In the (Target) Center of it All

Official Review by Paul Swaney, Stadium Journey Co-Founder

Twenty years ago, the Target Center opened its doors and provided fans with a great downtown facility to watch professional basketball. After playing its inaugural season down the road at the Metrodome, the Timberwolves played the 1990-91 season at the Target Center, posting a 29-53 record.

There have been eight playoff appearances and one division title in the franchise's existence, but frankly the Target Center has been less about the quality of the team on the floor, and more about the location. Now, more than ever, with the opening of the Twins' Target Field, the Timberwolves are located in the middle of a great downtown, with everything one would need to have for an enjoyable evening. Now, the only thing that's missing is some winning basketball. A minor detail.

Food & Beverage    3

Walking the concourse, I found little that made my mouth water. There is a good selection of sausages and local beers like Summit are on hand. I decided to try the Target Center Steak Sandwich, figuring anything they're willing to put the arenas name on must be good. I must say that it was, and filling too.

Atmosphere    2

I need to contextualize when I visited this arena. The game was the final contest of another abysmal season, pitting the T-Wolves against a Pistons team that also had little or nothing to play for. Entering the game, the two teams had a combined winning percentage of .253.

Needless to say, the place was less than electric, and the loudest fan in the arena was clearly a supporter of the visitors.

Looking around, you can't help but be underwhelmed by the one banner hanging, the 2004 division title, and one retired number banner (Malik Sealy's #2, retired after Sealy's tragic death in 2000).

I had good seats for the game, but was disappointed by the legroom. I really wish that teams would learn to take out a few rows and give people the ability to be comfortable during their game.

I do want to recognize the amazing kids who did a dance routine at halftime- better than the average dance group. Plus one of the kids was wearing a cast on his arm and still did handstands! Pretty impressive.

Neighborhood    4

This really has become a great place to spend time in Minneapolis, and the existence of the Timberwolves and the Target Center are big reasons why. There are several options for food and drinks before or after the game.

Attached to the Target Center is Hubert's. They have good food and a decent beer selection, and you can find tables with a view into the arena where you may be able to see the teams warm-up. There's also games, and on this particular visit, the large pop-a-shot was free, although I didn't realize that until I had gotten $5 in quarters. Since you asked, my best score was 18.

Further away, O'Donovan's is a nice little Irish pub with good food and beer that I would recommend. Sneaky Pete's seems to be a popular place, although it was bigger and louder than what I was looking for, so I passed.

If you want a more substantial dinner, then try the steaks at Murray's or the fantastic hamburgers at Ike's. These two establishments neighbor each other so you can eyeball the menu and interior before deciding which one is for you on that particular night.

Fans    2

Again, I'll preface this with the fact that there was nothing on the line for either team in this game. Fans were mildly interested in what was going on. I think the fact that one Pistons fan was out-cheering an entire building antagonized some to the point that they tried, unsuccessfully, to make some ruckus.

One pet peeve, which I saw here more than most arenas, was the timing of fans getting up from their seats. With ample timeouts in an NBA contest, there's no reason why someone can't wait to walk in front of you until they hear a horn. Interestingly, I found the exact opposite to be true next door at Target Field, so it can't be Minneapolis as a whole with poor fan etiquette. Perhaps it was just the apathy of the crowd, but that just drives me nuts.

Access    4

There's plenty of parking nearby, ranging anywhere from $8-$17. Fans can also take the light rail and get off at the Warehouse District station. The Target Center is just a block away. Concourses are wide and maneuverable, and bathrooms are clean and plentiful.

I originally tried to enter the arena through Hubert's, but was told by security that my camera was too large and I would not be able to enter the arena with it. Instead of making a long walk back to my hotel and missing tipoff, I decided to just try a different entrance. They examined my camera and had no issues. This kind of inconsistency drives me a little nuts as well, as the first encounter creates anxiety, and the second bewilderment as to why any of that was necessary. This affects the access score, because it affects the ability to enter the arena quickly, and gets the fan started with a bad experience.

Return on Investment    2

I had great seats for this game, just off of center court, about 13 rows back, and seats like that really do help you to feel more involved in the game. The face value of those seats was $125, and while that is not an outrageous price to be that close to the action, the overall experience left me feeling like it didn't quite live up to the total price.

When you combine the lack of legroom, fan apathy, poor basketball product, and hassle entering the arena, then this area gets a below average score. One of these issues can be easily rectified and the other can really only be solved by winning. While I would love to see them tear out some seats to make for a more comfortable experience, this can be a costly objective to achieve.

Extras    4

There are some very cool features of the Target Center that I want to be sure to point out. The first is something a fan will never see, but the roof of the Target Center (at the time it was installed in 2009) is the largest green roof ever installed in North America. What this means is that it prevents almost a million gallons of rain water from flowing into the Mississippi River, as well as helping to make the city a little cooler during hot spells.

Also, along the green theme, the Target Center was the first major sports arena designed as a completely non-smoking facility.

The ability to walk from my hotel about 6 blocks away, and into the Target Center without ever going outdoors via the skyway, is a pretty amazing engineering and city planning achievement, and must be especially handy during a cold winter night.

Finally, there was a marriage proposal carried out on the jumbo-tron during the kiss cam segment. Your heart has to be made of stone if you don't think that's a cool thing. It looked like she said yes too, so that was a relief.

Final Thoughts

The Target Center definitely has some flaws, but I can't recommend against going to see a game there. For one, it's in a great area to spend some time. Second, there are plenty of good seats available. Here's hoping that the product on the court improves!