Timberwolves Playoff Index | Wolves-Lakers series notes

Rasho Nesterovic and the Wolves split their four regular-season matchups with the Lakers in 2002-03. NBAE/Getty Images

The Timberwolves enter the NBA Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season against an opponent that they have never faced in the postseason, but this matchup has more marquee value than they have ever seen in a playoff series. The Los Angeles Lakers are the three-time defending NBA Champions and have many players that have been down the postseason road before. We’ll take a look at some things to watch for as this series starts Sunday at Target Center.

Wolves fans should be encouraged by the fact that Minnesota has earned home-court advantage for the first time in franchise history. Minnesota has set franchise records for wins (51) and home wins (33) during the 2002-03 regular season. Only the Sacramento Kings (35-6) had a better home-court record this season than the Timberwolves. This success has carried over into games against Los Angeles. The Wolves won twice against the Lakers for the second time in two seasons. Minnesota has won three of the four meetings against the Lakers at Target Center over the past two years. It will be important for Minnesota to protect its home-court advantage at Target Center for as long as possible.

The NBA is a league of matchups, and this series presents some of the most interesting matchups in the entire postseason. A breakdown of four of the key matchups in this series:

Wolves vs. Shaquille O’Neal
This is where the Lakers’ offense starts. O’Neal has been the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the last three seasons, and his physical presence on the block dictates what Minnesota will do defensively. So what will the Wolves do? Minnesota will start with Rasho Nesterovic on O’Neal. Nesterovic does not have the physical size of O’Neal, but does play positional defense that has kept O’Neal away from the basket at times. The Wolves will also use Joe Smith, Marc Jackson, and Loren Woods to keep a fresh body on O’Neal at all times.

Kevin Garnett averaged 21.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game in the four matchups against the Lakers. David Sherman, NBAE/Getty Images

Lakers vs. Kevin Garnett
The Wolves’ MVP candidate has had the best season of his eight-year career. O’Neal scores his points with his physical presence, but Garnett scores his points with his versatility. He will post up smaller players and score on the block, or he will take the ball on the perimeter and score against bigger players with his improved jump shot and drives to the basket. The Lakers have used Mark Madsen defensively against Garnett in the past two games, and have had moderate success with that strategy. But Robert Horry may still see the bulk of the time against Garnett.

Wolves vs. Kobe Bryant
The league’s second-best scorer this season might be the league’s most dynamic scorer. One night, he set a new NBA single-game record with 12 3-pointers. He had 40-point efforts in nine consecutive games earlier this season. He can get to the basket as dramatically as anyone else in the league, but also has 3-point range to match the league’s best sharpshooters. The Wolves will likely start with Wally Szczerbiak on Bryant, but look for Anthony Peeler and Kendall Gill to see some time against the Lakers’ shooting guard.

Lakers vs. Wally Szczerbiak
The Lakers may not have seen the true Wally Szczerbiak this season. He did not play in the team’s first two meetings due to injury, and was still rounding into shape when the Lakers defeated the Wolves twice in March. Szczerbiak has shot the ball well this season, especially at Target Center. Kobe Bryant has the defensive assignment, and it is an important one. The more that Szczerbiak can make Bryant work on the defensive end, the less effective he might be at the offensive end of the floor.


A final thought: Minnesota was 46-3 this season when ahead or tied after three quarters, one of the best records in the league in that situation. Translation: when the Wolves have taken a lead of any kind into the final 12 minutes of a game this season, they have usually come home the winner. On the Lakers' side are two of the greatest clutch shooters of all-time in Robert Horry and Kobe Bryant. The Portland Trail Blazers were 12 minutes away from the 2000 NBA Finals before the Lakers rallied from a 15-point deficit to eliminate Portland. Sacramento was seconds away from a 3-1 lead in the 2002 Western Conference Finals before Horry ripped out the Kings’ hearts with a game-winning jumper.

When you come to Target Center to cheer for the Wolves or tune in to watch the Wolves from Staples Center in Los Angeles, be prepared for these games to come down to the final moments. This series has the potential to the most exciting playoff series in Timberwolves history.

by Bruce Wolfe