Rockets-Timberwolves Preview

By DAVE CAMPBELL
Posted Jan 23 2012 6:37PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Kevin McHale stood surrounded by a swarm of cameras and reporters on the Target Center court, surveying a familiar scene.

He wore a brown winter jacket, just like any other guy his age around Minnesota would.

There were plenty of hints, however, McHale, has moved on mentally as well as physically from his home state.

McHale brought the Houston Rockets to town for a game on Monday night against the Timberwolves, his first time at Target Center since he was fired in June 2009 following a 15-year run with the franchise.

For better or worse, McHale has had as big of a hand as anyone in leading the Timberwolves over their 23 seasons in the league.

"There's only one guy left on that team, Kevin Love, from when I was here," McHale said before the game. "I've been in the arena a million different times. Been here for a lot of good times and bad times."

That was as deep into feelings as McHale was willing to go. He wore a Rockets shirt underneath the jacket, one of the many signs of this post-Minnesota stage in his life.

The Hall of Fame power forward - who grew into his 6-foot-10 frame in the mining town of Hibbing and used a standout career at the University of Minnesota as a springboard to the NBA with the Boston Celtics - paused for a few seconds when asked if he still considers the area home.

"Four of my five kids were born in New England. They were watching the Patriots yesterday. I'll always have a lake home here I'm sure. I don't know if the Twin Cities will always be home. Northern Minnesota will always be home for me. At the end of the day, I'm just an old country boy from northern Minnesota," McHale said.

McHale's youngest child, Tommy, is a senior on the Totino-Grace High School team this season.

McHale was able to stay at his family's home in the northern Minneapolis suburbs, but morning snowfall turned his drive to the arena for the morning shootaround into a two-hour commute. He sure wasn't wistful about the January weather here, compared to living in Texas.

"When I left it was 80," McHale said.

His competitive desire hasn't dropped. Two years as a TV analyst on TNT merely stoked that inner fire.

"It's fun to have a dog in the fight," McHale said, adding: "Every game I've ever played, I got butterflies before I walked out. If you don't, quit. ... When I don't, I'll go fishing. I don't get butterflies when I'm fishing. I never catch anything."

He still detests the frequent late-night travel around the country and all the nights away from home, his previously stated reluctance to coaching on a permanent basis.

Though he primarily served as the general manager and boss of basketball operations during his time with the Timberwolves, he had two stints as the head coach after midseason changes on the bench. That's what he was doing most recently when he was dismissed nearly three years ago.

"Coaching is fun. I enjoy it. There's highs and lows, just like playing. You're really involved. After losses, you just feel terrible. ... After wins, you're exhilarated," he said.

Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, experiencing a reunion of his own on Monday, simply described the profession as "what we chose to do," despite the built-in frustrations that come with the job.

"I think working with the players, working with the team, is special. If you can see success, you can see them growing as a team, I think that makes it worthwhile," said Adelman, who coached the Rockets for the past four seasons.

McHale's departure from Minnesota was too late as far as the majority of Timberwolves fans felt.

After drafting Kevin Garnett, hiring his college buddy Flip Saunders to be the head coach and building a team that made the playoffs eight straight times, reaching the Western Conference finals in 2004, the franchise fell apart.

There were too many high draft picks who didn't pan out, too many ill-conceived trades and too many expensive contracts that didn't produce positive results, from Ndudi Ebi to Marko Jaric to Michael Olowokandi. When Garnett won an NBA title with the Celtics after the Wolves traded him, McHale's status with the public was sealed.

But his last big move was the draft-night trade with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008 that brought Love to Minnesota. Now he's a scoring, rebounding and even 3-point shooting machine.

"I'm thankful for what he did for me, bringing me in here and also working with me in my rookie year, giving me an opportunity to succeed and take my game to the next level," Love said. "So he's somebody that I really respect on and off the court."

Even when he wasn't the coach, McHale worked daily with the team's big men, teaching them the art of the post move and pushing them after practice. But McHale, while praising Love's development, wanted no part of any praise.

"It has nothing to do with me. He's a hard-working guy. I'm happy for him," McHale said.

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Rockets win 7th straight, 107-92 over Timberwolves

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Posted Jan 23 2012 11:38PM

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Kevin McHale's first night back at Target Center since his firing in 2009 started with quite a rude reception as the hometown fans who once adored him booed lustily during his introduction.

The night ended on a much better note for him.

