The Minnesota Timberwolves' rookie big man seemed cautious, defending well, but playing offense so tentatively it seemed his only task was setting screens. An aggressive stretch late in the second earned him a few trips to the line, but he entered the locker room with eight points (2-of-5 FGs, 4-of-7 FTs) and five rebounds.

Then the third quarter started.

Less than two minutes in, Love grabbed a rebound and immediately flung the ball down the left side of the court. The topspin-heavy, two-handed pass landed in an empty spot, skipping directly into the path of Corey Brewer. Brewer couldn't finish the layup because of a foul, but dropped a pair of free throws through the hoop.

It was a textbook outlet pass, of the kind Love is known for, and one that signaled he was finally playing the game that caused Kevin McHale to trade No. 3 pick O.J. Mayo for No. 5 pick Love on draft night.

"It took until after I got the jitters out -- I was 0-for-2 from three, and kind of shaking out there, because it hasn't necessarily set in yet that I'm an NBA player," Love said. "I just had to slow down coming into the second half, almost midway through the second quarter, get inside, get to the line, things like that."

Love posted eight points and six boards in the third, finishing with 18 and 13. He shot 5-for-8 in the second half, repeatedly sealing his defender and finishing with a layup.

His defense was hard to judge -- the Mavericks blew the game open with a 27-16 second quarter that featured a .625 shooting performance. Love admitted defense is his biggest weakness, but he's already begun to work with the coaching staff to identify areas for improvement.

"It was a little bit of everything," said coach Jerry Sichting. "Just showing on pick-and-rolls, with the guards coming into him. He's going to learn a lot of stuff this week, that's why this is so valuable for him, to come out here and get a feel for how the referees are going to call the game in the NBA.

"The speed of the game is much more up-and-down than what all these guys coming out of college are used to. It's much more of a transition game, so he really has to work on changing ends of the floor."

If Love can make that adjustment, Minnesota's opponents could come down with chronic fatigue. Love's rightly lauded passing ability should enable the Timberwolves to break relentlessly, loaded as they are with quick youngs like Randy Foye, Corey Brewer, Rashad McCants and the freshly acquired Rodney Carney.

For now, Love will focus on defense and his offensive post game. The biggest adjustment will come during training camp, where he'll learn to play alongside Al Jefferson, one of the league's most promising young bigs.

"I didn't get to show it to you much today, but I can throw it inside to Al," Love said. "He's going to create a double team every time, and though a couple of my shots today were off, I'm going to slow down and hit some shots off Al getting the double team."

McHale envisioned a Love-Jefferson frontcourt throughout the draft process, and now that the pieces are in place, it's up to Love to show the world why. But he knows it will be a gradual process.

"I'm still 19 years old," Love said. "I'm just trying to get this thing going bit by bit."