Wikipedia

1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the ninth season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.[1] During the off-season, the Timberwolves acquired Stanley Roberts from the Los Angeles Clippers,[2][3][4] and later on signed free agent Tom Hammonds in November.[5][6] In October, All-Star forward Kevin Garnett signed a six-year contract extension with the Timberwolves, which was worth $126 million.[7][8][9]

1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coachFlip Saunders
General managerKevin McHale
OwnerGlen Taylor
ArenaTarget Center
Results
Record45–37 (.549)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Midwest)
Conference: 7th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to SuperSonics 2–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
TelevisionKARE
KLGT-TV
Midwest Sports Channel
RadioKFAN
< 1996–97 1998–99 >

With the addition of Roberts, the Timberwolves won six of their first nine games of the regular season, but then lost nine of their next eleven games, falling below .500 in winning percentage. The team soon recovered posting a seven-game winning streak in January, and later on held a 26–20 record at the All-Star break.[10] However, Tom Gugliotta suffered an ankle injury after 41 games, and was out for the remainder of the season,[11][12][13] while Chris Carr, who became the team's starting shooting guard this season, also suffered a season-ending ankle injury after 51 games.[14] At mid-season, the team traded long-time Timberwolves guard Doug West to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Anthony Peeler.[15][16][17] The Timberwolves won seven of their final eight games of the season, and finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 45–37 record, which was their first winning record above .500; the team earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for their second NBA playoff appearance.[18]

Gugliotta averaged 20.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while Garnett averaged 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and second-year star Stephon Marbury provided the team with 17.7 points, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Peeler contributed 13.0 points, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 30 games after the trade, while Sam Mitchell provided with 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, Carr contributed 9.9 points per game, and Terry Porter contributed 9.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. On the defensive side, Cherokee Parks averaged 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Roberts contributed 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Hammonds provided with 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.[19]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Garnett was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team.[20][21][22] Despite a stellar season, Marbury was not selected for the NBA All-Star Game.[23][22] Garnett also finished tied in eleventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[24]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Seattle SuperSonics, who were led by the All-Star trio of Gary Payton, Vin Baker and Detlef Schrempf. The Timberwolves lost Game 1 to the SuperSonics on the road, 108–83 at the KeyArena at Seattle Center,[25] but managed to win Game 2 on the road, 98–93 to even the series; it was the first time in franchise history that the Timberwolves won an NBA playoff game.[26][27][28] The Timberwolves won Game 3 over the SuperSonics at home, 98–90 at the Target Center to take a 2–1 series lead.[29][30][31] However, the Timberwolves lost the next two games, which included a Game 5 loss to the SuperSonics at the KeyArena at Seattle Center, 97–84, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.[32][33][34]

The Timberwolves finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 738,590 at the Target Center during the regular season.[19][35] Following the season, Gugliotta signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns,[36][37][38] while Porter signed with the Miami Heat,[37][39][40] Roberts signed with the Houston Rockets,[41] and Parks signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies.[42] Meanwhile, the oft-injured Michael Williams, who returned to play for the Timberwolves for the first time in two years due to a left heel injury,[43][44] was released to free agency.[45]

Draft picks

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Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
120Paul GrantC United StatesWisconsin
243Gordon MalonePF United StatesWest Virginia

Roster

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1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
G 43 Chris Carr 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1974–03–12 Southern Illinois
F 17 Bill Curley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1972–05–29 Boston College
F/C 21 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1976–05–19 Farragut Academy (IL)
F 24 Tom Gugliotta 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–12–19 NC State
F 20 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
G 31 Reggie Jordan 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1968–01–26 New Mexico State
G 3 Stephon Marbury 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1977–02–20 Georgia Tech
F 42 Sam Mitchell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–09–02 Mercer
C 44 Cherokee Parks 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1972–10–11 Duke
G 1 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
G 30 Terry Porter 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1963–04–08 UW–Stevens Point
C 53 Stanley Roberts 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1970–02–07 LSU
G 6 DeJuan Wheat 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1973–10–14 Louisville
G 4 Micheal Williams 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1966–07–23 Baylor
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • (IN) Inactive
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: February 18, 1998

