The Golden Age of Basketball-Chapter 1776 - 53: Seeing Through Everything

The Trail Blazers narrowly escaped with a 3-1 victory over the Timberwolves in the first round, smoothly advancing to the semifinals.

For Minneapolis fans, the dream of "ending the Trail Blazers dynasty" shattered after just one day.

Kevin Garnett once again entered the offseason, looking ahead to his next season, what Gan Guoyang referred to as "his future."

The Wolves, centered around Garnett and Marbury, seemed to have a bright future, but in reality, disaster awaited them.

Soon after, Garnett's friend, Wolves' starting forward Malik Sealy, tragically passed away in a car accident.

Garnett's emotions were severely hit, and the Wolves lost an important player.

At the same time, Stephon Marbury did not recognize Garnett's leadership role.

He was tired of the cold weather in Minneapolis, and after this series, he increasingly believed Garnett was not truly the team's leader. How could you be a core player without even scoring one-on-one, just relying on defense?

Marbury's thoughts sowed the seeds for future conflict with Garnett.

The growth of young people is always full of unexpected twists and turns. The so-called "future is yours" is often much harder to achieve than imagined.

Upon returning to Portland, the Trail Blazers awaited their opponent in the semifinals, awaiting the outcome of the Jazz vs. Suns series.

Both sides tied 2-2 in the first four games, pushing the series to a decisive fifth game.

The Jazz twice gained significant leads in the game, only to be tenaciously tied by the Suns, leading to a final showdown.

For the Jazz, whose core players were as aged as those of the Trail Blazers, the longer the series dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for them.

In contrast, the Phoenix Suns grew increasingly energetic and confident as they played.

The duo of Grant Hill and Antoine Walker proved to be exceptionally fierce offensively.

Although their performances were unstable, once they exploded, the Jazz team could not withstand them.

Youth and dynamism were the Suns' most valuable assets, and additionally, the team had the experienced Steve Smith and Kevin Johnson for support.

At the end of the '99 season, Kevin Johnson planned to retire but was persuaded by the team and fans to stay for one last season.

At 33, Johnson was no longer the "Purple Flash" of his youth; his speed had declined. However, his experience and game management had reached a remarkably high level.

During the regular season, he averaged 11 points, 7 assists, and 1 steal per game, with improved statistics over the previous season. People hoped he would continue playing after the regular season.

After all, 33 is not particularly old for a point guard, but Johnson insisted he would leave, preparing to shift his focus to politics to realize his political dreams.

In what might be the last series game of his career, in Salt Lake City, in the decisive Game Five against the Utah Jazz.

Both teams fought fiercely at the Triangle Center; the last time they faced off in a first-round Game Five was back in the 1990 season.

That year, Kevin Johnson was 23, Stockton was 27, and now both were in the late stages of their careers.

The game was intense but unattractive, filled with missed shots and turnovers; both teams' offenses struggled awkwardly.

The atmosphere at the Triangle Center was suffocating. The Jazz, with their experience, maintained a lead throughout the first three quarters.

Gan Guoyang watched the game alone in his home's entertainment room, and by the end of the third quarter, the Jazz held a 7-point lead.

In such an ugly, slow-paced game of offense and defense, a 7-point advantage was quite significant, and the Jazz had a great chance of winning.

If the Jazz defeated the Suns, Malone and Stockton would face Gan Guoyang again in the semifinals.

The animosity and rivalry between the two teams had continued since the 80s, with Gan Guoyang repeatedly trying to defeat them.

But just as the fourth quarter began, Gan Guoyang noticed something unusual: the Jazz team's stamina seemed to falter.

Their offense became simplistic with Malone going one-on-one, but not efficiently, and their defense struggled to keep up, resulting in more fouls.

Meanwhile, for the Suns, Hill, Walker, and others had maintained their energy, starting to capitalize on the Jazz's mistakes with counterattacks.

In the first three quarters, the Jazz could rely on quick defensive retreats and fouls to stop the Suns' counterattacks, but they couldn't hold out by the fourth quarter.

Their stamina couldn't keep up, and they had reached their foul limit; any more fouls, and players would have to come off. The Suns' offensive firepower became unstoppable.

Hill, like a jet, continuously charged into the paint to score, and his re-slam dunks on a fast break erased the 7-point gap in just three minutes.

Although Jerry Sloan called a timeout to make adjustments, the brief rest of just over a minute couldn't resolve the fatigue issue.

The offense could barely be maintained, but the defense truly couldn't hold up; their legs felt like they were filled with lead and couldn't move.

For every veteran in the NBA for 10 or even 15 years, reaching this stage of the season is a physical and mental ordeal.

Gan Guoyang slightly shook his head, knowing the Jazz were done for; their defense and stamina collapsed, and his old allies probably wouldn't meet him in the semifinals.

As expected, after the timeout, the Suns' morale soared, and they played more and more fiercely. Antoine Walker hit a three-pointer from outside, Steve Smith scored strong post-ups.

The Suns gradually extended their lead to 7 points; changing from trailing by 7 to leading by 7 happened in just five minutes, plunging the entire Triangle Center into silence.

In that five-minute span, the traces of time washed out. Stockton, Karl Malone, and Jeff Hornacek continued to persevere.