Wikipedia

1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves season

The 1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 11th season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association.[1] The Timberwolves acquired the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft from the New Jersey Nets via trade, and selected small forward Wally Szczerbiak out of Miami University, and also selected point guard William Avery out of Duke University with the 14th overall pick.[2][3][4]

1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves season
Head coachFlip Saunders
General managerKevin McHale
OwnerGlen Taylor
ArenaTarget Center
Results
Record50–32 (.610)
PlaceDivision: 3rd (Midwest)
Conference: 6th (Western)
Playoff finishFirst round
(lost to Trail Blazers 1–3)
Stats at Basketball Reference
< 1998–99 2000–01 >

Early into the regular season, the Timberwolves traveled overseas to Tokyo, Japan to play their first two games against the Sacramento Kings at the Tokyo Dome.[5][6] In the first game on November 5, 1999, the Timberwolves were the road team and lost to the Kings by a score of 100–95, in front of 32,623 fans in attendance. Kevin Garnett and Terrell Brandon both posted double-doubles, as Garnett finished with 34 points and 17 rebounds, while Brandon contributed 18 points and 12 assists, and Anthony Peeler added 17 points.[7][8][9] In the second game on November 6, the Timberwolves were the home team and defeated the Kings by a score of 114–101, in front of 34,013 fans in attendance. Garnett and Brandon both posted double-doubles, as Garnett finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds, while Brandon contributed 15 points and 13 assists; Peeler scored 19 points, and Joe Smith added 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench.[10][11][12]

With the addition of Szczerbiak, the Timberwolves got off to a 7–5 start to the regular season, but then struggled posting an eight-game losing streak in December afterwards, falling below .500 in winning percentage.[13] However, the team soon recovered and played above .500 for the remainder of the season, winning 20 of their next 25 games, and holding a 27–20 record at the All-Star break.[14] The Timberwolves posted a six-game winning streak in March, and finished in third place in the Midwest Division with a 50–32 record, earning the sixth seed in the Western Conference; it was their first 50-win season in franchise history.[15]

Garnett averaged 22.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. In addition, Brandon averaged 17.1 points, 8.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while Szczerbiak provided the team with 11.6 points per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, and Malik Sealy contributed 11.3 points per game. Off the bench, Smith provided with 9.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while Peeler contributed 9.8 points per game, Sam Mitchell averaged 6.5 points per game, second-year center Rasho Nesterovic averaged 5.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as the team's starting center, and Bobby Jackson contributed 5.1 points and 2.4 assists per game.[16]

During the NBA All-Star weekend at The Arena in Oakland in Oakland, California, Garnett was selected for the 2000 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team. Garnett scored 24 points along with 10 rebounds and 5 assists, as the Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference, 137–126.[17][18][19] Meanwhile, Szczerbiak was selected for the NBA Rookie Challenge Game, as a member of the Rookies team.[20][21] Garnett finished in second place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Shaquille O'Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers,[22][23] and also finished in seventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.[23]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 2000 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the 3rd–seeded Portland Trail Blazers, who were led by All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen and Steve Smith. The Timberwolves lost the first two games to the Trail Blazers on the road at the Rose Garden Arena, but managed to win Game 3 at home, 94–87 at the Target Center.[24] However, the Timberwolves lost Game 4 to the Trail Blazers at home, 85–77, thus losing the series in four games; this was the fourth consecutive year that the Timberwolves lost in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.[25][26][27] The Timberwolves finished 14th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 690,012 at the Target Center during the regular season.[16][28] Following the season, Jackson signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings.[29][30]

Tragedy struck on May 20, 2000, when Sealy died in a car accident, in which he was killed by a drunk driver, who was driving on the wrong side of the road; Sealy, who was 30 years old, was just coming home from a birthday party for his teammate Garnett, who had just turned 24 years old the previous day on May 19.[31][32][33] The driver involved in the crash, Souksangouane Phengsene, was sentenced to four years in prison.[34][35][36] One notable highlight of the regular season occurred on January 17, 2000, in a home game against Sealy's former team, the Indiana Pacers at the Target Center. Sealy hit a game winning three-pointer at the buzzer as the Timberwolves defeated the Pacers, 101–100.[37][38][39]

Draft picks

edit
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
16Wally SzczerbiakSF United StatesMiami (OH)
114William AveryPG United StatesDuke
242Louis BullockSG United StatesMichigan

