Great Moments in Minnesota Timberwolves History

Article by Mark Kuta

May 3, 2004 – Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett has been named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the league’s Most Valuable Player, the National Basketball Association announced today. The seven-time NBA All-Star totaled 1,219 points in MVP balloting, including 120 of a possible 123 first-place votes, from a panel that consisted of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Garnett finished his ninth NBA campaign in 2003-04 by averaging career highs of 24.2 points (.499 FG%,.791 FT%) and 13.9 rebounds, in addition to posting 5.0 assists, 2.17 blocks, 1.46 steals and 39.4 minutes per game in starting all 82 contests. It marked the fifth consecutive season in which he tallied at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game; he joins Larry Bird as the only players in league history to achieve that feat. Garnett led the league in double-doubles this season with 71, the most in the NBA since Hakeem Olajuwon registered 72 during the 1992-93 campaign with Houston. He registered 1,987 points and 1,139 rebounds, becoming just the fifth player in NBA history (and the first in 29 years) to lead the league in both categories. Garnett set 11 single-season franchise records, including points, rebounds, point/rebound double-doubles (71), 20-point games (67) and blocked shots (178). Garnett reached double figures in scoring in all 82 contests, extending his streak to 164 games. He topped the Wolves in scoring 50 times, in rebounding on 74 occasions and in assists 27 times. Garnett was named Western Conference Player of the Month four times (December, January, February, April), the first player in the award’s 25-year history to be so honored. The 6-11 forward also earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors on four occasions in 2003-04. He made his seventh All-Star appearance this season, tallying 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in Los Angeles on Feb. 15. He led the NBA in Efficiency Rating (33.13) and ranked third in scoring, first in rebounding, and 11th in blocks, minutes, and field goal accuracy.The NBA Expands To 27 Teams The NBA Board of Governors enacted several priorities for expansion from a 23-team league to a 27-team league when the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves were admitted. First, Charlotte and Miami entered the league for the 1988-89 season, while Orlando and Minnesota entered in 1989-90. Second, an introduction period of three seasons (1988-89, 1989-90 and 1990-91) was designated during which expansion teams (except the Timberwolves) would rotate divisions. This served a two-fold purpose: to distribute the number of games existing teams would play against expansion teams, and to expose fans in the new markets to a variety of existing teams and players. To achieve those goals, some expansion teams played out of their natural geographic division some seasons during that period. The balance sought required one expansion team in each conference in 1988-89 and two expansion teams in each conference during the following two seasons. After the three-year period, teams settled into their natural geographic divisions (Miami and Orlando in the Atlantic; Charlotte in the Central Division; Minnesota in the Midwest Division). Minnesota and Orlando participated in an expansion draft prior to the 1989-90 season, although neither Charlotte nor Miami were subject to having its players selected in the Expansion Draft. Each of the current NBA teams could lose only one player to the Timberwolves and Magic. Orlando had the first expansion selection, while Minnesota had the second; later, in the 1989 NBA Draft, the wolves selected 10th and the Magic 11th and with that the Minnesota Timberwoves were born.Mark Kuta is the President of http://www.ticketamerica.com “> Ticket America which has provided hundreds of thousands of event tickets to satisfied customers since 1998. Please visit www.ticketamerica.com/sports/basketball/nba_basketball for NBA basketball tickets information!!