Amid the lasers and smoke machines that go with the spectacle of home-opener introductions, the 18,978 in attendance booed.
Given Fruiday's pomp and the circumstances surrounding Jimmy Butlers desire to be traded – and the fact that, last week, Butler had basically dared the crowd to do so – the boos were no surprise. Butler got 'em. Coach Tom Thibodeau got 'em. Old standby Kevin Love – here with the Cleveland Cavaliers – got em.
But this wasn't: By the time the Wolves had turned an early nine-point deficit into a 17-point halftime lead – en route to a 131-123 victory – those boos for Butler had turned into MVP chants.