Minnesota's franchise legend made his long-awaited return to the Target Center on Sunday against the Pelicans.
There are nights that are about the box score, and there are nights that are about something bigger than basketball. Sunday at Target Center was the latter. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the New Orleans Pelicans 132-126 in their regular season finale, but Kevin Garnett being in the building was the biggest news of the day.
The Hall of Fame forward, the franchise's all-time leader in nearly every major statistical category, walked in with co-owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez following player introductions. He patted his chest with his hand as the crowd roared.
He gave Anthony Edwards a bear hug before finding his courtside seat. It was the kind of moment that transcends the regular season, and Chris Finch made no attempt to undersell it.
"It was great energy in the building, you just kind of sensed it was a special night," Finch said. "He came in pregame, he talked to the guys. Went around the locker room individually and talked to the coaching staff a bit, it was fun."
What KG's Return Meant for This Locker Room
This was a moment Wolves fans had waited years for. Garnett didn't have the greatest relationship with the previous ownership group, so this was the right time for him to be back, in his eyes.
"He was excited to be back, no doubt about it. It was a pretty neat moment when he walked out. I think it was good for our guys, because they got a sense of just how important somebody with a legacy is, and what that really means."
Minnesota is a young team with legitimate championship aspirations, and there's a version of a night like this that just becomes a feel-good footnote. But Finch identified something real in what Garnett brought into that building, something that can't be manufactured in a film session or a practice.
Legacy is a concept that's easy to talk about in the abstract. When a guy who built his entire career on intensity, loyalty, and an unwillingness to back down from anything walks into your locker room and looks you in the eye, it stops being abstract.
Dec 28, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Garnett (21) pounds his chest before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn ImagesMinnesota Heads to Denver With Momentum
The Wolves' roster got a direct line to what this franchise is capable of producing, and what this fan base expects from the people who wear that uniform. Garnett spent 14 seasons in Minnesota, made eight playoff appearances with the franchise, and won an MVP award before eventually departing.
His falling out with former owner Glen Taylor kept him away for years. But last year he reached an agreement to serve as a team ambassador, and Sunday was the most visible moment of that renewed relationship so far.
The Wolves finish the regular season at 49-33 and head into the first round as the No. 6 seed, set to face the No. 3 Denver Nuggets starting Saturday. It's a tough draw, but this is a team that's built for the moment.
They got a reminder Sunday of what it looks like when a player pours everything into this organization and earns a permanent place in it. For a group with its own aspirations of building something lasting in Minnesota, that's not a bad thing to carry into the postseason.