Season Recaps
Basketball Returns To Minnesota
The Minnesota Timberwolves joined the NBA for
the 1989-90 season as part of a two-phase league expansion that
also brought in Orlando, Miami, and Charlotte. But the Timberwolves
weren't the first pro basketball franchise in Minneapolis. The
Minneapolis Lakers of the early 1950s had been the dominant team
of that era. Led by 6-10 George Mikan, the first great pro center,
the Lakers won five titles in the six years between 1949 and 1954.
Four years later, however, the team had fallen to a cellar-dwelling
19-53 record. With the No. 1 pick in the 1958 NBA Draft they selected
Elgin Baylor of Seattle University.
The 6-5 Baylor was one of the players who first introduced the
acrobatic, above-the-rim style of basketball bravado that Julius
Erving and Michael Jordan brought to future generations. In his
1958-59 rookie season, Baylor averaged 24.9 points and 15.0 rebounds
and won NBA Rookie of the Year honors. The Minneapolis Lakers
made it back into the NBA Finals in 1959 before falling to the
Boston Celtics in four games.
The following year Baylor averaged 29.6 points and scored a then
NBA-record 64 points in a game against the Celtics. Despite his
efforts, the Lakers fell to 25-50 and departed for Los Angeles,
where they transformed themselves into one of the NBA's all-time
dominant teams.
With the exception of one-season stints by the American Basketball
Association's Minnesota Muskies in 1967-68 and Minnesota Pipers
in 1968-69, during which time stars such as Connie Hawkins and
Mel Daniels graced the Minneapolis hardwood, the state of Minnesota
was without a pro basketball team until the 1989-90 season, when
the Timberwolves began play.
Local businessmen Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson brought basketball
back to the Twin Cities. Friends since boyhood, the pair had made
their fortunes in real estate and a health club chain. With the
help of a task force headed by George Mikan, they initially made
offers for the Milwaukee Bucks, the San Antonio Spurs and the
Utah Jazz, all of which were for sale. Those deals fell through,
but in 1987 the NBA voted to add four teams over the next two
seasons. Charlotte and Miami were added for the 1988-89 season,
and Orlando and Minnesota were added for 1989-90.
A regional "Name the Team" contest favored "Timberwolves"
over "Polars" by a 2-to-1 margin.
On August 23, 1988, Bill Musselman was named head coach. He had
a local following, having led the University of Minnesota to a
Big Ten Conference championship in 1971-72. In addition, he had
coached in the ABA and in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers,
and he had coached four consecutive Continental Basketball Association
championship teams.
In the 1989 Expansion Draft, the Timberwolves selected 6-6 forward
Tyrone Corbin from the Phoenix Suns as one of their 11 picks.
With the 10th selection in the 1989 NBA Draft, Minnesota picked
UCLA point guard Jerome "Pooh" Richardson. In the second
round, the Wolves selected Villanova guard Doug West with the
38th pick. Later that summer Minnesota signed journeyman guard
Sidney Lowe to a contract (three years later he would become the
team's head coach).
1989-90: Beginnings
The Minnesota Timberwolves made their NBA debut
on November 3, 1989, against the SuperSonics at Seattle. The starting
lineup consisted of Sam Mitchell, Tod Murphy, Brad Lohaus, Tony
Campbell, and Sidney Lowe. Mitchell scored the first two points
in club history on a pair of free throws at 11:15 of the first
quarter. He also scored the first field goal a few minutes later,
but Minnesota lost, 106-94.
The Timberwolves played their home games at the Metrodome in 1989-90
while waiting for the Target Center to be completed. In their
home opener on November 8, Minnesota lost to Chicago, 96-84, as
the Bulls' Michael Jordan scored 45 points. The Wolves finally
registered their first win on November 10 — a 125-118 overtime
decision against the Philadelphia 76ers — with Campbell
and Corbin hitting for 38 and 36 points, respectively.
Tony Campbell's average of 23.2 points per game is still the Timberwolves'
single-season record. (NBA Photos)
The month of December opened on a high note with a 27-point victory
over Cleveland and a win against the New Jersey Nets. Then the
momentum vanished, and the team dropped nine consecutive games.
Even while losing, the Timberwolves played tough defense; through
29 games they held opposing teams to 101.5 points per game to
rank fifth in the NBA.
