This season, the Minnesota Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals for the third time in their franchise history coming up short to the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games. It was the second straight season the Anthony Edwards led Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals, so they’re starting to gain some momentum and are knocking on the door of their first NBA Finals appearance.
21 years ago, the Timberwolves were competing in their first Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, losing in six games. Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell, and Sam Cassell were the big three of the Timberwolves that season, doing a great job of beating teams with their combination of guard play and post play. Kevin Garnett was actually the NBA’s MVP that season, averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, & 2.2 blocks per game. He was such a fierce competitor on both ends of the floor, bringing an intensity that few players in the NBA have ever matched.
On that same 2003-04 Timberwolves team was Stanford legend Mark Madsen, who is now the head coach of the rival California Golden Bears across the bay in Berkeley. Madsen had his best statistical season that year, averaging 3.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game in 72 games played. Madsen averaged 17.3 minutes per game and made 12 starts. In the playoffs, Madsen played in 17 of the 18 playoff games, averaging 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game. He did a great job of bringing energy and intensity off the bench, allowing Kevin Garnett to get some rest knowing that someone was in there bringing a similar type of hustle and grit.
Known as “Mad Dog” going back to his days in elementary school, Madsen truly lived up to that nickname in his college and NBA career. He was instrumental in Stanford’s 1998 Final Four run, averaging 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for his Stanford career and 12.2 points and 9.3 rebounds as a senior in the 1999-2000 season. He played with a lot of energy and heart, giving it his all every time he stepped on the floor. If you want to know why he last nine seasons in the NBA, that’s why. He wasn’t the most talented player in the NBA, but he was among the hardest working players. He was able to battle hard against Shaquille O’Neal (Lakers) and Kevin Garnett in practice, pushing them to be better. Not a lot of guys out there have that ability.
Going back to his 2003-04 season with the Timberwolves, Mark Madsen truly was an important part of that team. He was in the rotation almost every night and brought terrific energy down in the post. While he gets more recognition for his two NBA championships while playing on the Lakers, it was with the Timberwolves that Madsen played his best basketball.
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