And Then There Was Steph...
The Timberwolves had a intimidating trio in KG, Googs, and Steph - the incredible one-two-three punch. Googs was an versatile all-around player, and drew a lot of attention of the defense. This leaves KG free to roam, dunking on unsuspecting players. And Stephon Marbury...what can I say about Steph except EXPLOSIVE. Man, he was quick. That cat could pass AND score whenever he wanted to. Garnett and Marbury. KG and Showbiz. They were the new Kareem and Magic, Shaq and Penny, Reignman and GP. Garnett and Marbury had known each other since high school, when they kept in touch by phone. It was KG who encouraged the management to pick up Stephon. The two of them were tight. And they made insane plays on the floor together. Alley-oop after alley-oop, slam after slam. Two young cats, just ballin'.

He's An All-Star
Well, not exactly voted on by the fans, Garnett got the opportunity to showcase his skills as an injury replacement on the 1997 West squad. Obviously, Timberwolves games were not yet televised nationally, so casual NBA fans didn't get to see Garnett and Marbury play all that much. Maybe just nightly highlights from CNN. Anyways, Garnett was selected by the league as a reserve. I remember watching that game on NBC. Sure, all eyes were on MJ (who had a triple-double in that game) and other established all-stars, but I kept an eye on Garnett. I saw him trying to fit in, just taking the experience in, appreciating the fact that he was on the same court with 11 other great players. He obviously had tremendous respect for the game, the history of the game, and its players.

He's Twenty and He's Goin' On Twenty-One...
So what did all this noise add up to? How about a Playoff appearance. Everybody was so positive about the young Timberwolves, even Charles Barkley said they were "a great group of kids." Round 1 against the Houston Rockets marked the first ever Playoff series for the franchise. And fans in Minnesota were treated to their first Playoff game at home. I know the Timberwolves were swept and everything, but the the team made giant strides this year. KG put up all-around numbers, with 17.0pts, 8.0reb, 3.1ast, 2.12blk, 1.36stl in the regular season. He also registered 19 double-doubles. It was a year to remember, and a year to build on. The future looked bright, and now expectations are growing in terms of what this team was capable of.