Minnesota Timberwolves historic November

And all of that combined for a November to remember. Last month, the Wolves went 13-2, which was best in the NBA. But they made more history than that, locally. According to OptaStats (StatsPerform.com), that .867 winning percentage is the best of any non-football major sports team in Minnesota history.

The @Timberwolves went 13-2 (.867) in November.

That's the best record ever by a Minnesota-based MLB, NBA or NHL team in a single month (min. 15 games). pic.twitter.com/hjxjU4pKPB

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 1, 2023

On its face, this statistic is eye opening enough. But a deeper dive makes it even more remarkable. Remember, non-football Minnesota sports history goes back much further than the modern day Timberwolves and Wild. It includes the Twins back to 1961, North Stars (1967-1993) and Minneapolis Lakers (1947-1960) too.

Related: How to Stream Timberwolves and Wild Games with Bally Sports App Not Working

2023 Timberwolves > 1950’s Lakers Dynasty…?

Yeah, the same Minneapolis Lakers team that won 5 NBA titles between 1949 and 1954 and played in another in 1959, before moving to Los Angeles after the 1960 season. That’s right, even the first dynasty in NBA history never had a month as good as what the 2023-24 Minnesota Timberwolves just did in November.

The previous best winning percentage (or points percentage, for NHL) by a Minnesota MLB/NBA/NHL team in a month with 15+ games was .813, done 3 times:

.813 (13-3) – Minneapolis Lakers, Jan 1950
.813 (13-3) – Minneapolis Lakers, Jan 1951
.813 (12-2-2) – Minnesota Wild, Apr 2022

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) December 1, 2023

The best part about the Wolves’ November might not even be their record, but instead, look at some of the teams they beat on their way to 13-2. That list includes defending NBA Champion (and current West 2nd seed) Denver and East leading Boston, along with some of the other top NBA teams like, Philly, OKC and New York.

Oh, and they got Golden State twice. If you had any doubt about whether or not this Timberwolves team really has a shot to do damage deep into the Western Conference playoffs in a handful of months, they sold you a lot of hope in November.

Timberwolves Big Favorites with Pacers Coming to Town:

? @fsnorth➕ | ? @WCCOradio | ? #FOXSportsGO | ?#INDvsMIN | ⏰ 7p CT |? @TargetCenterMN | #⃣ #AllEyesNorth pic.twitter.com/rJALOTY202

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 24, 2017

It’s weird seeing the Timberwolves on the good side of an 11 point spread but that’s what we are looking at for Tuesday night’s game vs the Pacers, according to ESPN. The Pacers traded Paul George to the team that we beat at the buzzer on Sunday, the OKC Thunder, and Indiana is a shell of the above average team they were last year.

The Pacers won their first game of the year in Brooklyn, where they scored 140 points……..

CONTINUE READING (WOLVES vs PACERS PREVIEW)

#TWolves Game Day.

With no Paul George, the Pacers are a shell of what they used to be. #AllEyesNorth #INDvsMIN https://t.co/3HEUiu4Z2e

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 24, 2017

Parise Heading for Back Surgery; Wild vs Canucks:

We found out from Mike Russo of The Athletic yesterday evening, that Zach Parise is heading for back surgery. Most reports are noting he may have already had it. Boudreau said, in his press conference yesterday, that he was hoping for an update on Tuesday. Most reporters are expecting to hear the surgery already happened.

Russo noted a 2-month recovery period in which Parise will do little to no activity for 1 month, before being allowed to ease back onto the ice. It’s a sad day for Wild fans and an even worse day for Zach who wants nothing more than to be on the ice battling with his teammates. This surgery was last resort for him.

It sounds like the pain was in his leg and not his back, which in the case of a back injury, is a little scary… If one part of your body is causing another part of your body major pain, you have a pretty big problem. A nerve in your back causing major pain in your leg is no joking matter……..

CONTINUE READING (RUSSO STORY – WILD VS CANUCKS TUESDAY PREVIEW)

Zach Parise heading for back surgery.#MNWild Game Day. https://t.co/p7UpgcdG7e

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 24, 2017

Lakers Admit They’re Not From Los Angeles with New Throwback Uniforms:

So, about 57 years ago, the most storied professional franchise in Minnesota history closed the doors and took their team, and Minnesota nickname, to Los Angeles.

Do you know where Minneapolis, and eventually Los Angeles, Lakers got their name from? You guessed it, the LAKES! Minnesota Lakes. You know, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Wow, that makes SO MUCH SENSE. So, naturally, the name made sense for LA too, since they have so many lakes. They kept the nickname, becoming the Los Angeles Lakers. Still making sense?

Nope, but the double L’s roll right off the tongue so hey, why not.

Before moving West, the Minneapolis Lakers franchise dominated the professional scene in Minnesota for one beautiful decade and are known as the NBA’s first dynasty. Formed in 1947 as part of the National Basketball League (NBL), the Minneapolis Lakers………

CONTINUE READING (FULL ARTICLE ON WHAT LA REALLY TOOK FROM MN WHEN LAKERS LEFT)

When LA took the Lakers nickname, they took MN basketball history with them. https://t.co/Lgl8zDGXuD

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 24, 2017

(Star Tribune) Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo suspended one game for hit on receiver Mike Wallace:

(Star Tribune – Andrew Krammer)

Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo was suspended one game by the NFL for “a violation of safety-related playing rules” in Sunday’s 24-16 win against the Ravens.

