30 Greatest Moments In Timberwolves History
By Ben Beecken
#23 – Kevin Love Beats the Clippers With A Buzzer-Beating Three-Pointer
The Timberwolves were sitting at a 6-8 record in the lockout-shortened 2010-2011 season when they visited Los Angeles to face the Clippers in a game that was nationally-televised on ESPN.
The upstart Wolves had a new coach in Rick Adelman, a rookie point guard in Ricky Rubio, and an emerging star in Kevin Love. They trailed by 11 points at halftime and seven at the start of the fourth quarter before rookie and second-overall draft pick Derrick Williams and Rubio took over.
Williams scored nine consecutive points to open the final frame before Rubio score nine of the Wolves’ next 13 points that led up to Love’s game-winning shot, including a cold-blood three-pointer from the right corner on what had been a zero-for-10 shooting night to that point to tie the game at 98 with 20 seconds remaining.
After a missed shot from the Clippers’ Chauncey Billups, the Wolves called timeout with 1.5 seconds remaining. Adelman drew up a beauty of a play that saw Williams darting into the paint and Rubio and Wayne Ellington setting what amounted to elevator doors screens that allowed Love to pop wide-open beyond the arc at the top of the key.
It brought the Wolves’ record to 7-8 on the heels of 15 and 17-win seasons. It was on national television, and Love continued his emergence as a nationally-recognized superstar. Rubio hit a big shot.
The stars were seemingly aligning at the time, and it was unquestionably one of the best game-winning shots in team history.
Next: #22 - Beating Michael Jordan