In January, Minnesota scored only 70 points in a loss to Sacramento.
Three weeks later, rookie point guard Pooh Richardson moved into
the starting lineup and responded with 20 points and 10 assists
in his debut start, against Sacramento. In the next game, he registered
a then career-high 12 assists. Also in January, Tod Murphy grabbed
20 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers.
In February the Timberwolves compiled a decent 6-7 record, including
a four-game winning streak. Tony Campbell set a record on February
2 when he totaled 44 points against the Celtics, a mark that stood
until April 13, 2003, when Wally Szczerbiak matched it. Six weeks
later, on March 20, Lowe set the club record for assists in a
game with 17 against the Golden State Warriors. (That mark has
also since been tied.)
Minnesota finished with a 22-60 record, the best among the NBA's
four newest teams. The Timberwolves ended the season ranked second
in the NBA in team defense, having allowed only 99.4 points per
game. Campbell led the team in scoring, reaching double figures
every game and averaging 23.2 points. At season's end, Richardson
was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Playing in the cavernous Metrodome, the Wolves set an all-time
NBA attendance record in their inaugural season by drawing 1,072,572
fans, an average of 26,160 per game. On April 17 they hosted the
third-largest crowd in NBA history at 49,551.
1990-91: Victories Hard To Come By
The Timberwolves began the 1990-91 season with
a 98-85 victory against the Dallas Mavericks as they christened
the new Target Center before a sellout crowd of 19,006. The team
was up and down early in the season, then stayed down for a seven-game
December losing streak. They snapped out of it with a 126-106
win over Seattle on December 30.
In January, head coach Bill Musselman abandoned his carefully
controlled game plan and introduced an early-offense strategy.
The low-scoring Timberwolves immediately responded with an eight-game
string during which they poured in at least 100 points per game.
The more wide-open approach led to a three-game road winning streak.
Overall, though, Minnesota was having expansion-club blues.
In April, however, the Wolves posted a 7-5 record, the first winning
month in franchise history. On April 4 they set a team scoring
record that still stands when they ran up 134 points in a victory
against the Denver Nuggets. By winning six of their final eight
games of the season, the Wolves finished with 29 victories, seven
more than in their inaugural campaign. Campbell again led the
team in scoring, this time with 21.8 points per game.
After the second season, Musselman was relieved of his duties.
In June, Jimmy Rodgers was named head coach.
1991-92: A Rough Winter
The Timberwolves began the 1991-92 campaign with
an up-tempo offensive philosophy, but an opening-night blizzard
proved a fitting omen for the season to come. As the city of Minneapolis
experienced its all-time heaviest one-day snowfall (24 inches
in 24 hours), the Wolves were getting snowed under on the court.
They lost nine of their first 10 games.
Nine games into the season, second-year forward Gerald Glass and
third-year guard Doug West, a second-round pick in the 1989 NBA
Draft, replaced veterans Tyrone Corbin and Tony Campbell in the
starting lineup. Corbin was then traded to Utah for Thurl Bailey,
a 6-11 forward who would score the 10,000th point of his career
during the season.
Luc Longley, a 7-2 rookie center who was the seventh overall pick
in the 1991 NBA Draft, became the first Australian to play in
the NBA when he clocked four minutes at Dallas on November 30.
Minnesota's defense did figure in one NBA record during season.
On Dec. 27, Golden State guard Tim Hardaway set a dubious league
mark when he went 0-for-17 from the field against the Wolves.
January started well, as the Timberwolves won three of their first
six games. Then everything went downhill as Minnesota stumbled
through a 10-game losing streak. The season continued to unravel.
From Feb. 29 to March 29 the Timberwolves lost 16 straight, including
a 112-86 drubbing by the Sacramento Kings. In March the Timberwolves
struggled through the worst month in franchise history, going
1-15. Injuries plagued the team, which was neither strong nor
deep to begin with. Gerald Glass, Tod Murphy, Felton Spencer,
Randy Breuer, Tom Garrick and Tony Campbell all spent time on
the sidelines.
After the record losses, the Wolves put together a modest three-game
winning streak, the team's longest in two years. The club's final
15-67 record remains the worst in its history. Tony Campbell again
led Minnesota in scoring, but with only 16.8 points per game.
Doug West set what was then a franchise record for field-goal
accuracy with a .518 percentage.
