Fourth-quarter surges arrive too late

If the Timberwolves played entire games the way they have played in the fourth quarter lately, they wouldn't just be better off. They'd be headed for immortality.

By Steve Aschburner, Star Tribune

Last update: November 30, 2006 - 8:23 AM

If the Timberwolves played entire games the way they have played in the fourth quarter lately, they wouldn't just be better off. They'd be headed for immortality.

The Wolves have shot 62.3 percent, while defending at a 37.5 percent rate, in their late comebacks against the Clippers, the Mavericks and the Rockets, only the first of which paid off with a victory. They have averaged 29.7 points, allowed an average of 20, made eight of their 10 three-point attempts and hit 88.2 percent of their free throws.

All of those stats, with the exception of their own scoring, would rank as NBA all-time records if sustained over a full season.

Right now, the Wolves would settle for sustaining that for one full game.

"Exactly," rookie guard Randy Foye said after the 82-75 loss Tuesday at Houston. "That's the same thing we're saying, too. It's not happening. So we have to go back to the drawing board in practice to make sure everything's all right."

Said Kevin Garnett: "It shows the positive things, that we're pretty good in the fourth quarter. Randy's aggressive. We have a unit in there that's pretty good. The cohesiveness between everybody is pretty strong."

The first, second and third quarters haven't been as kind. In the same games, through the first 36 minutes, the Wolves shot 44.2 percent, yielded 48.4 percent, averaged 19.7 points, gave up 23.4 per quarter, made four of 17 three-pointers and 70.5 percent of their free throws.

Smith stays cool

Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy tagged Wolves rookie Craig Smith with a nickname heading into their teams' game Tuesday, referring to him as "[butt] kicker" for his brawny inside play.

Smith was anything but that, though, early in the fourth quarter, when he got tangled up with Houston guard Luther Head grabbing at a loose ball. Head grabbed Smith around the neck and yanked his head back, which had the Minnesota forward springing up, looking agitated, as soon as the whistle blew.

He did not kick Head's backside. "You get angry," Smith said, "but a couple of seconds later, you realize, 'OK, lay it off. Maybe this will give us momentum. Just walk away.' "

Mutt meets Jeff

The first two times the ball came to him Tuesday, Smith went at Houston 7-6 center Yao Ming. Despite giving up a foot in height, Smith hit a hook shot over the Rockets' import, then sank a high-arcing jumper from 8 feet.

"It wasn't bad," Smith said of the greatest size mismatch he ever has faced. "In a small space, [height is] to his advantage. But if you bring him out a little bit, that's when I can use my quickness to get past him to get a shot off."

Steve Aschburner • saschburner@startribune.com

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