In a game when the Sonics could do no right, they still managed to pull off a 99-88 win versus the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves who now reside 12.5 games back of division leading Seattle.  The Sonics survived the first half riding on seldom used Vitaly Potapenko who was the only one to shoot over 40% in the first half.

The Sonics did finally catch up in the fourth quarter and it was smooth sailing from there as Ray Allen caught fire, finishing with a game-high 32 points.

The Clippers, coming off a blowout loss in Phoenix, came out with intensity and passion. The Wolves, perhaps rusty after a seven-day layoff, and with their injured floor leader, Sam Cassell, playing only ten minutes, came out missing shots and committing turnovers. Not that the Clippers were in any mood to sympathize, with Kerry Kittles, Marko Jaric and Shaun Livingston all sidelined. They made 12 of their first 18 shots, led by 9 at halftime, and never trailed.

The Clippers? passion extended into the stands, where a free-for-all incited by two young women captivated the crowd for two minutes of the third quarter. The crowd barely noticed Latrell Sprewell?s breakaway dunk that cut the Clipper lead to two points, but order was soon restored. The brawling fans were ejected and arrested, along with Minnesota?s rally.

It was another banner night for Elton Brand, who won his duel with Kevin Garnett. Brand had 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots, while Garnett managed only 14 points. Corey Maggette added 23, Rick Brunson had 10 assists in 33 minutes, and Chris Kaman, playing with ferocity under the glass, grabbed 10 rebounds and helped hassle Garnett into a 6-16 shooting night. Kaman?s back-to-back shots late in the fourth quarter frustrated a 10-2 run by the Wolves that saw them close to within 74-72 with less than four minutes remaining. Just when it appeared as if the Clippers were headed for another late-game collapse, Kaman muscled up a shot over two defenders, and then flipped in a lay-up off a nifty feed by Brunson. A step-back 20-foot jumper by Bobby Simmons sealed the victory with just under a minute left, but it was Kaman?s gritty work that impressed Coach Mike Dunleavy.

?When he takes his time and makes his move without [rushing shots], that?s when he?s at his best,? Dunleavy said of Kaman. ?He showed a lot of patience tonight.?

It was the kind of performance that only seems to come at home, and Kaman was unable to explain why. But he admitted to being tired toward the end of the road trip, and agreed with Dunleavy?s assessment. ?I did take my time a lot more than I usually do, and it worked out well for me,? said Kaman.

The game worked out nicely for the Clippers as well. They?re now 18-10 at home and still hopeful that the Lakers, whom they trail by 5 ? games for the final playoff spot, aren?t yet out of reach.

?To come home and beat a team directly ahead of us in the playoff race is a good feeling, ?said Brand. ?We?re not giving up ? there?s still a lot of time.?

The Celtics are in first place in the Atlantic Division, but reports are circulating that Gary Payton is available.  One rumor has him going to Minnesota in exchange for Sam Cassell.

"I don't pay attention to none of that, neither," said Payton. "After what's happened the last two years with my trades [from Seattle to Milwaukee, then LA to Boston], all this stuff is a business for me. If they called me today or tomorrow and said, `You've got to move, Gary,' I'm going to pack my bags up and I'm going to move on to the next place and I'm going to be good with it.

"But I'm not going to go too many more places. I'm not going to keep changing to different area codes. This [next move] is going to be the last for me. If it happens again, I'm going to have to just hang it up then."

University of Minnesota Athletics Director Joel Maturi said Dan Monson will coach his team next season.  With those words, Maturi has closed the door on any rumors of Flip Saunders being named head coach of the Gophers.  

Saunders, a Minnesota graduate reassigned by the Timberwolves and owed $8 million through next year, said he would consider options as they become available.

Monson made a name for himself turing Gonzaga, a school of just 6,000 students in Spokane, WA into a perennial NCAA powerhouse.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Jason Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz reportedly asked the Nets to trade Kidd to Minnesota.

When asked about it, Kidd gave a non-denial denial: "Not that I know of."

Kidd has gone back and forth all season long on whether he wishes to remain with New Jersey or be traded to a championship contender.

The Nets broke up a team that went to the Finals twice by trading away Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles this past offseason.

On Thursday night the Wolves showed their true colors in their 94-88 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once again, Wally Szczerbiak came off the bench and dominated with 26 points. This along with Garnett's 20 points and 18 boards was enough to get Minnesota their second win in a row. Just what they needed befrore going into the All-Star break.

