Schedule and 2004 Results
Regular Season Records: Minnesota 58-24, Los Angeles 56-26
Game 1 on Friday, 21 May: Los Angeles wins at Minnesota, 97-pts-88
Game 2 on Sunday, 23 May: Los Angeles loses at Minnesota, 89-pts-71
Game 3 on Tuesday, 25 May: Minnesota loses at Los Angeles, 100-pts-89
Game 4 on Thursday, 27 May: Minnesota loses at Los Angeles, 92-pts-85
Game 5 on Saturday, 29 May: Los Angeles loses at Minnesota, 98-pts-96
Game 6 on Monday, 31 May: Minnesota loses at Los Angeles, 96-pts-90

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 96-pts-90 in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934 Game 6, thus achieving a 4-games-2 series 934 win to eliminate the Timberwolves and advance to the 2004 NBA Finals (best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 935). With the series 934 win, the Lakers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series records to 55-24 (all rounds) and 22-5 (Semifinals round). With the series 934 loss, the Minnesota Timberwolves see their best-of-7 NBA playoff series records fall to 2-2 (all rounds) and 0-1 (Semifinals round). The series 934 win order for the victorious team was a symmetric WLWWLW: Series 934 thus becomes the fifth NBA Semifinals series, the 14th NBA series (all rounds), and the 31st best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to feature such a win order.

After Game 5: In best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934 Game 5, the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 98-pts-96, thereby narrowing the Los Angeles series 934 lead to 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 23-3 series record with an active 18-series winning streak, along with a 15-11 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 6 record (with both occurring in series 895 vs. the Lakers in the 2003 NBA Preliminary round). From 1947 through 2003, NBA teams posting a win order of WLWWL at a site order of VVHHV in best-of-7 NBA Semifinals series (as the Lakers have in series 934) have a series record of 2-2: The last team to post this win/site order through five NBA Semifinals games was the 1991 Los Angeles Lakers in series 596 vs. the Portland Trailblazers - the Lakers won Game 6 at home to win series 596.

After Game 4: The Los Angeles Lakers hosted and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 92-pts-85 in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934 Game 4. Los Angeles thus takes a 3-games-1 series 934 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a series record of 26-0 and a Game 5 record of 17-9. The Minnesota Timberwolves are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1 for the first time. Of the 19 teams to 1) trail a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-1 after Games 1-2 at home and Games 3-4 on the road but 2) win the series, 13 had a win order of LWLL after four games (as the Minnesota Timberwolves have through the first four games in series 934).

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934 Game 3 in Los Angeles, the host Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-pts-89 to take a 2-games-1 series lead. When leading an NBA best-of-7 playoff series 2-games-1, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 30-4 series record (with an active 14-series winning streak) and a 19-15 Game 4 record. The Minnesota Timberwolves are trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-1 for the first time; in each of their previous three best-of-7 NBA playoff series (895, 925, 931), Minnesota led 2-games-1 after the first three games.

After Game 2: Knotting best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934 at 1-game-all, the Minnesota Timberwolves hosted and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 89-pts-71. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 19-10 series record (all rounds, with an active six-series winning streak) and an 18-11 Game 3 record, while the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 1-1 series record (all rounds) and a 2-0 Game 3 record. From 1947 through the 2004 NBA Quarterfinals, when a team (such as Minnesota in series 934) loses Game 1 at home by any margin but wins Game 2 at home by 18 or more points, its series record is 8-5. In series 895, the previous best-of-7 meeting between Minnesota and the Lakers in the 2003 NBA Preliminary round, Minnesota lost Game 1 at home but won Game 2 at home by 28 points (the second-largest Game 2 margin of victory by any NBA team to lose Game 1 at home and win Game 2 at home): Minnesota won Game 3 in Los Angeles, but lost Games 4-6 and the series.

After Game 1: The Los Angeles Lakers visited and defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-pts-88 in Game 1 of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 934, thus taking a 1-game-nil series lead. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 45-7 series record (all rounds) and a 34-18 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a 1-1 series record (all rounds) and a 2-0 Game 2 record. The rarity of a Game 1 road victory in the NBA Semifinals is not extreme: Both road teams won Game 1 in the 2003 NBA Semifinals, and the Los Angeles Lakers accomplished the feat in both 2001 and 2002.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2003-04 regular season, Minnesota finished two games ahead of Los Angeles. From 1947 through the 2004 NBA Quarterfinals, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by two regular-season games, they have posted a 14-8 (.636) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 934 is the 79th best-of-7 playoff series for Los Angeles, and the fourth for Minnesota. In best-of-7 playoff series, Los Angeles has a 54-24 series record, a 21-5 Semifinals-round series record, and a 52-26 Game 1 record, while Minnesota has a 2-1 series record, a 0-0 Semifinals-round record, and a 1-2 Game 1 record. Series 934 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Los Angeles and Minnesota; Los Angeles won the first (series 895 - a 2003 NBA Preliminary round series between the two teams).