As the NBA season reaches the All-Star break, teams will likely use this time off to rest players and regroup. Teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves will aim to finish the rest of the season strong to ensure they are in the playoffs come April. However, the All-Star break also could be used as a time for teams and their respective fans to reflect on some of their franchise’s most notable All-Star selections in their history.
When Anthony Edwards was named to the All-Star team as a reserve, he became only the eighth All-Star in Wolves franchise history. While we remember some of Minnesota’s previous All-Stars well, like Kevin Garnett, Kevin Love, and Karl-Anthony Towns, there are a couple that we may need to shine a brighter light on.
One of those is the iconic Sam Cassell during the Wolves' 2003-04 season.
After five seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1998 to 2003, the Bucks traded Cassell and big man Ervin Johnson to the Timberwolves for Anthony Peeler and Joe Smith following the 2003 draft.
That trade served as one of the most pivotal moments in Cassell’s 16-year NBA career.
Cassell had arguably his best individual season that year for the Wolves and his most individually accomplished. Cassell started 81 games in 2003-04 and posted 19.8 points per game on 49% shooting from the field and 40% from three. He also averaged 7.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Cassell served as one of the better floor generals in the entire league that season.
Cassell was voted into the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, along with Garnett, for his tremendous play that season. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team. Cassell had plenty of good seasons with the Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers. However, they didn't carry the same significance that Cassell’s 2003-04 season had for the Wolves.
The 2003-04 Timberwolves are without a doubt the best team in the franchise’s history. With a 58-24 record, they finished atop the Western Conference standings that season and only three games behind the Indiana Pacers for the best record in the league.
After essentially being a one-man show led by the Big Ticket before the 2003-04 season, things finally came to fruition for the Wolves following two key acquisitions.
One was a trade with the New York Knicks following the 2002-03 season that landed the infamous Latrell Sprewell in Minnesota. He was a 4-time All-Star and one of the better swingmen in the league at that time. The other was the trade with the Bucks that landed Cassell in Minnesota. Cassell was a two-time champion with the Houston Rockets and one of the most consistent players in the league.
Together they would form the league’s highest-scoring trio that season. Coupled with good role players like Wally Szczerbiak and Ervin Johnson, they would create one of Minnesota’s most formidable rosters ever.
The team was excellent on both ends of the floor. The Wolves finished the season with the fifth-best offensive rating in the league (105.9) and the sixth-best defensive rating (99.7). With Cassell running the point for the Wolves, as well as some good backup point guard play from Troy Hudson, they also had the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league (1.81).
The Wolves would hit their ultimate stride entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the West. They finished the regular season winning 12 of their final 14 games, including 9 straight wins to cap off the end of the regular season. The Wolves were set to make the 2003-2004 season their year.
Cassell would kick off his Wolves playoff debut by scoring a franchise playoff-record 40 points in a first-round Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets. The Wolves would go on to beat the Nuggets in five games.
Minnesota faced the Sacramento Kings in the second round, one of the favorites to win the chip entering the season. Cassell would come up big once again to open up the series by dropping another 40-piece in Game 1 of the series.
In what is considered one of the best playoff series in the league's history, and definitely in the Wolves franchise history, Minnesota beat the Kings in seven games. Between a series of late-game heroics from Cassell and MVP Kevin Garnett demonstrating his greatness, the Wolves beat the Kings and would go on to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals.
While this felt like the year for Wolves fans that the team would finally break through and win it all, Cassell suffered a hip injury in Game 2 against the Lakers. Cassell would come back in Game 3 to play 26 minutes and still managed to put up 18 points. However, that would be the last time the Wolves would see Cassell play for the rest of the series. The Lakers defeated the Wolves in six games and lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.
What if Sam Cassell didn't get hurt in 2004? remains arguably the franchise’s biggest what-ifs to date. We can harp back on how Cassell not getting injured could have altered the result of that series. But we should still recognize what a great year that was for Cassell and the Wolves. Sam Cassell’s 2003-04 season remains one of the best in Wolves' history. Now, almost 20 years later, Wolves fans should still happily reminisce on the overall success of that 2004 team, especially the play of their two All-Stars that year in KG and the beloved Sam Cassell.
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