2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season

2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coachFlip Saunders
General managerKevin McHale
OwnerGlen Taylor
ArenaTarget Center
Results
Record51–31 (.622)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Midwest)
Conference: 4th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Lakers 2–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television
RadioWFAN

The 2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 14th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Timberwolves signed free agents Troy Hudson, Kendall Gill and Rod Strickland.[2][3][4] However, prior to the start of the regular season, the team lost both Terrell Brandon, and Felipe Lopez for the entire season due to knee injuries.[5][6]

With the addition of Hudson, Gill and Strickland, and despite the loss of Brandon and Lopez, the Timberwolves played around .500 in winning percentage with a 9–8 record in November. The team posted two six-game winning streaks in January and February, while posting a 12–1 record in February, and holding a 29–20 record at the All-Star break.[7] The Timberwolves posted a 7-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 51–31 record, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.[8]

Kevin Garnett averaged 23.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Wally Szczerbiak averaged 17.6 points per game, but only played 52 games due to injury, while Hudson provided the team with 14.2 points and 5.7 assists per game, Rasho Nesterovic provided with 11.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, and Gill contributed 8.7 points per game. Meanwhile, Anthony Peeler contributed 7.7 points per game, Joe Smith averaged 7.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, Strickland provided with 6.8 points and 4.6 assists per game, and Gary Trent contributed 6.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.[9]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Garnett was selected for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team.[10][11][12] Garnett scored 37 points along with 9 rebounds and 5 steals, and was named the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference in double-overtime, 155–145.[13][14] Garnett finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs with 43 first-place votes,[15][16] and also finished in third place in Defensive Player of the Year voting;[17][16] Hudson finished in ninth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Garnett finished tied in 21st place, and Nesterovic finished tied in 26th place,[16] and head coach Flip Saunders finished in fifth place in Coach of the Year voting.[16]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2003 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the 5th–seeded, and 3-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by All-Star guard Kobe Bryant, All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal, and Derek Fisher. The Timberwolves lost Game 1 to the Lakers at home, 117–98 at the Target Center, but managed to win the next two games, which included a Game 3 road win over the Lakers at the Staples Center in overtime, 114–110 to take a 2–1 series lead. However, the Timberwolves lost the next three games, including a Game 6 loss to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 101–85, thus losing the series in six games; it was the seventh consecutive year that the Timberwolves lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.[18][19][20]

The Timberwolves finished 18th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 643,684 at the Target Center during the regular season.[9][21] Following the season, Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks,[22][23] while Peeler signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings,[24] Gill signed with the Chicago Bulls,[25] Brandon was traded to the Atlanta Hawks,[26] and Strickland was released to free agency.

Draft picks

Main article: 2002 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 29 Forfeited pick
2 52 Marcus Taylor PG  United States Michigan State

Roster

2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 7 Terrell Brandon (IN) 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1970–05–20 Oregon
F 21 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1976–05–19 Farragut Academy (IL)
G 9 Kendall Gill 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1968–05–25 Illinois
G 16 Troy Hudson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1976–03–13 Southern Illinois
C 25 Marc Jackson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 270 lb (122 kg) 1975–01–16 Temple
G 13 Felipe López (IN) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1974–12–19 St. John's
C 8 Rasho Nesterović 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976–05–30 Slovenia
G 44 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
G 36 Igor Rakocevic 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1978–03–29 Serbia
F 32 Joe Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1975–07–26 Maryland
G 1 Rod Strickland 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1966–07–11 DePaul
F 10 Wally Szczerbiak 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1977–03–05 Miami (OH)
F 20 Gary Trent 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1974–09–22 Ohio
G 29 Mike Wilks 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1979–05–07 Rice
C 3 Loren Woods 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 260 lb (118 kg) 1978–06–21 Arizona
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured

Roster
Updated: February 12, 2003

Roster notes

  • Point guard Terrell Brandon was on the injured reserve list due to a knee injury, and missed the entire regular season.
  • Shooting guard Felipe Lopez was on the injured reserve list due to a torn ACL, and MCL in his left knee, and missed the entire regular season.