Kevin Martin scored 31 points to lead the Houston Rockets to their seventh straight victory, 107-92 over Minnesota on Monday night in coach McHale's first game back on the Timberwolves' homecourt since 2009.

"It's as good as the last one," McHale said when asked if this felt a little extra special. "Hopefully, it feels as good as the next one."

Kyle Lowry had 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his second career triple-double and Samuel Dalembert grabbed 15 rebounds for the Rockets, who put the game away with a 19-1 run bridging the third and fourth quarters.

Kevin Love had 39 points and 12 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who committed 10 of their 20 turnovers in the fourth quarter in coach Rick Adelman's first game against the team he spent the last four seasons coaching.

Love made 13 of 19 shots, including all five of his 3-pointers, but the rest of his team was just 20 for 61 (33 percent) and 0 for 7 from long range.

Ricky Rubio had 12 assists for short-handed Minnesota, but the rookie scored six points on 2-for-10 shooting and turned the ball over five times.

"It's frustrating," Rubio said. "When you win, no matter how you did, you feel good. When you lost, no matter what you do, you feel bad. That's what it is."

Wes Johnson was out with an illness, Michael Beasley missed his 10th straight game with a sprained right foot and guard J.J. Barea (hamstring) was out for the sixth time in seven games.

"I have three guards and no small forward," Adelman said. "We tried to adjust but you're putting people out of position. ... We just didn't have enough answers."

The Rockets started the season 3-7 and were 0-5 on the road against Western Conference foes entering the game.

But the 6-foot-7 Martin was way too much for Minnesota's small backcourt, overwhelming Luke Ridnour and Wayne Ellington with an array of cuts to the basket, turn-around jumpers and even a one-handed runner off one foot that swished through that gave the Rockets a 50-42 lead late in the first half.

The Wolves turned up the defense to take a 70-65 lead late in the third, but the Rockets blew the doors open with that big run to take control. Goran Dragic scored eight in the surge and finished with 14 points.

"That's just how our team is," Martin said. "We're a team full of good basketball players and that's what happens. Whoever has the ball in their hand makes the best of it and that's what we did once again."

The booing of McHale was a startling reception for someone who once was one of this state's most revered sports heroes.

McHale grew up in Hibbing on Minnesota's Iron Range and starred at the University of Minnesota before a Hall of Fame pro career with the Boston Celtics.

He took over as GM of the Timberwolves in 1995 and helped one of the league's most woeful franchises become relevant when he drafted Kevin Garnett out of high school in June of that year. The Wolves made the playoffs eight straight years, the last a run to the Western Conference finals in 2004.

The Wolves haven't been back to the postseason since, with a series of ill-fated decisions by McHale contributing to their downfall. He was fired in `09 and spent two seasons in television before joining the Rockets this year.

Adelman had a similar exit from Houston, with management deciding not to give him another contract after last season.

Martin, Lowry and Luis Scola all went over to shake Adelman's hand before the game. Adelman spent four seasons in Houston and helped an undermanned team take the Lakers to seven games in the 2009 Western Conference finals.

"It's always good to get balanced scoring and have everyone contributing to a win like that," Lowry said, "especially coming up here against a tough team with an All-Star and a great coach."

NOTES: Minnesota rookie Derrick Williams got his first career start and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes. ... Ridnour had 17 points and eight assists. ... Rockets F Patrick Patterson picked up three fouls in just over 1 minute of playing time in the first quarter. He scored 13 points.

Notebook: Rockets 107, Wolves 92

By Phil Miller, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 24, 2012 12:14AM

THE FACTS: Kyle Lowry recorded his second career triple-double, and Kevin Martin scored 31 points, leading the Rockets to their seventh consecutive victory, 107-92 over the Timberwolves in Minneapolis. Kevin Love nailed all five of his 3-pointers and scored a season-high 39 points to go with a dozen rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Wolves' missed layups and costly turnovers, resulting in Minnesota's second straight loss.

Kevin McHale, returning to Target Center for the first time since he was fired as Timberwolves' coach and general manager in 2009, was loudly booed in the arena he once called home. But his coaching, and in particular an imaginative four-guard lineup, helped the Hall of Fame forward gain a little satisfaction against his old team.