1992-93: "Trader Jack" Assembles New
Attack
After the 1991-92 season, Jack McCloskey was
named general manager of the Timberwolves. For 13 years he had
held the same position with the Detroit Pistons, helping to build
that franchise into two-time NBA champions. He had a reputation
as a savvy judge of college talent, and he was quick to pull the
trigger on a transaction — he made 43 trades in his 13 years
at Detroit. McCloskey, who had played briefly in the NBA himself,
had been a successful high school and college coach and had coached
the Portland Trail Blazers for two years early in that team's
history.
With the third overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft (the highest
pick in franchise history), Minnesota selected Duke center Christian
Laettner, the third consecutive pivotman to join the team via
the draft. The 6-11, 235-pound Laettner had been the consensus
College Player of the Year during his senior season at Duke. He
was the first player ever to start in four Final Fours, and he
had led the Blue Devils to consecutive NCAA titles in 1991 and
1992. He was the all-time NCAA Tournament career scoring leader
with 407 points.
McCloskey made another big move when he traded Pooh Richardson
and Sam Mitchell to the Indiana Pacers during the summer for Chuck
Person and Micheal Williams. The Timberwolves started the 1992-93
season with six new faces in the lineup and managed a 4-7 record
in November. Person led the team in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounding
(8.5 rpg) for the month.
Laettner's NBA career got off to a good start as he averaged 19.5
points and 8.1 rebounds through the first month. Guard Doug West
was a skilled shooter; Williams was both a playmaker and a scorer;
and veteran forward Thurl Bailey provided steady play off the
bench. When Bailey sat out a December 19 game against Golden State
with a bruised foot, it ended his string of 451 consecutive games,
the second-longest streak among active NBA players.
Unfortunately, December arrived without mercy for Minnesota —
the team fell to 1-12 for the month. The Timberwolves also suffered
what was then the worst defeat in franchise history, a 37-point
pasting on Dec. 5 at the hands of the Seattle SuperSonics.
On Jan. 11, the Timberwolves made a coaching change, naming Sidney
Lowe interim head coach, replacing Jimmy Rodgers. Lowe had played
for seven years in the NBA, bouncing from Indiana to Detroit,
Atlanta, and Charlotte (interrupted by four seasons in the CBA)
before finishing his career with the original Timberwolves squad.
After retiring, he had worked as a television analyst and, beginning
in 1991, as an assistant coach for Minnesota. Then the youngest
head coach in the NBA at age 33, Lowe led the Wolves to a 13-40
record the rest of the year, for a season total of 19-63.
The team improved under Lowe but still struggled. In a 121-114
win over Sacramento on Feb. 18, the Timberwolves sank a then club-record
40 free throws, including an individual single-game team mark
of 18 by Laettner. A three-game winning streak in March looked
like a sign that Minnesota was beginning to be competitive. With
the team seemingly headed in the right direction, Lowe was elevated
from interim coach to head coach on March 24, 1993.
As a cruel gift to their new leader, the Wolves lost 12 games
in a row to start April, the second-longest dry spell in team
history. However, even during those hard times, there were positive
moments. The first came when Micheal Williams broke Calvin Murphy's
12-year-old NBA record for consecutive free throws made. Williams'
streak began on March 24 and included a 16-for-16 game on April
7 against Indiana, as well as 11 straight on the second-to-last
day of the season. He surpassed Murphy's mark in the final game
of the year, when he sank 10 charity tosses against Utah to end
with 84 consecutive free throws. The streak continued into the
next season and reached 97 consecutive free throws before he missed
on Nov. 9, 1993.
Williams's .907 free throw percentage for the season set a Wolves
franchise record, easily topping the previous best set by Doug
West. Williams ranked fourth in the NBA in free-throw percentage,
sixth in assists (8.7 apg), and eighth in steals (2.17 per game).
Laettner set what was then a club single-season rebounding mark
with 708 boards (8.7 rpg). Person established a new franchise
record by hitting 118 three-point field goals, more than doubling
Pooh Richardson's old mark of 53 in 1991-92. Doug West, the lone
holdover from the original Timberwolves roster, led the team in
scoring at 19.3 points per game, with Laettner (18.2 ppg), Person
(16.8), and Williams (15.1) right behind him. At season's end,
Laettner was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
1993-94: A Smooth Rider, But A Tough Ride
In the 1993 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves acquired
UNLV guard Isaiah Rider with the fifth overall pick. The 6-5,
215-pound Rider had averaged 29.1 points as a UNLV senior and
was expected to bring his explosive offensive repertoire into
the lineup as the Wolves prepared for the rest of the decade.
