Minnesota Went Straight to Source

Kevin Garnett scored against the Lakers, took rebounds against the Lakers, handed out assists against the Lakers, and when it was over, was compared to one of the Lakers.

The league MVP finished with 30 points, 19 rebounds, four assists and one favorable comparison to Magic Johnson after the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Lakers, 98-96, on Saturday to force a Game 6 in the Western Conference finals.

“What we ask KG to do is remarkable,” Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders said. “The only other time I can remember something similar is Magic and what was asked of him with the Lakers against Philly [in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals when he scored 42 points and grabbed 15 rebounds]. He had to play center and basically took over the game.

“KG was all over out there. He guarded everybody, from Shaq [O’Neal] to Kobe [Bryant] to [Derek] Fisher. He handled the ball and initiated our offense.”

Garnett, who took 120 of 123 first-place votes in MVP balloting, shed his reputation last month of not being able to lead a team past the first round. He has lifted his teammates against the Lakers, forcing Timberwolves’ management to charter the team jet at least one more time.

“We knew that if we didn’t win this game it was summer vacation,” Garnett said. “We were more than encouraged, more than enthused. Now we’ve got to figure out a way to carry this energy to the road.”

After sitting out 32 seconds in Game 4, Garnett missed only two minutes 24 seconds of Game 5.

“He is physically exhausted,” Saunders said. “I asked him in the first half if he wanted to come out. He said no. I asked him in the third quarter, and he said no. After the stretch in the fourth, he finally asked to come out.”

With the knowledge that a victory had tacked on two more days to the Timberwolves’ season, perhaps more, Garnett said he felt fine.

“I’m not tired at all,” he said. “Fatigue is not a word I’m going to use ever in these press conferences.”

Garnett was buoyed by the return of the Timberwolves’ perimeter game, a nonentity in the series thanks primarily to Sam Cassell’s cranky back. Swingman Latrell Sprewell helped out with 28 points and guard Fred Hoiberg finally made more than a passing contribution with 14 points.

Garnett had 12 points and two assists in the third quarter, which had been quicksand for the Timberwolves in the previous four games. For once, they won the quarter, 27-23, and built a 10-point lead entering the fourth.

Garnett didn’t score a basket in the fourth quarter, but he made five of six free throws and had perhaps the game’s most important assist. After the Lakers had sliced the lead from 16 to six, Garnett passed to Hoiberg for a 20-foot baseline shot with 2:29 left to play. Hoiberg made the shot while being fouled by Bryant and added the free throw to give the Timberwolves an 89-80 lead.

“We can’t come into the locker room talking about we ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda,’ ” Garnett said. “We didn’t want to be in a situation like that. We don’t consider this thing to be over. We know we beat them by 20 one time here and we know that’s not by coincidence.”

Eighteen, actually, in Game 2, but nobody would argue with Garnett, who set up Monday’s game with a Hollywood analogy.

“The biggest question mark is how do we carry this over to L.A.,” he said. “If we lose there, it’s a wrap. If we don’t, it’s back at Target Center.”