@FlameRaptorRaven

Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 11: The Big Ticket and Big Balls

Despite a disappointing season, the Minnesota Timberwolves are undeniably in their best era. It’s the first time ever they have won a playoff series in 3 straight seasons and they have made more conference finals in the last 3 years than they did in the 34 seasons before. I believe it is worth revisiting the 1 season it happened. In 1995, the Timberwolves made their best draft pick in franchise history when they selected Kevin Garnett 5th overall. After a promising rookie season, Garnett quickly established himself as a young star before ascending to superstar in the 2000s. His insane intensity, prodigious defensive IQ and deep toolbox turned him into a nightmare on both ends of the floor. Sadly, because the Timberwolves were poorly ran, they struggled to build a team around KG, until 2004. They finished with 58 wins in the regular season, a franchise record to this day and the 2nd best record in the 03-04 season. Of course the biggest part of that was KG himself. The future Hall-of-Famer averaged career highs in points and rebounds while remaining a top tier defender. However, it was the supporting cast that helped the team finally ascend and it all happened thanks to 2 trades to acquire veteran Sam Cassell and the erratic Latrel Sprewell. Garnett, Cassell and Sprewell formed a formidable trio. Them along with shooting from Wally Szczerbiak and Fred Hoiburg and defense from Micheal Olowokandi made the Timberwolves a real threat. Now it was time to prove it. In the first round, the 1st seed Timberwolves faced rookie Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets. The Wolves chewed them up, spit them out and beat them in 5. Carmelo had averaged 21 points per game in the regular season and the Timberwolves held him to 15 on horrific 32% shooting. Nevertheless, this series included a 40-piece from Sam Cassell to win game 1 and a 31-point game from Sprewell to win game 2 while KG averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds throughout the series. The trio was locked in. In round 2, the Wolves met the Sacramento Kings. Forget their reputation today, back then they were one of the very best teams, often thought of as the cream of the crop in the West alongside the Lakers and Spurs. They boasted a loaded starting lineup that included Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic and the man that made it all work, Chris Webber. Garnett would be tasked with shutting down Webber. Sam Cassell put up another 40-point game in game 1 of this series, but the Kings managed to overcome it and steal a 1-0 lead. The Wolves would come back and get game 2 behind Garnett’s 28 points. After a hard-fought series, it all came down to game 7. Heading into the 4th quarter of that game, the Wolves clung to a 2-point lead thanks to a Sam Cassell 3. After a few minutes, the Big Ticket took over. He proceeded to score Minnesota’s next 13 points. It culminated with a 3-pointer to put Minnesota up 7 and then a block on Webber to keep that lead. It came down to the last possession. Kings had the ball, down 3. Garnett blocked Brad Miller’s layup attempt and Webber missed a 3 to clinch Minnesota’s first conference finals appearance. KG finished game 7 with 32 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals in a legendary performance. He is 1 of just 7 players to ever have a 30-20 game in a game 7 and the only one to do it in the 21st century. In the conference finals, the Wolves ran into the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. This was the infamous Kobe-Shaq-Mailman-Gary Payton super team. The Wolves were obviously the underdogs, but they presented a real challenge. After losing game 1, Minnesota won game 2, but at the cost of Sam Cassell. He hurt his hip literally 43 seconds in. Miraculously he played game 3, but was MIA for the rest of the series. It was a crushing blow for a team that relied on him to be the 2nd best player beside KG. KG did his part and averaged 24, 14 and 4 in the series, which included a brilliant 30-point outing in game 5 to keep his team’s chances alive. But the Wolves ultimately lost in 6 games. At the time, KG’s 2004 playoff run had the most points, rebounds, assists and blocks of any Timberwolf ever. Only the points and assists have been surpassed since, by Anthony Edwards in 2024. It wasn’t just KG setting records. Sam Cassell became the 26th player in NBA history to put up multiple 40-point games in the same playoff run… yes really. Even better, Sam Cassell’s 2004 playoff run alone gave him more 40-point games in the playoffs than the following current and future Hall-of-Famers: James Worthy, Dr. J, David Robinson, Klay Thompson, Paul George and Demar DeRozan Although this era didn’t last long, Minnesota can finally say they have a better era of Timberwolves basketball and they can look back on this season with rose coloured glasses as the year Kevin Garnett became a Larry O’Brien Legend and Sam Cassell solidified his Larry O’Brien legend in stone.