Woe was still the word for the Wolves in 1993-94. Minnesota lost
five straight games to open the season and was 14-27 by midyear.
The Wolves then managed only a 6-35 record in the second half
and dropped their final 10 games to finish at 20-62. Although
that record was seven games better than Dallas' final mark, the
Mavericks beat Minnesota in five of their six head-to-head matchups.
Christian Laettner notched 16.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game
to top the Timberwolves in both categories. Rider was a surprise
to some observers. He averaged 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and
2.6 assists, earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and
won the NBA Slam Dunk Championship at All-Star Weekend, which
was held at Target Center.
Despite tremendous attendance, the Timberwolves were nearly sold
to a group of investors that would have moved the team to New
Orleans for 1994-95. The NBA Board of Governors vetoed the sale,
however, and Glen Taylor promised to keep the team in Minneapolis.
Also during the offseason, the Wolves replaced Sidney Lowe with
new head coach Bill Blair.
1994-95: Struggles Continue
In 1994-95 the Minnesota Timberwolves set an
NBA record by losing at least 60 games for the fourth consecutive
season. Under first-year coach Bill Blair, the club finished at
21-61 and in last place in the Midwest Division. The Wolves had
trouble scoring and rebounding. Minnesota ranked 26th in offensive
production at 94.2 points per game, breaking the old franchise
record low of 95.2 points per contest set in 1989-90. The Wolves
were outrebounded by an average of 6.1 boards per game, the largest
margin in the league. They were the only team to grab fewer than
3,000 rebounds on the season. Minnesota was swept by 10 teams
and won only one game against a club with a winning record.
Nonetheless, the team had some good basketball players. Christian
Laettner shot .544 from the floor in the second half, and in his
last 24 outings he averaged 18.7 points to boost his season scoring
average to 16.3 points per game. Isaiah Rider averaged 20.4 points
to rank 19th in the league in scoring and eighth among guards.
First-round draft pick Donyell Marshall lasted only half the season
with Minnesota before being traded to the Golden State Warriors
for Tom Gugliotta. Of the team's seven first-round draft choices
in its first six seasons, only Laettner and Rider were on the
roster at the conclusion of the 1994-95 campaign. Gugliotta contributed
14.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.97 steals per outing
while with the Wolves. Point guard Micheal Williams missed all
but one game with a foot injury.
At season's end, former Boston Celtics star Kevin McHale took
over as the Timberwolves' vice president of basketball operations,
replacing retiring general manager Jack McCloskey. McHale got
to work quickly, as he made a bold selection in the 1995 NBA Draft,
taking high-school phenom Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall
pick.
1995-96: Teen Phenom Gives Wolves Hope
By NBA standards, the 1995-96 season was another
struggle for the Timberwolves. However, after four straight seasons
of 60 or more losses, the Wolves came to the finish line in 1995-96
with an emerging superstar and a record of 26-56, then the second-best
season in their seven-year history.
Progress came in bunches, thanks in large part to some wholesale
changes that provided the Wolves with an injection of new life.
In December, Bill Blair was replaced at the coaching helm by Phil
"Flip" Saunders. Saunders, a college teammate of Kevin
McHale at the University of Minnesota and later an assistant coach
with the Golden Gophers, was a two-time CBA Coach of the Year.
In February, changes continued to reshape the team. Laettner,
frustrated with losing in Minnesota, was sent along with Sean
Rooks to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Andrew Lang and Spud
Webb. The trade paved the way for rookie Kevin Garnett to become
Minnesota's go-to player inside.
Garnett, selected by Minnesota with the fifth overall pick in
the 1995 Draft, began his first NBA season at age 19, foregoing
college basketball. Buoyed by his emergence, the Timberwolves
went 8-8 in March. It was only the second time in franchise history
that the team had finished a month with a .500 or better record.
Although the momentum didn't carry into April, the Wolves found
a new foundation in Garnett, who averaged 10.4 points and 6.3
rebounds and was named to the 1995-96 All-Rookie Second Team.
