After 294 days and 18 consecutive defeats dating to March 11, the Timberwolves ended a franchise-record losing streak with Sunday's convincing 99-82 victory over Dallas, the defending NBA champion.
Now that didn't take long, did it?
"It's a new year," Wolves forward Kevin Love said afterward. "We're the best team in 2012 right now."
For one night, they clearly were younger, bouncier, better out there on the same floor against a Mavericks team missing three important players -- including Wolves guard J.J. Barea -- from last season's title team.
Leading by 15 points early in the third quarter but ahead by just a bucket with less than six minutes left, the Wolves scored the game's final 15 points and turned Target Center into what it so seldom has been late in games these past several years -- a rollicking party.
They did so with some dashing play and, believe it or not, some daunting defense that held Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas scoreless for the game's final 5:35.
They did so with rookie Ricky Rubio dribbling and dishing, most notably to teammates Anthony Tolliver and Kevin Love for dunks and three-point shots.
Tolliver and Love made four three-pointers -- two each -- in that closing stretch, which turned into a celebration both among an announced crowd of 15,115 fans and on the court where coach Rick Adelman pumped his fists into the air more than once and players flew into each other's arms as the plays, and the points, just kept coming.