The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 902 Ending the Portland Dynasty

The 1999-2000 season was exceptionally frustrating for Kevin Garnett.

He had a significantly improved All-Star season, averaging 22 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game.

The Timberwolves have once again made it into the playoffs with a record of 52 wins, and Garnett is very likely to be named to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team, becoming one of the few superstars in the league with top-tier abilities.

At this time, he was only 23 years old, about a month away from his 24th birthday. He and his friends and fans were proud of his achievements.

However, when the final game of the season was over, and the dust settled, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Nuggets by one point at home and surpassing the Seattle SuperSonics to climb to second place in the Western Conference, Garnett, waiting for the result in the locker room, covered his head with a towel, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

The Timberwolves have already secured the sixth seed in the West. They can't drop to seventh or move up to fifth. They're just waiting to see who will be the third seed in the West.

According to NBA ranking rules, the top two teams in a smaller division automatically become the top two teams in the larger division. Since the Los Angeles Lakers are already a 65-17 team and are already the top seed in the West, if the Trail Blazers rise to second place, they will be ranked third in the West.

In the final round, the Trail Blazers won while the SuperSonics lost. The Trail Blazers finished second in the standings with a one-game advantage, ranking third in the Western Conference, while the SuperSonics finished fourth.

Therefore, the Timberwolves' first-round opponent is once again the Portland Trail Blazers—this is the third time in the four seasons since Gan Guoyang's return that the Timberwolves have faced the Blazers in the first round.

In their previous two encounters, the Trail Blazers easily eliminated the Timberwolves with scores of 3-1 and 3-0 respectively. In the seven games of the two-round series, the Timberwolves had a record of 1 win and 6 losses, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

This year, the Timberwolves achieved a historic best record of 52 wins. With Garnett, Marbury, Malik Ciri, and Joe Smith off the bench, this record would have been championship contender in the 70s.

However, as the number of teams in the league increases, talent becomes diluted, and there are more weak teams, so there are more and more teams with 50 wins.

This year, the Western Conference witnessed a surge in 50-win seasons, with all seven top teams in the West reaching 50 wins. The Phoenix Suns, ranked seventh, have a record of 50 wins and 32 losses.

In the first round, they will face the Utah Jazz, who have a record of 55 wins and 27 losses, only 5 games behind them. The Suns can be said to be in no way afraid of the aging Jazz in terms of strength.

The Timberwolves would rather drop to seventh in the first round to face the Jazz than have two more wins and a higher ranking, only to face the Portland Trail Blazers.

Even though this might be Forrest Gump's weakest period, the Timberwolves still lacked confidence in defeating the Trail Blazers in the first round, as the two teams were too far apart in terms of experience and overall strength.

Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders was just as frustrated as Garnett when he saw the result, but he couldn't show it.

He could only force himself to cheer up, clapping in the locker room to encourage everyone to prepare for the playoffs, saying, "Our next stop is Portland, the most terrifying home court in the NBA in fifteen years, but also an opportunity to prove ourselves, a place to create miracles. We had a fantastic season this year, 52 wins, which is an amazing achievement. Our goal is definitely not just to get to the first round; we want to break through. Perhaps God has given us this mission, this opportunity to start our era as the 21st century approaches."

Sanders' speech had some effect; Kevin Garnett threw off the towel covering his head and gathered with his teammates to encourage each other.

But as they left the arena to go home, in the parking lot, Garnett and Sanders confided in each other: "Coach, to be honest, I don't have the confidence to pull off a miracle."

Garnett was honest, very honest, and Flip Saunders was just as honest, replying, "You think I am? Fuck, this ranking is... Satan's arrangement! Four seasons, three first-round appearances against the Trail Blazers! Fuck!"

Sanders kicked his car tire hard, and Garnett smiled helplessly.

Sanders became the Timberwolves' head coach in 1995, starting with Garnett's rookie season; the two had a father-son-like relationship.

It can be said that Garnett, under the guidance and tutelage of Sanders, gradually transformed from a clueless high school freshman into a league superstar.

Sanders also single-handedly transformed the Timberwolves from a bottom-feeder in the league into a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

He led the team to the playoffs for the first time in the 1996-1997 season, and then made it to the playoffs for four consecutive years, with each year's record being better than the last.

This season they even achieved 50 wins, which is something to be proud of. However, facing the Trail Blazers three times in four years has been incredibly unlucky, leaving them with absolutely no chance to fight back.

