PORTLAND, Ore. -- Portland has playoff experience to spare against Minnesota. That edge didn't emerge until the Trail Blazers needed it the most.
After getting picked apart for three quarters by the Timberwolves' perimeter shooting, Portland held them without an outside field goal for the final 81/2 minutes of Sunday's 91-88 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-five Western Conference series."Minnesota is the best team I have ever seen collectively in shooting jump shots," said Portland's Damon Stoudamire, who had 18 points. "Just about everybody on their team can hit them. We buckled down on them."
Scottie Pippen scored a season-high 28 points, but his biggest contribution probably was the defense he and Greg Anthony provided in the fourth quarter, when the Blazers rallied from a six-point deficit.
Pippen has appeared in 183 playoff games, tied with Byron Scott for sixth-most in NBA history. Minnesota's entire 12-man roster has 169 postseason appearances, and the disparity showed.
"I thought Pippen was unbelievable," Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders said. "I saw a lot of stuff in the paper about how they got Scottie for this situation, and he got them off to a great start. He was phenomenal."
Kevin Garnett had his first playoff triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high-tying 11 assists. But he shot just 6-of-20, including 1-for-5 in the fourth quarter. Terrell Brandon had 17 points and 12 assists but was held to two points in the fourth.
Minnesota, which blew a fourth-quarter lead for the first time all season, trailed by 11 after the first quarter but surged ahead by shooting 57 percent over the next two periods.
The Timberwolves' strategy of staying in the 15- to 23-foot shooting range fell apart in the fourth. After a 20-footer by Malik Sealy (23 points) put Minnesota ahead 79-75 with 8:12 left, the Timberwolves missed 10 of 11 shots until Brandon's layup with 9.2 seconds left.
By then, Minnesota trailed 89-86 and never got closer.
The Timberwolves, who have never won a playoff series in the franchise's 11 years, fell to 0-4 in openers.
"We always seem to be in position to win at the end, but for some reason we can't seem to come through," Garnett said.
Pippen, who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, showed right from the start why the Blazers took on his $14.8 million salary by trading six players to Houston.
He scored 13 points in the first quarter and hit six of seven shots, including three highlight-worthy baskets inside. He stretched for a dunk over Wally Szczerbiak, then had a spinning, emphatic slam over Radoslav Nesterovic. Later he went up in the air, switched the ball to his left hand and laid it off the glass.
"Even I was impressed with how strong he took the ball to the basket," Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said. "He was the big key for us, getting off to a good start, and late in the game he kept the attack mode on."
Pippen also hit an open 3-pointer and sank two more long jumpers in the final 1:27 of the first. Stoudamire hit a wide-open 3-pointer to cap a 16-4 run and give the Blazers a 33-22 lead.
"I tried to step up my game and put all my energy into coming out and being aggressive, and doing whatever it takes for us to win -- by any means necessary," Pippen said.
With Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis in foul trouble and missing his first six shots, the Timberwolves rallied quickly in the second.
Sabonis' first basket, a reverse layup, came with 10:35 to play, and it pulled the Blazers within 75-71. That seemed to energize the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian. He sank a 20-foot jumper and hit one of two free throws after bowling over Joe Smith, who had to leave the game after hitting his head on the court.
Sabonis then fed Rasheed Wallace for a layup and a foul with 5:16 left, and Wallace's free throw gave the Blazers their first lead since halftime, 81-79.
Game 2 is Wednesday night at the Rose Garden.