Roster

edit
1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
PG 5 William Avery 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 197 lb (89 kg) 1979–08–08 Duke
PG 7 Terrell Brandon 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1970–05–20 Oregon
PF 21 Kevin Garnett 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1976–05–19 Farragut Academy (IL)
C 22 Dean Garrett 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–11–27 Indiana
PF 20 Tom Hammonds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1967–03–27 Georgia Tech
PG 24 Bobby Jackson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1973–03–13 Minnesota
SF 42 Sam Mitchell 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–09–02 Mercer
C 8 Rasho Nesterovic 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1976–05–30 Slovenia
PF 45 Andrae Patterson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 238 lb (108 kg) 1975–11–12 Indiana
SG 1 Anthony Peeler 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 208 lb (94 kg) 1969–11–25 Missouri
SF 2 Malik Sealy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1970–02–01 St. John's
C 32 Joe Smith 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1975–07–26 Maryland
SF 10 Wally Szczerbiak 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 244 lb (111 kg) 1977–03–05 Miami (OH)
Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Updated: January 3, 2000

Roster notes

edit
  • Shooting guard Malik Sealy died in a car accident on May 20, 2000.

Regular season

edit

Season standings

edit
Midwest Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Utah Jazz 5527.671–31–1024–1714–10
x-San Antonio Spurs 5329.646231–1022–1916–8
x-Minnesota Timberwolves 5032.610526–1524–1718–6
Dallas Mavericks 4042.4881522–1918–2312–12
Denver Nuggets 3547.4272025–1610–3110–14
Houston Rockets 3448.4152122–1912–298–16
Vancouver Grizzlies 2260.2683312–2910–316–18
#
Western Conference
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Los Angeles Lakers6715.817–
2 y-Utah Jazz5527.67112
3 x-Portland Trail Blazers5923.7208
4 x-San Antonio Spurs5329.64614
5 x-Phoenix Suns5329.64614
6 x-Minnesota Timberwolves5032.61017
7 x-Seattle SuperSonics4537.54922
8 x-Sacramento Kings4438.53723
9 Dallas Mavericks4042.48827
10 Denver Nuggets3547.42732
11 Houston Rockets3448.41533
12 Vancouver Grizzlies2260.26845
13 Golden State Warriors1963.23248
14 Los Angeles Clippers1567.18352
z - clinched division title
y - clinched division title
x - clinched playoff spot

Playoffs

edit
2000 playoff game log
First Round: 1–3 (home: 1–1; road: 0–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 April 23 @ Portland L 88–91 Malik Sealy (23) Kevin Garnett (10) Terrell Brandon (12) Rose Garden
19,980		 0–1
2 April 26 @ Portland L 82–86 Kevin Garnett (23) Kevin Garnett (10) Terrell Brandon (6) Rose Garden
20,568		 0–2
3 April 30 Portland W 94–87 Terrell Brandon (28) Kevin Garnett (13) Terrell Brandon (12) Target Center
19,006		 1–2
4 May 2 Portland L 77–85 Kevin Garnett (17) Kevin Garnett (10) Kevin Garnett (9) Target Center
19,006		 1–3
2000 schedule

Player statistics

edit

Ragular season

edit
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Malik SealySF 82612,392352197761992929.24.32.4.9.211.3
Rasho NesterovićC 82551,72337993218547121.04.61.1.31.05.7
Anthony PeelerSG 82222,073232195621080425.32.82.4.8.19.8
Kevin GarnettPF 81813,2439564011201261,85740.011.85.01.51.622.9
Joe SmithC 7891,97548488458577425.36.21.1.61.19.9
Wally SzczerbiakSF 73532,171272201582384529.73.72.8.8.311.6
Bobby JacksonPG 73101,03415317248736914.22.12.4.7.15.1
Terrell BrandonPG 71712,587238629134301,21236.43.48.91.9.417.1
Sam MitchellSF 66241,227138111271442718.62.11.7.4.26.5
William AveryPG 59148440881421548.2.71.5.2.02.6
Dean GarrettC 56236041401984011410.82.5.3.1.72.0
Tom HammondsPF 56037210110831176.61.8.2.1.12.1
Andrae PattersonPF 5020211064.0.4.2.2.01.2