1996-97: Finally! Wolves End Playoff Drought
After seven long years in which the Timberwolves
had never won more than 29 games, the 1996-97 season was a breakout
campaign. Minnesota won 40 games, erasing the previous franchise
record for wins by early March. Built by Minnesota native Kevin
McHale and guided by head coach Flip Saunders, the Wolves advanced
to the playoffs for the first time in their history.
While their postseason stay was short (they were swept by the
Houston Rockets in the first round), it rekindled the city's interest
in basketball and lifted a huge burden off the shoulders an entire
franchise, and in particular guard Doug West, the only remaining
player from the team's inception in 1989.
The team's performance was no fluke. Built around versatile forwards
Tom Gugliotta and Kevin Garnett and rookie point guard Stephon
Marbury, the Wolves looked poised to appear in the postseason
for years to come.
Gugliotta and Garnett became the first players to represent the
Timberwolves in an All-Star Game. Gugliotta averaged 20.6 points
and 8.7 rebounds, leading the team in both categories, and carrying
the Wolves during the early going. Garnett, only 20 years old,
averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.12 blocks, establishing
himself as one of the league's bright young superstars. Another
future superstar emerged in Marbury, who averaged 15.8 points
and finished 10th in the NBA in assists with 7.8 per game.
A less heralded rookie, center Dean Garrett, had played internationally
in Greece before McHale signed him. The league's oldest rookie
that year at age 31, Garrett averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds
and shot 57.3 percent from the field.
Garrett got away at season's end, signing a free agent contract
with the Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves made every effort to
make sure the same wouldn't happen to Garnett, signing him to
a six-year contract extension.
1997-98: Wolves Learn New Lessons
After eight years of learning how to be graceful
in defeat, the young Minnesota Timberwolves posted a winning record
for the first time in their history and began the process of learning
how to contend for an NBA Championship.
Lesson 1: Winning is a lot more fun than losing. After opening
the season 11-14, Minnesota won 14 of its next 16 en route to
a record of 45-37, five games better than the previous year's
mark. On Dec. 23, Minnesota won 112-103 at Seattle to end a streak
of 26 straight losses to the Sonics, fueled by Stephon Marbury's
team-record eight three-pointers and 35 points. One week later,
Minnesota beat the Chicago Bulls for the first time in their history,
ending a 16-game losing streak with a 99-95 win. From Jan. 9-21,
they won seven straight games, then a franchise record.
Lesson 2: Every good team has to overcome injuries. Guard Chris
Carr and leading scorer Tom Gugliotta had their seasons cut short
because of injury. Carr never completely recovered from a Jan.
29 ankle injury, and Gugliotta saw his season cut in half after
surgery on his right ankle. The loss of Gugliotta, who averaged
20.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg, sent Minnesota into an 8-15 tailspin, but
in late March, the team began to reverse that trend, and finished
with 12 wins in their final 16 games to earn the seventh seed
in the Western Conference playoffs.
Lesson 3: Every good team needs veteran leadership. Minnesota
found it in the names of Sam Mitchell, Terry Porter and Anthony
Peeler, each of whom stepped up in Gugliotta's absence. Mitchell
had his best season in seven years, scoring 12.3 ppg. Porter averaged
9.5 ppg, his best scoring average since the 1993-94 season, and
Peeler had his career resurrected in February, when he was acquired
from Vancouver for Doug West. Peeler scored 13.0 ppg in 30 games
with the Timberwolves.
Lesson 4: There's a reason they're called SUPERstars. Fans in
Minnesota were treated to one of the most exciting superstar tandems
in the NBA, Marbury and Kevin Garnett, each of whom continued
to develop his game. Marbury scored 17.7 ppg and was among the
league leaders in assists (8.4 apg). Garnett became the first
Timberwolves player to start an All-Star Game, averaged 18.5 points,
9.6 rebounds and 1.83 blocks per game. He scored in double figures
in all 82 games.
Lesson 5: There's no room for fear. After one of the most successful
regular seasons in their history, the Timberwolves advanced to
the playoffs against a Seattle team that was 32-4 against Minnesota
all-time. Seattle won big in Game 1, 108-83, but the young Wolves
stayed poised. Two days later, they posted a 98-93 shocker at
Seattle, then returned to the Target Center for a 98-90 win. The
wins were the first postseason victories in the history of the
franchise, and they put the Timberwolves one win from the Conference
Semifinals.
