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After the series between the SuperSonics and the Lakers concluded, the second rounds for both the Eastern and Western Conferences were set.
The Utah Jazz would face the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Portland Trail Blazers’ opponents would be the third-seeded Houston Rockets in the West.
They advanced to the second round by defeating the Phoenix Suns 3-1 quite comfortably in the first round.
This marked the Rockets’ first playoff encounter with the Trail Blazers since 1988, a span of nine years.
At the same time, it had been 11 years since the two teams’ seven-game battle in the 1986 Western Conference Finals—a series that determined the fate of Gan Guoyang’s career.
In those 11 years, everything had changed significantly; from the coach to the players, no one from the 1986 Rockets remained on the roster.
Even the team’s ownership had changed. In 1992, after Olajuwon was determined to leave the Rockets for Miami, the Rockets’ owner became disheartened about the team’s future.
After securing the first overall pick in the 1993 draft, he decisively sold the franchise, and Jewish owner Leslie Alexander purchased the Rockets’ franchise rights for $85 million.
In the 1993 draft, the Rockets selected Chris Weber, once again beginning their new era with a top pick.
Learning from the Olajuwon lesson, the Rockets immediately gave Weber an extremely long contract to ensure that this Michigan prodigy forward would play in Houston for a sufficiently long time.
In the subsequent years, the Rockets built their roster around Chris Weber, determined to rise again.
Last season, they made the playoffs for the first time, losing in the first round to the Seattle SuperSonics.
This season, Weber had matured further, and the Houston Rockets maintained a relatively stable roster over the years, with their core diligently growing.
The transition in the backcourt from Sam Cassell to Kenny Smith was complete, and the team traded away the volatile Maxwell to establish Weber’s leadership role.
They acquired Campbell and signed Kevin Willis to guard Chris Weber in the paint.
With Robert Horry, an excellent swingman, in place, and Tracy Murray on the bench, the Rockets’ lineup was quite formidable.
In the 1996-1997 season, the Rockets underwent a revamp of their team logo and jersey colors, changing the primary color from red to navy blue.
The logo changed from the simple basketball combined with the English "Rockets" to a cartoonish rocket along with a shark design, making it quite eye-catching.
The jerseys followed the trend of the times, adopting the fashionable striped shirt design, as the entire team sought a refreshing new look.
This emerging force aimed to change the power dynamics in the Western Conference, and so in the late regular-season positioning games, the Rockets ultimately decided not to fall to fourth place but rather to stay in third or contend for the second spot.
Tomjanovich candidly stated, "In the playoffs, we must have the determination to beat every opponent. I believe we are ready to challenge the strongest one."
In fact, the Rockets performed well against the Jazz during the regular season, playing better than the Trail Blazers because the Rockets had a lineup that restrained the Jazz.
Chris Weber could match up against Malone, and more importantly, whether it’s Kenny Smith or Sam Cassell, they could hold their own against Stockton and sometimes even overpower him, putting the Jazz in a tough spot.
Additionally, the Rockets had the tall Horry and Tracy Murray on the wings, whom Tomjanovich often paired as starters to attack the opponent with height and long-range shots—simple yet effectively against veteran Jazz backcourts.
The regular-season record between the Rockets and the Jazz was 2-2, and even the games they lost were competitive, so dropping to fourth seemed like a good option.
In the end, the Rockets decided against deliberately losing to drop in the standings and fiercely advanced, unfazed by the high probability of facing Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers in the semi-finals.
The SuperSonics, who played the positioning game, were quickly eliminated, while the advancing Rockets easily cleared the first round and earned the opportunity to challenge the Trail Blazers.
The Rockets had a chance to overthrow the Trail Blazers in the semi-finals; Tomjanovich understood that Ah Gan was still the same Ah Gan, but the Trail Blazers were not the same Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers had significant weaknesses on their perimeter defense, which could be covered by individual abilities in the regular season, but in the playoffs, would be relentlessly targeted without a solution.
Gan Guoyang used to be able to go out to the perimeter and face Michael Jordan one-on-one because he could trust Thompson, Sabonis, and Lewis with the Three Second Zone.
This season, it wasn’t possible. From the first round against the Timberwolves, it was evident that the Trail Blazers were even more reliant on Gan Guoyang for stable inside protection in the playoffs than in the regular season.
Little O’Neal and Ben Wallace were too inexperienced, PJ Brown was lackluster, and Dudley was ineffective in the playoffs.
Thus, Gan Guoyang became more comprehensive and perimeter-focused in offense, yet on defense, he resembled a rookie center from 1985 more than ever, with an average of 4.4 blocks from staying in position.
Such division and contradiction troubled Gan Guoyang and even more so the entire Portland Trail Blazers.
For this reason, Tomjanovich made thorough preparations. He didn’t plan any intricate tactics; instead, he decided to exploit the advantage on the wings and continuously assault the Trail Blazers’ relatively weak perimeter.
May 5th, the first battle commenced at Portland’s Rose Garden.