2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 2003–04 NBA season was the 15th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association. The season is one of the most memorable in Timberwolves history. During the offseason, the Timberwolves acquired 4-time All-Star guard Latrell Sprewell. The arrival was seen as controversial as Sprewell was known for his choking incident with then-Warriors head coach P.J. Carlesimo, though also known for helping the 8th-seeded New York Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999. Sam Cassell, who was known for winning two championships with the Houston Rockets, and his tenure with  the Milwaukee Bucks, where he helped guide the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, also was acquired to join Garnett, forming a "Big 3". The Timberwolves also signed free agents Michael Olowakandi and Trenton Hassell. With a Western Conference-best 58-24 finish, the Wolves set the franchise record for wins, and won its first and only division championship. Power forward Kevin Garnett averaged 24.2 points, a league-high 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.2 blocks per game, winning the regular season Most Valuable Player Award. In the first round of the playoffs, the Timberwolves defeated  the Denver Nuggets in five games, which was their first ever win in a playoff series. The Wolves were then pushed to the limit in the semi-finals by the Sacramento Kings, who they narrowly defeated in a deciding seventh game. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced the Los Angeles Lakers, who had defeated them in last season's First Round in six games. The Lakers team, known for its all-star starting lineup of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, defeated the Wolves in six games, then would go on to lose in the NBA  Finals to the Detroit Pistons in five games. Garnett, Cassell, and head coach Flip Saunders represented the Western Conference in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. The 2004 All-Star Game was Cassell's only All-Star appearance in his career. As of 2021, this remains the only season the Timberwolves have ever won a playoff series; Minnesota would not make the playoffs again until 2018, losing in the first round. Player statistics. Regular season. Playoffs.