The Timberwolves still have a chance against other higher-ranked teams; at least Sanders is confident he can drag the series to a fifth game.

The Timberwolves have a really good roster this year, with a good balance between inside and outside play, and they also have some good players off the bench. They have the potential to make a name for themselves.

But when facing the Trail Blazers, the goal changed from "to make a name for oneself" to "to try to win a game and not be swept."

The pioneers during Gan Guoyang's era had an astonishingly high first-round sweep rate. So far, they have only failed to sweep their opponents in three rounds, and reaching a tiebreaker is out of the question.

For a historic champion team like this, the first round is just a warm-up. They need to get through it quickly to prepare for the semi-finals and not waste any energy.

"No matter what, we still have to play well. Right now, our only hope is that the Trail Blazers are in terrible form this year. And... I heard the FBI is going to have their sixth hearing with Forrest Gump. It's going to happen around the time of the first round series, and he might miss a game, which is a good opportunity for us. We'll take it one game at a time. If we can steal a win when they're weak, that would be even better, and we could force a Game 5. That's the best chance."

Sanders mentioned an advantage that could be exploited: Gan Guoyang is still being tormented by hearings and subpoenas.

According to media speculation, Gan Guoyang might be summoned to New York for a hearing during the finals.

On the bright side, Gan Guoyang has only played 73 games this season, the fewest in his career, which has given him enough time to rest and adjust.

Kevin Garnett, hearing his coach's words, retorted indignantly, "This makes our victory unfair! Forrest clearly didn't leak any secrets; if he had, we would have found out long ago. It's been a whole season! They're just torturing Forrest!"

Sanders said, "I know, I'm on Forrest's side too, but on the field, Forrest's absence is an advantage for us, that's undeniable. It's our only advantage, and we have to make the most of it."

Garnett understood this, nodded helplessly, and drove home.

For Garnett, Forrest Gump was an insurmountable mountain.

Apart from height, Garnett was completely surpassed and overshadowed by Forrest in every other aspect.

In the high-intensity playoffs, Garnett was unable to withstand Gan Guoyang's onslaught.

Whether on offense or defense, Garnett was no match for Gan Guoyang on his own.

This season, Garnett has abandoned the idea of ​​directly overpowering Forrest Gump; he must unite his teammates and treat the competition as a whole.

A very valuable example is Karl Malone in the 1996-1997 Western Conference Finals against the Trail Blazers. He rationally transformed himself into a team forward rather than a scoring spearhead, leaving the scoring burden to Stockton. He focused on playmaking and other blue-collar tasks, and finally outlasted the Trail Blazers, who were struggling to carry the team alone, in a seven-game series.

This is a hard-won lesson learned from years of battles between teams' interior players against Forrest Gump: you must avoid Forrest Gump and never concentrate resources (especially ball possession) on the player Forrest Gump is guarding.

It's a waste, a complete waste. Anyone matched up against Forrest Gump needs to calm down, abandon personal gains and losses, truly integrate into the team, and treat Forrest and the Trail Blazers as a whole to find ways to defeat them in order to get closer to victory. In the days leading up to the game, Garnett constantly reflected and summarized, communicated with Flip Saunders, and rediscovered his role on the team.

His worries lessened and his confidence increased. No matter how strong the opponent was, the game had to be played and victory had to be fought for.

On April 23, the first game between the two teams took place in Portland, with the young Timberwolves challenging the most powerful champion in NBA history.

Surprisingly, the Timberwolves played very well in this game, with both sides locked in a close battle from the first quarter to the fourth.

As the core center, Kevin Garnett did a great job in all aspects besides scoring, including rebounding, helping on the perimeter, and diving for rebounds.

He fought for every ball, working with his teammates to swarm Gan Guoyang and prevent him from playing efficiently. At the same time, he provided strong support to Marbury on offense, constantly launching surprise attacks.

In the crucial moments of the fourth quarter, Stephon Marbury hit a three-pointer with the help of a screen on the perimeter, tying the game at 94-94.

The Timberwolves' confidence soared. They realized that the Trail Blazers weren't so scary after all, and that the Timberwolves were indeed getting old.

The problems of turnovers, passing pauses, and lost rebounds were not as frequent as they were with the Trail Blazers in the past.

Now, all sorts of minor ailments are appearing on their aging bodies.

Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal are too young; tonight, their performance was completely overshadowed by Garnett.

However, in the final moments, the Trail Blazers demonstrated their experience.

