Timberwolves’ Reward for Hard Work: Game 6

MINNEAPOLIS â€”  By the way, who says these puppies will be such a cinch to beat in Game 6?

The Minnesota Timberwolves were supposed to be dead Saturday, since the Lakers hadn’t lost a closeout game in four years, and they’ll be even longer shots in Game 6 at Staples Center on Monday.

On the other hand, you’d better count on the Timberwolves showing up and playing, because they always do.

Road game or no road game, not everything is against them. They have the younger players with the fresher legs as the teams play their sixth game in 11 nights, with three travel days thrown in.

Shaquille O’Neal is averaging 19.9 points in the series and since the opener, when he got 27 on a week’s rest, has scored 20 once.

Minnesota’s Sam Cassell will have had three days off since he last played and may again be available.

Of course, none of this seemed important in Saturday night’s first quarter when the Timberwolves, who seemed to be having trouble swallowing, shot six for 22, missing one open shot after another while the Lakers raced to a 10-point lead.

“The big thing, our guys showed a lot of heart,� said Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders after the Timberwolves’ 98-96 victory. “I don’t think there’s anybody that expected us to win, except maybe the guys that were in that locker room.

“I mean, walking around town, our fans are unbelievable but you could just sense, there was a lot of, ‘Hey, you’ve had a great year.’ It was like it was pretty much over.�

Actually, the guys that were in that locker room had a doubt or two, themselves.

“You look over there you got four Hall of Famers out there in the starting lineup,� Fred Hoiberg said. “You got Derek Fisher who’s hit clutch shots his whole career.

“When we got off to that slow start tonight, you know, you almost wondered if it just wasn’t meant to be, but once we got that run going, I think guys really, truly did believe.�

Of course, before that run....

Everything here said farewell. In the first quarter, a video ran on the scoreboard TV screens, reminiscing about the troubles the franchise had withstood -- Stephon Marbury demanding to be traded, seven first-round exits in a row -- followed by highlights of this breakthrough postseason. Then they flashed each player’s picture, even Ndudi Ebi, the rookie from high school who wasn’t on the playoff roster.

The implication was clear: In case we don’t see you here again ‘til next fall, thanks for the memories.

Saunders was getting pretty desperate, himself, with Cassell out again and the Lakers not even guarding three of his starters, Darrick Martin, Ervin Johnson and Trenton Hassell.

In the East, Indiana turned its series with Detroit around by replacing a non-scorer, Jeff Foster, with a shooter, Austin Croshere. Saunders was thinking of doing the same thing, except for one little problem.

“The one difference is, they don’t have to guard Shaq,� Saunders said before the game.

In the second quarter, however, Saunders threw his little lineup out there, with Kevin Garnett, Mark Madsen and three guards. Laker Coach Phil Jackson, who was obviously ready for it, switched Kobe Bryant onto Garnett.

If the tactical moves seemed a stalemate, the game changed anyway. The Lakers made so many shots early, they relaxed. When the Timberwolves started their run, the Lakers tried to dial it up again but never got back to where they were.

The Timberwolves led by 16 with 5:55 left. The Lakers sliced 10 points off it in the next 2:34, making it 86-80 ... when Hoiberg faked Bryant in the air, ducked under him to get the foul call, then as Bryant crashed into him, managed to throw up a 20-footer that went in.

Hoiberg’s free throw made it 89-80 and the Lakers would only get that close again in the last 10 seconds, when it was too late.

“You know, I’d missed so many wide open ones tonight,� Hoiberg said. “I was killing myself. It’s a funny game, how that happens sometimes.

“I took a pump fake, dribbled in once. Kobe swung and hit me in the head. I just threw it up there and it went in. Just a lucky shot and we needed it.�

Hoiberg is a model Timberwolf, a hard-nosed journeyman with a jump shot who was running out of chances before signing last fall and becoming a nice bench player.

“It’s a great feeling,� Hoiberg said. “This was just a perfect situation for me. I was about three days away from signing with a team in Italy and when [Minnesota General Manager] Kevin McHale called, I thought it was an ideal fit.

“It’s three hours away from my home town in Iowa. Fitting in with a veteran team again after playing four years with a very young Chicago team. And being able to play off some superstar players like Kevin and Spree [Latrell Sprewell] and Sam.�

Gee, now the Timberwolves have one more great memory, and, appearances notwithstanding, they’re not done yet.