The Wolves went 2-2 last week with road losses to the Clippers and Nuggets and home wins over Boston and Cleveland. While they lost the difficult road games, they didn’t drop too far in the week three power rankings. They were ranked anywhere from third to seventh in last week’s rankings.
CBS Sports: No. 4 — “In Denver, in a game when nothing went right, they climbed back into the game. And that was an impressive win against the Celtics. This team is legit right now.”
ESPN: No. 5 — “The two Kevins — Love and Martin — have formed the league’s highest-scoring duo in the season’s opening month. And the Wolves’ D, essentially spearheaded by zero shot-blockers, ranks as a top-six defense at this admittedly early juncture. If those trends and the good health lasts …”
Yahoo! Sports: No. 7 — “Kevin Garnett returns to Minnesota when Brooklyn visits on Friday. Garnett led the T’wolves to their last playoff appearance in 2004.”
FOX Sports: No. 7 — “Kevin Love is reminding the NBA universe just how special he can be. Sure it’s early, but Love looks like the best player in the West and he also looks primed to make his first postseason. These Wolves can score, and they’ll need to if they want to keep up.”
Sports Illustrated: No. 8 — “There’s a lot to like about the Wolves, who lead the league in pace and have top-10 units in offensive and defensive efficiency. Kevin Love is putting up MVP-type numbers, averaging 26.8 points and 13.6 rebounds with a PER of 29.7.”
ProBasketballTalk: No. 8 — “Minnesota’s defense and Kevin Love rightfully are getting a lot of credit early, but Kevin Martin has been key — 24.4 points per game, creates his own shot and is hitting 47.4 percent from three to space the floor. Minny came back to earth a little with a .500 week (2-2) but this is still a great start.”
NBA.com: No. 9 — “The Wolves are one of three teams (GSW and OKC are the others) that rank in the top 10 on both ends of the floor, but the offense has been a lot more consistent than the D, which gave up 117 points in Denver on Friday. Though they’re in the middle of a stretch in which they play three back-to-backs in nine days, Rick Adelman has shortened his rotation to just eight guys playing more than a few minutes.”
