After urgent consultations, taking into account various factors, the organizing committee for this year's All-Star Game in Philadelphia decided to grant their wish, and the All-Star/
With 7 more wins than the Kings, who ranked second in the West!
If the Spurs hadn't locked up the best record in the entire league two weeks prior, they might have had a shot at breaking the 70-win mark!
In fact, most media outlets at the time were indeed shouting "Spurs 70 Wins," but Popovich completely ignored these media outlets and their talk of 70 wins. He simply played at his own pace, resting players when necessary, even intensifying the rest.
Ultimately, the Spurs concluded the 2001-2002 regular season with the best record in the league. Moreover, they ensured that their main lineup was fully healthy, and even David Robinson, who had been sidelined with injuries at one point, was now in good competitive condition.
Popovich had fine-tuned the Spurs to be in the best possible shape to contend for a championship!
The playoffs are here, and the Spurs are ready. Are the other teams in the league ready?
This season, the four strongest teams in the Western Conference were the Spurs, ranked first, the Kings, ranked second, the Lakers, ranked third, and the Mavericks, ranked fourth!
These were the teams in the upper half of the bracket, essentially representing the strongest forces in the West.
In the lower half of the bracket, from fifth to eighth place, were the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Jazz, and SuperSonics!
The Spurs' first-round playoff opponent was the SuperSonics, led by Payton!
In the Eastern Conference, the Nets, Pistons, and Celtics were in the top tier, all with winning percentages above 50 wins!
After the top three, from fourth to eighth place, seven teams had winning percentages hovering just above 50%.
In the final stretch of the regular season, the rankings of the top 8 in the East changed daily, with no repeats.
Ultimately, McGrady, fighting with a single core, made a surge and battled through seven teams to snatch fourth place in the East. However, the Magic's record was only 44 wins and 38 losses, equivalent to the level of the eighth seed in the West.
The difference in overall strength between the East and West was evident.
Following the Magic, the fifth-ranked team in the East was the Charlotte Hornets!
The three teams ranked between fifth and eighth in the East all finished with identical records of 42 wins and 40 losses.
Last year's Eastern Conference champions, the Philadelphia 76ers, ranked sixth solely on tiebreakers, with the Raptors seventh and the Wizards eighth!
Yes, after He Xi Meng's changes, Jordan managed to escape the fate of missing the playoffs, but it was only a last-minute entry.
Jordan, who had always been unconvinced by Kidd's Nets, now had his chance. It remained to be seen if the old Jordan could continue to work miracles and achieve a "black eight."
In the past, Jordan was the one everyone eagerly challenged, wanting to "black eight" him.
Now, the situation had reversed, with the perennial underdog becoming the challenger himself. One wondered what Jordan's thoughts were.
The fierce dragon seemed to have become the dragon slayer. How could the myth continue?
He Xi Meng was unaware of Jordan's troubles. The Eastern Conference's matters were for the Eastern Conference teams to resolve.
What He Xi Meng needed to do now was to lead the Spurs to face the challenge of the SuperSonics!
A "black eight" was impossible. It remained to be seen if Payton and Lewis could snatch even one victory from the Spurs!