MINNEAPOLIS — During the last four seasons of futility the Minnesota Timberwolves never finished higher than 27th in total attendance in the NBA.
The one good thing for the players about an empty Target Center was that a crowd that had been worn down by a dozen straight years of losing rarely had the energy, or the attention span, to boo. No matter how bad it got, no matter how long the losing streak, Wolves fans sat meekly and watched politely, cheering when they got rolling and sighing or rolling their eyes when things went south.
Then came Tuesday night, when an Indiana Pacers team that is expected to be among the worst in a horrendous Eastern Conference, one that was missing its best player in Myles Turner, took a 23-point lead with 7:29 left in the fourth quarter of a 130-107 victory over the Wolves.