http://www.startribune.com/511/story/1047734.html Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman, like Dwane Casey before him and most of their NBA peers, constantly reminds his players that an opponent missing a star player often is more dangerous, not less. That they're so frequently right, at least in the Wolves' case this season, brings little satisfaction. When Minnesota lost at Atlanta Saturday 99-93 despite the absence of Joe Johnson (right calf contusion), the Hawks' leading scorer, it was the ninth time it had been beaten by a team missing one of its top two or three players. Twenty-four hours earlier, the shorthanded Miami Heat -- no Dwyane Wade (dislocated left shoulder) -- handled the Wolves with nary a scare. That night, guard Jason Williams stepped up to score 20 points, taking advantage of the Wolves' defensive focus on Shaquille O'Neal. In Atlanta, Josh Smith stepped into the void left by Johnson, scoring a career-high 32 points, four in the final minute to seal the outcome. "He stepped up for them with Johnson out," the Wolves' Ricky Davis said. "They needed big plays from guys like him." Other Hawks played well, too, in the familiar mode of circling the wagons tighter. They are 3-0 since Johnson got hurt. "Sometimes you play your best when you don't have that security blanket around to protect you," Hawks guard Josh Childress said. "What's frustrating is that we didn't play that way when Joe was out there with us." Actually, what's frustrating is not being able to beat star-less teams. The Wolves have ducked the likes of Grant Hill, Chris Bosh, Rashard Lewis, Yao Ming and Lamar Odom on various nights this season yet lost. They also have fallen short against some teams missing third or fourth bananas, such as Boston without Wally Szczerbiak, Milwaukee without Charlie Villanueva and Phoenix without Boris Diaw. Still, the Wolves have won on other nights when these name players have missed: Odom, Yao, Lewis, the Clippers' Chris Kaman, Washington's Caron Butler, Denver's Allen Iverson, Detroit's Chauncey Billups, Philadelphia's Chris Webber, Charlotte's Gerald Wallace and Golden State's Baron Davis and Jason Richardson. Then again, when Kevin Garnett and Davis missed their only game this season at Phoenix on Jan. 21, the Suns pounded Minnesota by 29. Man vs. monster Minnesota has run its offense through Garnett in the post forever. But it doesn't seem to have the same three-alarm effect as when the ball goes down low to Miami's O'Neal. The Heat is making sure the big man touches the ball at least 40 times nightly now, a focal point that gets cutters and shooters open more consistently than when the Wolves play through Garnett. "We want to throw it in and have teams [double-team] and kick the ball out. But Shaq's a different monster, in his ability to power to the goal," Wittman said. "Kevin has more of a finesse game on the low post. "We don't have a guy like that, where if you don't double him, it's going to be a layup or a foul. It's not going to be just a turnaround. But Kevin can definitely dictate play down there with his ability to pass the ball." --

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