Oct 30, 2016

The Never-ending Wager?

Results through game of Mon, Mar 27, 2023

It has been a rough decade or so for these two franchises. Wolves lead series 31-28
Jeff owes Steve - $300

Years ago when our favorite NBA teams were relevant---perennial playoff teams featuring hall-of-famers Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber---my good friend Jeff and I had a standing five dollar bet on each game between the two. We renewed the bet year after year without paying any attention to the money.

At some point in 2008 or so, Jeff suggested we up the bet to $100 per game and keep track starting (retroactively) with the 2005/06 season. This bold idea may or may not have occurred over a couple of glasses of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

A lot of mediocre basketball has been played since then---and those were the good games. Prosperity is just around the corner for at least one of the teams. The Timberwolves, for sure.

Below is a game-by-game list of results and a running account of monies owed (you will see it is usually me on the debit side of the ledger). This page will be auto-updated on the morning after each new game. Click on individual game results to see box scores. (Pro tip: scroll past the game log to find a series of related photographs and memories.)

Game-by-game

Sun, Dec 4, 2005	@Sac	Wolves 85-77	Steve $+100
Tue, Dec 13, 2005	@Min	Kings 93-91
Sun, Mar 19, 2006	@Min	Wolves 95-89	Steve $+100
Mon, Nov 6, 2006	@Sac	Kings 93-81
Wed, Jan 31, 2007	@Min	Kings 100-98	Jeff $+100
Wed, Mar 21, 2007	@Sac	Wolves 95-89
Sat, Nov 10, 2007	@Sac	Kings 100-93	Jeff $+100
Wed, Nov 14, 2007	@Min	Wolves 108-103
Fri, Mar 7, 2008	@Sac	Wolves 111-103	Steve $+100
Fri, Nov 7, 2008	@Sac	Kings 121-109
Mon, Dec 15, 2008	@Sac	Kings 118-103	Jeff $+100
Wed, Apr 15, 2009	@Min	Kings 97-90	Jeff $+200
Sat, Dec 12, 2009	@Sac	Kings 120-100	Jeff $+300
Fri, Dec 18, 2009	@Min	Wolves 112-96	Jeff $+200
Sun, Mar 14, 2010	@Sac	Kings 114-100	Jeff $+300
Wed, Mar 31, 2010	@Min	Wolves 108-99	Jeff $+200
Wed, Nov 10, 2010	@Sac	Wolves 98-89	Jeff $+100
Sun, Mar 20, 2011	@Min	Kings 127-95	Jeff $+200
Mon, Jan 16, 2012	@Min	Wolves 99-86	Jeff $+100
Tue, Feb 7, 2012	@Min	Wolves 86-84
Sun, Mar 18, 2012	@Sac	Kings 115-99	Jeff $+100
Mon, Apr 2, 2012	@Sac	Kings 116-108	Jeff $+200
Tue, Nov 27, 2012	@Sac	Wolves 97-89	Jeff $+100
Thu, Mar 21, 2013	@Sac	Kings 101-98	Jeff $+200
Wed, Jan 15, 2014	@Min	Kings 111-108	Jeff $+300
Sat, Mar 1, 2014	@Sac	Wolves 108-97	Jeff $+200
Sun, Mar 16, 2014	@Min	Wolves 104-102	Jeff $+100
Sun, Apr 13, 2014	@Sac	Kings 106-103	Jeff $+200
Sat, Nov 22, 2014	@Min	Kings 113-101	Jeff $+300
Thu, Jan 1, 2015	@Min	Kings 110-107	Jeff $+400
Tue, Apr 7, 2015	@Sac	Kings 116-111	Jeff $+500
Fri, Nov 27, 2015	@Sac	Wolves 101-91	Jeff $+400
Fri, Dec 18, 2015	@Min	Wolves 99-95	Jeff $+300
Wed, Mar 23, 2016	@Min	Wolves 113-104	Jeff $+200
Thu, Apr 7, 2016	@Sac	Wolves 105-97	Jeff $+100
Sat, Oct 29, 2016	@Sac	Kings 106-103	Jeff $+200
Fri, Dec 23, 2016	@Min	Kings 109-105	Jeff $+300
Mon, Feb 27, 2017	@Sac	Wolves 102-88	Jeff $+200
Sat, Apr 1, 2017	@Min	Kings 123-117	Jeff $+300
Thu, Dec 14, 2017	@Min	Wolves 119-96	Jeff $+200
Sun, Feb 11, 2018	@Min	Wolves 111-106	Jeff $+100
Mon, Feb 26, 2018	@Sac	Wolves 118-100
Fri, Nov 9, 2018	@Sac	Kings 121-110	Jeff $+100
Wed, Dec 12, 2018	@Sac	Kings 141-130	Jeff $+200
Mon, Dec 17, 2018	@Min	Wolves 132-105	Jeff $+100
Mon, Feb 25, 2019	@Min	Wolves 112-105
Thu, Dec 26, 2019	@Sac	Wolves 105-104	Steve $+100
Mon, Jan 27, 2020	@Min	Kings 133-129
Mon, Feb 3, 2020	@Sac	Kings 113-109	Jeff $+100
Mon, Apr 5, 2021	@Min	Wolves 116-106
Tue, Apr 21, 2021	@Sac	Wolves 134-120	Steve $+100
Wed, Apr 22, 2021	@Sac	Kings 128-125
Wed, Nov 17, 2021	@Min	Wolves 107-97	Steve $+100
Tue, Feb 8, 2022	@Sac	Wolves 134-114	Steve $+200
Wed, Feb 9, 2022	@Sac	Kings 132-119	Steve $+100
Sat, Jan 28, 2023	@Min	Wolves 117-110	Steve $+200
Mon, Jan 30, 2023	@Min	Kings 118-111	Steve $+100
Sat, Mar 4, 2023	@Sac	Wolves 138-134	Steve $+200
Mon, Mar 27, 2023	@Sac	Wolves 119-115	Steve $+300

—

Jeff and our mutual friend Mike visited the Twin Cities in 2017 for what could only be described as “Three Old Fools Day” weekend. We took in the Kings-Wolves game (Apr 1, 2017) at the Target Center in the company of Joann, daughter Tam and son-in-law Nick.

Jeff, Mike, and Steve.

Jeff, Mike, Steve, Joann, Tammy, and Nick.

Jeff and I saw a game together in 2010 in Sacramento (Kings vs Grizzlies, Dec 29, 2010). Tyreke Evans hit a buzzer-beating half-court three-point shot to lift the Kings to an improbable two-point win. Kings’ owner Gavin Maloof treated everyone in our row to a beer.

Jeff and me, standing near our seats on the baseline.

Program for 2004 Western Conference Semifinals. Joann and I were at the Target Center for the biggest win in Timberwolves’ history, a thrilling game seven of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Kings (May 19, 2004).

Joann and I joined Jeff, his wife Mary, and our friends Mike and Grace at a Sacramento sports bar to see the Timberwolves lose to the Kings in 2001 (Dec 28, 2001). Rasho Nesterovic had one his best games as a Timberwolf that night and on the following morning I stood next to him as we each checked out of Sacramento’s Hyatt hotel. I was able to congratulate him on his performance and to verify that he is indeed quite tall.

Watching the game on TV.