wolves/nba
For Wolves' Love, 'crazy numbers are part of the normal routine
- Article by: JERRY ZGODA , Star Tribune
- Updated: March 21, 2012 - 12:40 PM
Teammates and coach Rick Adelman marvel at the talent in their midst.
Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is coming off a 36-point, 17-rebound game.
- 2
- comments
resize text 
- buy reprints
SAN ANTONIO - Even Timberwolves forward Kevin Love's teammates have grown so accustomed to his nightly statistical accomplishments more befitting a video game that even they don't know when he has had another 36-point, 17-rebound night like he did in Monday's 97-93 victory at Golden State.
"I didn't even realize he had that either until I looked up with 10, 15 seconds to go and saw his stats," forward Anthony Tolliver said. "You know, just a normal night for him, I swear. He just puts up crazy numbers."
Crazy enough that Love's performance Monday was his eighth game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds this season while the rest of the NBA has done that only six times combined.
"Sounds about right," Tolliver said. "Seems like every other game he's getting 30 and 15 or something close to it."
Rick Adelman has coached NBA teams for 21 seasons now. He has coached Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Chris Webber, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, but he never has seen nightly numbers like this.
"I don't know if we've had anybody who's put up the numbers that he has this year," Adelman said. "It's just nice to have a guy like that and he's just going to get better as he figures out how to get his shots down the stretch."
Love scored 12 of his 36 points in Monday's telling fourth-quarter, when the Wolves used a 9-3 run in which he scored six of those points to turn the game.
Before that, he made a crucial, wild three-pointer that banked off the backboard just before the end of the third quarter to give the Wolves a 71-67 lead.
"That was a huge three," Love said. "Obviously, after the fact I was calling bank. I was screaming it."
After the fact Monday, Love realized he had gone for 36 and 17 once again.
"No, I had no idea," he said. "I knew that I had 14 at half because I didn't score in the second quarter. After that, I had no idea."
And he had no idea that none of the other NBA players who have a 30-15 game has done it more than once this season.
"That's pretty good stats," Love said, nodding approvingly. "It's better when we're winning though, I'll say that much."
Monday's victory ended a three-game losing streak on this seven-game, 13-day trip that started with a victory at Phoenix eight days earlier.
The trip ends with games Wednesday at San Antonio and Friday at Oklahoma City, the best two teams in the West.
"He has been great for us," Tolliver said, "and hopefully he'll continue that because we're going to need all those points and all those rebounds against these next two teams."
- 2
- comments
- resize text
- buy reprints
explore the Wolves/NBA
ADVERTISEMENT
| NY Mets - LP: J. Hefner | 2 | FINAL |
| Chicago Cubs - WP: S. Feldman | 8 |
| Seattle - LP: O. Perez | 4 | FINAL |
| Cleveland - WP: C. Perez | 5 |
| Toronto - LP: B. Morrow | 2 | FINAL |
| NY Yankees - WP: D. Phelps | 7 |
| Cincinnati - WP: B. Arroyo | 10 | FINAL |
| Philadelphia - LP: K. Kendrick | 0 |
| Chicago WSox - LP: N. Jones | 9 | FINAL |
| LA Angels - WP: R. Coello | 12 |
| Tampa Bay - WP: A. Torres | 10 | FINAL |
| Baltimore - LP: J. Johnson | 6 |
| Houston - WP: J. Cisnero | 4 | FINAL |
| Pittsburgh - LP: B. Morris | 2 |
| Los Angeles - LP: K. Jansen | 1 | FINAL |
| Atlanta - WP: C. Gearrin | 3 |
| Boston - WP: C. Breslow | 12 | FINAL |
| Minnesota - LP: S. Diamond | 5 |
| Arizona - WP: B. McCarthy | 1 | FINAL |
| Miami - LP: T. Koehler | 0 |
| Milwaukee - WP: J. Axford | 6 | FINAL |
| St. Louis - LP: J. Kelly | 4 |
| Detroit - LP: A. Sanchez | 2 | FINAL |
| Texas - WP: J. Grimm | 7 |
| San Francisco - LP: T. Lincecum | 2 | FINAL |
| Colorado - WP: T. Chatwood | 10 |
| Washington - LP: J. Zimmermann | 1 | FINAL |
| San Diego - WP: E. Stults | 2 |
| Kansas City - LP: E. Santana | 1 | FINAL |
| Oakland - WP: T. Milone | 2 |
| New York | 99 | FINAL |
| Indiana | 106 |
| Columbus | 1 | FINAL |
| Toronto FC | 0 |
| Portland | 2 | FINAL |
| Vancouver FC | 2 |
| Chicago | 0 | FINAL |
| Philadelphia | 1 |
| New England | 2 | FINAL |
| Houston | 0 |
| FC Dallas | 2 | FINAL |
| Seattle | 4 |
| Colorado | 1 | FINAL |
| San Jose | 1 |
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2013 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters
