2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 14th season the Timberwolves has competed in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Timberwolves signed free agents Troy Hudson and Kendall Gill. Kevin Garnett performed well throughout the season, winning the All-Star MVP award in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, and finishing second in MVP voting behind MVP Tim Duncan with 43 first-place votes, plus also finishing in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Despite losing Terrell Brandon for the entire season to a knee injury, the Timberwolves posted a 12–1  record in February and finished the season with a 51–31 record, good enough to earn the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage. Garnett averaged 23.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Wally Szczerbiak averaged 17.6 points per game, while Hudson provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.7 assists per game, Rasho Nesterovic provided with 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Joe Smith contributed 7.5 points and 5.0  rebounds per game. However, for the seventh straight year in the Garnett era, the Timberwolves did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. They lost to the 5th-seeded and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the Western Conference First Round. Following the season, Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, while Anthony Peeler signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings, and Gill signed with the Chicago Bulls.