Martin had 21 points by halftime to help Houston open a double-digit lead early, and he cruised to his third straight game of 25 or more points. Lowry directed McHale's offense for 16 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds, while Goran Dragic scored 14 points, all in the second half, to help Houston win for the eighth straight time in Minnesota. The Timberwolves, with a roster reduced to just nine healthy players and no small forwards, stayed in the game thanks to Love's sixth 30-point game of the season. But they were undone by turnovers, 10 in the fourth quarter alone.

QUOTABLE: "They play four guards at once! Kevin Martin at the four? That was weird." -- Minnesota guard Ricky Rubio, on the Rockets' small lineup that helped Houston outscore the Wolves by 10 points in the fourth quarter.

THE STAT: 16 -- Missed layups by the Timberwolves, which more than offset their excellent (5-for-12) 3-point shooting and left them with a 41.3 percent shooting percentage

TURNING POINT: The Timberwolves had rallied from a 12-point deficit to take a five-point lead late in the third quarter when Rockets' reserve guard Dragic began to take over. Dragic repeatedly drove to the basket, forcing contact and making layups, scoring nine points in a 19-1 Houston spurt that put the game away.

QUOTABLE II: "I stopped worrying about getting booed thirty-some years ago."
-- Rockets coach McHale, a native Minnesotan, former Wolves coach and once one of the state's most beloved athletes, on the inhospitable welcome from Target Center fans when he was introduced.

HOT: The Rockets' seven-game winning streak coincides with Martin's confident shooting. The seventh-year guard has scored at least 25 points in five of the victories, and 89 points in the last three games alone. He's also 11-for-28 on 3-pointers in the last three games.

NOT: Wolves point guard Rubio said he feels guilty after Monday's game, mostly because of his five turnovers. But his shooting has abandoned him lately, too; Rubio has made just 9 of 41 shots in the Wolves' last four games, a 22 percent success rate.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Glen Taylor, the owner who allowed Kevin McHale to make all of the Timberwolves' personnel decisions for a decade, sat courtside in his usual seat, but he never approached McHale, or vice versa, to say hello. They haven't spoken since McHale was fired by Wolves general manager David Kahn in 2009. ... Several Rockets players came over to the Minnesota bench just before tipoff to shake hands with Wolves coach Rick Adelman, whose four-year stint as Houston's coach ended last summer.

GOOD MOVE: With the Wolves getting little production from their big men other than Love, Houston coach McHale decided to go with an ultra-small lineup in the fourth quarter, benching Luis Scola and Samuel Dalembert and instead using four guards and forward Patrick Patterson for nearly seven minutes. The quickness helped force 10 Minnesota turnovers in the fourth quarter, short-circuiting any hope of a Wolves' rally.

BAD MOVE: Minnesota came out looking for outside shots in the first quarter, despite Love's ability to score inside, and by missing seven of their eight shots of 20 feet or more -- including going 0-for-4 in the quarter on 3-pointers -- the Wolves dug a deficit that reached 12 points late in the period.

ROOKIE WATCH: With Wesley Johnson out with the flu, Wolves forward Derrick Williams made his first career start, albeit at a strange position. Playing small forward for the first time all season, the No. 2 pick in last June's draft managed 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting in a season-high 37 minutes, his sixth double-digit scoring game of the year. He also grabbed seven rebounds.

NOTABLE: Wolves forward Michael Beasley missed his 10th straight game with a sprained right foot, guard J.J. Barea sat out for the sixth time in seven games with a sprained left ankle, and Wolves coach Adelman said it's unlikely either will play this week. Meanwhile, Adelman said center Brad Miller and forward Martell Webster will be evaluated before Thursday's practice, and the team will make a decision on how soon they can return. Neither has played this season as they recover from off-season surgeries, Webster on his back and Miller on his left knee. ... Jonny Flynn made his first trip back to Target Center since the draft-day trade that sent him to Houston, but the third-year guard did not play. ... Dalembert was just 1-for-8 from the field and didn't play in the fourth quarter. But he still contributed 15 rebounds, 13 on the defensive end, in his 25-plus minutes.

UP NEXT: For the Rockets, Wednesday vs. Bucks, Friday vs. Wizards, Saturday vs. Knicks. For the Timberwolves, Wednesday @ Dallas, Friday vs. Spurs, Sunday vs. Lakers.

• Rockets: Morris, Thabeet
• Timberwolves: Miller, Webster

• Rockets: --
• Timberwolves: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #65 Sean Wright, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 16924
• Duration: 2:09