On top of the world: Looking back at the greatest game in Wolves history

There are fantastic debates to be had about the greatest game in the history of some franchises. With the Timberwolves, however, it is a short conversation leading to an obvious conclusion and a date: May 19, 2004.

That was the night of Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against Sacramento — a physical, spectacular, back-and-forth series already through six games that needed a winner-take-all finale at Target Center.

In the absence of live sports in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many vintage games have been rebroadcast on various sports channels. If you have been resistant to idea of re-watching (hand raised), perhaps this game should be an exception.

Fox Sports North is showing Game 7 — Wolves 93, Kings 90 — at 7 p.m. Wednesday. With that occasion in mind, we compiled an oral history of that memorable Timberwolves season — and particularly that pinnacle Game 7 — featuring some of its key stakeholders.

Hop onto the scorer's table and take a ride back in time.

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

Fred Hoiberg, Timberwolves guard, 2003-05: I don't think people remember this but we really struggled early in that year. It was about 20 games. Everyone was trying to feel each other out. Kevin [Garnett] would defer, and he'd pass to Sam [Cassell]. And maybe he'd try to get it to [Latrell] Sprewell. But once we figured it out, we just clicked.

Mike Cristaldi, former Wolves media relations guru: Earlier that year, Sports Illustrated ... reached out to me about hey, we'd love to get Kevin on the cover. Kevin looks at me point blank and says, "Nah, I don't want to do it." I was like, "Kevin, this is Sports Illustrated" — at the time, the pinnacle of sports magazines. I'm going back and forth, telling him it would be something great for him and the team. We're doing our negotiation and he comes back and says, "Hey, you know what — I'll do it under one condition. That they put Spree and Sam with me."

Henry Lake, longtime Twin Cities radio personality and Wolves fan: You felt like you were being respected finally for once. The energy in Target Center was amazing. Leaving the game after, going to Block E, was amazing. It got to national prominence. Charles Barkley screaming "Block E!" and calling out Bellanotte. We were arriving. We were in a place we were being respected.

MORE COWBELL

Jeff Munneke, the Wolves VP of fan experience, who has been with the franchise since its inception: We go into that first round with Denver, and if I recall correctly I think [the Nuggets'] Jon Barry said something about Minnesota's arena not being very loud. It wasn't that big of a dig at Minnesota, but you know us. He was offending Minnesotans. I remember we put that quote up on the scoreboard during pregame, and we had all these people inside the building and Barry comes out and is like, "What they heck, why is everyone booing me?" That really, I thought, almost set the tone for the postseason. It was rabid.

Gregg Farnam, Wolves head athletic trainer since 2000: Getting into the Kings series, getting out of the first round for the first time [after defeating Denver in five games], there was a lot of emotion to get to that point. But Cassell had a hip issue at the time that he was laboring through. I don't remember the exact date, but it became progressively worse. I don't remember him dealing with it during the regular season or what exactly flared it up, but as the Sacramento series went along it became more of an issue for him.

Munneke: Sacramento fans had those crazy cowbells and sat right behind our bench. They were so loud in their arena, passionate about their team. I remember [coach] Flip [Saunders] coming back after a couple of those games in Sacramento saying, "We have to do something about that. We need to give them a taste of their own medicine." So he says: "Go out and buy a bunch of cowbells. We have to give cowbells to everyone who sits behind the Sacramento bench." ... Later, Flip came back in my office and said, "What can you do to get those guys to bang the cowbells?" I said, "Next game, Flip, I'll go personally talk to everyone before the game and say look, we've got to have these. You have to disrupt Sacramento." And for Game 7, we were banging those cowbells loud.

MAY 19, 2004

Munneke: Game 7, back in Minneapolis, KG had his famous quote about firearms and military connotations — going to war with Sacramento.

Cristaldi: The thing is, I still to this day I understand why people took it the way they did — but Kevin felt terrible when he realized what he said. That wasn't his mentality or meaning.

Munneke: I just remember getting to Game 7. So many people wanted to get in the building and soak it up with everyone. I've been here since the beginning [of the franchise]. I remember thinking to myself, "I just want to go out on the street and just look and observe and soak it all in for a couple minutes." I went out and looked up Sixth Street toward Lyon's Pub, then down First Avenue toward the Loon [Cafe], and it was just a sea of humanity. People partying and having a good time. Getting so revved up for that Game 7.

Cristaldi: Incredible, unbelievable, I don't know what other adjectives for Kevin's performance [32 points, 21 rebounds, five blocks and four steals]. ... To me it was the culmination, his stamp on that season — let me carry you guys. What he did was just unbelievable.

Szczerbiak: I would have to say in that moment and at the time it was the best performance I had been a part of. I played with LeBron later, and he had incredible performances, but to do it in Game 7 the way KG did in the moment, that's as big as it gets in the moment.

Hoiberg: In that Game 7, they had three shots in that last possession … they ran a great play without a timeout, Chris Webber pump fakes Kevin and shoots a three. I'm standing right there underneath the basket and that thing looked like it was going straight through. I mean it looked like there was no doubt when that ball was in the air. … And it hit every part of the rim and bounced out. I got the ball and threw it up in the air. Kevin is on the scorer's table. And the fun part was getting to share that with our fans. I don't think one fan left the arena in 20 minutes.

Szczerbiak: I felt like that [Webber] shot wasn't going in, that it was meant to be for us. ... I was happy it didn't go in. And it was really close to going in. As a shooter I know all about those in-and-outs. I was really happy to see it rattle out.

Olsen: I remember thinking at the end of Game 7 that it was going to be stolen from us somehow. Can we really get to the conference finals? To be honest when Webber had the ball in his hands, I didn't think we were going to get there. When he missed that shot, everyone went crazy. It was kind of hard to believe. It's by far the most exciting memory and feeling I can think of in my years with the Timberwolves.