Coverage of Thursday night's NBA doubleheader on TNT will have a decidedly Minnesota flavor to it this week.

Wolves legend Kevin Garnett has his "Area 21" feature, and this Thursday he will welcome a panel of WNBA greats — including Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen as well as Sue Bird and Cynthia Cooper.

I had a chance to chat with Whalen on Wednesday morning — not long after she got back from a much-needed vacation in Hawaii and not long before she was slated to fly to Atlanta to get prepared for Thursday's TV appearance with KG.

"It should be cool. I've seen the show a couple times. I know there's a mute button for the swearing and whatnot," she said. "It's pretty interactive and more laid-back. It's not some business-casual TV appearance. I'm pretty excited about it."

The doubleheader starts at 7 p.m., and the segments for Area 21 generally appear throughout the course of the coverage.

MICHAEL RAND