Lesson 6: There's always more to learn. Despite Minnesota's guile
and determination, Seattle came back to win the series in five
games. Minnesota led 47-44 at halftime of the deciding game, but
a more experienced Seattle team relied on its past experience
to win 97-84, ending one of the best seasons in the history of
the franchise.
1998-99: Garnett Leads The Pack For Wolves
Minnesota lost two-thirds of its nucleus when
Tom Gugliotta signed with Phoenix and Stephon Marbury was traded
to New Jersey. But Kevin Garnett was still around to lead the
Timberwolves to their third consecutive playoff appearance.
The Wolves finished the lockout-shortened season 25-25 and lost
to San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. Minnesota won
Game 2 of the series, one of the Spurs' two postseason losses
during their run to the NBA title.
Garnett was named to the All-NBA Third Team after finishing in
the top 20 in rebounding (10.4 rpg, ninth), scoring (20.8 ppg,
11th), blocks (1.77, 13th) and steals (1.66, 20th).
Free agent Joe Smith averaged 13.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, helping
to fill the void left by Gugliotta. Two-time All-Star Terrell
Brandon, acquired from Milwaukee in the three-team trade that
sent Marbury to the Nets, contributed 14.2 points and 9.8 assists
in the 21 games he spent with the Timberwolves.
1999-2000: A 50-Win Season
The Timberwolves completed the 1999-2000 regular
season with a franchise-best 50-32 record, eclipsing their previous
best of 45-37 set in 1997-98. It was the third straight season
the Wolves ended the season over .500 and their fourth straight
postseason appearance. The Wolves took on Portland in the playoffs
and won Game 3 at Target Center (94-87) before losing the series
3-1.
Kevin Garnett was again the go-to player for the Wolves as he
led the team in scoring with 22.9 points per game, which ranked
10th in the NBA. He was also fourth in the league in rebounds
with 11.8 per game. Garnett led the team in scoring 52 times,
in rebounding 66 times and in assists 13 times. He wrapped up
his fifth season in the league by becoming only the ninth player
in NBA history to average at least 20 ppg, 10 rpg and 5 apg in
a season (he would do it again the next season). Garnett was also
selected to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive
First Team.
Rookie Wally Szczerbiak completed his first season in the NBA
as Minnesota's third-leading scorer (11.6 ppg) and was named to
the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He ranked fifth among rookies in
scoring and seventh in the NBA in field goal accuracy.
Terrell Brandon played his 600th game (March 21 vs. Cleveland),
scored his 8,000th point (March 11 at Houston) and handed out
his 3000th assist (Nov. 21 at Vancouver). He finished his ninth
NBA season and second in Minnesota as the Wolves' second-leading
scorer and the team leader in assists, steals and three-point
accuracy. Brandon recorded his first-ever triple-double on January
9 with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
2000-01: Timberwolves Overcome Obstacles
The 2000-01 season saw the Timberwolves survive
struggles that had little to do with what happened on the court.
Just after the previous season ended, the Wolves lost Malik Sealy
when he was killed in a car accident, and in October, the NBA
voided forward Joe Smith's contract with the Wolves. (He signed
with the Detroit Pistons in November). But the Wolves knew they
had to regroup and try to move on with the task at hand, which
was the 2000-01 NBA season. The team welcomed new faces Chauncey
Billups, LaPhonso Ellis, Reggie Slater, Todd Day and later Felipe
Lopez for the 2000-01 season and the Wolves not only survived,
they flourished.
They finished the regular season with a 47-35 record, the fourth
straight season the Wolves have been over .500. Minnesota clinched
its fifth consecutive playoff berth with a 104-91 win at Vancouver
on April 10, claiming the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
The Wolves' 47 wins were the most ever for a No. 8 seed. The Wolves
took on San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs and again
won Game 3 before losing the series, 3-1.
The Wolves set a franchise record for the most ever wins at home,
ending the season with a 30-11 home record. The Wolves' loss on
April 8 to the L.A. Lakers put a stop to a 10-game home winning
streak, the longest one-year streak ever for the team.
