Greetings for a final time from Target Center.
Youngblood here, with the question: When was the last time really good defense was the reason the Wolves won a game?
That's what happened tonight. Now, yes, we all know the Pistons are one of the league's most offensively-challenged squads this season. But the Wolves couldn't hit a basket for much of the first half. But defense and a very good game from the Wolves bench allowed Minnesota to hang in until the offense finally kicked in.
Some defensive highlights: Nikola Pekovic's play in the post, Wayne Ellington's play on the perimeter and Anthony Tolliver shutting down Tayshaun Prince down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
With that in mind, here are some impressions:
--I continue to like how Rick Adelman adapts to how people are playing. He liked what he saw in Pekovic, so the big guy started the third quarter. He was impressed with Ellington's play, so Ellington played the entire fourth quarter. It's interesting that, at crunch time, Adelman had Rubio playing with Ellington and not Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea. That's because of how well Ellington was playing defense.
--Wes Johnson played pretty well. He attacked the basket for three of his four hoops, scored 11 points with three rebounds.
--What an interesting line for Rubio. He, like many Wolves players, struggled with his shot. Rubio went 1-for-8 (although that one was pretty spectacular. He drove to the hoop, going behind the back on his way up. Rubio finished with nine points, eight assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
