2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 15th season for the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] 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-Golden State Warriors head coach P. J. Carlesimo, though also known for helping the 8th-seeded New York Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1999.[2] 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,[3] also was acquired to join Garnett, forming a "Big 3". The Timberwolves also signed free agents - former Number 1 Overall pick (in the 1998 draft) 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.
| 2003–04 Minnesota Timberwolves season | |
|---|---|
Division champions | |
| Head coach | Flip Saunders |
| General manager | Kevin McHale |
| Owner | Glen Taylor |
| Arena | Target Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 58–24 (.707) |
| Place | Division: 1st (Midwest) Conference: 1st (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Western Conference Finals (lost to Lakers 2–4) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports North |
| Radio | KFAN |
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 the prior season's first round in six games. The Lakers team, known for its star-studded starting lineup consisting of Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone, bested the Wolves in six games, where they would then would go on to lose in the NBA Finals against 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 NBA All-Star appearance in his entire career.
After this season, the Timberwolves would not reign victorious in another playoff series until 2024, experiencing a lengthy drought of 21 seasons in which the Timberwolves would go on to defeat the Denver Nuggets in 7 games to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in two decades. It would be 14 seasons, until 2018, before the Wolves would make the playoffs again.
Offseason
NBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Ndudi Ebi | Forward |  Nigeria |
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| 2 | 55 | Rick Rickert | Forward |  United States |
Minnesota |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Regular season
Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y-Minnesota Timberwolves | 58 | 24 | .707 | – | 31–10 | 27–14 | 14–10 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1 | 33–8 | 24–17 | 15–9 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 6 | 36–5 | 16–25 | 14–10 |
| x-Memphis Grizzlies | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 | 31–10 | 19–22 | 12–12 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 | 27–14 | 18–23 | 8–16 |
| x-Denver Nuggets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 | 29–12 | 14–27 | 11–13 |
| e-Utah Jazz | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 | 28–13 | 14–27 | 10–14 |
| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | GB | |
| 1 | c-Minnesota Timberwolves | 58 | 24 | .707 | – |
| 2 | y-Los Angeles Lakers | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2 |
| 3 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 57 | 25 | .695 | 1 |
| 4 | x-Sacramento Kings | 55 | 27 | .671 | 3 |
| 5 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 52 | 30 | .634 | 6 |
| 6 | x-Memphis Grizzlies | 50 | 32 | .610 | 8 |
| 7 | x-Houston Rockets | 45 | 37 | .549 | 13 |
| 8 | x-Denver Nuggets | 43 | 39 | .524 | 15 |
| 9 | e-Utah Jazz | 42 | 40 | .512 | 16 |
| 10 | e-Portland Trail Blazers | 41 | 41 | .500 | 17 |
| 11 | e-Seattle SuperSonics | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 12 | e-Golden State Warriors | 37 | 45 | .451 | 21 |
| 13 | e-Phoenix Suns | 29 | 53 | .354 | 29 |
| 14 | e-Los Angeles Clippers | 28 | 54 | .341 | 30 |
Game log
| 2003–04 game log Total: 58–24 (home: 31–10; road: 27–14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–1 (home: 1–0; road: 0–1)
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November: 8–7 (home: 3–4; road: 5–3)
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December: 11–2 (home: 4–1; road: 7–1)
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January: 12–3 (home: 7–0; road: 5–3)
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February: 11–4 (home: 8–2; road: 3–2)
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March: 9–7 (home: 5–3; road: 4–4)
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April: 6–0 (home: 3–0; road: 3–0)
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| 2003–04 schedule | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playoffs
Awards and honors
Week/Month
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played November 16 through November 22.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played December 14 through December 20.
- Sam Cassell was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played December 21 through December 27.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 18 through January 24.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played January 25 through January 31.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Month for December.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Month for January.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February.
- Kevin Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Month for April.
- Flip Saunders was named Western Conference Coach of the Month for April.
All-Star
- Kevin Garnett was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his seventh consecutive All-Star selection. Garnett finished first among Western Conference players in voting with 1,780,918 votes.
- Sam Cassell was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first and only All-Star selection.
- Flip Saunders coached the Western Conference to a 136–132 victory over the Eastern Conference.
Season
- Kevin Garnett received the Most Valuable Player Award.
- Kevin Garnett was named to the All-NBA First Team. Garnett also finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
- Sam Cassell was named to the All-NBA Second Team. Cassell also finished tenth in MVP voting.
