The Trail Blazers’ lineup thus became more impactful and lively, with Kobe’s overwhelming desire to win and Gan Guoyang’s winning mentality merging together, allowing the Trail Blazers to play high-quality games every night.
In January 1999, Kobe’s average score per game increased to 20 points, and his performance became increasingly stable.
In the game against the Orlando Magic, Kobe scored a career-high 38 points.
In the game against the New York Knicks, Kobe scored 30 points again, which was not an easy feat.
On January 21, 1999, in the game against the Lakers, Kobe scored 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists, marking the first triple-double of his career.
Seeing Kobe’s performance, Gan Guoyang actively relinquished some ball control to let this young man freely play, and the Trail Blazers faintly showed signs of a former "dual-core inside-out" strategy.
With outstanding performance, young Kobe was once again selected for the All-Star lineup, becoming the Western Conference’s starting shooting guard for the 1999 New Jersey All-Star game.
At the All-Star game, Kobe gave his all, fully showcasing his excellent isolation skills, scoring a game-high 28 points and leading the West Team to defeat the Eastern Team, winning his first MVP trophy—The All-Star MVP.
Everything was going smoothly, and internally, the Trail Blazers seemed ready for a transition of power.
Just like the Los Angeles Lakers did with Jabbar and Magic Johnson back in the day, a young guard pairing up with a gradually aging superstar center, another decade of dominance.
Now it’s not just the Western Conference living in the shadows, but the entire NBA is under the Trail Blazers’ vast pressure, as Jordan retired, who will challenge this red-black dynasty?
The Eastern Conference is filled with powerhouse teams, the Celtics, Nets, Pacers, and Knicks all have the strength to contend for the finals.
But they seem to fall slightly short when facing the Trail Blazers.
The Celtics are too young, the Nets are too old, and the Pacers and Knicks lack a true superstar.
People generally believe that the Trail Blazers’ championship defense this season will be unstoppable unless the team suffers major injuries, like Ah Gan’s head falling off.
But injuries have never struck this ironclad Bionic Man, his consistency has begun to make opponents feel a hint of insurmountable fear.
As expected in the regular season, the Trail Blazers once again delivered a dominating performance, losing 10 more games than last season, ending with a record of 67 wins and 15 losses, once more claiming the top spot in the league.
The league’s second place, the Boston Celtics, only had 58 wins and 24 losses, trailing the Trail Blazers by 9 victories.
On April 23, the playoffs officially began, with the Trail Blazers facing off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, mercilessly sweeping them 3-0, sending Kevin Garnett home to fish once again.
This was Garnett’s third consecutive year fishing in the first round, and the second time being eliminated by the Trail Blazers.
In the semifinals, the Trail Blazers confronted the San Antonio Spurs, comprising David Robinson and Chauncey Billups.
In the first two games, the Trail Blazers easily defeated the Spurs at home, leading 2-0.
It seemed like yet another match without suspense, the Trail Blazers might end it in four games.
However, on May 7th, during the third game, the Trail Blazers were in poor form in San Antonio.
Always stable, Gan Guoyang was distracted this game, shooting 6 of 15 from the field, only scoring 16 points, playing one of his worst playoff performances in these three seasons, and one of his worst playoff performances in his career.
The Trail Blazers, as visitors, lost the game 97-101, with a 4-point disadvantage, reducing the series lead to 2-1.
On that day, an international news report was published in a less noticeable section of a newspaper in America:
"On May 7th, multiple jointly-guided attack bombs hit Yugoslavia’s Z embassy. Fortunately, due to personnel attending a basketball event banquet and not returning, no casualties occurred. The country strongly protested America’s attack, seeking compensation for construction costs and mental damages, and demanded a public apology."
Gan Guoyang post-game was too anxious to participate in the press conference, instead busying himself with the newspaper.
Upon seeing this brief news report, he tore up the newspaper and tossed it into the trash can.
In the next game, he won’t be distracted or courteous.