It Was No MVP Performance

No fiendish crossovers, no tomahawk jams, no postgame dancing on top of the scorer’s table.

It was a quiet Friday night for league MVP Kevin Garnett, ending with much less splendor than the impromptu courtside session he conducted Wednesday, microphone in hand, after the Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Sacramento Kings.

Garnett was harassed Friday by Karl Malone, and Kobe Bryant at opportune times in a double team, scoring 16 points on seven-for-15 shooting. He had 10 rebounds and four turnovers in the Lakers’ 97-88 victory in Game 1.

In the end, the best thing his coach could say was that he made good passes that led to other good passes that led to baskets.

“He made ‘hockey assist’ passes,” Flip Saunders said. “He made good plays offensively.”

Garnett made great plays in Game 7 against the Kings, scoring 32 points and taking 21 rebounds as the Timberwolves won a Game 7 for the first time in their 15-season history.

But Friday was different. Friday was the Lakers. Friday was a learning experience, if there is such a thing this late in the season.

“They were really coming fast,” Garnett said. “They weren’t letting me put the ball on the floor. I have the film. I’ll have to go home and dissect it.”

It already has been a long week for Garnett.

It started with an apology, a public acknowledgement that he went too far when he compared the Sacramento-Minnesota series to a war before Game 7. He apologized to war veterans and to families of soldiers serving overseas.

Then he strapped his team on his shoulders, carrying the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals for the first time with an emotional victory against the Kings.

Then came Friday, a date with the Lakers that ended costing Minnesota the home-court advantage.

Afterward, Garnett was asked if he was feeling tired, two days after his 28th birthday.

“Fatigue’s not an issue right now,” he said. “This is the Western Conference finals right now. Either you suck it up or you go home. This is not the time to be tired. Fatigue is not a word I’m going to use, ever.”

But he did talk about the need to be more aggressive.

Garnett had done a credible job of getting to the free-throw line this season, but he attempted only two free throws against the Lakers.

At the other end, Bryant attempted eight for the Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal had 11.

“I’ve got to figure out a way to be more aggressive without being so passive,” Garnett said.

The Lakers won’t complain.

“We want to make it difficult for him,” Bryant said. “Karl did a good job bodying him. Every dribble he takes, we want him to feel like he’s crowded. We had hands up there in his face when he shot the ball.”

The Timberwolves need Garnett to return to his playoff averages of 24.7 points, 15.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He had only two assists Friday.

“We’ve been down 1-0 before,” he said. “Now it’s time to regroup and get ready for Sunday’s game. “We’ve still got a lot of confidence that we can beat this team.”