Considering it took until January to clear such a modest benchmark, the Timberwolves are gratified to own, finally, a two-game winning streak. But they're a little galled by it, too.
"It should be (four)," forward Craig Smith pointed out. "That Dallas game, we should have had that one, too." But even that loss last week, after Minnesota built a 29-point lead over the Mavericks, proved something to Smith and his teammates: better days are not only ahead, they might be here already.
"We're right on the verge," Smith said after Saturday's victory over Chicago gave Minnesota its eighth win of the season and third of the past week. "You can definitely see all the progress we've made. Even getting Dallas down that much, that showed us we can compete with anyone."
Yes, their 4-2 record since Christmas probably has something to do with the quality of opposition, but so was their 0-7 start under coach Kevin McHale, when the schedule handed them six playoff qualifiers. And McHale, now a month into his unexpected assignment as Wolves coach, believes the improvement is real.
"It's starting to come together. We've turned some corners," he said. "I'd much rather play good and lose than play bad and win, because if you play bad, you're going to lose a lot of games."
They already have done that, and their 8-25 record is nothing to be proud of. But Minnesota has discovered a few necessary ingredients toward winning these past few games.
Ryan Gomes' aggressiveness on offense, and his discretion about not taking low-percentage shots, for instance, has helped. The starting forward has made 20 of 41 shots in the Wolves' past three victories, averaged 16.3 points in those games, and calmly nailed a critical three-pointer Saturday with two minutes to play.
Rookie Kevin Love has made similar improvement lately, averaging 18 points and 8.7 rebounds in Minnesota's past three wins. "Kevin was tremendous," McHale said. "He's such a phenomenal rebounder."
And Al Jefferson continues to carry the biggest load offensively, stepping up with 88 points and 40 rebounds in that trio of victories.
"There's a different feeling now," point guard Kevin Ollie said. "Coach Mac has been doing some teaching. He knows what it takes to win, and hearing him the past few weeks is definitely having an effect."
Now the trick is to keep their momentum going -- a task that the schedule will make a little easier. Six of the Wolves' next 10 games, beginning Tuesday night in Memphis, are against teams with losing records.
"It's a stretch where we've got to play well," McHale said. "You've got to get on a roll, to where you can win seven out of 10. ... Wins and losses are a byproduct of execution and effort. If you get those things, you can play really good in this league."
