Kevin Garnett’s Return: Perspective From a Fan at Target Center
Feb 25, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward
Kevin Garnett(21) smiles and waves to fans in the second half against the Washington Wizards at Target Center. The Timberwolves won 97-77. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Last week, I heard some news that instantly brought me back to my childhood.
Kevin Garnett was traded back to the Minnesota Timberwolves from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Thaddeus Young.
As a kid, Kevin Garnett was my favorite player. He was the guy I paid attention to during every Wolves game. He hustled for loose balls. He made all of his teammates better. He was constantly giving each of his teammates high-fives. He was the ultimate team player.
So, when I heard that Garnett was returning to the Timberwolves, I knew I had to attend his first game back at the Target Center. I couldn’t miss the opportunity to be apart of the Target Center crowd as he returned home.
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Luckily for me, Garnett’s first home game back in Minnesota was on a Wednesday night, which means college students can get tickets for $5. Being a college kid myself and having no money whatsoever, this worked out perfectly for me. I was able to be at Target Center for Kevin Garnett’s return home for one easy payment of $5.
I entered the arena with about twenty or so minutes left until tip off, and the energy in the building was just different. Everybody was standing with their eyes glued to Garnett. The anticipation from each person at Target Center was powerful. Watching Garnett warm up brought back memories from the few games I had been to when I was little as well as all the games I watched on television. At 38 years old, he still unbuttons all but two of the buttons on his button-down warm-up pants. I always copied that when I was a kid, wearing button-down pants with only two buttons fastened when it was -45 degrees. I did it not because it was comfortable, but because Kevin Garnett did it. And no, I never considered that Garnett only wore his pants like that indoors and never did it outdoors. It never crossed my mind.
Feb 25, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; A general view of Target Center with the fireworks during Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett player introduction against the Washington Wizards. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
I will admit that the main reason I wanted to attend this particular game wasn’t the actual game itself, but instead the pre-game introductions. I was anticipating those few minutes all day, and they didn’t disappoint. There had to have been very few fans that didn’t get goosebumps watching the welcome home video before Garnett was introduced as a starter. As his height, school, and jersey number were introduced, the Target Center erupted louder than it has in ten years. The last time the Target Center was that loud was probably the 2004 Western Conference Finals, when who else but Garnett led the Timberwolves against the Lakers.
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The best part about the whole introduction is that all the young studs on the Wolves roster were able to see how much the fans in Minnesota can care about basketball. Since Garnett left, the fanbase has dwindled some, and the fanfare just hasn’t been the same. Even with arguably the best crop of young stars in the league, the crowd was still a ways from reaching the level of the Garnett days. After last night’s game, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and company were able to witness what the fanbase is like when players are loyal. Hopefully, this helps these young players realize that if they do achieve big things in Minnesota and stay loyal to the fans, the fans will love and adore them forever.
As for the game itself, it started out about as poorly as it could’ve. Clearly, the team was basically in shock of what they had just witnessed and were playing scared. After falling dreadfully behind by a score of 18-3, the Timberwolves dominated the game. From that point on, the Wolves outscored the visiting Washington Wizards 94-59, and ended up tallying a 97-77 victory. A tremendous defensive effort was put on display by the Wolves, and you have to think that Garnett’s return made a huge impact on that end of the floor.
Offensively, Garnett wasn’t incredibly special. He’s clearly not the same player he was when he was here his first twelve years in the league. However, the fact that Garnett knows his role is great for this team. He understands that he is here mainly to be a leader, mentor, and teacher to the young guys. There’s no doubt in my mind that Garnett’s presence was the main factor leading to that 94-59 stretch. The most important thing for Garnett was that the Wolves won the game, which is another thing that the young guys can learn from Garnett.
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As a fan watching, it was great seeing Garnett having fun while playing as a Timberwolf again. If you watched him closely like I did, you would’ve seen Garnett give probably over a thousand high-fives for the night. When he was on the bench, he was constantly shouting words of encouragement to his teammates on the court or laughing with his new teammates. Occasionally, he even stood up and motioned for the crowd to stand up and get loud, and of course we all did because it’s Kevin Garnett. Again, Garnett is all about the team. It’s the main reason why he is loved so much by us fans.
Overall, the return of one of the greatest sports icons in Minnesota was awesome. Being in attendance for that atmosphere is something I will never forget. While Minnesota has been named the State of Hockey, last night Minnesota was the State of Basketball. Hopefully in the near future, we will see an atmosphere like the one last night for a playoff game at Target Center.
Or should I say, “The House That Kevin Garnett Built”.