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By Josiah Hager

--STATE OF THE TEAM--

With a 108-102 win over the Bucks on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves have 41 wins (second only to the Indiana's 42 and tied with Sacramento) and are on a pace to shatter the franchises previous record of 52 wins in a season. Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell are playing the best basketball of their careers, and Latrell Sprewell has revitalized his career in the Twin Cities. The Wolves have solid role players in the likes of Trenton Hassell, Fred Hoiberg and Gary Trent. They have hustle in Mark Madsen. I have not even mentioned Wally Szczerbiak, an All Star last year who is just coming off a foot injury that has sidelined him since training camp. Michael Olawakandi and Troy Hudson are also coming off long injuries. In short, the Wolves have all the pieces in place to make a run at an NBA Championship. Certainly, the first round is the first hurdle, but no longer will a second-round berth be considered enough for the Timberwolves, and that is a great thing for fans of this team.

The Wolves are on the back end of a five-game stretch against some very tough teams (back to back wins against Sacramento and Detroit, followed by a loss to the Spurs at home and a victory in Milwaukee) that culminates Wednesday night with a home game against the New Jersey Nets, winners of fourteen games in a row and thirteen under new head coach Lawrence Frank.

The Big Three of Garnett, Sprewell and Cassell are playing as well as they have all season. Szczerbiak, coming off his injury, is still finding his legs but his shot is right there. Mark Madsen, who hustles as much as anybody who has ever played the game of basketball, presents a problem for Wolves' coach Flip Saunders, because for all his heart and energy, he is an offensive liability. Oliver Miller passes extremely well and has soft hands to catch many of Garnett's no-look passes, but he is virtually incapable of making shots more than a few feet away from the hoop. Nonetheless, the role players are in place and the responsibility ultimately falls upon the Big Three to get the job done. This is the way NBA basketball works, and so far that is how the Wolves have excelled: they are getting great performances from great players.

The Wolves are playing at an interesting pace. They have avoided extremely long winning or losing streaks. Solid play has defined their season; they have been blown out in very few games this year.

Kevin Garnett, the team's (and arguably the league's) best player, is coming off back-to-back NBA player of the month awards. He, much like his team, has yet to play poorly for any length of time. Occasionally a victim of his own statistical greatness, he now has the teammates that allow him to play his own style of sharing the ball and getting teammates involved. Garnett, Cassell and Spreewell are each capable of putting up 25 points on any given night, and sometimes all three break 20.

The Wolves close out February against New Jersey, Golden State and Philadelphia and open March (which Garnett has called the most important month of the season) with tough games against the Mavericks and Rockets. The Wolves have proven that they can beat any team in the NBA this year, but must continue to prove that as they close out the season and head into the playoffs. As well as things are going for the Timberwolves, no one, including the Wolves themselves, will consider this season a success unless they succeed in the postseason. The Twin Cities are ready for a championship, KG is ready to take the throne as the league's best player, and the team is built to win right now. As a fan of the team and the NBA, I can't wait to watch the rest of this season play out. The team, however, doesn't have the luxury of looking ahead, and must concentrate on this week's games and continue to play winning basketball.

--THIS WEEK'S BIG QUESTION--

Will Wally Szczerbiak accept being the fourth offensive option?

As long as he accepts his reduced role, he could be a catalyst in the playoffs, forcing teams to cover him and reducing their ability to double team Garnett in the post. He has already said that he is committed to winning and will do what is necessary to help the team reach their ultimate goal. I believe that Wally and the rest of the team believe that this is a special season for the Timberwolves and all are willing to do what is best for the team even if that means taking a less flashy role.

--THIS WEEK'S BIG GAME--

Wednesday against the Nets. The Wolves showed what they can do, winning big without Sam Cassell and shutting the Nets down.