Wolves Defy Odds, Come Back to Win in OT
January 18, 2010
At the midway point in the 2009-2010 NBA season, it is apparent that the Minnesota Timberwolves own only two legitimate stars who can be counted on game after game. On Martin Luther King Day, the Wolves surprised the experts by winning a game (only the ninth this season) with one of the two stars, Kevin Love, sick at home with strep throat.
The other, big Al Jefferson, took over the game with the Philadelphia 76ers in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Without Love for support, Jefferson went to work on the Sixers’ Samuel Dalembert for 11 of his 23 points in the fourth period.
“I wanted him down low,” coach Kurt Rambis said, “so we could get the ball to him early, and put him in a catch and shoot situation. The defense didn’t have time to adjust and double team him.”
During the closing minutes of the final quarter, the Sixers appeared to lose energy and began to hesitate getting off shots. Five consecutive points by Jefferson gave the Timberwolves an 89-87 lead. Then Jonnie Flynn hit a running jump shot for a four-point advantage over Philadelphia. The Sixers closed to within 97-96 on a 12-foot turnaround jump shot by Elton Brand. Jefferson responded with a layup basket to make it 99-96, and it appeared victory was in sight. But Brand hit on a pair of free throws, and then, with 28 seconds remaining, Brian Cardinal fouled Andre Iguodala, who missed his first free throw opportunity. He also appeared to miss the second, but Jefferson was called for goal tending, the game was tied, and the Wolves headed to their second overtime game in five days.
The fact that Minnesota was by far the more energized team in the extra period can be attributed to the Wolves’ rookie coach. His team started the game playing horrendous basketball. Perhaps the loss of Love had something to do with it, as members of the starting lineup appeared befuddled and somewhat disinterested. Philadelphia breezed to a 22-11 lead, and Rambis began substituting in the manner of his Gophers counterpart Tubby Smith. He brought in Cardinal, Wayne Ellington, Sasha Pavlovic, Nathan Jawai, and even the seldom-used Oleksiy Pecherov. This lineup would have trouble finishing in the top five of the NBA D-league or even the WNBA. It got to be a 36-19 deficit with nearly three minutes gone in the second quarter before Rambis allowed his starters to return.
In the meantime, Klondike Bars, one of the Timberwolves’ corporate partners, was sponsoring a promotion that allowed a fan to be placed courtside on top of a mattress while wearing a sleep mask. The contest winner immediately drifted off to sleep, as did the majority of fans in the announced crowd of 14,637. The scoreboard read Philadelphia 51, Minnesota 31 when a good portion of those seated in the press rows of Target Center abandoned their posts and did not return.
The halftime score had the Sixers in the lead by 57-40, and there was little reason to think things would get better for the home team. But a strange thing happened. Beginning at the 9:26 mark of the third quarter, Minnesota went on a 15-4 run to get back in the game. Flynn scored or assisted on five baskets during the burst. The Wolves were within two points of the Sixers as the third period ended.
While Minnesota was resting its starters in the first half, Philadelphia coach Eddie Jordan substituted sparingly, allowing his team to spurt to a 20-point lead. When the fourth quarter (and subsequent overtime) came around, his players were gassed and could not finish properly. Future Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was not even available for duty toward the end of the contest. Coach Rambis had sandbagged Jordan into thinking that only a minimal effort was necessary to finish off a team that only had eight wins against 33 losses. The Rambis men proved otherwise. Flynn, who finished with 29 points, gave the Wolves a 105-101 lead in overtime, and Philadelphia was finished.
“We took it from them,” Rambis observed afterwards.