http://www.startribune.com/511/story/979640.html The Timberwolves need one shot to win a game. So they inbound the ball, make their cuts, set their screens and swing it to ... whom? By sheer percentage, the Wolves should want guard Trenton Hassell squeezing off their crucial shots. None of the other regulars in the rotation can top his 58.8 percent field-goal shooting in the fourth quarter so far in 2006-07. Known as a defensive specialist and averaging a modest 7.8 points this season, Hassell began Saturday having shot 53.8 percent in the first quarter, 62 percent in the second, 45.7 percent in the third and 58.8 percent in the fourth. None of the other Wolves are close. Center Mark Blount had hit 49.3 percent in the final quarter, but that's down from what he typically shoots in the first three. Kevin Garnett (45.7), Ricky Davis (39.7), Mike James (33.8) and Craig Smith (48.5) all shoot worse in the fourth quarter, too, from what they do leading up to it. Rookie Randy Foye actually gets better late in games (46.1), but he leaves plenty of room for improvement, shooting 39.5, 36.6 and 40.4 in the first three quarters. So far, so good. But coach Randy Wittman had an interpretation that could explain away much of the disparity among his shooters. The best scorers generally draw the most attention late. "The end of games, they're going to focus on taking the ball out of Kevin's hands, whether it's in the post or running at him with another defender," Wittman said. "A lot of times when that happens, they're running off of Trenton. He's getting open looks. "They're going to try to take away Ricky. When you get down to the [end] of the game, that's what teams do." Howard's hit list Wittman, who took over the voting duties for the All-Star reserves when he became the Wolves' head coach, chose not to reveal his ballot publicly. But if he voted for Dallas' Josh Howard to the Western Conference roster, he might want to show a copy to Howard. The Dallas small forward, feeling snubbed, has vowed to go Gilbert Arenas on those who overlooked him (Arenas, Washington's colorful All-Star guard, has motivated himself by identifying critics and proving them wrong ever since he slipped into the second round in 2001). "Motivation, that's all I need," Howard told Mavericks reporters Friday. "They don't want me to be an All-Star? I'm gong to show them. I've been an underdog my whole life. This is just another step to prove everybody who didn't vote for me wrong." Howard needn't rub anything in for Minnesota. He already is a nagging reminder that the Wolves drafted Ndudi Ebi instead of him in 2003. One-man team, again Garnett, heading into Saturday night's game at Dallas, trailed Davis by only nine assists this season. That was the lone major category -- points, assists, rebounds, blocked shots and steals -- in which Garnett wasn't leading the Wolves. Only five players in NBA or ABA history ever have done it over a full season. And Garnett, coincidentally, was one of them, topping Minnesota in all five stats in 2002-03. The others who did it were Julius Erving, New York Nets (ABA), 1975-76; Dave Cowens, Boston Celtics, 1977-78; Scottie Pippen, Chicago Bulls, 1994-95, and Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic, 2002-03. Free points? Priceless When the coach of a 38-9 team can bemoan his players' diligence about getting to the foul line, as Dallas' Avery Johnson did, then you know the Wolves have work to do in that area. "We just got to be more committed in making strong moves," Johnson said, noting that the Mavericks are shooting about three fewer free throws per game this season. Minnesota, against Sacramento and New Orleans, shot a total of 27; they average 23.4 attempts, 25th in the league. "It's very important on the road. If you can get easy points, it helps," Wittman said. "We've got to figure out some ways to get the free-throw line." Garnett got two free throws against the Kings, none against the Hornets. The chief reason? The Wolves never established him, or anyone else, inside. When asked about it after Friday's 90-83 loss, Garnett sounded exasperated and said he was "too damn busy worrying about everything else." --

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