Wolves record: 1-1

The Cavaliers, trying to overcome an 0-2 start, had a rather routine night at Target Center in their 104-87 victory over the Wolves.

O’Neal, making his first appearance in Minnesota with Cleveland, had only six points and seven rebounds, but James filled in with a game-high 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists. The Cavaliers might have been the NBA’s best 0-2 team. There might have been few league observers who expected the Cavaliers, definitive Eastern Contenders, to open up 0-3.

The Wolves, who fell to 1-1, got 17 points from rookie point guard Jonny Flynn and 12 from Al Jefferson.

That’s something the Timberwolves don’t have, not with only five holdover players on their roster, and it showed against Cleveland. Minnesota hit only 41.9 percent of its shots, and committed 17 turnovers in allowing Cleveland to stretch its lead to 21 points, 93-72, with eight minutes remaining.

Minnesota’s only real threat to the Cavaliers’ dominance came in — as usual — the second quarter. Cleveland had been outscored 60-34 in the period in its first two games, and Brown emphasized to his team the importance of maintaining their composure and intensity when James sat down to rest.