Minnesota Timberwolves: The 6 Best and Worst Moments from March

From a three-game win streak to Ricky Rubio's injury to Kevin Love's 51-point game, March has been a roller-coaster month for the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Midwest team is still clinging to hope for that No. 8 playoff spot.

Here are Minnesota's six best and worst moments from the month of March.

BEST Moment No. 1: 3-Game Win Streak, Mar. 3-7

Minnesota started out the month of March the right way, winning three games in a row. The Wolves beat the Portland Trail Blazers in two consecutive matchups—Mar. 3 and Mar. 7—and came out on top of Blake Griffin and the L.A. Clippers at the Target Center Mar. 5. 

The Timberwolves are 3-0 this season against the 27-21 Clippers, and each game has played to the nail-biting finish.

Everyone on the Minnesota roster was at the top of his game on this stretch, as the Wolves scored a total of 323 points over the three contests.

BEST Moment No. 2: David Kahn NOT Making a Trade Before Mar. 15 Deadline

Prior to the Mar. 15 trade deadline, it was speculated that the Timberwolves would engage in a three-way trade with L.A. and Portland that would essentially ship out Michael Beasley—and perhaps Luke Ridnour—and bring in Jamal Crawford. 

After the deadline came and went without any action on Minnesota's part, CBS Sports senior blogger Matt Moore weighed in:

"

There were trades to be made. Kahn's got the Wolves in a position to compete for the postseason. He could've gone after Jamal Crawford, he could've sold off Michael Beasley, he could've tried to bring in point guard help. He could've done something dramatic like deal Derrick Williams for a bigger name player. But he didn't. He stood pat. For once, he stopped and believed in his process.

"

Granted, Kahn's move—or lack thereof—was probably due in part to L.A. bringing in Ramon Sessions and altering the potential for the three-way deal. Regardless of the reasons behind it, however, his stance will prove positive for Minnesota in the long run.

Royce Young said, "Instead of being shortsighted about scrambling for the eight-seed [in the playoffs], Kahn stuck to the plan and kept his assets in his pockets."

 

BEST Moment No. 3: Kevin Love Scores Franchise-High 51 Points Against OKC

In an exciting game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Mar. 23, All-Star Kevin Love set a franchise record when he scored an incredible 51 points for the evening.

Love went 7-of-11 from downtown, and he shot 16-of-27 from the field. The fourth-year forward snapped the previous record—set by Kevin Garnett—of 47 points, knocking down the last-second three-pointer to tie the game at 116 and head into overtime. 

Love added 14 rebounds to his stat line as well, being the first one to tally such a combination since Dirk Nowitzki did it in 2004-2005.

WORST Moment No. 1: Ricky Rubio Tears ACL, out for Season

Above all, the loss of rookie Ricky Rubio stands out as a painful March memory.

The point guard tore his ACL in a contest against the LA Lakers on March 10. The injury happened with only 16.4 seconds remaining in the game, and although the play didn't look too serious initially, reports the next day confirmed that Rubio would be sidelined for the remainder for the season.

Prior to the injury, Rubio was averaging 8.2 APG and 10.6 PPG. Although replacement PG Luke Ridnour can statistically fill Rubio's shoes (Ridnour is averaging 13 points and nine assists per game), the game just runs smoother with Rubio at the helm.

At only 21 years old, Rubio exhibits a natural authority on the court, instinctively reading the floor and creating plays at a level above most veterans.

There's no doubt about it—without Rubio on the floor—Minnesota's shot at the postseason is a lot weaker.

WORST Moment No. 2: Grueling 7-Game Road Trip, Mar. 12-23

In mid-March, the Timberwolves embarked on a grueling 16-day road trip that kept them mostly on the West Coast before ending in Oklahoma City Friday night.

The Wolves went 2-5 on the stint, defeating Phoenix and Golden State but falling to Utah, LA (Lakers), Sacramento, San Antonio and OKC.

Besides tallying five losses, that time period also saw a rise in the "W" column for teams such as the Jazz and the Rockets, who are pulling ahead of Minnesota in the race for that last spot in the playoffs.

Overall, it was not a good two weeks for the Wolves.

WORST Moment No. 3: Despite Love's 51 Points, Wolves Lose to OKC in Double OT

Friday night's game against OKC goes both in the "best" and "worst" moments of March.

Despite Love's valiant efforts and the team pulling together without Michael Beasley, Nikola Pekovic or Ricky Rubio, Minnesota fell 149-140 to the Thunder after a double-OT situation.

Was it a surprise that we ended up losing? In all honesty, not really. The contest wrapped up the 16-day road trip for the Wolves, and OKC is the best team in the Western Conference. However, it would have been a huge morale booster for these guys had they been able to pull off the win.

ESPN's Dana Wessel gives Minnesota some much-deserved respect:

"Through it all, Love and the Wolves showed there still is some fight left in this team, even with the cards stacked against them since Rubio went down."

Although it's one of the "worst" March moments, this game is more of a bitter-sweet memory from the month.

Looking on to April

March definitely proved to be a challenging month, delivering pros and cons for Minnesota. Looking back over the general outcome, though, I think Timberwolves fans are looking forward to a new month and a fresh slate.

They have three games remaining—Memphis and Charlotte on the road and Boston at the Target Center. Look for the Wolves to continue fighting for a playoff spot as they head into April.