Regular season

Season standings

Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-San Antonio Spurs 60 22 .732 – 33–8 27–14 17–7
x-Dallas Mavericks 60 22 .732 – 33–8 27–14 18–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 51 31 .622 9 33–8 18–23 15–9
x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 13 29–12 18–23 15–9
e-Houston Rockets 43 39 .524 17 28–13 15–26 11–13
e-Memphis Grizzlies 28 54 .341 32 20–21 8–33 5–17
e-Denver Nuggets 17 65 .207 43 13–28 4–37 3–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-San Antonio Spurs 60 22 .732 –
2 y-Sacramento Kings 59 23 .720 1
3 x-Dallas Mavericks 60 22 .732 –
4 x-Minnesota Timberwolves 51 31 .622 9
5 x-Los Angeles Lakers 50 32 .610 10
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers 50 32 .610 10
7 x-Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 13
8 x-Phoenix Suns 44 38 .537 16
9 e-Houston Rockets 43 39 .524 17
10 e-Seattle SuperSonics 40 42 .488 20
11 e-Golden State Warriors 38 44 .463 22
12 e-Memphis Grizzlies 28 54 .341 32
13 e-Los Angeles Clippers 27 55 .329 33
14 e-Denver Nuggets 17 65 .207 43
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

Playoffs

2003 playoff game log
First round: 2–4 (home: 1–2; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 20 L.A. Lakers L 98–117 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (14) Kevin Garnett (7) Target Center
17,097 		0–1
2 April 22 L.A. Lakers W 119–91 Troy Hudson (37) Kevin Garnett (20) Troy Hudson (10) Target Center
17,132 		1–1
3 April 24 @ L.A. Lakers W 114–110 (OT) Kevin Garnett (33) Kevin Garnett (14) Rod Strickland (7) Staples Center
18,997 		2–1
4 April 27 @ L.A. Lakers L 97–102 Garnett, Hudson (28) Kevin Garnett (18) Kevin Garnett (5) Staples Center
18,997 		2–2
5 April 29 L.A. Lakers L 90–120 Kevin Garnett (25) Kevin Garnett (16) Troy Hudson (7) Target Center
20,098 		2–3
6 May 1 @ L.A. Lakers L 85–101 Garnett, Hudson (18) Kevin Garnett (12) Garnett, Szczerbiak (5) Staples Center
18,997 		2–4
2003 schedule

Player statistics

Regular season

Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin Garnett PF 82 82 3,321 1,102 495 113 129 1,883 40.5 13.4 6.0 1.4 1.6 23.0
Anthony Peeler SG 82 39 2,245 241 244 72 13 630 27.4 2.9 3.0 .9 .2 7.7
Kendall Gill SG 82 34 2,068 248 156 78 15 714 25.2 3.0 1.9 1.0 .2 8.7
Gary Trent SF 80 22 1,222 291 77 32 23 476 15.3 3.6 1.0 .4 .3 6.0
Troy Hudson PG 79 74 2,600 183 452 60 7 1,123 32.9 2.3 5.7 .8 .1 14.2
Rasho Nesterović C 77 77 2,337 504 114 39 116 861 30.4 6.5 1.5 .5 1.5 11.2
Marc Jackson C 77 0 1,041 225 37 24 30 421 13.5 2.9 .5 .3 .4 5.5
Joe Smith SF 54 21 1,117 270 38 14 55 404 20.7 5.0 .7 .3 1.0 7.5
Wally Szczerbiak SF 52 42 1,836 241 136 44 22 913 35.3 4.6 2.6 .8 .4 17.6
Rod Strickland PG 47 8 956 95 215 46 6 320 20.3 2.0 4.6 1.0 .1 6.8
Igor Rakočević PG 42 0 244 17 33 4 0 78 5.8 .4 .8 .1 .0 1.9
Loren Woods C 38 11 353 95 19 10 13 80 9.3 2.5 .5 .3 .3 2.1
Mike Wilks† PG 31 0 324 30 50 11 3 62 10.5 1.0 1.6 .4 .1 2.0
Reggie Slater PF 26 0 141 31 4 6 1 81 5.4 1.2 .2 .2 .0 3.1
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.

