Game 7... 2004... vs. Kings.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Anybody else watch that game last night?

The return of Abe's mostly ignored DVR Late Night Review musings...

- Sloppy game. The jitters were obvious. Everywhere.

- What a difference 1.5 decades make. The game was a slog. Mid-range jumpers galore! Teams passing up three pointers to take long twos that would make rookie-seasons Wiggins and LaVine blush.

- The Wolves bigs were atrocious. WOW. You've all read my scathing critiques on Mark Madsen. Watch this game for evidence. THREE times, he was given a pass under the hoop for an easy layup... THREE times he fumbled it out of bounds. 15 minutes. 2 rebounds. 3 TOs. He was mocked by Doug Collins.

- Gary Trent in one of his final NBA appearances went 0 - 3 in 5 minutes and missed an egregious wide open layup. Badly. Collins ripped him too.

- Ervin Johnson also went 0 - 3 fg to bring the Wolves center position point total to... 0. But he did play really solid defense and at least grabbed some rebounds.

- I remember Sam Cassell's injury was THE key to losing the Lakers series. But I forgot that he was battling it all through the Kings series, too. It shows the type of player he was that he went for 23/7 while looking like he was 57 years old.

- Telling halftime interview? Cheryl Miller asked about the injury and whether Cassell should just take a shot to mask the pain and play on. He bristled, said something like "no chance" and walked away. This one is dicey. Some guys would do anything to keep playing. We see it in the NFL to dangerous and really sad levels. Did Cassell end up taking cortisone shots vs. the Lakers? Should he have?

- Wally Szczerbiak had a really good game coming off his injury. Scored 10 points in 19 minutes... but had FOUR critical offensive rebounds, with multiple ones that led directly to hoops in a game where it was very hard to score.

- Good thing for the Wolves Webber wasn't healthy. He had nothing to give near the hoop with the bum leg. He missed some shots on layups that were once automatic powerful dunks.

- I remember the Kings without Peeler (famously suspended). But I forgot Gophers legend Bobby Jackson was still on that team... only injured. He was MUCH more important than Peeler. He averaged 14 points per game and was THE key guy off the bench. He was sorely missed.

- No Jackson, no Peeler... meant the Kings had to go with Rodney Buford as their 7th man in a 7 man rotation. He was basically the team's Darrick Martin. He only played 141 minutes all season for the Kings... but was forced to play a season high 16 minutes in a nail-biting Game 7. He shot 1 - 6 fg for two points.

- Trenton Hassell had a very Trent Hassell sort of game. 2 - 5 fg... 4 points. 2 rebounds. 1 assist... but awesome defense back when touching, tugging, grabbing, pulling and everything else was allowed on defense. He was one of the guys most affected by the "no handchecking" rule the following season.

- It was interesting to see a gritty Wolves team playing awesome defense. It's been awhile...

- GARNETT!

[AbeVigodaLive]

I'm never posting another pro-Timberwolves thread again.

Obviously, my tear-it-down-it's-the-worst-franchise-in-NBA-history takes get more traction.

[Monster]

You watched a game and nobody else did. Face it Abe you are a homer.

[AbeVigodaLive]

You watched a game and nobody else did. Face it Abe you are a homer.

Damn. Monster just called me a rube.

Secretly, maybe I really am a provincial rube. Damn it. Exposed!

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

Just to refresh my memory, that was the only year we won a playoff series, right?

[Porckchop]

Had Sam been healthy I think the Wolves have a one up on the Vikings. I think that team had the right mix of alphas along with a good mix of role players.