Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell are together once again.
NBA Quarterly Report
At the risk of sounding like a total hypocrite after writing my piece about contract buyouts, I am extremely happy to see Sam Cassell once again paired with Kevin Garnett. I certainly don’t like the way Sam I Am weaseled his way out of L.A. and over to Boston, but I won’t let those circumstances stop me from enjoying what’s to come. The biggest regret of my life as a sports fan is that I never got to see the 2003-04 Timberwolves win the NBA Championship. Ask any Minnesota fan and they’ll gladly tell you how amazing that season’s squad was. They were simultaneously the biggest underdogs and yet the most formidable opponent. They loved playing together, they came up big in the biggest of moments, and they collectively took the most downtrodden fanbase in the league and lifted them to unimaginable heights. In my entire life, I have never loved a team like I loved that team or enjoyed as season like I enjoyed that season.
And it was all thanks to Sam Cassell.
Sam was the catalyst that made that team tick. It was his uncanny knack for clutch situations that allowed Kevin Garnett to finally be Kevin Garnett. He took the burden of the franchise off KG’s shoulders and let him play free and unfettered. The result was a career season and an NBA MVP award for The Big Ticket. Sam was the guy that everyone on that squad looked to for reassurance. When the team was trailing, everyone knew they still had a chance because Sam was somehow going to come up with a huge play. I’ll never forget the night the Wolves, down 0-1 in their series against the Kings, were trailing by 10 with 2 minutes to play. The season was hanging by a thread as there would be almost no recovering from an 0-2 deficit with three of the next five games in Sacramento. In those two minutes, Cassell put on a performance as good as any in NBA history and resussitated the Timberwolves’ season. He nailed big shot after big shot, and when the night was over and victory was won, he ran down the sidelines and pantomimed holding his giant “grapefruits”. Without a doubt, Sam Cassell was the lifeblood of that team. So it should come as no surprise that the Wolves eventually fell in the Conference Finals when Sam went out with a hip injury. To this day, I still believe with all my heart that if Cassell was healthy, the Timberwolves would have captured the NBA title in ’04. The contract disputes that happened the next season soured many Wolves faithful on Sammy, but in my eyes, nothing that followed could ever taint the pure magic of that Western Conference Finals run.
Predictions:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division:
1. Boston
2. Toronto
3. Philadelphia
4. New Jersey
5. New York
Central Division:
1. Detroit
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. Indiana
5. Milwaukee
Southeast Division
1. Orlando
2. Washington
3. Atlanta
4. Charlotte
5. Miami
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Northwest Division
1. Utah
2. Denver
3. Portland
4. Minnesota
5. Seattle
Pacific Division
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Phoenix
3. Golden State
4. Sacramento
5. Los Angeles Clippers
Southwest Division
1. San Antonio
2. Houston
3. New Orleans
4. Dallas
5. Memphis
PLAYOFFS:
EASTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Boston
2. Detroit
3. Orlando
4. Cleveland
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Philadelphia
8. Atlanta
First Round:
Boston over Atlanta
Detroit over Philadelphia
Orlando over Washington
Cleveland over Toronto
Conference Semifinals:
Boston over Cleveland
Detroit over Orlando
Conference Finals:
Boston over Detroit
WESTERN CONFERENCE:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio
3. Utah
4. Houston
5. New Orleans
6. Dallas
7. Phoenix
8. Golden State
First Round:
L.A. Lakers over Golden State
San Antonio over Phoenix
Utah over Dallas
Houston over New Orleans
Conference Semifinals:
L.A. Lakers over Houston
Utah over San Antonio
Conference Finals:
L.A. Lakers over Utah
NBA FINALS:
Boston Celtics over Los Angeles Lakers
