on all cylinders, ready to dominate from the tip. Flip and his MVP would love nothing more than to leave the Target Center with a notch in the victory column.

Not to mention that Detroit comes to Minnesota with a new weapon in their arsenal. His name is Chris Webber.

In what, hopefully, should be an exciting game, Minnesota can redeem themselves to a certain degree if they decide to show up against Detroit. As mentioned before, fans will excuse an occasional loss as long as the effort was there. Against Atlanta, the Wolves had no effort or heart, which will be concerning if that happens two games in a row before the biggest road trip so far this season looming.

Will Minnesota be able to match the intensity that Detroit will bring?