When was the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves played in a conference finals, and what happened?

In 1989, NBA basketball returned to the Twin Cities for the first time since the Minneapolis Lakers (1947–1960) moved to Los Angeles in 1960. In 2003, Rob Babcock was promoted to vice president of player personnel and, along with general manager Kevin McHale, made strategic off-season moves to strengthen the team. They traded Joe Smith and Terrell Brandon for Ervin Johnson, Sam Cassell, and Latrell Sprewell. They also signed Fred Hoiberg, Michael Olowokandi, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson, and Mark Madsen.

Despite injuries to a revitalized Olowokandi (who missed half the season) and 6th man Wally Szczerbiak (who only played in 28 games), the revamped Timberwolves became the team to beat during the 2003–04 NBA season, finishing as the top seed in the Western Conference with a record of 58–24. It was Kevin Garnett’s best season, with Sprewell and Cassell also excelling. Garnett and Cassell made the All-Star team, with Garnett earning 1st Team All-NBA and his first MVP award, averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.

During the 2004 NBA playoffs, the Wolves won their first-ever playoff series against the Denver Nuggets before beating the Sacramento Kings in a hard-fought seven-game series to advance to the franchise’s first Western Conference Finals. Kevin Garnett leaped upon the scorer’s table upon winning Game 7 in the Sacramento series, which became one of the more iconic moments in Minnesota sports history. The Timberwolves’ run ended in the Western Conference Finals as the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sam Cassell injured his groin during Game 7 against the Kings, doing his infamous big balls dance after knocking down the series-clinching bucket, and as a result, played only sparingly during the Lakers series. Many around the NBA, including both Flip Saunders and Phil Jackson, believe that had he been healthy, the Wolves would have advanced to the finals.