Roster Notes

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Regular season

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Season standings

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Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
z-Utah Jazz 6220.756–36–526–1522–2
x-San Antonio Spurs 5626.683631–1025–1618–6
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 4537.5491726–1519–2214–10
x-Houston Rockets 4141.5002124–1717–2414–10
Dallas Mavericks 2062.2444213–287–349–15
Vancouver Grizzlies 1963.2324314–275–364–20
Denver Nuggets 1171.134519–322–393–21
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Utah Jazz6220.756–
2 y-Seattle SuperSonics6121.7441
3 x-Los Angeles Lakers6121.7441
4 x-Phoenix Suns5626.6836
5 x-San Antonio Spurs5626.6836
6 x-Portland Trail Blazers4636.56116
7 x-Minnesota Timberwolves4537.54917
8 x-Houston Rockets4141.50021
9 Sacramento Kings2755.32935
10 Dallas Mavericks2062.24442
11 Vancouver Grizzlies1963.23243
12 Golden State Warriors1963.23243
13 Los Angeles Clippers1765.20745
14 Denver Nuggets1171.13451
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Game log

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Playoffs

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1998 playoff game log
First round: 2–3 (home: 1–1; road: 1–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 24 @ Seattle L 83–108 Kevin Garnett (18) Kevin Garnett (18) Stephon Marbury (5) KeyArena
17,072		 0–1
2 April 26 @ Seattle W 98–93 Stephon Marbury (25) Anthony Peeler (14) Stephon Marbury (7) KeyArena
17,072		 1–1
3 April 28 Seattle W 98–90 Anthony Peeler (20) Kevin Garnett (8) Stephon Marbury (11) Target Center
19,006		 2–1
4 April 30 Seattle L 88–92 Kevin Garnett (20) Kevin Garnett (10) Stephon Marbury (7) Target Center
19,006		 2–2
5 May 2 @ Seattle L 84–97 Anthony Peeler (28) Reggie Jordan (8) Stephon Marbury (8) KeyArena
17,072		 2–3
1998 schedule

Player statistics

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Ragular season

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Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin GarnettPF 82823,2227863481391501,51839.39.64.21.71.818.5
Stephon MarburyPG 82813,11223070410471,45038.02.88.61.3.117.7
Terry PorterPG 8281,786168271631677721.82.03.3.8.29.5
Sam MitchellSF 81332,23938510764221,00027.64.81.3.8.312.3
Cherokee ParksC 79431,70343753368655821.65.5.7.51.17.1
Stanley RobertsC 74441,32836327247245717.94.9.4.31.06.2
Tom HammondsPF 5721,14027136151734620.04.8.6.3.36.1
Reggie JordanSG 57148797503591498.51.7.9.6.22.6
Chris CarrSG 51401,16515585171150422.83.01.7.3.29.9
Tom GugliottaSF 41411,582356167612282338.68.74.11.5.520.1
Doug WestSG 3810688824511515718.12.21.2.3.14.1
DeJuan WheatPG 340150112561574.4.3.7.2.01.7
Anthony Peeler†SG 302499110311452639033.03.43.81.7.213.0
Micheal WilliamsPG 250161143292646.4.61.3.4.12.6
Bill CurleyPF 111146284313413.32.5.4.3.13.1
Clifford RozierC 6030600065.01.0.0.0.01.0
  • † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.

Playoffs

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Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Anthony PeelerSG 5521338181038142.67.63.62.0.616.2
Stephon MarburyPG 5520916381206941.83.27.62.4.013.8
Kevin GarnettPF 5519448204127938.89.64.0.82.415.8
Sam MitchellSF 55177278117235.45.41.6.2.214.4
Terry PorterPG 541882516507937.65.03.21.0.015.8
Tom HammondsPF 51113222013622.64.4.4.0.27.2
Micheal WilliamsPG 4058911312014.52.32.8.8.35.0
Reggie JordanSG 202993101214.54.51.5.5.06.0
Bill CurleyPF 207000003.5.0.0.0.0.0
Stanley RobertsC 108200018.02.0.0.0.01.0
DeJuan WheatPG 103101023.01.0.01.0.02.0
Cherokee ParksC 101000001.0.0.0.0.0.0

