Where's Wally?

Szczerbiak's silence is key reason T'wolves trail 3-2

It was the biggest game in franchise history, and how did Timberwolves fans spend most of the evening?

Wondering how the Wild did in their Stanley Cup playoff game.

Counting the days until ice-fishing season.

And squinting out at the Target Center floor in an NBA version of the children’s game, Where’s Wally?

There he is, missing a jump shot from the corner!

There he is, getting stripped by Brian Shaw!

There he is, waving a red cape as Kobe Bryant blows past him on the way to the basket!

15 Consecutive shots missed by the Pacers and Celtics in Tuesday's overtime before Ron Artest ended the drought with a free throw with 1:08 left. The tally included three foul shots and 12 field-goal attempts. "That was a T.J. painting, a finger painting. You just say it looks good." -- Jason Kidd of the Nets, comparing his team's ugly Game 5 win over Milwaukee to the artwork of his 4-year-old son. Did Boston just give away its best chance to clinch the series?

OK, so maybe that’s a little harsh. After all, Wally Szczerbiak was hardly the sole reason the T’wolves were blown out by the Lakers in their pivotal Game 5 showdown Tuesday night.

The entire Minnesota team flat out did not defend with the same gusto it did in Games 2 through 4, and the Lakers were, well, the Lakers.

But for a guy who’s supposed to be Kevin Garnett’s No. 2 man and an NBA All-Star, Szczerbiak sure was quiet in Game 5.

Despite being matched up against a guy making his first career playoff start, Wally World managed just nine points (on 3-of-7 shooting), five rebounds, two assists and four turnovers in 39 minutes.

Kendall Gill did as much in 15 fewer minutes.

What makes Szczerbiak’s no-show even more remarkable is that for the first time in the series he didn’t have to face Lakers forward Rick Fox.

Sidelined by a foot injury, the cagey Fox was not on the floor to push, bump and use his leverage to frustrate Szczerbiak. Instead, Szczerbiak got to face Devean George, normally a Lakers reserve.

For whatever reason, Szczerbiak was not able to take advantage. Early on, he tried to go solo on a couple occasions, but he wound up turning the ball over. After T’wolves coach Flip Saunders got on him about it at halftime, Wally World pretty much hung up a Closed For Season sign.

In Szczerbiak’s defense, he has a tough act in trying to balance when to look for his shot and when to ride Garnett’s coattails. In this series, he also has to be conscious of the fact that Troy Hudson presents a matchup problem for the Lakers that has to be exploited. Indeed, Szczerbiak usually is not the selfish player some have labeled him -- as evidenced by his seven field-goal attempts.

But Szczerbiak is a cocky guy who gets in KG’s face and truly believes he’s an NBA star along the lines of Kobe and Tracy McGrady. He also recently signed a $63 million contract extension. In a big game like Tuesday night's Game 5, he needs to make more plays.

Unless Szczerbiak steps up in Game 6, the T’wolves' improbable dream of dethroning the Lakers will die. No matter what happens, though, it’s been a learning experience for Minnesota’s management. President Kevin McHale and coach/GM Saunders will have a clearer idea of which players they can count on to come up big in key games.

Where’s Wally?

The T’wolves are starting to get the picture.

	(David Sherman/NBAE/Getty Images) Stud: Derek Fisher, G, Lakers Even Shaq and Kobe need some help, and Fisher provided it by making 8-of-10 shots, including 5-of-7 from downtown, snagging four steals and committing just one turnover as the Lakers waxed Minnesota in Game 5.		(Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images) Dud: Tim Thomas, F, Bucks Thomas reverted to the lethargic ways of his regular season in Game 5, sleepwalking his way to a nine-point, two-rebound "effort" that was a big reason the Bucks' offense stagnated.
	(D.Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images) Stud: Malik Rose, F, Spurs By any other name, Rose was still the best player on the court Tuesday, taking advantage of double-teams on Tim Duncan to dominate in the paint. He finished with 27 points and 13 boards to key San Antonio's Game 5 win.		(Brian Bahr/Getty Images) Dud: Anthony Peeler, G, Timberwolves Peeler allegedly played 26 minutes on Tuesday, but only had two points and a slew of Kobe Bryant highlights to show for it. He put the "off" in off-guard by hitting just one of his seven shots from the field.

So far the Jason Kidd-Gary Payton matchup has been pretty even, with both players averaging around 18 points and 10 assists per game. But Kidd’s rebounding and shooting have been much better, a big reason why the Nets are up 3-2. The Blazers are hoping Zach Randolph (25 points, 15 rebounds in Game 4) can help them get the Mavs' big men in foul trouble again Wednesday in Game 5. But the chance of Steve Nash and Michael Finley both having such bad games again is practically nil. With a 1-7 record over his past eight playoff games, Pistons coach Rick Carlisle is starting to feel some heat in Detroit. If the Pistons bow out to the Magic in Wednesday's Game 5, expect to hear some calls for change, with Bill Laimbeer, currently the head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, in the mix.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or comment.

 

Related information

Stories

Rose blooms for 27 to give Spurs 3-2 series lead Ice-cold Nets use defense to best Bucks Role players help Lakers blast T'wolves 120-90 Pacers stay alive with first-ever playoff OT shutout

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video