The Minnesota Timberwolves are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are a member of the Northwest Division of the NBA's Western Conference. In order to persuade the NBA to give Minnesota a team, Marv Wolfenson and Harvey Ratner, the future owners of the organization, conducted a "name the team" contest and eventually selected two finalists, the "Timberwolves" and the "Polars", in December 1986. The team then asked the 842 city councils in Minnesota to select the winner, as the "Timberwolves" prevailed. Minnesota was given a team, and took part in the 1989 NBA Expansion Draft with the Orlando Magic. The Timberwolves have since made eight playoff appearances, advancing to the Western Conference finals once during the 2003–04 NBA season, where the