The 1999-2000 season was exceptionally frustrating for Kevin Garnett.
He had an obvious improvement, delivering an All-Star level season, averaging 22 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, plus 1.5 assists per game.
The Timberwolves, with a record of 52 wins, once again successfully made it to the playoffs, and Garnett was likely to be selected for the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team, becoming one of the few top-tier superstars in the league.
At this time, he was only 23 years old, about a month away from his 24th birthday, making him and his friends, as well as his fans, proud of his achievements.
However, when the last game of the season ended and the dust settled, the Trail Blazers, with a 1-point victory at home over the Nuggets, surpassed the Seattle SuperSonics to climb to second place in the Western Conference. In the locker room, waiting for the result of this game, Garnett covered his head with a towel, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.
The Timberwolves had already secured the sixth seed in the Western Conference, unable to drop to seventh, nor reach the fifth, and were just waiting to see who would be third in the Western Conference.
According to the NBA's ranking rules, the top two teams of a division automatically become the top two in the conference; since the Los Angeles Lakers, with 65 wins and 17 losses, were certain to be the first in the Western Conference, if the Trail Blazers' record rose to second, they would rank third in the Western Conference.
In the final round, the Trail Blazers won, and the SuperSonics lost. The Trail Blazers, with the advantage of one win, secured the second-best record, ranking third in the Western Conference, with the SuperSonics in fourth.
Therefore, the Timberwolves' opponent in the first round was once again the Portland Trail Blazers—this was the third time in four seasons since Gan Guoyang's return that the Timberwolves encountered the Trail Blazers in the first round.
During the previous two encounters, the Trail Blazers easily eliminated the Timberwolves 3:1 and 3:0, winning six of the seven games in the two playoff series, showing a definite disadvantage.
This year, the Timberwolves achieved a franchise-best record of 52 wins, with Garnett, Marbury, and Malik Sealy, and Joe Smith on the bench. This achievement, in the 1970s, would have been championship-worthy.
However, with more and more teams in the league, talent was diluted, increasing the number of weaker teams, hence more teams achieving 50 wins.
This year, the Western Conference saw a boom of teams with 50 wins, with the top seven teams each reaching 50 wins, and the Phoenix Suns in seventh with a 50-32 record.
They were to face the 55-27 Utah Jazz in the first round, who had only five more wins, meaning the Suns were not afraid of the aging Jazz.
The Timberwolves also wanted to drop to seventh to play the Jazz in the first round, rather than being higher-ranked with two more wins and having to face the Portland Trail Blazers.
Even though this might have been Ah Gan's weakest period, the Timberwolves still didn't have the confidence to defeat the Trail Blazers in the first round, as there was a vast difference in experience and overall strength between the two teams.
When Timberwolves' coach Philip Saunders saw this result, his mood was just as gloomy as Garnett's, but he couldn't show it.
He could only muster up some energy, clap his hands in the locker room, urging everyone to prepare for the playoffs, saying, "Our next stop is Portland, the most intimidating home court in the NBA over the last fifteen years, but also a place to prove ourselves, a place to create miracles. This year we had a full season, 52 wins, an incredible achievement, and our goal is absolutely not the first round; we aim to break through. Perhaps God has given us this mission, as the 21st century is about to dawn, to give us this chance to open our time."
Sanders' speech had a certain effect, as Kevin Garnett threw the towel off his head and gathered with his teammates to inspire each other.
But when leaving the arena to go home, in the parking lot, Garnett confided to Sanders, "Coach, to be honest, I don't have the confidence to create a miracle."
Garnett was being honest, very honest, and Philip Saunders was just as honest, responding, "Do you think I have any? Damn it, this ranking is just... Satan's arrangement! Four seasons, three times in the first round, we meet the Trail Blazers! Fack!"
Sanders kicked his car's tire hard, and Garnett laughed helplessly.
Sanders became the Timberwolves' head coach in 1995, coaching from Garnett's rookie season, and the two had a father-son-like relationship.
It could be said that Garnett gradually transformed from a naive high school rookie into a league superstar under Saunders' guidance and coaching.
Sanders was also the one who built the Timberwolves, a fledgling team, into a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.
In the 1996-1997 season, he led the team to the playoffs for the first time, with four consecutive playoff appearances, improving the record each year.
This season, achieving 50 wins was something to be proud of. Yet, encountering the Trail Blazers three times in four years was truly unlucky, with no chance to fight back.
Against any other higher-ranked team, the Timberwolves had a chance; at least Sanders was confident to drag the series to a Game 5.
The Timberwolves' lineup this year was indeed quite good, with a balanced inside and outside game, and efficient substitutes, capable of making a mark.
But facing the Trail Blazers, the goal shifted from "making a mark" to "aiming to win one game, avoiding a sweep."
During Gan Guoyang's era with the Trail Blazers, their first-round sweep rate was astonishingly high, and until now, only three series didn't end in a sweep, with thinking about Game 5 being out of the question.
For such a historically championship-level team, the first round was just a warm-up, to quickly pass through and prepare for the semifinals, with no wasted effort.
"No matter what, we still have to play seriously. Now the only thing we can hope for is that this year the Trail Blazers' condition is too poor. Also... I heard the FBI will conduct a sixth hearing investigation on Ah Gan. The timing coincides with the first-round series, and he might miss one game, which is an opportunity for us. Winning one game would be ideal. If we can take advantage of their weak moment to steal a victory, all the better, we can drag the series into Game 5. This is the best chance."