Minnesota Timberwolves: 15 greatest moments of Kevin Garnett’s career
By Ben Beecken
5. Game-winner against the Blazers
Garnett’s final season in Minnesota was an anti-climactic one, with head coach Flip Saunders’ replacement Dwayne Casey getting fired after a 20-20 start and Randy Wittman taking over the reigns at coach.
The team won just 32 games, a season after going 33-49. Garnett was traded to Boston in the offseason, and the most dispiriting period of Wolves basketball began in earnest.
But when the 29-40 Portland Trail Blazers and the 29-39 Minnesota Timberwolves faced off for a Sunday matinée, there were still fireworks.
In a closely contested game that saw the Blazers lead by just one heading into the final frame, Portland’s young duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy scored four points in 30 seconds, sandwiched around a Garnett travel, to give the Blazers a one-point lead with 2.2 seconds left.
After a 20-second timeout, the Wolves inbounded the ball at half-court…
After receiving the inbounds pass, Garnett took one hard dribble to his right and arced a difficult shot over the outstretched arms of two defenders. The shot splashed through, and the Wolves had a buzzer-beating win.
The Blazers were led by 22 points from the rookie Roy, who would play five games for the Wolves in a comeback attempt in 2012, and 19 points off the bench from a young Zach Randolph. Rookie big man Aldridge managed just 13 points on 12 shots and just six rebounds.
Ultimately, this game was a classic example of a young team on the rise in Portland and a team that was winding itself down from playoff contender to cellar-dweller.
But at least we have the buzzer-beater…