Timberwolves

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Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 12: The Ankle Game

From 1980 to 2010, the Detroit Pistons were genuinely one of the NBA’s best franchises. You likely know about the 2 best eras in their franchise’s history that define that period of excellence. Of course there is the ‘Goin to Work’ era that is universally beloved, then there are the Bad Boys who are very much not beloved and in many cases not respected. At the start of the 80s, the Pistons were a dumpster fire with a promising point guard named Isiah Thomas. In the mid 80s, they became a pretty good team with an electric offense led by that aforementioned point guard. But by the late 80s, Thomas and the Pistons were sick of being pushed around, so they decided to push back. They became a defence-first, unselfish group that focussed on not just winning games, but breaking teams. If you ask the players today, they’d tell you that they wanted to break teams mentally and how that was their priority beyond all else. However, in my personal opinion, even if that is true, the Pistons did it by beating up everyone they came across. While some would argue the Bad Boys era began in 1986-87, I’d actually argue it truly started the next season. 87-88 was the first season Detroit finished as a top 3 defence (top 3 in defensive rating and opponent points per game). They won 54 games and entered the playoffs as a team that was a contender, but still believed to be a step behind the Larry Bird Celtics, who had eliminated them in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Well, in those playoffs, the Pistons avoided a historic collapse and beat the Bullets in 5, then beat the MJ-led Bulls in 5 and faced those Celtics in the conference finals. After a hard-fought series, it was the Pistons who came out victorious, led by Isiah Thomas who averaged 23 points, 8 assists and 3 steals. That included 2 separate 35-point games to help Detroit slay their demons. That victory set up a Finals matchup against the Showtime Lakers. Even though the Pistons were seen as underdogs going in, they had the Lakers on the ropes. Through 5 games, the Pistons had a 3-2 series lead. They were 1 win away from their first ever championship. Then game 6 happened. At halftime, the Lakers held just a 7-point lead. The game was certainly in their hands, but far from over. Isiah Thomas proved that with an incredible start to the 3rd quarter, putting up 14 points to lead a Pistons rally that ultimately gave them the lead. Just when it looked like he was going to lead them to victory, disaster struck. On a fast break, Thomas stepped on Michael Cooper’s foot and rolled his ankle. He went down immediately and it was clear he was writhing in pain. He needed help to get off the court and to the bench. His injury has since been described as a severe ankle sprain. That would make it a grade 3 sprain which means his ligament completely tore apart. The recovery on that injury is usually 1-2 months. Even if it was a grade 2, that is still a partial tear with a recovery timeline of up to a month. While Thomas was on the bench, the Lakers took the lead back. It seemed like they got a huge break. Detroit’s best player was off the floor and the Lakers would surely cruise to victory. Just when Detroit looked doomed, Isiah limped back onto the floor. It’s impressive he can even walk with that injury, but what he did next was nothing short of miraculous. With Michael Cooper hounding him, Isiah Thomas scored 11 of Detroit’s last 15 points, including a turnaround 3-pointer right before the buzzer. When he entered the game, the Pistons were down 8, at the end of the 3rd, Detroit had a 2-point lead. His 25 points in the 3rd is the Finals record for most points in a quarter. I highly recommend you watch the highlights for yourself. It’s so clear he can barely put any weight on his ankle. When there’s a stoppage in play, his limp becomes so obvious. It is simply one of the gutsiest and greatest performances in sports history. Isiah Thomas finished the game with 43 points, 8 assists and 6 steals. Thomas, Jerry West and Allen Iverson are the only players in NBA history to put up a 40-point and 5 steal performance in a Finals game. Sadly, this game did not clinch the championship as a controversial foul call in the final seconds gave Kareem free throws to win the game for LA, which he nailed. In game 7, Thomas wasn’t able to play the entire game and the Lakers won by 3. Isiah Thomas has called that injury and loss the most painful moment of his career. Thankfully, the Pistons returned in 1989 and destroyed the competition to win their first ever championship. They did it again in 1990 with Isiah Thomas winning Finals MVP. The Bad Boys Pistons are remembered for many reasons. Some of those reasons make people smile and others that make others frown. No matter what you think of the Bad Boys, this performance deserves to be immortalized. Even though it was the year before he finally won it all, Isiah Thomas became a Larry O’Brien Legend on a bad ankle.

