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Wolves cough up big lead; win in overtime
May 11, 2004

Chris Webber of the Sacramento Kings reacts to the referee's call as Kevin Garnett of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinal of the NBA Playoffs at Arco Arena on May 10, 2004 (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Sacramento, Calif. — (AP) - Kevin Garnett already had the smile, the scintillating game and the MVP award - and when he calmly hit a fallaway jumper in the dwindling seconds of overtime, his fans had their first unforgettable playoff memory. Garnett scored 15 of his 30 points after the third quarter of the first landmark playoff performance of his career, leading the Timberwolves to a 114-113 victory over the Kings in Game 3 of the second-round series Monday night.

Minnesota nearly blew the victory, allowing Sacramento to rally from a 14-point deficit in the final four minutes of regulation. Peja Stojakovic forced overtime, hitting two late 3-pointers in a thrilling duel with Garnett.

	Two more for Bibby

But with a one-point lead and time running out, the Wolves put their hopes squarely on Garnett's shoulders. He calmly glanced at the opposite shot clock, moved and jumped backward, releasing a soft jumper that bounced in with 10.8 seconds left in overtime.

When Stojakovic failed to score on a difficult jumper before the buzzer, Garnett led the Timberwolves off the court with a 2-1 series lead. Both victories were tense, last-second affairs - and Garnett embraced the pressure.

"That's what everybody wants you to do," Garnett said. "I'm in a position where I have to make decisions, like a point guard. If you make it, you're a hero. If you miss it, everybody hates you.

"But I've got a strong back and a strong spine, and I've got full confidence in my teammates."

Game 4 is Wednesday night in Sacramento.

In the only other game Monday night, Miami beat Indiana 94-87 to cut the Pacers' lead to 2-1 in the Eastern Conference series.

The other conference semifinals resume Tuesday night, with San Antonio at the Los Angeles Lakers in the West, and Detroit at New Jersey in the East. San Antonio and Detroit have 2-1 leads.

The Kings played indifferently and seemed headed for a loss until Stojakovic and Mike Bibby suddenly awoke from terrible games with four minutes left in regulation. After Stojakovic tied it, Garnett couldn't even get off a shot in the closing seconds of regulation when three Kings swarmed him.

But Garnett shook off that failure and reminded his teammates to trust him. The Timberwolves had lost seven straight first-round series before Garnett and eight new teammates advanced this spring. They've won six of their first eight postseason games.

"What's happened to this organization in the past is in the past," he said. "We're trying to focus on the present."

And the present looks good for Minnesota, halfway to the franchise's first trip to the Western Conference finals. Their victories have been anything but easy, with this heart-stopper following the Wolves' rally from a 10-point deficit in the final four minutes to win Game 2.

Stojakovic traded scores with Garnett in an unbearably tense overtime. But after Latrell Sprewell hit a jumper with 59 seconds left to claim a one-point lead for Minnesota, Chris Webber made a turnover to set up Garnett's big shot.

"That's why he's the MVP," Sam Cassell said. "I keep telling him, 'Kevin, you amaze me sometimes.' "

Stojakovic hit two free throws with 6.1 seconds left, and Garnett was called for traveling two seconds later. Sacramento got the ball to Stojakovic, but he failed to draw a foul from Trenton Hassell on an awkward jumper shortly before time expired.

"We knew they would go to him," Hassell said. "He jumped into me. You don't want to foul a jump shooter."

"I just think a guy gets that close to a shooter at the end of a game and forces him to change his shot and gets a body on him, it should be a foul," Kings coach Rick Adelman said. "I feel bad for Peja, because he deserved more respect than that."

Garnett also grabbed 15 rebounds, while Sprewell had 25 points and nine rebounds. Fred Hoiberg hit four 3-pointers, and Hassell scored 16 points.

But the game boiled down to a thrilling duel between All-Stars, and Garnett was slightly better than Stojakovic. They traded scores until Stojakovic gave Sacramento a one-point lead on a layup with 1:11 left in overtime - but he finally blinked, missing a free throw.

"It's over. I missed it. We lost the game," said Stojakovic, whose streak of 66 consecutive free throws was snapped in the first quarter.

Doug Christie had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings, and Bibby scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter before fouling out in overtime. Webber had 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

"We should let this hurt the heck out of us tonight," said Webber, who didn't score in overtime. "Hopefully the pain will sink in."

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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