ESPN NBA

Posted by Kelly Dwyer

Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Clippers, 12-20-00

This is a frustrating one -- the entire first half of this game was probably lost years ago. I know I taped it, it's the second half of a TNT doubleheader that was preceded by a Sixers/Jazz contest (Toni Kukoc lost that game for Philadelphia with a needless 3-point attempt) that ESPN Classic re-runs on occasion. That said, the second half is still worth going through, as this is a fun look at an obscenely-young Clipper team and a Timberwolves outfit still reeling from the Joe Smith fiasco and a blown 1999 Draft.

Second Quarter, 1:47: We pick up the action deep in the middle of one of the finer things to behold in our universe: Mike Fratello and Marv Albert demurely ripping on each other without cracking a smile, having to stifle a laugh, or missing a beat. Christopher Guest could add these two to his ensemble and nobody would bat an eye. Of course, nobody ever blinks during Christopher Guest films, but that's beside the point.

In this instance, Marv moves a discussion about the onset of NBA fatigue after a summer playing international ball (Kevin Garnett was on the 2000 Olympic team) into a discussion about someone like Mike Fratello having to take some time off after coaching overseas during the offseason ("were your players tempted to say, 'hey coach, take a day or two off?'"), and, possibly, taking some broadcasts off after merely observing international play over the summer. 48 to 46, Clippers.

2Q, 1:40: TNT promos a Christmas Day NBA doubleheader by playing "Roundball Rock," and for some reason I just muttered "Hannah Storm."

2Q, 1:25: There are two players on the floor for Minnesota (Sam Mitchell, LaPhonso Ellis) whose combined age tops that of three players on the floor for the Clippers (Darius Miles, Corey Maggette, Lamar Odom). Timberwolves win that one, 67-61.

2Q, .50.8: Lamar Odom steals the ball, tips it to himself, strides down the floor and fires a behind the back pass past Kevin Garnett to Maggette for the dunk. I think two dribbles were involved in that entire possession. Man, this was a fun team to watch.

2Q, 42.3: Sam Mitchell baits Darius Miles into trying to block a jumper; he nails an 18-footer, gets fouled, and hits the free throw for the 3-point play. Man, this was a frustrating team to watch.

Final thirty seconds of the half for the Clippers: Odom chucks and misses a 19-footer trying to go 2-for-1, Miles rips the ball off the rim on a Chauncey Billups lay-in, and gets called for the goaltending, and Jeff McInnis breaks a play to go one-on-one in the half's final seconds. McInnis misses a layup, Miles misses a tip-in, and the half ends. I'm starting to see why this didn't work.

Ernie Johnson: "A rare look at the Clippers, who haven't been on national TV in three years."
Charles Barkley: "It should have been longer than that."

3Q, 12:00: Fratello and Albert start off the half with some crack about "a wireless microphone" that is so inside, even I don't get it. And I hear these guys' voices in my sleep, sometimes. They're just staring at each other, now. Fratello: "you liked that, huh?"

3Q, 11:48: For a kid in Minnesota, getting Dean Garrett's number 22 jersey for Christmas in 2000 must have been how I felt unwrapping a whole batch of Go-Bots back in 1985.

3Q, 10:46: Brian Skinner can't even score on Wally Szczerbiak. In the low post.

3Q, 8:57: I love watching Flip Saunders' offense, and it's a damn shame the Pistons haven't shown any interest in running since about February of 2006. The spacing is so good, two bigs at either pinch-post ... if Szczerbiak had been able to create his own shot, then this team would have averaged 110 points per game. While we're at it, the offense is humming with Terrell Brandon and Billups in the same backcourt. So, yeah, it could have worked. Timberwolves up five points.

3Q, 8:30: Three and a half minutes into the half, and I just noticed Michael Olowokandi for the first time. He whiffed on a rebound attempt. He won't be back.

3Q, 7:33: Darius Miles throws down his second dunk in less than a minute, but we don't see the two-handed head-bump with Quentin Richardson. Apparently, this celebratory gesture was invented sometime in February, 2001.

3Q, 5:00: I'm reminded that Kenny Smith used to call Lamar Odom "the Goods," a nickname that seemed quite apt at the time. I kept trying to push Darius Miles' nickname as "The East St. Louis Toodle-oo," but I was met with some resistance. I've failed you, Bubber Miley.

3Q, 3:24: The only reason the Clippers are in this game - the only reason most teams were in any games with the Timberwolves of this era - is the free throw disparity. Those Timberwolves teams never got to the line, and they were too small (or too slow, or both) to keep from fouling opponents on the other end of the floor.

3Q, 3:01: Albert: "Rasho ... Nesterovic. Who, like yourself Czar, spent the offseason eating a lot, lifting weights to build his strength, and adding 15 pounds ..."

3Q: 2:12: Anthony Peeler has ten points, Wolves up five. My favorite Peeler story comes from the fall of 1998, during the NBA's lockout. I was in a bed in a freshman dorm room in Columbia, Missouri; fresh off having four of my wisdom teeth removed, when a batch of Mizzou ne'er do-wells (including this guy) burst into my room to tell tales of the Missouri Tiger football game I had slept through. Apparently the University honored former-Tiger Anthony Peeler during halftime, and for some reason, Peeler declined to show. During the lockout. In October. With absolutely nothing going on. Actually, he may have just had his wisdom teeth removed. I shouldn't be so harsh.