The Wolves had their best month of the season in January, when
they finished with a 12-4 record, highlighted by an eight-game
winning streak. The streak extended into February before reaching
a franchise-record (and NBA season-high) 11 games going into the
All-Star Break.
Kevin Garnett played in his fourth All-Star game and scored 14
points. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team and was fifth
in the voting for league MVP. He was the NBA Player of the Week
after leading the Wolves to a 3-0 record for the week of Nov.
13-19. Garnett averaged 22.0 points per game, good for 16th in
the league, and averaged 11.4 rebounds (sixth in the league).
All in all, Garnett finished the 2000-01 season with 54 double-doubles
in 81 outings and has scored in double figures in his last 291
games.
Wally Szczerbiak started all 82 games during the season, becoming
only the fourth player in Wolves history to do so. Szczerbiak
was named the MVP of the Schick Rookie Challenge over All-Star
Weekend, scoring 27 points (11-13 FG, 5-6 3FG) with eight rebounds
as a member of the sophomore team.
Terrell Brandon scored a career-high 34 points on March 25 versus
New Jersey (a 105-91 win) and scored 30 points in a 99-95 win
over Portland at the Rose Garden. He posted his second career
triple-double (27 points, 10 rebounds, 16 assists) Feb. 23 against
Golden State. Ellis finished his ninth year in the NBA by playing
in all 82 games for the first time since his rookie season (1992-93).
He finished third in the voting for Sixth Man of the Year.
2001-02: Timberwolves Start Strong, Tie Team Record
With 50 Wins
The Timberwolves started the 2001-02 season with
a 30-10 record, finishing with a franchise record-tying 50 wins,
and advanced to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. As
the fifth seed in the Western Conference, the Wolves fell to fourth-seed
Dallas in three games in the first round.
The Wolves opened up the year winning their first six games, going
9-4 in the month of November for the most successful November
in franchise history. The team added three newcomers — six-year
veteran Gary Trent and rookies Loren Woods and Maurice Evans —
and welcomed back former Wolf Joe Smith. Highlighting the first
month of play was a 53-point triumph over Chicago, the largest
victory in club history.
Kevin Garnett made his fifth career All-Star appearance in 2001-02.
Noren Trotman, NBAE/Getty Images
Minnesota completed the month of December with a 10-5 mark, the
best December in franchise history. During a six-game winning
streak, the Wolves outscored their opponents by an average of
nearly 19 points a game. Minnesota then lost back-to-back games
to Dallas, first in Dallas and then at Target Center. At one point
during the second game, the Wolves held a 22-point lead, resulting
in the largest blown lead in club history. Later that month, guard
Terrell Brandon underwent arthroscopic surgery due to synovitis
in his left knee. Ending December on a positive note, the NBA
restored the Wolves’ first-round draft pick for the 2005
draft.
Minnesota began the month of January with eight straight wins,
extending their winning streak to nine in a row — the second-longest
winning streak in club history. With Brandon back from knee surgery,
the Wolves and a record-breaking Target Center crowd (20,320)
welcomed in Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. Jordan’s
return didn’t phase Minnesota, who rode its 65 percent shooting
in the third quarter all the way to a win, 105-101.
For the 2002 All-Star Game, the Wolves sent two players: Kevin
Garnett (for the fifth time) and Wally Szczerbiak (for the first
time). Garnett scored 14 point and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes,
while Szczerbiak added 10 points and three assists in 12 minutes
to lead the Western Conference to a 135-120 victory.
On Feb. 13, the Wolves placed Terrell Brandon on the Injured List.
He had surgery the following week to repair a cartilage fracture
on the surface of his left femur and was sidelined for the remainder
of the season.
A win at Dallas was highlighted by Chauncey Billups' career-high
36 points, 24 of which came in the third quarter, breaking the
franchise record for most points in a quarter held by James Robinson.
On the day of the trade deadline, Minnesota dealt Dean Garrett
and a 2007 second-round pick to Golden State in exchange for Marc
Jackson.
February was marked with an end to a streak. During the Feb. 4
game in San Antonio, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett were ejected,
ending Garnett’s streak of double-figure scoring at 338
games, the eight-longest in NBA history. But Garnett was named
Western Conference Player of the Month for February, the second
such award of his career, by averaging 22.1 ppg, 11.9 rpg, and
5.0 apg as the Wolves went 8-4.
