Szczerbiak Is Back in the Groove

So much for restricting Wally Szczerbiak’s playing time.

On a night when the Minnesota Timberwolves needed him most, Szczerbiak scored 16 points in 39 minutes Sunday, two days after Coach Flip Saunders said he would play only 20 to 30 minutes to ensure his gradual return from three cracked vertebrae.

Neither Szczerbiak nor Saunders had a choice after Sam Cassell left the game in the first minute because of a back injury.

Szczerbiak, who also had seven assists in the Timberwolves’ 89-71 victory, said he welcomed the end of his per-game time limit, even if there was no alternative.

“I’m glad to see it’s out the window,” Szczerbiak said. “I want to be out there all 48 minutes, if possible.”

Szczerbiak, who was injured after a hard fall to the floor in the first round against the Denver Nuggets, had averaged 17 minutes in his previous four games.

“You can’t just get back on the court after missing three weeks,” he said. “It was important for me to get a few minutes here and there in the Sacramento series. I’m just glad to be part of the action now.”

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Saunders asked for more resistance against Shaquille O’Neal after Game 1, and his big men delivered.

O’Neal often was kept from getting prime post position by Ervin Johnson or Michael Olowokandi and finished with only 14 points and four-for-10 shooting.

“When he was getting the ball, he was getting it three or four feet from where he wants to,” Saunders said.

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Oliver Miller, who represents six of the 24 fouls the Timberwolves can take on O’Neal, along with six each for Johnson, Olowokandi and Mark Madsen, played against O’Neal in college, when the 6-foot-9 Miller was a mere 270-pounder and O’Neal weighed but 300.

“That’s when he was more aggressive and more agile and able to do a lot more,” Miller said. “Now, he went from a 24-Hour Fitness building to a Target Center building. ... A lot of guys in the league are strong. But you’ve got Shaq, who is Shaq.”

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A conversation between Kevin Garnett and Fred Hoiberg in the Timberwolves’ huddle, as told by Saunders: “So KG asks a question of Freddie. He said, ‘Freddie, you want me to bring the ball up, set the screen and pop out and get it?’ And Freddie said, ‘Go ahead and do that.’

“Well, you can’t do all three on one play. Unless we can clone him in 24 hours, it’s going to be impossible to do that.”