3Q, 1:56: A sideline shot shows Bill Walton and Ralph Lawler calling the game for the local El Lay broadcast. If there was ever a more entertaining duo to be had ... well, they're likely calling the game for TNT on this DVD.

3Q, 1:02: Kevin Garnett is quite good. Wolves by ten. By the way, the Timberwolves don't want you to write "T-Wolves." You don't call Portland the "T-Blazers," do you? That's the rationale. I'm down with it. They like "Wolves," if anything.

3Q, 00.6: Sean Rooks rolls to the hoop for the hook. And, to echo the thoughts of a great man, "where would the Clippers be without Sean Rooks?" Jess Kersey calls a technical foul on Odom, waiting until the play finished (Kersey could have called it 15 seconds earlier), KG hits the free throw, Wolves up 82-75 after three quarters. Marv and the Czar are ribbing each other about the refs, almost under their breath, and I'm having a hard time understanding them. I think that's how they want it.

4Q, 11:56: William Avery on the court for Minnesota. That didn't really work, did it?

4Q, 11:00: As it is now, it was then. Or something. Either way, just as today, Lamar Odom is brilliant when he's aggressive. When he's using up possessions, looking to pass or score quickly and without much deliberation, he can be a dominant force.

4Q, 10:12: Nesterovic works in the post
and tries the turnaround jumper, which misses everything. He won't attempt another shot for four years.

4Q, 9:57: Albert is talking about Jeff McInnis earning more minutes from the Clippers, now that Troy Hudson has been released. Released by the Clippers. Some three and a half years after this broadcast, Kevin McHale will sign Troy Hudson to a 6-year, 37-million dollar contract.

4Q, 9:32: Marv has now moved onto a discussion regarding Charles Oakley's then-recent suspension after a shootaround scrape with Mr. McInnis. When Fratello asks Marv what the scrape was over, Albert tells the Czar that the reasons behind the dust-up "haven't been clearly stated." Then I start cracking up, and my girlfriend is confused. I'm ruining her day off work.

4Q, 9:29: Odom works in the post, quickly, and lays it in over KG. I've never seen anyone, with the possible exception of Tim Duncan, give Garnett more fits than Odom. Sadly, and this is not a joke, I haven't seen evidence of those "fits" since Odom's first two seasons. Clippers up one.

4Q, 8:34: TNT runs a Clippers montage set to The Who's "Who Are You," but unfortunately cuts the song off right before one of the finest opening lines ("I woke up in a Soho doorway/A policeman knew my name") in lyrical history hits my speakers.

4Q, 8:20: LaPhonso Ellis scores after a Timberwolves timeout. McHale has his issues, but for a while, he knew EXACTLY who to bring in for Flip's offense. Ellis was great in 2000-01.

4Q, 8:09: The ticker reveals a final from Charlotte: the Hornets beat Miami 65 to 56. Yeah, but it's today's NBA that has problems. Sure.

4Q, 7:34: Sean Rooks picks up two rebounds in less than a minute! Glad I have that on tape.

4Q, 7:00: Bad jumpers and worse defense from Brandon and Peeler lead to breaks for the Clippers and a five-point lead.

4Q, 6:12: Peeler hits a 3-pointer, followed by a nice dish from Brandon on the next possession that leads to a 3-point play for Ellis. This is why it was frustrating to be a Timberwolves fan for a half-decade.

4Q, 6:00: Odom fires a pass into the fourth row. He nearly has a triple-double, but the Clippers are at 20 turnovers with just three and a half quarters played. And these Timberwolves aren't exactly what you'd call "ball-hawkers."

4Q, 5:32: We return from a timeout, and a Teri Hatcher/Howie Long Radio Shack commercial over the break. Be glad they didn't bottle that chemistry. Wolves up one.

4Q, 5:12: Odom, what happened to this guy? He just snuck a pass through a series of defenders and found Miles for the lay-in and the foul. This guy could play. Clippers up two.

4Q, 3:55: Here's how long Kevin Garnett is: he lines up for the 20-footer from the left baseline, and his left (back) foot is out of bounds.

4Q, 3:17: Both teams are over-passing. Several 24 and 3-second violations on either side over the last four minutes.

4Q, 2:52: Jeff McInnis' last shot causes Clippers coach Alvin Gentry to wonder aloud if he can get Charles Oakley from the Raptors for Brian Skinner and a draft pick. Clippers are still up a point.

4Q, 1:02: A summary of the last three minutes would include several references to screen-and-roll basketball, and either point guards or big men missing jumpers from the top of the key. Clippers up two.

4Q, .54.5: Albert: "McInnis, not a good shot."

4Q, .40.1: Odom hits a sky-hook over Szczerbiak, actually made me gasp a little, and the Clippers are up three points. I want this Lamar Odom back, please.
4Q, .22.0: The Timberwolves ignore KG on the block, for whatever reason, and swing the ball to Ellis who drives and has his dunk blocked by (as far as I can tell) 12 different Clippers.

4Q, .10.6: Brandon turns it over, the Clippers are shooting free throws from here on out, and this Clipper team was easily the most entertaining 31-win team in NBA history. Los Angeles wins, 103-96.