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 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.
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.
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* – Stats with the Timberwolves.
^ – Minimum 125 free throws made.
† – Minimum 20 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 5 three-pointers made.
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