Wolves Sink Suns ... From A-Z

The Wolves beat the Phoenix Suns. Nope, not a typo.

Behind the total-team effort, including 32 points and 20 rebounds from Al Jefferson, Minnesota beat Phoenix 100-93 in front of 19,356 fans at Target Center on 70's night.

For pure entertainment value, Saturday evening's contest was absolutely off the charts. Period.

Think about it: What were the odds that the 2-15 Timberwolves would beat the 16-4 Suns, a team who's averaged 120 points a night during a five-game winning streak? What were the odds that a lineup with an average age of 23.6 would beat Steve Nash, Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudemire and Co.?

Well, they did it, and the best news for Timberwolves fans was that it was truly a glimpse at what the future can be in Minnesota. How about Jefferson's night? Care for 19 points and five assists from Marko Jaric, 10 and six from Sebastian Telfair, 11 boards and some big D from Corey Brewer or 16 and eight from Craig Smith?

In fact, there were so many good things going on, we had to put together an A-to-Z list to sum up the contest. Check it.

A - Athleticism
By athleticism, I mean insane athleticism: Ridiculous dunks (thanks Jefferson, Brewer, Stoudemire and Marion); stupidly-difficult passes (Nash, Telfair, Jaric); Olympic-ready speed (Barbosa, Marion, Telfair). Saturday's game was the best of the year, but the raw athleticism is a strong reason why watching any NBA game is worth your while. You just can't see this kind of skill anywhere else. No hyperbole there.

B - (They) Battle
These Wolves fight hard, staying in games against great teams like San Antonio and Phoenix that have far superior experience and savvy. Take away two games against Los Angeles and Memphis, in which the injury bug was biting especially hard, and Minnesota's effort has not waned. With the bulk of the minutes now going to Brewer, Telfair, Jefferson, Smith and Jaric (all but Jaric are 24 or younger), it really is a glimpse ahead. Back to the battle shown tonight: The 16-4 Suns led by just one at halftime, and despite running all over the place (Jaric said after the game he couldn't believe how fast the tempo was early), the Wolves didn't balk ... Fans may have been expecting the Suns to overwhelm Minnesota at some point, but the Wolves wouldn't let it happen. Right after halftime, Phoenix scored the first six points only to see Jaric score nine points in two minutes, including a bank three ... With 1:35 remaining in the third quarter Rashad McCants' second-consecutive three made it 85-80 Minnesota, then the Wolves largest lead of the evening ... In the fourth, the Wolves only grew stronger, extending the lead to 10 at one point ... Perhaps the best stat to show how hard Minnesota battled is the rebounding edge: 55 to 33, Wolves.

C - Crunch
The NBA's best mascot was in good form yet again, with a performance highlighted by a hilarious dance between Air Crunch and Chomper. But you have to be at Target Center to really appreciate what Crunch does on a minute-by-minute basis. His ability to mess with fans is unmatched.

D - (Timberwolves) Dancers
Self-explanatory. You know you love watching the dancers. Admit it. Tonight, they're sporting 70's outfits, as of course, it's "70's Night" at Target Center. The best part about the dancers is watching husbands pretend like that they don't like watching the routines. Secret's safe with us.

E - Earning $1,000
Each home game, one fan gets the chance to earn a cool G by making a free throw, courtesy of the Loon's Nest. On this eve, the fan drained it.

F - Freaking Beating the Suns
This was originally titled "Four Tops," and we were going to ask who's better, the Tops or the Temptations? (70's night and all). But upon further review, this expletive-absent "F" looks better.

G - (Sugarhill) Gang
Can you top a halftime show featuring the Sugarhill Gang*? Who would have thought the entertainment level fans got from a 56-55 Suns halftime lead could sustain itself right through halftime? A little "Rapper's Delight" never hurt anybody. This song has managed to stay pretty cool for three decades. That's Cal Ripkin Jr.-, Brett Favre-like longevity. Kudos to the Wolves game ops crew.
*Not without spending a ridiculous amount of money to get Jay-Z in the house, or to have Elton John and Billy Joel duel on piano.

H - Hartman
Always fun to see Sid Hartman at Wolves games from his perch in the second row of press seating. Sid's been covering sports since the 50s, a.k.a. well over 20 years prior to the oldest Wolf's birth.

I - Is That A Typo?
Nope. 100-93 Wolves.

J - Jefferson
32 and 20. Respek, Ali G style. Add two dimes, four steals and a block, and you have 86 fantasy points. Jefferson showcased several of his old school, top-shelf post moves, scoring every which way. He had his double-double on the first possession of the second half on a Grant Hill miss, and grabbed six offensive boards, two in a huge fourth-quarter possession. Go ahead, give him game-MVP honors.

