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

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.