Playoffs

edit
Player POS GP GS MP REB AST STL BLK PTS MPG RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Kevin GarnettPF 441714335537542.810.88.81.3.818.8
Terrell BrandonPG 441622334307840.55.88.5.8.019.5
Rasho NesterovićC 44126136372531.53.31.5.81.86.3
Malik SealySF 44122185205030.54.51.3.5.012.5
Wally SzczerbiakSF 449482312423.52.0.5.8.36.0
Anthony PeelerSG 409095313022.52.31.3.8.37.5
Joe SmithC 4079121311819.83.0.3.8.34.5
Sam MitchellSF 406872012317.01.8.5.0.35.8
Bobby JacksonPG 303054211510.01.71.3.7.35.0
Dean GarrettC 3016200135.3.7.0.0.31.0
Tom HammondsPF 102000002.0.0.0.0.0.0

Awards and records

edit

References

edit
  1. ↑ 1999-2000 Minnesota Timberwolves
  2. ↑ Wise, Mike (July 1, 1999). "PRO BASKETBALL; Safety First: The Bulls Make Brand the Top Pick". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  3. ↑ Heisler, Mark (July 1, 1999). "Dukies Are Way Up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  4. ↑ "1999 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Kings to Open Season in Tokyo". Sacramento Business Journal. June 29, 1999. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  6. ↑ "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL -- SAN ANTONIO; Spurs to Skip Japan". The New York Times. Associated Press. June 30, 1999. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Season's Longest Road Trip Pays Off for Kings in Japan". The Register-Guard. Associated Press. November 6, 1999. p. 3D. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Kings Hold Off T-Wolves; Around the NBA". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. November 6, 1999. p. C3. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Minnesota Timberwolves at Sacramento Kings Box Score, November 5, 1999". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  10. ↑ Noonan, Tim (November 8, 1999). "66,000 See Timberwolves and Kings Split 2 Games Opening Season: In Tokyo, a Slam Dunk for NBA". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Kings Lose First-Half Lead, Game". Lodi News-Sentinel. Associated Press. November 8, 1999. p. 9. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Sacramento Kings at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, November 6, 1999". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  13. ↑ Kawakami, Tim (December 18, 1999). "So This Is What Triangle Means". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  14. ↑ "NBA Games Played on February 10, 2000". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  15. ↑ "1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "1999–2000 Minnesota Timberwolves Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  17. ↑ "NBA All-Star 2000". Deseret News. February 13, 2000. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ "2000 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com. NBA.com Staff. September 13, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  19. ↑ "2000 NBA All-Star Game: West 137, East 126". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Sports Scoreboard". Times-Union. February 12, 2000. p. 3B. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  21. ↑ "2000 NBA Rising Stars: Rookies 92, Sophomores 83 (OT)". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Shaq Receives All But One Vote". ESPN. Associated Press. May 10, 2000. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  23. 1 2 "1999–2000 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  24. ↑ "2000 NBA Western Conference First Round Game 3: Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, April 30, 2000". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Portland 85, Minnesota 77". United Press International. May 2, 2000. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Blazers Knock Out T-Wolves". Deseret News. Associated Press. May 3, 2000. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
  27. ↑ "2000 NBA Western Conference First Round: Timberwolves vs. Trail Blazers". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "1999–2000 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  29. ↑ Wise, Mike (October 30, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; West Side Story, the Sequel". The New York Times. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Best Free Agent Signings in Sacramento Kings History". A Royal Pain. July 7, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  31. ↑ Robbins, Liz (May 21, 2000). "PRO BASKETBALL; Wolves' Sealy, Former Star for St. John's, Dies in Car Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  32. ↑ White, Lonnie (May 21, 2000). "Former Clipper Sealy Dies in Minnesota Highway Crash". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Sealy Dies in Auto Accident". The Washington Post. May 21, 2000. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  34. ↑ "PLUS: PRO BASKETBALL; A Guilty Plea in Sealy's Death". The New York Times. Associated Press. September 26, 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Sealy Crash Driver Sentenced". CBS News. Associated Press. October 18, 2000. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Driver in Sealy's Death Gets Four Years in Prison". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. October 19, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  37. ↑ "T'Wolves Halt Pacers at Buzzer". CBS News. Associated Press. January 17, 2000. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  38. ↑ "N.B.A.: YESTERDAY; Sealy's 3-Pointer at the Buzzer Lifts Minnesota Over Indiana". The New York Times. Associated Press. January 18, 2000. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Indiana Pacers at Minnesota Timberwolves Box Score, January 17, 2000". Basketball-Reference. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1999–2000_Minnesota_Timberwolves_season&oldid=1359036767"