Rick Carlisle on Timberwolves: 'This is one of the best teams on the planet'

The Pacers head coach was the latest to acknowledge the change in atmosphere at Target Center Saturday night.

The NBA is starting to notice that something is different with the Minnesota Timberwolves. One by one, teams coming into Target Center have received a rude awakening by realizing this isn't the cavernous, apathetic environment the Wolves have played in since Kevin Garnett was traded.

This is a different team and one that added Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle to the list of believers after Minnesota's 127-109 victory on Saturday night.

"This is one of the best teams on the planet," Carlisle said. "These guys really have it going on here."

Carlisle should know as a coach who has been in the NBA since he was an assistant with the New Jersey Nets during the 1989-90 season. That same year, the Timberwolves were founded as a franchise, playing their first games at the Metrodome before moving into Target Center.

When Carlisle got his first job as a head coach with the Detroit Pistons before the 2001-02 season, the Wolves were entering the prime years of the Garnett era when Minnesota made the playoffs eight straight years including a run to the Western Conference Finals during the 2003-04 season.

But by the time Carlisle arrived in the West as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks in 2008, the Wolves were a different team. Minnesota only made the playoffs once (2018-19) during Carlisle's 13 seasons in Dallas and it led to a lot of quiet trips to Minneapolis.

That was not the case on Saturday night as the Timberwolves seemingly dominated from the opening tip. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Anthony Edwards scored 37 points while debuting his new "AE1" signature shoe.

Naz Reid elevated his status as a fan favorite with 17 points and five rebounds off the bench and Rudy Gobert, who was the center of frustration for Timberwolves fans a year ago, pulled down five rebounds and had one massive block as the centerpiece of the best defense in the NBA.

RUDY BLOCK.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

DOWNTOWN TROY BROWN. pic.twitter.com/Vc5HffEBp0

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) December 17, 2023

Even off the court, the Timberwolves are a different franchise. A team that was mocked for heavily celebrating a play-in tournament victory two years ago has become a respectable operation complete with new president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and a new ownership group led by Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.

Put it all together and it's a big reason why this trip to the Target Center felt different to Carlisle.

"The building is alive," Carlisle said. "The environment is way different than it used to be. I take my hat off to Tim Connelly and his operation for everything they've done."

After Saturday's win, the Timberwolves have the best record in the Western Conference and are tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA at 19-5, but with just under 75 percent of the season to go, there's plenty of time for the rest of the league to realize what's happening in Minnesota.

“They’re very real, very legit,” Carlisle said. “This team is built for the playoffs.”