Sendejo was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he hit Ravens receiver Mike Wallace in the head on a crossing route, as he was wrapped up by Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes. The hit cost the Vikings 15 yards and ultimately one game for Sendejo. He’s eligible to return to the Vikings on Oct. 30, a day after the Vikings’ game against the Browns in London.

In its press release, the NFL said Sendejo’s hit on Wallace violated the unnecessary roughness rule by “using any part of a player’s helmet or facemask to butt, spear or ram an opponent violently or unnecessarily.”

CONTINUE READING (STAR TRIBUNE – ANDREW KRAMMER REPORTS)

Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo hit with one-game suspension. https://t.co/CTBpOC9TR0 pic.twitter.com/qtv70Ujej4

— Access Vikings (@AccessVikings) October 23, 2017

MSF Daily by Eric Strack @RealMNSportsFan

Do you know where Minneapolis, and eventually Los Angeles, Lakers got their name from? You guessed it, the LAKES! Minnesota Lakes. You know, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes”. Wow, that makes SO MUCH SENSE. So, naturally, the name made sense for LA too, since they have so many lakes. They kept the nickname, becoming the Los Angeles Lakers. Still making sense?

Nope, but the double L’s roll right off the tongue so hey, why not.

Before moving West, the Minneapolis Lakers franchise dominated the professional scene in Minnesota for one beautiful decade and are known as the NBA’s first dynasty. Formed in 1947 as part of the National Basketball League (NBL), the Minneapolis Lakers were came together when a terrible team, called the Detroit Gems, decided to give up on the dream. A group of Minneapolis big-timers purchased the franchise and brought them to the beautiful state of Minnesota. Four games into their inaugural season, the Lakers picked up the best player in the world, George Mikan. He became available when the league he played for, the Professional Basketball League of America, folded.

Mikan would lead the Lakers to the NBL Championship in its first year, before they moved to the better funded 2-year old Basketball Association of America, the following year. Behind Mikan, they would win the BAA Championship in their first season in that league too. The BAA and NBL merged that summer (the NBL ran out of money and was on the brink of folding) and took on a new name and acronym – National Basketball Association or NBA. 

Guess who won the first NBA Championship? If you guessed that legendary Lakers team from Minneapolis, you guessed right! They would go on to win 4 of the first 5 NBA Championships behind George Mikan. The Minneapolis Lakers would win their last NBA Championship in 1954 and begin to slide. The team was sold to a corporation led by a man named Bob Short who kept the Lakers in Minnesota for 3 more years but then took them to Los Angeles.

You can read all the details on the story here and I would HIGHLY recommend it. Stew Thornley wrote Basketball’s Original Dynasty: The History of the Lakers.

Well, the now Los Angeles Lakers brought out a new throwback jersey they are very excited about. They haven’t changed their logo since moving to LA, so they had to find something different. Guess what they came up with, opening old wounds some of us didn’t know we had.

Adding a classic look to our uniform lineup this season! #NIKExNBA

?: https://t.co/WShQDY0adC #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/w3dmo87NZr

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 23, 2017

My Problem:

Minnesota isn’t known for much. We have really nice people who are well-educated and we have a weird pride about our state, that most other states don’t carry. We are bitter about a few things that have happened to Minnesota over its history. Two of them involve professional sports teams. The most recent one is the Minnesota North Stars who we can write about another day. But, the first crushing loss in Minnesota sports was losing the Lakers.

Both franchises took the nickname with them.

Because the Lakers were great, they had a brand that Bob Short didn’t want to lose. And, like I said before, the L’s roll right off the tongue. But with the name, they also took the history. That’s what really sucks. The first dynasty in NBA history is from our great state but is mostly forgotten by those who don’t pay close attention to the league and its history. When you think Lakers, you think about Jerry West, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy, not George Mikan (although he was so good that you do hear him mentioned sometimes with the Laker greats) and Vern Mikkelsen. Elgin Baylor was drafted while the Lakers were still in Minnesota won Rookie of the Year here in ’58-’59. He would have brought the fans and money back to Minnesota if they would have been given a couple more seasons. He was that type of player.

When Minnesota brought an NBA team back in 1987 they should’ve had the option of picking back up a great name that should have had great, rich Minnesota history. Instead, they were relegated to picking a new name. Let me be clear. I like the Timberwolves name and I am a die-hard (although the logo has had some issues). This is a principle thing. Bob Short was a business man who was hired to make his corporation money. But, he should have left the history here.

Another tragedy left by all of this? George Mikan was the league’s first superstar and can be credited as part of the reason why the NBA was able to take off, when other leagues didn’t. He doesn’t have his 99 jersey hanging in the rafters of a stadium. What a joke.

So, they feel entitled enough to sport a jersey with Minneapolis on the front but they can’t retire the jersey of the player who made their franchise. Without George Mikan, there likely isn’t a Los Angeles Lakers team.

So, get bent LA. Pretend to be Minnesota all you want, but until you’ve spent a weekend at the cabin, lakes won’t be your thing.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

Source: stewthornley.net