NBA
The Best Pack Of Timberwolves
It’s the summer of 2003. The offseason is in full swing in the NBA. Western Conference teams are trying their best to form a team that can beat the reigning NBA champions San Antonio Spurs squad that just won their second title in five years.
The Los Angeles Lakers combat by adding HOFers Gary Payton and Karl Malone to the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal duo. The Sacramento Kings still kept their powerhouse team intact. Dallas Mavericks had high scoring power with Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki leading the team.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves were just dealt with another first-round exit and not expecting to make noise. Well, that silence soon became a howl.
Getting The Pack
The Minnesota Timberwolves went full attack with the moves. Only four players returned from the prior season. The two blockbuster signings that summer for them was getting the controversial four-time All-Star Latrell Sprewell and two-time champion Sam Cassell.
Minnesota attempted to form their own Big 3. They also had two minor, but important signings in known defensive stopper Trenton Hassell, and former lottery pick Michael Olowokandi. The Wolves already had the center talent in superstar Kevin “The Big Ticket” Garnett.
Becoming The Alpha Wolf
The Wolves started off hot and only got hotter. The first three months of the season they had at least 11 wins in each month. January was their best month where they won 12 of 15 games. Kevin Garnett was establishing himself as one of the main talents in the league that everyone should watch out for.
His bark was just as worse as his bite now. The team fed off of his raw energy and intensity that they would will themselves to wins. This was the first time the Minnesota Timberwolves had three representatives to the NBA All-Star game in Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, and the franchise’s greatest coach the late Flip Saunders.
The Pack On Attack
The playoffs finally came, and the Minnesota Timberwolves had the best record in an always competitive Western Conference with a 58-24 record. The first round was a breeze where they faced off with rookie phenom and eventual NBA All-Star, Carmelo Anthony. The Wolves took that series in five games.
The Western Conference semifinals was a whole other challenge. The Kings had the perfect team ball, but as KG had done all season he willed the Timberwolves to a seven game series win. In between all the chaos that can be the NBA playoffs, there was a moment of calmness as Kevin Garnett was named NBA MVP that year.
He averaged 24.2 points, a league-high 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, while still being the craziest guy on the court.
Got Bit Back
The Western Conference Finals finally arrived. Going against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team that knocked Minnesota out of the first round the year prior. The team that originally was from Minnesota before relocating to the city of Angels. Kobe and Shaq. The one-two punch that had dominated the league.
The key signing of Trenton Hassell did actually cause issues for pre-“Black Mamba” Kobe Bryant. Shaquille O’Neal on the other hand though went on attack essentially being the lone Grizzly Bear against a bunch of smaller wolves. It wasn’t until Game 4 that the Timberwolves found a guy that could at least hold Shaq down a little bit in bench player and former teammate to Shaq and Kobe, Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen.
Cassell was also battling injuries at the time stemming from him hurting himself while taunting one game. Sadly by the time they figured out a lineup that could combat it was just a little too late. The Timberwolves would ultimately lose the series in six games.
The What-if’s
The Lakers would lose to the Detroit Pistons in five games in the NBA Finals that year. The question that still bugs Wolves fans is what if they would have beaten the Lakers in the WCF and were in the NBA Finals instead.
The Timberwolves were 2-0 against the Pistons that year. If they reached the Finals, could Minnesota have a banner in the Target Center? Maybe they could have returned to the winning days of the Minneapolis Lakers with George Mikan.
