-- It was The Possession That Would Not End -- a Roger Corman title but as epic in proportion as a Cecil B. DeMille production and as full of flaws and frustrating moments as something off Oliver Stone's editing console.

It lasted 100 seconds, an eternity even for the team with the basketball and something approaching root canal, sans anesthesia, for the team trying to reclaim it.

It came midway through the third quarter of the Timberwolves' 98-87 victory over the Utah Jazz Wednesday night at the Delta Center and, more than shifting momentum, it cemented the disparity between the teams -- on this night, after halftime at least -- in the Jazz's minds.


"It looked like we didn't know where they were," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said as the Wolves (15-5) ended Utah's winning streak at four and extended their own to five. "Our energy level or our concentration level was not good enough to compete against a team of this caliber," Sloan said.