Influenced by $79 Million-Worth ?Big Balls? Frolics, Kevin Garnett Was Left With Broken Championship Dream

NBA legend Kevin Garnett needed a bit of time to adjust to the league after coming straight from high school. But once he did, KG was unstoppable for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 15x NBA All-Star soon became one of the best players and won the NBA MVP award in 2004. Behind Garnett and a strong support system, the Wolves were expected to be in contention for the championship. Unfortunately, their title dreams came to an end because of the “big balls” celebration according to the coach himself.

The Timberwolves have been unsuccessful since they joined the NBA in 1989. The Wolves’ best run in the playoffs came during the 2003-04 season when they reached the Western Conference Finals. With KG, they were primed to win it all only for the celebration to ruin it.

The celebration caused the fall of the title favorites

Celebrations are part of basketball and almost every other sport. As the NBA evolved over the years, celebrations have changed as well. From simple high fives to choreographed unique handshakes for each teammate, the league has seen it all. Also, these celebrations help fire up teammates and fans as well which could help seal a tough game. However, sometimes, it doesn’t go according to plan. And the Timberwolves are a prime example.

MVP Kevin Garnett helped the Wolves clinch the #1 seed in the 2003-04 season. And they were the favorites to win it all. Sam Cassell was an All-Star that year and played a huge role in the team’s success. Notably, Cassell had a signature “big balls” celebration which was inspired by the movie Major League II. He used it whenever he hit a game-winner or a go-ahead shot in the dying minutes of a close game to energize his teammates.

In the Conference Semi-Finals against the Sacramento Kings, the #1 seed lost the first game. So, game-2 was very important and went to the wire. This was when Cassell hit a huge shot to seal the win. As he went back to the bench, he did the “big balls” dance. The point guard was reportedly playing with a hip injury and the celebration aggravated it said Wolves’ head coach Flip Saunders.

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Even though Cassell played the rest of the series against the Kings, he did not play games 5 and 6 in the Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Without him, the Wolves crumbled to a 4-2 defeat. According to a report from the Athletic, ?My dad said he would have maybe had an NBA championship if Sam didn?t do that dance,? said Ryan Saunders, Flip?s son and former Wolves coach.

Ultimately, this brought an end to the championship dreams of Garnett and the Wolves. The team also did not make the playoffs for 12 years after this heartbreak.

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Kevin Garnett moved to the Boston Celtics in 2007 and helped win the title in 2008 against the Lakers. Notably, Sam Cassell was also part of that title-winning Celtics team.