Dunking With Wolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Ranking the 5 best Wolves duos for NBA Jam

By Phil Ford

Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves dunks as NBA players look on in the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves dunks as NBA players look on in the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Ranking the 5 best Wolves for NBA Jam

Minnesota Timberwolves, Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

5. Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell

Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell only teamed up in Minnesota for two seasons, but along with Garnett, they were the fuel behind Minnesota’s greatest season in franchise history.

Before the 2003-04 season, Cassell and Sprewell were two high-profile additions meant to give Garnett his best shot at a title in his career in Minnesota, and the veteran duo did not disappoint.

Cassell averaged 19.8 points and 7.3 assists a game on his way to his lone All-Star appearance alongside Garnett, while Sprewell was the perfect mid-2000’s wing scorer dropping 16.8 points a night.

Thanks to the strong play from Cassell and Sprewell, the Wolves made it to the Western Conference Finals, and barring an injury to Cassell, could have gone to the Finals.

This NBA Jam duo would bring the perfect amount of passing, shooting, athleticism, and a whole lot of attitude.

Sprewell was one of the all-time head cases in the league, and Cassell was always going to let you know how he was feeling on the court. There would be plenty of excitement mixed in with the drama as well.

Players could have a full experience playing with the Timberwolves’ stars. They would constantly catch fire from three with Cassell who shot 39.8 percent from distance in 2003-04. When he wasn’t draining threes, he would be serving up dunks to Sprewell, who could bring the house down in his day.

Of course, in a perfect world, either would be paired with KG in any NBA Jam scenario, but due to the one appearance per player rule, KG had another temperamental star to team up with a little later on the list.

The only real issue with the pairing is their age. In their heyday with the Wolves Cassell was 34, and Sprewell was a spry 33. Both had one great season in Minnesota, then quickly fell off as they aged. They might be the most likely NBA Jam team to fall to a career-ending injury mid-tomahawk dunk.

All-in-all, the Cassell-Sprewell tandem would be a whole lot of fun to play with, even if they won’t guarantee that you would win a lot of games.