Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders will sometimes say "you can smell the popcorn popping" when referring to an exciting atmosphere around a particular game.
At Wednesday's season opener, which would usually be one of those popcorn-infused games Saunders said, there was no smelling of any kind for Saunders, except for perhaps his own breath behind the league-mandated mask he wore.
After nine months without basketball for the Wolves, the club lifted its own mask on what kind of team it might be. The extended offseason for speculation about draft picks, roster and lineup construction finally gave way to actual basketball, with the Wolves beating/falling to the Pistons 111-101.