One win and three losses last week didn’t exactly catapult the Timberwolves to the top of the NBA power rankings. Most pundits rank the Wolves 12th in the league, which is four spots lower than where they were last week.
NBA.COM: No. 12 – The Wolves have lost six of their last eight games to slip below .500 and into 13th place in the unforgiving Western Conference standings. They ranked fifth defensively just nine days ago, but have allowed opponents to shoot 47 percent from 3-point range and score 110 points per 100 possessions over their last five games. And now they face the two teams that met in The Finals.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: No. 12 – The Wolves are fun to watch, but they’d rather be boring and winning. Minnesota has lost to Oklahoma City, Indiana, Houston and Denver over its last five games, a telltale sign that the Wolves aren’t up to snuff compared to the league’s elite.
CBS SPORTS: No. 12 – Gotta punish them for the losses, but this team is better than its record and once the schedule evens out, it should pad the win margin.
ESPN: No. 11 – No shame that K-Love hasn’t quite been able to maintain his 25-point, 15-rebound, five-assist pace. The only players to do that for an entire season are Wilt (twice), Elgin Baylor and Kareem. The Wolves just wish the schedule would ease up some; San Antonio and Miami are next at home.
PRO BASKETBALL TALK: No. 12 – Before you think there is something really wrong with Minnesota, look at the schedule where they have played through a rough stretch. They are outscoring opponents by 2.1 points per 100 possessions, but had some tough losses. That will even out.
YAHOO! SPORTS: No. 11 – The T’wolves have cooled, dropping six of their past eight games. It doesn’t get easier with San Antonio and Miami up next.
