As the season closes this coming week, it's a good time to reflect upon the year that the Timberwolves had. That's not what I'm doing, however. Instead, I'm imploring you as a huge Timberwolves fan: become a crazed Utah Jazz fan in the next coming days. Wish upon that wishing star, wear your lucky boxers and say your prayers that the Jazz keep winning regular season games.

(Did Anthony Randolph's performance against Denver deny Darko Milicic a back-to-back Frontcourt Phenomena award? Click "Read More" to find out. Plus, Anthony Randolph might smile if you do.) 

With the official NBA awards yet several weeks away, I felt it was time to get in the award spirit with a ceremony of our own. The award I’m talking about, of course, is the Frontcourt Phenomena award given to the Timberwolves forward or center that posts a game that transcends their body of work so far that you seek eyewitness accounts to back up the box score. If you happen to witness a Frontcourt Phenomena worthy game, you may do things like check for a blood red moon, verify the temperature in Hell, or simply, look out the window for flying pigs.

Part II of this article is the second half of my Defense Against Hatred for the Lakers. To see the first half, click here.

In 2004, the Minnesota Timberwolves were the best team in the NBA. Yeah, you can read the independent clause of that previous sentence a couple times for moral support. It is true. The three-headed monster of Kevin Garnett, 2004's NBA Most Valuable Player, Latrell Sprewell, 2009's Wisconsin's leading tax delinquent, and Sam Cassell, Wizards' current assistant coach, was unstoppable. En route to a 58-24 record, the Timberwolves excited fans across the country and packed Target Center every game.

Though I was only in 6th grade, I can guarantee that I missed less than 10 games that year. Every morning on the bus to school, I would talk with my best friend about the previous night in the NBA - like why Trenton Hassel's high socks were the bomb, or how Jermaine O'Neal had another double-double. Coached by Flip Saunders, the motivated Timberwolves made it out of the first round of the Playoffs for the first time in franchise history. After taking down the Nuggets and the Kings, we faced the evil empire Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

"As big of a reason as any for the Timberwolves' turnaround, Rick Adelman has emerged as a Coach of the Year candidate."

I really didn’t think this would happen. I wasn’t sure with this team it was possible. I thought that they were too injury hampered. I thought that this Wolves team was done being fun the night Ricky Rubio fell to the Target Center floor while clutching his ACL. I also thought that they wouldn’t truly be fun again until next season when everyone else got healthy, not just Rubio. Today, I’m starting to get the feeling I underestimated this team.