While their on court chemistry was off and on during the night, Wolves fans saw that glimmer of greatness the team had last season, and could should regain after the coming break. In a post-game interview, coach Kevin McHale said, ``We can go through some dry spells on offense when you're kicking rear ends on defense. That's the way you have to play.'' Kicking rear ends is an understatment. The Wolves had a season high 14 blocked shots, and out-rebounded the Cavs by 10 boards.

The energy and intensity was a presence throughout the entire game, and Wolves fans are confident that that their team will continue to play well after the break. With Cassell likely to return shortly after All-Star weekend, the balance of playing time between him and Troy Hudson at point guard will greatly improve the T-Wolves' offensive threat. It's hard to imagine this deep, high-powered team not making the playoffs.

After the game, there was a plug for an interview between Georgetown Hoyas head coach John Thompson, and Kevin Garnett to be aired sometime during this All-star weekend. For those of you who witnessed this brief clip, clearly it is a must-see. For those of you who missed it, Thompson asks Garnett no BS questions, and gets him to speak from the heart. No media fluff, just real talk.

The Big Ticket outwardly showed his emotion when asked by Thompson "What is it that Drives you?" Garnett's powerful response, "I keep losing. I keep losing."

Despite the recent moves by New Jersey management to dramatically improve the team's talent since the season's start, it appears that star point guard Jason Kidd still is not sold on the Nets.

According to Ohm Youngmisuk of the New York Daily News Kidd still yearns to play with an All-Star big man, specifically Minnesota's Kevin Garnett.  The article states that the Daily News were informed of this fact by no fewer than five sources, and that Kidd is still upset over losing teammate Kenyon Martin to the Denver Nuggets over the summer.  He also is not convinced the Nets can win a championship with Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson - two athletic swingmen who offer similar strengths - and no All-Star presence inside.

When asked if Kidd has requested a trade, Nets president Rod Thorn said: "I don't have any comment about any private conversations about anybody."

Kidd says he has not asked to be dealt.

"That's news to me," Kidd said yesterday morning.

In addition to acquiring Carter the Nets have exhausted their trade exceptions from the Martin and Kerry Kittles trades to acquire center Elden Campbell off waivers and Clifford Robinson from the Golden State Warriors, both players bolstering the weak Nets frontcourt.

Are the moves enough to get the Nets into the playoffs?  "We will find out," said Kidd.

In his second game, Kevin McHale scored his first win as Timberwolves head coach, beating the New Jersey Nets by a final score of 82-71.

They got good play from an unexpected source, Michael Olowokandi, he scored 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The Nets got a season high of 18 points from Ron Mercer.

Minnesota, perhaps inspired by their new coach, had an edge of 52-41 on the boards.

Tonight's match-up between the Timberwolves and the Nets should be a good one.  With the Trade deadline rapidly approaching, it's time for Latrell Sprewell to make a statement about how valuable he really is.  Many feel that the lack of chemistry the T-Wolves are exhibiting on the court this year can be attributed to Sprewell's poor attitude.  

Only a fool would question the man's talent, we've all seen him get the job done.  However, attitude is everything, and like everything else in life, you only get out what you put in.  All it would take is for Latrell to remind himself why he plays this game, and make the necessary adjustments. Maybe this is easier said than done, but sometimes it's feels good to be idealistic.  To be honest, I'd like to see him stay with the Wolves.  He's got what it takes, he just needs to start playing again.

I'm sure right about now, Sprewell is wishing that he would have signed the 3-year/ 21 million contract the Wolves offered him at the beginning of the season.  The chances of him getting offered that kind of money by another organization at this point are very slim.  I don't care who you are, or what you do, that's a lot of money and one should be grateful. Getting paid 7-million dollars a year to play basketball is a gift from the heavens.  And C'mon, what's the difference betwenn making 7 million and year, and say 8.3?  When your talking about those kind of numbers, it's negligable.

Kevin McHale has stressed that he will not be the long-term answer as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and other than the pipe dream of Phil Jackson being thrown out, Eric Musselman appears to be a leading candidate.

Musselman helped turnaround the Warriors, nearly taking them to the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Musselman was an assistant in Minnesota under his father Bill Musselman.