Minnesota then faced the Ides of March, going a mere 6-10 for
the month. Losses six and seven in March came at Target Center,
resulting in the second-longest home drought in Wolves’
history at 0-5. On March 18, Minnesota signed free agent guard
Robert Pack to a 10-day contract, and later signed him for the
remainder of the season. The Wolves finished March riding a four-game
winning streak that extended into April.
April saw the Wolves finish the month at 5-4 and the season at
50-32. During a West Coast road trip, Minnesota posted a loss
to the Lakers, 96-83. The Wolves shot a mere 33.3 percent on the
night, a season-low for shooting. With a regular season finale
against Denver, Minnesota marked win number 50, tying the franchise
record for wins.
Entering the 2002 playoffs as the fifth seed, the Wolves drew
fourth seed Dallas in the first round. Despite its best effort,
Minnesota was swept by Dallas, 3-0. The early exit marked the
sixth year in a row the Wolves did not advance past the first
round.
Following the season, Kevin Garnett earned second-team All-NBA
honors, first-team All-Defensive acclaim and All-Interview Team
honors. In addition to his Player of the Month award in February,
he was named Western Conference Player of the Week twice during
the season, bringing his career total to seven.
2002-03: A Record 51 Wins and Seventh Straight
Postseason Appearance
Minnesota finished the 2002-03 regular season
with a 51-31 record, the best mark in franchise history. The season
brought the club's sixth-straight .500+ campaign, in addition
to its seventh consecutive postseason appearance.
The Timberwolves clinched their 2003 playoff berth on March 31
and claimed the Western Conference's fourth seed with a 95-87
victory in the season finale (April 16 at Memphis). Minnesota
fell 4-2 to the three-time defending NBA Champion Los Angles Lakers
in the first round of the 2003 Playoffs.
During the course of the season, Flip Saunders was named Western
Conference Coach of the Month for February — the third time
he's earned that honor (others: Jan. 2000 and 2001) — after
guiding Minnesota to a 12-1 mark. Kevin Garnett was named Western
Conference Player of the Week for the period of Nov. 18-24 and
Western Conference Player of the Month for both February and April.
Additionally, the forward was named MVP of the 52nd NBA All-Star
Game on Feb. 9 in Atlanta, after registering 37 points, nine rebounds,
and five steals in the West's 155-145 double-overtime victory.
The Wolves completed the home portion of their schedule at 33-8
with an April 13 win over Chicago. The 33 victories marked a club
single-season record. Only Sacramento (35-6) put together a better
home record this season, while Dallas, San Antonio and New Jersey
all went 33-8 as well. The March 12 loss to the Spurs at Target
Center snapped Minnesota's club-record (and NBA season-high) 17-game
home winning streak, which dated to a 105-97 loss to Utah on Jan.
4. The Wolves finished 18-23 away from Target Center with highlighted
wins at Dallas, San Antonio, Portland (twice), Phoenix and the
Lakers.
Minnesota sandwiched two six-game winning streaks (Jan. 18-27,
Feb. 2-16) around back-to-back losses at Dallas and Houston, then
ran off seven straight wins (Feb. 19-March 2) after the Feb. 17
setback at Utah for an overall 19-3 tear. The seven-game streak
ranks as the third-longest in franchise history.
The Wolves sported a 33-19 (.635) record versus Western Conference
foes this season, trailing only San Antonio, Sacramento and Dallas
among NBA teams. Minnesota posted an 18-12 mark against Eastern
Conference opponents. The Jan. 20 win versus Toronto began a 10-game
win streak against Eastern opposition.
Garnett finished runner-up for NBA MVP to San Antonio's Tim Duncan
after averaging career highs of 23.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.0
assists and 40.5 minutes per game in starting all 82 contests.
It marked the fourth consecutive season in which he had tallied
at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game. He
joined Larry Bird as the only players in league history to accomplish
that feat. Additionally, he became the first player since Bird
in 1989-90 to rank among the league's top 15 in all three categories.
Garnett finished ninth in scoring, second in rebounding, and 13th
in assists (first among forwards). The eight-year veteran led
the NBA with six triple-doubles, in addition to posting a league-best
and franchise record 68 double-doubles. Garnett was named First
Team All-NBA, First Team All-Defensive and Second Team All-Interview,
and he finished third in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.
