Olowokandi Gets Back on Floor

Found: Seven-foot center, had been stashed at the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ bench.

Center Michael Olowokandi returned to the NBA playoffs Friday after sitting out the previous three games, the dreaded “DNP-CD” no longer a formality next to his name in the box score.

Olowokandi didn’t match up too well against the smallish Sacramento Kings, but he played 33 minutes against the Lakers and finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Lakers’ 97-88 Game 1 victory.

Olowokandi scored only four points in the Sacramento series and was benched after committing three turnovers in three minutes in Game 4, but his play Friday earned praise from Coach Flip Saunders.

“Michael played well, considering he hasn’t played much the last three weeks,” Saunders said. “He had energy. He will play better next game, now that he has gotten a little bit of the rust off.”

Olowokandi was particularly efficient in the first half, scoring eight points on four-for-six shooting and taking seven rebounds.

*

It has been a season of firsts for the Timberwolves, who aren’t done yet, Saunders said before Game 1.

“There’s been a lot of talk that we’re happy to be here and I think that’s really not true,” he said. “We’ve been pretty workmanlike in everything that we’ve gone about doing this year. From Day 1, we’ve said what our goal was and we haven’t reached that yet. I think we’ll respond pretty well.”

*

Swingman Wally Szczerbiak, who fractured three vertebrae in the first round against Denver, is coming back slowly. He had nine points in Game 1 against the Lakers, making four of eight shots in 24 minutes.

“We’re still trying to limit him a little bit,” Saunders said. “He’s had one practice with us. We’re going to keep him in that 20-30 minute range at best.”

*

To Saunders, every NBA team seems to be in a zone defense.

“I’ve watched a lot of film over the last week,” he said. “If you look at everybody, even though everyone’s playing man-to-man, it looks like a zone. There’s one guy guarding the ball and four guys are standing in the paint. Everyone has got to the point where they’re saying, ‘We’re going to make you beat us over the top. Make jump shots.” ... Outside of Shaq [O’Neal], there’s not a lot of dominant inside scorers in the game right now.”