Injuries/Missed games
- 10/27/03: Troy Hudson: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list until December 20
- 10/29/03: Wally Szczerbiak: Inflamed arch in foot; placed on injured reserve until February 19
- 11/22/03: Michael Olowokandi: Knee tendinitis; out until November 28
- 11/26/03: Mark Madsen: Back spasms; out until December 9
- 12/05/03: Michael Olowokandi: Knee tendinitis; placed on injured list until February 20
- 12/12/03: Mark Madsen: Back spasms; out until December 20
- 12/20/03: Ervin Johnson: Personal reasons; did not play
- 12/26/03: Troy Hudson: Sprained ankle; out until January 19
- 01/10/04: Gary Trent: Sprained ankle; out until January 19
- 01/23/04: Ervin Johnson: Personal reasons; did not play
- 01/25/04: Ervin Johnson: Personal reasons; did not play
- 02/01/04: Troy Hudson: Sprained ankle; out until February 17
- 02/19/04: Ndudi Ebi: Knee tendinitis; placed on injured list for rest of season
- 02/25/04: Sam Cassell: Ankle tendinitis; did not play
- 02/27/04: Wally Szczerbiak: Flu; did not play
- 03/21/04: Troy Hudson: Sore ankle; did not play
- 03/23/04: Troy Hudson: Sore ankle; did not play
- 03/31/04: Troy Hudson: Sprained ankle; placed on injured list for rest of season
- 04/27/04: Wally Szczerbiak: Cracked vertebrae; out until May 14
- 05/29/04: Sam Cassell: Back spasms; did not play
- 05/31/04: Sam Cassell: Back spasms; did not play
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Garnett | PF | 82 | 82 | 3,231 | 1,139 | 409 | 120 | 178 | 1,987 | 39.4 | 13.9 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 24.2 |
| Latrell Sprewell | SF | 82 | 82 | 3,100 | 310 | 286 | 88 | 21 | 1,375 | 37.8 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 1.1 | .3 | 16.8 |
| Sam Cassell | PG | 81 | 81 | 2,838 | 271 | 592 | 102 | 18 | 1,603 | 35.0 | 3.3 | 7.3 | 1.3 | .2 | 19.8 |
| Trenton Hassell | SG | 81 | 74 | 2,264 | 257 | 133 | 36 | 54 | 406 | 28.0 | 3.2 | 1.6 | .4 | .7 | 5.0 |
| Fred Hoiberg | SG | 79 | 3 | 1,804 | 268 | 109 | 66 | 10 | 530 | 22.8 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .8 | .1 | 6.7 |
| Mark Madsen | C | 72 | 12 | 1,246 | 272 | 28 | 33 | 18 | 259 | 17.3 | 3.8 | .4 | .5 | .3 | 3.6 |
| Gary Trent | C | 68 | 2 | 1,025 | 216 | 49 | 12 | 17 | 379 | 15.1 | 3.2 | .7 | .2 | .3 | 5.6 |
| Ervin Johnson | C | 66 | 47 | 965 | 232 | 24 | 27 | 43 | 127 | 14.6 | 3.5 | .4 | .4 | .7 | 1.9 |
| Oliver Miller | C | 48 | 1 | 506 | 130 | 36 | 19 | 26 | 121 | 10.5 | 2.7 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 2.5 |
| Michael Olowokandi | C | 43 | 25 | 925 | 245 | 24 | 16 | 68 | 278 | 21.5 | 5.7 | .6 | .4 | 1.6 | 6.5 |
| Keith McLeod | PG | 33 | 0 | 391 | 34 | 59 | 16 | 1 | 88 | 11.8 | 1.0 | 1.8 | .5 | .0 | 2.7 |
| Troy Hudson | PG | 29 | 1 | 503 | 35 | 70 | 7 | 0 | 218 | 17.3 | 1.2 | 2.4 | .2 | .0 | 7.5 |
| Wally Szczerbiak | SF | 28 | 0 | 622 | 88 | 33 | 12 | 1 | 285 | 22.2 | 3.1 | 1.2 | .4 | .0 | 10.2 |
| Ndudi Ebi | SF | 17 | 0 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1.9 | .2 | .2 | .0 | .2 | .8 |
| Darrick Martin | PG | 16 | 0 | 172 | 7 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 55 | 10.8 | .4 | 1.4 | .1 | .1 | 3.4 |
| Quincy Lewis | SF | 14 | 0 | 65 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 4.6 | .5 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 |
| Anthony Goldwire† | PG | 5 | 0 | 66 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 13.2 | 1.2 | 2.0 | .6 | .0 | 2.6 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.
