1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves season

KLGT-TV Midwest Sports Channel (lost to SuperSonics 2–3)

The 1997–98 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the ninth season for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the National Basketball Association. During the off-season, the Timberwolves acquired Stanley Roberts from the Los Angeles Clippers, and later on signed free agent Tom Hammonds in November. In October, All-Star forward Kevin Garnett signed a six-year contract extension with the Timberwolves, which was worth $126 million.

After a 4–1 start to the regular season, the Timberwolves played around .500 in winning percentage before posting a seven-game winning streak in January. However, the team lost Tom Gugliotta for the remainder of the season to an ankle injury after 41 games; Chris Carr, who became the team's starting shooting guard this season, also went down with an ankle injury, only playing 51 games. At mid-season, the team traded long-time Timberwolves guard Doug West to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Anthony Peeler. The Timberwolves held a 26–20 record at the All-Star break, and won seven of their final eight games of the season, finishing in third place in the Midwest Division with a 45–37 record, which was their first record above .500; the team earned the seventh seed in the Western Conference, and qualified for their second NBA playoff appearance.

Gugliotta averaged 20.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while Garnett averaged 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, and second-year star Stephon Marbury provided the team with 17.7 points, 8.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In addition, Peeler contributed 13.0 points, 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 30 games after the trade, while Sam Mitchell provided with 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, Carr contributed 9.9 points per game, and Terry Porter contributed 9.5 points and 3.3 assists per game. On the defensive side, Cherokee Parks averaged 7.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Roberts contributed 6.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Hammonds provided with 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game off the bench.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, Garnett was selected for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game, as a member of the Western Conference All-Star team; he also finished tied in eleventh place in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1998 NBA playoffs, the Timberwolves faced off against the 2nd–seeded, and Pacific Division champion Seattle SuperSonics, who were led by the All-Star trio of Gary Payton, Vin Baker and Detlef Schrempf. After losing Game 1 on the road, 108–83 at the KeyArena at Seattle Center, the Timberwolves won their first ever NBA playoff game in Game 2, defeating the SuperSonics on the road, 98–93 to even the series. The Timberwolves then won Game 3 at home, 98–90 at the Target Center to take a 2–1 series lead over the SuperSonics. However, after losing Game 4 at home, 92–88, the Timberwolves then lost Game 5 to the SuperSonics at the KeyArena at Seattle Center, 97–84, thus losing in a hard-fought five-game series.

The Timberwolves finished eleventh in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 738,590 at the Target Center during the regular season. Following the season, Gugliotta signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns, while Porter signed with the Miami Heat, Roberts signed with the Houston Rockets, Parks signed with the Vancouver Grizzlies, and the oft-injured Michael Williams, who returned to play for the Timberwolves for the first time in two years due to a left heel injury, was released to free agency.