"I can't wait," Wolves center Al Jefferson said Monday. "This is a good test for us. We're going to play some great teams coming up. I just think we should keep our same mind-set, keep playing hard, keep playing together and put ourselves in position to win games."

Tonight's game is the first in a challenging stretch for Minnesota, which in the next 11 days will face Western Conference heavyweights Phoenix (21-13), Utah (22-15) and New Orleans (22-11), with just one possible breather, against the Los Angeles Clippers (8-29).

Guard Randy Foye, who has been one of the Wolves' hottest players, said the team's attitude is to bring it on.

"The way we've been playing now, everybody's confidence is sky high," he said. "When we step on the court now, we know teams aren't coming to Minnesota checking it off with a 'W.' They're coming in here saying we've got to bring our 'A' game, or this team is going to jump on us."

Foye said the players never lost faith, even in the depths of their 13-game losing streak, but coach Kevin McHale admitted that the slump-busting 120-107 victory at New York came none too soon.

"We beat New York, and I said it and I meant it: thank God we won," he said. "Because if we had gotten a few more tough losses, it's hard. Walking by faith is not easy. When you're not seeing the results, it's like, 'Holy cow, is this ever going to happen?' "

How big is big? Like Wolves rookie Kevin Love, this has been an up-and-down season for Heat forward Michael Beasley, who is averaging 13.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 25.3 minutes after being taken with the No. 2 selection in the 2008 draft.

McHale, speaking about both players, said big men have it tougher coming into the league.

"When you're 6-2 or 6-3 or 6-4, you've played against 6-2, 6-3 or 6-4 guys your whole life," he said. "But if you're 6-8, 6-9, 6-10 and you walk in the gym and there's 10 guys 6-10, you're like, 'I usually don't see this.' Big guys have an adjustment."

Love said it definitely has been different, going from one of the tallest players on the floor his whole life to, well, not.

"Kind of big?" he said. "It's crazy, especially going up against guys like Dirk (Nowitzki in Dallas), who plays the 3 (position) and 4, and he's 7-1. It's pretty unbelievable."

All-star Al? Jefferson leads the Wolves in scoring (22.5 points a game) and rebounding (10.4), but that hasn't helped him in fan balloting for the All-Star Game, where he ranks eighth among Western Conference centers.

"I don't think there's any doubt that he's playing at an all-star level," McHale said. "It's a matter for all these guys on our team, we've got to have team success for them to have individual success. Once the team starts having success, I think that you'll see Al will be recognized more for his individual skills."

Fortunately for Jefferson, conference coaches vote for nonstarters in the game, which is Feb. 15 in Phoenix.

Forgotten man: Rodney Carney's recent emergence has left almost no playing time for Rashad McCants, who hasn't gotten off the bench in three of the past four games.

"He has been practicing hard, been working hard," McHale said. "As always happens, if you do that, it seems like good things will happen for you."

In other words, McCants just has to bide his time and wait for his chance.

"That's what you've got to do," McHale said. "When it's not coming, you've got to believe it's going to come. You've got to have faith that your time's going to come. Then you've got to work really hard, saying when my time comes, I'll make the most of it."