@zach

Mike Conley To Become 14th Player to Reach 20 Seasons

Agreeing to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics today gets Conley over the two decades mark in his NBA career. Alongside Al Horford, Conley will reach 20 seasons in this upcoming NBA season. The two veterans join 12 other players in NBA history to match or exceed their mark. They will match Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, Udonis Haslem, and Kyle Lowry with exactly 20 seasons played in the fall. Robert Parish, Kevin Willis, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Chris Paul all played 21 seasons, and Vince Carter reached 22. But the all-time leader in seasons played will be entering his 24th later this year. Of course, LeBron James holds yet another record.

@FlameRaptorRaven

Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 10: Worthy of Centre Stage

Oh boy, I had a bunch of options here. The problem was finding a moment/run that isn’t talked about ad nauseum. I don’t need to regale you with the story of the 2020 Lakers or Kobe Bryant or Magic. Instead, let me tell you about the time James Worthy became Big Game James. If you know anything about NBA history, or watched Winning Time, you know about the Showtime Lakers. Magic and Kareem combined to make one of the greatest duos in NBA history as arguably the greatest point guard and centre respectively. However, don’t forget about James Worthy. Thanks to an asinine trade made by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Lakers got the 1st overall draft pick after winning the 1982 championship and picked James Worthy. He was coming off a stellar career at North Carolina that culminated in a National Championship alongside a freshman named Michael Jordan. Unfortunately, Worthy missed the 1983 run with an injury, but quickly established himself as a playoff riser after that season. However, it would be 1988 when Worthy earned his iconic nickname. Kareem was 40-years-old so James Worthy was expected to be Magic’s #1 option during their playoff run beside leading scorer Byron Scott. The first series wouldn’t see that from Worthy, but it also didn’t need it, as the Lakers swept the Spurs with ease. Klay Thompson’s dad (Mychal Thompson) was 2nd in scoring behind Magic with Worthy being in 3rd. The Lakers met a young Karl Malone and John Stockton in round 2 and proceeded to have a hard-fought 7 game series. Worthy finished the series 2nd in scoring behind Byron Scott and helped close out the series beside Scott’s 29 points with 23 of his own, granted, on rough shooting splits (41%). It would be the last 2 series where Worthy would make the biggest impact. In the conference finals, Worthy and the Lakers met the Dallas Mavericks and their star forward Mark Aguirre. This is notable because the Lakers actually nearly traded James Worthy to the Mavericks for Aguirre, a fact that Worthy was very aware of. This information gave Worthy a chimp on his shoulder and he played like it. In another hard-fought 7-game series, James Worthy was the clear-cut #1, averaging 23, 5 and 5 on stupendous 57% shooting. This includes a legendary game 7 performance when Worthy put up 28, 7 and 7, out-duelling the man he was nearly traded for. Even with all he had done, the Finals would present his greatest challenge. The Lakers met the Bad Boys Pistons, a team that shifted from a high-scoring team of the mid-80s to become an unselfish, brutish defensive team. They ranked top 3 in both defensive rating and opponent points per game in the regular season. They had all the names you think of: Zeke, Dumars, Laimbeer and a young Dennis Rodman. The Lakers needed Worthy to perform in order to overcome this challenge. Worthy delivered, through 6 games, Worthy averaged: 20, 6 and 4, but in game 7, he played the best game of his life. Worthy put up 36, 16 and 10, the first and only triple double of his Hall of Fame career. At the time, he was just the 3rd player ever to put up a 30+ point triple double in a game 7 and only the 2nd to do it in the Finals (Jerry West did it in 1969). To this day, Worthy is the last man to pull it off. That performance gave him series averages of 22, 7 and 4, thus he was rewarded with Finals MVP. The Lakers made it back to the Finals 2 more times, 89 against the Bad Boys and 91 against Jordan’s Bulls, only to get crushed in both series. If not for Worthy’s legendary performance in 88, the Showtime Lakers have 1 less ring. That makes him worthy of being a Larry O’Brien Legend.