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Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 2/12/2016
Outlet: Timberwolves.com
Author: Kyle Ratke
The Rising Wolves Strike Again, LaVine Wins MVP
In the land of Drake, it only seemed appropriate that someone (or in this case, some team) went back to back.
That team, of course was the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night in Toronto. Last season, Andrew Wiggins stole the show in Brooklyn on his way to the Rising Stars MVP.
This season, it went to Wiggins’s teammate and good friend, Zach LaVine (despite their minor trash talking going into the game).
“He got it last year, I got it this year,” LaVine said after the game. “We won this year, so I think it came down to whatever team won. So we got the W, and that's the main thing. It got really competitive toward the last five minutes, so we started really playing.”
The Wolves became the first team to have back-to-back Rising Star MVPs since 2002 and 2003 when Jason Richardson and Gilbert Arenas, respectively, won as members of the Golden State Warriors.
How did LaVine win it? Well first, off, his USA Team beat the World Team, 157-154 (a real defensive battle). When it comes to awards like the MVP, even in the Rising Stars Game, winning matters.
His statline didn’t hurt either. LaVine finished with a team-high 30 points while shooting 13-for-20 from the field, 2-for-3 from the 3-point line and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. He also added a team-high seven rebounds to go with four assists and a steal.
LaVine was joined by Karl-Anthony Towns on the USA Team. Towns started off slow (just four points in the first half), but heated up in the second half. For the game, Towns finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists. “It was awesome,” Towns said when asked about LaVine’s performance. “I am so happy for him and he deserves it."
Wiggins was no slouch either. In fact, had Team World won, Wiggins probably would have won his second straight MVP award. Wiggins was second on Team World with 29 points (Kristaps Porzingis had 30). He shot 13-for-15 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line while adding five assists and two rebounds.
He was just fine that LaVine is taking the hardware home this time, though. “I got it last year. He got it this year. KAT's going to get it next year... That's the plan,” Wiggins said. That all depends if Towns is in the All-Star Game as well, which seems entirely possible.
LaVine’s night concluded with pictures, interviews, a TV spot with NBATV and more.
There’s a good chance he’ll be doing the same thing in about 24 hours.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 2/12/2016
Outlet: Timberwolves.com
Author: Todd Barin
Preview | 2016 Rising Stars Challenge
The up-and-coming studs of the NBA will take the national stage on Friday night in the 2016 NBA Rising Stars Challenge.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have three players: Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine, who are all under the age of 21 participating in this year’s game.
With the format being USA vs. World, Wiggins, last year’s game MVP for the World team, will get a chance to play against his teammates in Towns and LaVine.
“We just got a plan of opening a can of kick-butt on them tonight,” Towns said to NBA TV’s Kristen Ledlow at practice today. “We’re going to do a great job tonight, we have a great team, very talented, so we can’t wait.”
Although Wiggins has another loaded team this year, the reigning slam-dunk champion is confident that Team USA will bring home the title.
“Me and Karl are coming after him,” LaVine said. “I feel like this might be the last year between us two to get the bragging rights because after this one we aren’t going to be able to play in the game anymore. We want the bragging rights coming back to Minnesota.”
There is no denying the fact that the future is bright for the Wolves, and there’s no better way to prove it than having three players Wolves players selected to play in the ‘NBA’s best prospects game.’
“We got a nice young core,” Wiggins said. “With a couple more of the right pieces we can be a good team in this league. They’re going to come out playing good, playing aggressive, I’m confident in them, I’m confident in the world team too so it should be a good game.”
There are a combined 10 players who were top-10 overall selections in their respective drafts and Minnesota and the Utah Jazz are tied for having three players in the game representing their teams.
Wiggins will team up with Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay for Team World, and will have a tough task going against not only teammates Towns and LaVine, but also D’Angelo Russell, Jahlil Okafor and Jabari Parker.
Tune in tonight at 8:00 p.m. to see the young stars battle it out on TNT.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 2/14/2016
Outlet: Bleacher Report
Author: Ryan Crystal
Zach LaVine Wins 2016 NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Where Win Ranks All Time
The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has a new gold standard.
Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves outdueled the Orlando Magic's Aaron Gordon in arguably the most legendary contest in the history of the event.
The 1988 Slam Dunk Contest, which was highlighted by Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, was previously considered the greatest battle in contest history. In 2013, Sports Illustrated's Ben Golliver ranked Jordan vs. Wilkins at No. 1 in an in-depth breakdown of the contest.
But during the TV broadcast on TNT, analyst and former dunk contest participant Kenny Smith made the bold statement of calling the 2016 competition the greatest of all time because of the three-round dunk-off that resulted in the victory for LaVine.
Gordon and LaVine reached the finals after knocking off Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons and Will Barton of the Denver Nuggets. The two stars of the All-Star Saturday Night matched 50-point dunks in the finals before heading into an impromptu dunk-off to decide the winner.
After Gordon and LaVine matched perfect 50s on their first two dunk-off performances, LaVine finally took home the trophy with his sixth dunk of the night.
As ESPN's Kevin Pelton pointed out, LaVine finished the night just one point shy of a perfect score:
To put those legendary 50-point dunks into context, consider the fact that prior to LaVine posting two 50s last year, no one had performed multiple 50-point dunks in the same contest in the previous five years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
LaVine finished the night with a remarkable five 50-point dunks, with Gordon adding three of his own.
The impact of his performance certainly wasn't lost on LaVine, who, according to ESPN's J.A. Adande, called it the greatest contest of all time:
LaVine certainly isn't alone in that sentiment, as many other NBA stars in attendance on Saturday night were quick to chime in with similar thoughts:
Skeptics may be wondering whether the current NBA stars are simply caught up in the moment or perhaps too young to remember the legendary Wilkins-Jordan showdown. But Hall of Famer James Worthy, who was in attendance as an All-Star in 1988, is among those crowning 2016 the greatest contest of all time:
One of the aspects of the dunk contest that makes it such a popular event is the debate that follows, which is precisely why this year's contest will go down in history.
We may never officially settle the argument over which contest reigns supreme, but the question is sure to be brought up for years to come—as will the highlights from LaVine and Gordon's legendary dunk-off.
Let's just hope both LaVine and Gordon stay healthy and grant us a rematch next February.
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