Playoffs

Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin Garnett PF 6 6 265 94 31 10 10 162 44.2 15.7 5.2 1.7 1.7 27.0
Wally Szczerbiak SF 6 6 252 30 13 6 1 87 42.0 5.0 2.2 1.0 .2 14.5
Troy Hudson PG 6 6 221 12 33 8 0 141 36.8 2.0 5.5 1.3 .0 23.5
Rasho Nesterović C 6 6 169 30 4 1 4 42 28.2 5.0 .7 .2 .7 7.0
Anthony Peeler SG 6 5 166 21 18 4 1 29 27.7 3.5 3.0 .7 .2 4.8
Kendall Gill SG 6 0 118 13 7 4 1 31 19.7 2.2 1.2 .7 .2 5.2
Marc Jackson C 6 0 110 33 8 2 1 50 18.3 5.5 1.3 .3 .2 8.3
Rod Strickland PG 6 0 73 6 17 4 2 28 12.2 1.0 2.8 .7 .3 4.7
Gary Trent SF 6 0 42 7 1 1 0 14 7.0 1.2 .2 .2 .0 2.3
Joe Smith SF 5 1 40 6 0 1 1 14 8.0 1.2 .0 .2 .2 2.8
Mike Wilks PG 4 0 7 0 0 0 0 3 1.8 .0 .0 .0 .0 .8
Loren Woods C 2 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 1.0 .5 .0 .0 .0 1.0

Awards and records

References

  1. ^ 2002-03 Minnesota Timberwolves
  2. ^ "Report: Wolves Sign G Troy Hudson". United Press International. August 26, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  3. ^ "Timberwolves Sign Kendall Gill". United Press International. September 26, 2002. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  4. ^ "WESTERN CONFERENCE: Team-by-Team Preview". The New York Times. October 28, 2002. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  5. ^ "Timberwolves' Hudson Hurts Ankle". Midland Daily News. January 12, 2003. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Heisler, Mark (April 28, 2003). "He's Guy Bringing Dread to the Lakers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "NBA Games Played on February 6, 2003". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  9. ^ a b "2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Sheridan, Chris (February 9, 2003). "Something Old, Something New on Court at All-Star Game". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  11. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  12. ^ "2003 NBA All-Star Game: West 155, East 145 (2OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  13. ^ "Garnett Is the M.V.P. in Jordan's Final All-Star Game". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 9, 2003. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Wyche, Steve (February 10, 2003). "Passing the Torch". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  15. ^ "PRO BASKETBALL; Duncan Is M.V.P. Once Again". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 5, 2003. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  16. ^ a b c d "2002–03 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  17. ^ "Wallace Chosen Best Defender". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 24, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  18. ^ Wise, Mike (May 2, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; Looking Like Champs, Lakers Advance". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Brown, Tim (May 2, 2003). "Lakers Earn Their Spurs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  20. ^ "2003 NBA Western Conference First Round: Lakers vs. Timberwolves". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  21. ^ "2002–03 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  22. ^ Broussard, Chris (June 28, 2003). "PRO BASKETBALL; In Fallout from Draft, Bucks Trade Cassell". The New York Times. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "Bucks Send Cassell to Minnesota". United Press International. June 27, 2003. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Kings Ink Anthony Peeler". United Press International. August 15, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Johnson, K.C. (October 28, 2003). "Kendall Gill's 'Pizza' Diet". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  26. ^ "Sprewell Is Part of 4-Team Trade". Los Angeles Times. July 24, 2003. Retrieved July 15, 2022.

See also

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