Playoffs
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Garnett | PF | 18 | 18 | 783 | 263 | 92 | 24 | 41 | 438 | 43.5 | 14.6 | 5.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 24.3 |
| Latrell Sprewell | SF | 18 | 18 | 771 | 79 | 72 | 29 | 12 | 357 | 42.8 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 1.6 | .7 | 19.8 |
| Trenton Hassell | SG | 18 | 18 | 472 | 44 | 27 | 10 | 7 | 138 | 26.2 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .6 | .4 | 7.7 |
| Ervin Johnson | C | 18 | 16 | 356 | 84 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 48 | 19.8 | 4.7 | .7 | .6 | .6 | 2.7 |
| Fred Hoiberg | SG | 18 | 0 | 438 | 66 | 23 | 16 | 0 | 115 | 24.3 | 3.7 | 1.3 | .9 | .0 | 6.4 |
| Mark Madsen | C | 17 | 0 | 222 | 58 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 13.1 | 3.4 | .1 | .3 | .2 | 2.8 |
| Sam Cassell | PG | 16 | 15 | 497 | 40 | 70 | 12 | 3 | 265 | 31.1 | 2.5 | 4.4 | .8 | .2 | 16.6 |
| Darrick Martin | PG | 16 | 3 | 182 | 14 | 23 | 4 | 0 | 50 | 11.4 | .9 | 1.4 | .3 | .0 | 3.1 |
| Michael Olowokandi | C | 15 | 2 | 224 | 52 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 31 | 14.9 | 3.5 | .1 | .1 | .7 | 2.1 |
| Gary Trent | C | 13 | 0 | 71 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5.5 | .9 | .2 | .0 | .0 | 1.6 |
| Wally Szczerbiak | SF | 12 | 0 | 298 | 39 | 20 | 6 | 2 | 142 | 24.8 | 3.3 | 1.7 | .5 | .2 | 11.8 |
| Oliver Miller | C | 8 | 0 | 31 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3.9 | .6 | .1 | .0 | .4 | .4 |
Transactions
Trades
| June 27, 2003 | To Milwaukee Bucks---- | To Minnesota Timberwolves---- |
| July 23, 2003 | To Philadelphia 76ers---- | To Atlanta Hawks---- |
| To New York Knicks---- | To Minnesota Timberwolves---- |
Free agents
Additions
| Date | Player | Contract | Former Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 16, 2003 | Michael Olowokandi | Signed 3-year contract for $16.2 million | Los Angeles Clippers |
| July 28, 2003 | Fred Hoiberg | Signed 1-year contract for $938,679 | Chicago Bulls |
| July 28, 2003 | Mark Madsen | Signed 2-year contract for $1.4 million | Los Angeles Lakers |
| September 30, 2003 | Quincy Lewis | Undisclosed | Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) |
| September 30, 2003 | Keith McLeod | Undisclosed | Basket Livorno (Italy) |
| October 25, 2003 | Keith McLeod | Undisclosed | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| October 29, 2003 | Trenton Hassell | Signed 1-year contract for $638,679 | Chicago Bulls |
| December 13, 2003 | Oliver Miller | Signed 1-year contract for $686,838 | Fujian Xunxing (China) |
| January 7, 2004 | Anthony Goldwire | Signed two 10-day contracts | Yakima Sun Kings (CBA) |
| January 30, 2004 | Darrick Martin | Signed two 10-day contracts | Harlem Globetrotters |
| March 31, 2004 | Darrick Martin | Signed for rest of season | Minnesota Timberwolves |
Subtractions
| Date | Player | Reason Left | New Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 2003 | Igor Rakočević | Waived | Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) |
| October 21, 2003 | Keith McLeod | Waived | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| December 20, 2003 | Quincy Lewis | Waived | Lucentum Alicante (Spain) |
| January 7, 2004 | Keith McLeod | Waived | Yakima Sun Kings (CBA) |
| January 26, 2004 | Anthony Goldwire | Waived | Aris (Greece) |
| February 20, 2004 | Darrick Martin | 10-day contract expired | Minnesota Timberwolves |