Looking back at the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves advanced in the playoffs
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves are playing in the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.
The last time the Timberwolves made it this far, Minnesota was a much different place.
It was May 4, 2004, when the Wolves' last semifinals series kicked off. Under head coach Flip Saunders, league MVP Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell led the No. 1 Wolves against the No. 4 Sacramento Kings.
The Wolves would win the series in seven games and move on to a Western Conference finals matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers would take that series in six before losing in the finals to the Detroit Pistons.
This postseason, the Wolves swept the Phoenix Suns and are now taking on the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the conference semifinals.
Let's take a look back at what was going on the last time the Wolves were playing this deep in the postseason.
Minnesota was more of a "purple" state
Republican Tim Pawlenty was the governor of Minnesota in 2004. Since he left office in 2011, Minnesota hasn't elected another Republican governor.
Democrat Mark Dayton, who succeeded Pawlenty as governor, and Republican Norm Coleman were Minnesota's senators.
Minnesota sports teams were all over the map
The Minnesota Vikings were coming off a devastating loss to the Arizona Cardinals that kept them out of the playoffs. The Cardinals — who finished 4-12 and were last in the league in both points scored and points allowed — beat the Vikings on a last-second, 4th and 25 touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Nate Poole. Mike Tice was the Vikings' coach and Daunte Culpepper was the starting quarterback. Randy Moss set his career high in yardage that season, which would be his last full season in Minnesota before he got injured and then traded.
The Twins were just a month into their 2004 season when the Wolves started the series. Manager Ron Gardenhire had them sitting at 15-10. Rookie Joe Mauer played just two games in April before injuring his knee and wouldn't return until June, when the Wolves were already out of the playoffs.
The Lynx had not yet become the WNBA powerhouse they eventually would, but the 2003 season ended with an appearance in the Western Conference seminfinals. The next season would end the same way. Suzie McConnell-Serio was head coach at the time, and future Hall of Famer Katie Smith was the leading scorer.
The Wild were coming off a disappointing season. After going to the conference finals in 2003, they finished just barely above .500 and missed the playoffs entirely. Jacques Lemaire was the coach that season and their top three scores were Alexandre Daigle, Marian Gaborik and Andrew Brunette.
Prince was making a big comeback with "Musicology"
The Wolves' second round series came just after Prince released "Musicology," his first record with a major label in half a decade. The album would go double platinum and earn the Minneapolis superstar two Grammys for the title track and "Call My Name."
WCCO's news desk looked quite different
In 2004, WCCO's 10 p.m. newscast was anchored by Don Shelby and Amelia Santaniello, with Mark Rosen on sports and Paul Douglas on the weather. Check out these 2004 promos.
By the way, here's a peek at what the WCCO website looked like on May 18, 2004.