K - Killer Crossover
NYC street legend Sebastian Telfair gave the crowd a taste of Coney-Island love with a nasty crossover plus the jumper on Steve Nash, followed immediately by a pick-pocket layup on the next possession. Nash gets picked less than the proverbial fat kid in dodgeball, but Telfair forced one of Nash's two turnovers (to 15 assists ... yeah, he's good). A few minutes later, Telfair dropped a heavenly teardrop off the glass over the outstretched arm of Stoudemire to give Minnesota a 55-52 lead with one minute left in the first half. Great stretch from Bassy, who's been much better than almost everyone expected. After the game, Telfair was humble in describing his efforts guarding Nash, for whose game he has great respect.

L - Lima
No, not the capital of Peru. Good guess though. We're talking Victoria's Secret here. The mere prospect of having the slightest chance to see Adriana Lima more than covers the cost of admission.

M - MVPs
Steve Nash is a two-time NBA MVP, but his 14 points, 15 assists and four boards weren't enough to beat the Wolves on Saturday.

N - "Nuts"
I think I heard Nash shout that at an official after he didn't get a continuation call late in the fourth. Oh wait ... Never mind, it was a bad word.

O - Offensive Rebounding
A MASSIVE reason why Minnesota was able to hang with the Suns tonight. Take a look at the numbers: 19 offensive boards, including Jefferson's six and Craig Smith's five. Subs McCants and Ryan Gomes added three a piece.

P - Pizza
Hit up that concession stand. DiGiornos, please (it's not delivery). I'm sitting in row four of press seating adjacent to the bench. Hook it up.

Q - Q
You know, like Quentin Richardson? Two teenage kids kept doing the Q - Darius Miles fists-to-the-head-then-up-in-the-air thing. Nice. Always a crowd pleaser.

R - (The) Rhino
Craig Smith is showing the promise the Wolves expected from the second-year forward, thanks to a healthy ankle. Before the game, I told Rhino in the locker room that I truly expected 20 and 10. He almost got there, finishing with the aforementioned 16 and eight. In the game's first six minutes, he was already good for eight points and two boards, and he closed the half with 14 and three. Jefferson (20) and Brewer (11) stole some of his boards, but it's all good. What made me even happier was to hear the PA announcer refer to Craig as "The Rhino." It's spreading like Buffalo sauce on my chicken sandwich!!!

S - S.T.A.T.
Amare Stoudemire's nickname is Standing Tall and Talented. He gave it to himself. This was reinforced when, after stuffing the Rhino near the rim, S.T.A.T. stared at the Wolves bench for at least 10 seconds, watched a teammate score, then stared back at the bench for good measure. OK, Amare, take it easy. S.T.A.T. finished with 16 points, five boards, five fouls and four turnovers.

T - Trent Tucker
One half of one of the greatest broadcast teams ever alongside Kevin Harlan, TT was in the house observing the action from the fifth row of press seating. We spoke to him after the third quarter, and you can LISTEN TO TRENT TUCKER BY CLICKING HERE.

U - Ushers
Target Center ushers Jim and Kevin are, without question, the NBA's best usher tandem. If there were an Usher's Hall of Fame, Kevin and Jim would be like MJ and Magic. First ballot, no questions asked.

V - Victoria's Secret
Yup, another letter devoted to Adriana Lima. I stand by "It's His Minutes, Not His Model," sort of. Jaric's line: 40 minutes, 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, five dimes, two boards and one steal. He's been excellent.

W - Wire-thin Body
Ladies and gentleman, Corey Brewer. Coming off a ridiculous 18-rebound performance in Atlanta, Brew, who weighs all of 185 pounds in his 6-9 frame, Minnesota's first-round pick had another solid all-around effort against the Suns. 11 boards this time to go with four dimes.

X - X-ray vision from Steve Nash
- OK, we only had a few options with the letter X. X-ray isn't terrible, right? Intern Matt came up with it while I was replaying the final whistle in my head. In this case, it applies quite easily, as the NBA's best passer is averaging a league-leading 12.2 assists an evening. Take a look at his last five games before Saturday, in terms of assists: 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19. His assist total after one quarter against the Wolves? Seven. We thought the 20 was coming...

Y - (Former) Yugoslavian Love
Marko Jaric is from Serbia, which prior to the war in the early 90s, was part of a larger country then known as Yugoslavia. But, don't call him Yugoslavian, because he's not. He's Serbian. Anyways, it's no coincidence that the two times Minnesota played extremely poopy (Memphis, L.A.), Jaric was out with an ankle/foot sprain. As eluded to earlier, Phoenix started out real strong in the second half, as if Mike D'Antoni tore them a new you know what at halftime, quickly scoring six points. But 10 points in the next four minutes from the Serbian, including two threes (one bank) put Minnesota up 73-71 with 6:22 in the third.

Z - Zebra Eccentricities
(Insert sarcastic tone) Why would the refs give Sebastian Telfair a call when Steve Nash cracks him on the head? Come on now, Nash is a two-time MVP. Who cares about making the right call. Give it to the guy with the credentials. It's cool.

There are no more letters, so we're done.

100-93, Timberwolves.