Carlisle suddenly substituted veteran Chris Mullin, quickly inbounded the ball from the outside, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the middle, and passed it to Mullin who had circled around to the corner.

The Timberwolves' defensive communication faltered, and Mullin caught the ball and made a three-pointer! The Trail Blazers regained the lead.

Then, Marbury was pressured by Gan Guoyang's switch defense during the offensive play, lost the ball, and it was stolen by Charles Barkley.

The Timberwolves had no choice but to foul, and Barkley made both free throws, completely losing their chance to tie or take the lead.

With a score of 99-94, the Trail Blazers ultimately defeated the Timberwolves, securing a hard-fought victory in the first game of the series.

They won because of their experience in the final moments, using their superior control of the game to defeat the Timberwolves.

Overall, the Timberwolves played quite well and were able to match the Trail Blazers.

Garnett, in particular, was virtually omnipresent on the defensive end, achieving his absolute best.

He wasn't focused on fighting Forrest Gump, but rather on dealing with every single player on the Trail Blazers court.

Therefore, even though Gan Guoyang scored 34 points, the rest of the Trail Blazers played only moderately, and the team still struggled.

Although they lost this game, it gave the Timberwolves a lot of confidence, proving that they are on the right track.

Two days later, on April 26, in the second game between the two teams, the Timberwolves were already thinking of stealing a victory in Portland.

However, Rick Carlisle made a lineup adjustment for this game, putting Sabonis back into the starting lineup.

Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal both had poor performances in the first game, and it seems they lack experience and refinement to carry the team in the playoffs.

In crucial moments, veterans still come to the rescue. Barkley, Mullin, and Sabonis continue to make key contributions at important junctures.

With more veterans playing, the Trail Blazers played more steadily. Kobe and Gan Guoyang were on fire, and in the third quarter, they widened the gap with a 14-2 run, gaining the advantage.

The Timberwolves lacked the ability to mount a comeback; their offensive bursts were far from sufficient. The final score was 105-96, with the Trail Blazers winning another game and taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

But this loss did not extinguish the Timberwolves' hopes of winning. On the plane back to Minnesota, Flip Saunders told the players, "We can smell the rotting giants. Let's see if we can dig their grave in Minnesota!"

On April 30th, in Game 4 at Target Center in Minnesota, the Timberwolves, back at home, are determined to bounce back.

The frenzied Minnesota fans turned Target Center into a sea of ​​noise that night, and the Trail Blazers, still starting with veterans, were fiercely attacked by the young Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves were exceptionally aggressive on defense, and the two teams clashed several times during the game. The Trail Blazers' outside shooting percentage was poor due to their rough fouls—a problem that had plagued them all season: their outside shooting was too inconsistent and their accuracy was too poor.

Kevin Garnett maintained his performance from the first two games. He has really found his confidence. As long as he doesn't have to face Forrest Gump one-on-one, he can play well.

When Gan Guoyang plays more at the small forward position, he enjoys his scoring bursts and carries the team throughout the regular season, but he has to accept the team's overall instability when his defensive role is weakened in the playoffs.

The veterans performed well at home, but when they played away, fatigue and injuries plagued them, and it became common for them to perform inconsistently.

Charles Barkley made a crucial steal in the first game, but committed numerous fouls in this game and missed several shots when he came off the bench, showing a very unstable performance.

Both Ben Wallace and Jermaine O'Neal still need to be refined. They are both very emotional players on both ends of the court and are easily swayed by incitement and negative emotions.

Amid boos and shouts from the Target Center, Jermaine O'Neal made 1 of 8 shots, while Ben Wallace was fouled as soon as he entered the game and went to the free-throw line, making 1 of 5.

Adding to the problem, Kobe missed three crucial shots in the third quarter, which interrupted a strong counterattack by the Trail Blazers, and their final comeback in the fourth quarter was too late.

Ultimately, the Timberwolves narrowly won 99-97 at home, securing a valuable victory and bringing the series score to 1-2.

The good news for the Timberwolves is that Game 5 is scheduled for May 2nd, the same day that Gan Guoyang will be traveling to New York for a hearing.

If the game drags on long enough, Gan Guoyang will likely miss Game 4. Without Gan, the Trail Blazers will be severely weakened.

The Timberwolves have their best chance yet! They can force a Game 5 in the series and even have a chance to eliminate the Trail Blazers!

Minnesota fans have already started dreaming of "ending the Portland dynasty".

(End of this chapter)