1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1998–99 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 10th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.^[1] Due to a lockout, the regular season began on February 5, 1999, and was cut from 82 games to 50.^[2] During the off-season, the Timberwolves signed free agents Joe Smith,^[3][4][5] and Malik Sealy,^[6][5][7] and acquired second-year guard Bobby Jackson, and former Timberwolves center Dean Garrett from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade.^[8]

With the addition of Smith, Sealy and Garrett, the Timberwolves got off to a fast start by winning eight of their first ten games of the regular season. In a three-team mid-season trade, the team traded Stephon Marbury, and Chris Carr to the New Jersey Nets, and acquired All-Star guard Terrell Brandon from the Milwaukee Bucks,^[9][10][11] and also signed free agent and three-point specialist Dennis Scott, who was previously released by the New York Knicks.^[12][13][14] Despite the addition of Brandon, the Timberwolves played below .500 in winning percentage for the remainder of the season, and finished in fourth place in the Midwest Division with a 25–25 record, winning a tie-breaker for the eighth seed in the Western Conference over the Seattle SuperSonics, who finished with the same regular-season record, and qualifying for their third consecutive NBA playoff appearance.^[15]

Kevin Garnett averaged 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA Third Team, while Brandon averaged 14.2 points, 9.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game in 21 games after the trade, and Smith provided the team with 13.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. In addition, Sam Mitchell provided with 11.2 points per game, while Anthony Peeler contributed 9.6 points and 1.3 steals per game, but only 28 games due to a strained left calf injury.^[16][17] Off the bench, Sealy contributed 8.1 points per game in only 31 games, while Jackson provided with 7.1 points and 3.3 assists per game, Garrett, the team's starting center, averaged 5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Tom Hammonds contributed 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.^[18] Garnett finished in tenth place in Most Valuable Player voting,^[19] and also finished tied in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting,^[19] while Smith finished in fourth place in Most Improved Player voting.^[19]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1999 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the top–seeded, and Midwest Division champion San Antonio Spurs, who were led by All-Star forward Tim Duncan, All-Star center David Robinson, and Sean Elliott. The Timberwolves lost Game 1 to the Spurs on the road, 99–86 at the Alamodome, but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 80–71 to even the series.^[20][21] However, the Timberwolves lost the next two games at home, which included a Game 4 loss to the Spurs at the Target Center, 92–85, thus losing the series in four games.^[22][23][24] The Spurs would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, and defeat the 8th–seeded New York Knicks in five games in the 1999 NBA Finals, winning their first ever NBA championship.^[25][26][27]

The Timberwolves finished 13th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 427,974 at the Target Center during the regular season.^[18][28] Following the season, Scott signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies.^[29] For the season, the Timberwolves added new black alternate road uniforms, which would remain in use until 2008.^[30]