References

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  1. ↑ 1997-98 Minnesota Timberwolves
  2. ↑ Gardner, Kris (June 25, 1997). "ARCHIVE: Houston Roundball Review NBA Trade Analyses -- 1997 NBA Draft Day Deals". The Houston Roundball Review. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  3. ↑ Howard-Cooper, Scott (June 26, 1997). "Draft Over, But Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ Howard-Cooper, Scott (June 27, 1997). "Goodbye, Stanley, We Barely Knew You". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  5. ↑ "The Houston Rockets, Who Will Be Without..." Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 26, 1997. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Facer, Dick (November 30, 1997). "24-Second Clock". Deseret News. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Garnett's Big Deal: More Than $121 Million". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 2, 1997. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. ↑ Smith, Sam (October 2, 1997). "Garnett Hits Jackpot of $123 Million". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Garnett's $126 Million: Wolves' Bargain or Bust?". Deseret News. Associated Press. October 17, 1997. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 5, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Wolves' Gugliotta Out for Season". Associated Press. February 20, 1998. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Referee Pleads Guilty". Los Angeles Times. Times Wire Services. February 21, 1998. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  13. ↑ "T-Wolves' Gugliotta Out for Season". Deseret News. January 21, 1998. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Grizzlies' West Vows to Deal with Drinking". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 25, 1998. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  15. ↑ Heisler, Mark (February 20, 1998). "It's a Big Deal for Clippers: There Are No Slam Dunks in the Flurry of NBA Deals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  16. ↑ Smith, Sam (February 20, 1998). "NBA's Rash of Trades Ends with Another Seikaly Deal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Trade Completed". The Washington Post. February 22, 1998. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  18. ↑ "1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ Howard-Cooper, Scott (January 28, 1998). "Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ "1998 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  22. 1 2 "1998 NBA All-Star Game: East 135, West 114". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Popularity, Not Merit, Again Wins More Votes". The Baltimore Sun. February 1, 1998. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  24. ↑ "1997–98 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  25. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 1: Minnesota Timberwolves at Seattle SuperSonics Box Score, April 24, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  26. ↑ "N.B.A.: PLAYOFFS; Finally, Post-Season Success". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 27, 1998. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  27. ↑ "Timberwolves Stun SuperSonics". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 27, 1998. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  28. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 2: Minnesota Timberwolves at Seattle SuperSonics Box Score, April 26, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  29. ↑ "N.B.A.: PLAYOFFS; Minnesota Shocks Seattle". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 29, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  30. ↑ "SuperSonics Facing Elimination Again". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 29, 1998. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  31. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 3: Seattle SuperSonics at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, April 28, 1998". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ "THE N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Sonics Advance After Submerging the Spunky Timberwolves". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 3, 1998. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  33. ↑ Heisler, Mark (May 3, 1998). "SuperSonics Put Cubs to Bed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  34. ↑ "1998 NBA Western Conference First Round: Timberwolves vs. SuperSonics". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  35. ↑ "1997–98 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Suns Acquire Tom Gugliotta". CBS News. CBS News.com Staff. January 23, 1999. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  37. 1 2 "NBA DEALINGS: McDyess, Divac and Smith Sign". Kitsap Sun. Associated Press. January 23, 1999. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Gugliotta Winds Up in Valley of the Sun". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. January 24, 1999. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  39. ↑ Barnes, Craig (February 5, 1999). "Players Might Need Time to Remove Rust". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  40. ↑ Barnes, Craig (February 7, 1999). "Riley's Evaluation: Enthusiasm Missing". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  41. ↑ "N.B.A.; Rose Finds His Shooting Range as Indiana Starts with Victory". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 6, 1999. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Grizzlies Sign Top Pick Bibby". CBS News. CBS News.com Staff. January 22, 1999. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  43. ↑ "PLUS: BASKETBALL; Williams Cleared". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 26, 1997. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  44. ↑ "Timberwolves' Williams Finally Returns". United Press International. December 12, 1997. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  45. ↑ Wise, Mike (February 4, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; A Scrum for the Title". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  46. ↑ "Barkley, NBA Officials to Talk". Tampa Bay Times. October 31, 1997. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  47. ↑ "Utah Inks Paul Grant". United Press International. January 1, 2004. Retrieved May 1, 2023.

See also

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