Minnesota Sports Forum

Yes I know he's not popular on this board. But he is the sole reason for playoff games experienced by fans.
Give me your favorite KG moment! Please no haters. Don't we have enough to be down on with this team? Lol

His play in game 7 against Sacramento

CoolBreeze44 wrote:His play in game 7 against Sacramento

For me too. That was such a great game.

December 5, 2003.

The Timberwolves were a solid to good team. And with the arrival of Cassell and Sprewell... many hoped to get over the proverbial hump. Early returns were more of the same-old, same-old. The Wolves were 10 - 8 when they headed to a Friday night game vs. Sacramento vs. the 12 - 4 Kings. Earlier in the season, the Kings beat the Wolves in OT.

Things changed after that game.

Garnett went for 33 pts, 25 reb, 6 assists and 3 blocks in an OT win. And it was HOW they even got to OT. Garnett hit two three pointers in the last 30 seconds to erase a 6 point deficit. I think it was a national televised game.

The Wolves went 20 - 4 after that game... on way to a 58-win season and an MVP for Garnett.

THAT was the game that spurred that run.


[Note: I don't know if it's necessarily better or more memorable than Game 7... but it just FELT like something big even in the moment. Legit hope! I also dug his 47-point game that I kept on my DVR for far too long for some reason.]

KG carried the Timberwolves to yearly playoff appearances for nearly a decade even as the rest of the roster changed around him. He was a true superstar who you could build a contender around. It's such a shame that the organization failed to take full advantage of the years he was here.

The organization got it right when they drafted Marbury. He and KG were friends. They were both highly competitive and extremely talented. And they were perfectly complemented one another perfectly.. The Wolves were on the verge of becoming a great team when Marbury let it be know he wanted out. No one could see Marbury's mental implosion coming. The Wolves almost landed on their feet when they brought in Chauncey Billups. But alas, the Flip Saunders wanted to go with Terrell Brandon as his starting PG and they led to Billups' departure. Had he stayed, the Wolves would have had more than one Western Conference Finals appearance and possibly more. Drafting Ibi instead of Josh Howard was another unforced error by the Wolves organization during the KG era. Of course the secret Joe Smith deal was another blunder by the organization that likely prevented the Wolves from assembling a better team around Garnett.

There's a lesson in all this. When you have a great player like KG, you have to take full advantage by making shrewd personnel moves to build around that player. KAT isn't in the same category as KG, but he's still a great player. Perhaps the Rosas organization can succeed where the McHale organization failed. In spite of what I consider the Culver, DLO and Juancho blunders, the Rosas organization has made some impressive personnel moves like signing Naz and drafting both Edwards and McDaniels. I also give Rosas credit for bringing in Beasley as part of the Covington trade. We'll see what the Rosas regime is able to accomplish this offseason and hopefully we'll see next season what the Wolves front office apparently saw in Bolmaro.