The top four teams in the Western Conference regular season standings were the Spurs, Lakers, Kings, and Mavericks.
Teams ranked fifth through eighth were the Jazz, Suns, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves.
The Jazz and Trail Blazers fell out of the Western Conference's top half, while the Kings and Mavericks successfully emerged.
In the Eastern Conference regular season standings, the Philadelphia 76ers ranked first with a record of 56 wins and 26 losses. Given the overwhelming strength of the West compared to the East, this was an impressive achievement, comparable to the Lakers' record in second place in the West.
Following the 76ers were the Bucks, Heat, Knicks, Raptors, Hornets, Magic, and Pacers.
The former Eastern Conference powerhouse Pacers had a disastrous season, while the once-struggling Bucks, led by the "Three Musketeers" Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, and Cassell, successfully turned their fortunes around and ascended to the ranks of the Eastern Conference's elite.
The West was changing, and so was the East. The entire league had entered an era of transformation, with an abundance of top-tier players and a rotating cast of strong teams. The era when a single superstar could dominate the entire league was long gone; this was now an age of widespread contention, where not having two or more top players meant one could hardly dare to speak to others.
In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, the Spurs' opponent was the Timberwolves.
Duncan, Garnett, and Webber were the three greatest power forwards of this era. If one were to rank them as "top-tier," all three belonged in that category. However, within that top tier, if a further distinction were to be made, Garnett and Webber might be considered evenly matched. Duncan, the peak Duncan, the pre-injury Duncan, decisively suppressed the other two.
This meant that in this playoff matchup, even without He Xi Meng's assistance, Duncan could have defeated Garnett's Timberwolves single-handedly with a supporting cast of decent teammates.
He Xi Meng's presence merely further elevated Duncan's talent ceiling, allowing the Spurs to win more comfortably.
3-0. The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves without breaking a sweat.
In the three games, Duncan averaged 27 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks, outperforming the "Wolf King" in almost every statistical category.
Garnett's averages were 21 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks.
Following the Timberwolves' elimination, head coach Saunders shook his head in lament, stating, "We have Kevin, he's one of the best power forwards in the league, and we have a chance to win against anyone. Only against the Spurs do we have no hope. Because the Spurs have Duncan at power forward, and Duncan is the best power forward in the league, bar none..."
Popovich, after the game, humbly remarked, "Kevin and Tim are both among the best power forwards in the league. But in this series, Tim was in better form than Kevin, so we won the final game. That's all."
He Xi Meng wasn't sure if Duncan's playoff form was better than Garnett's in the first round. However, what He Xi Meng was sure of was that as the playoffs began, Popovich, tiptoeing and patting Duncan's shoulder with effort, said, "Tim, you can now unleash all your strength... The playoffs are here, we need victories, and we need you to play to your full potential..."
The Spurs swept their opponent, and the Lakers also swept theirs.
In three games, O'Neal contributed 27 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block... Well, it was a bit less than Duncan in the first round, but it was enough to help the Lakers defeat the Trail Blazers 3-0 and advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.
In the remaining two Western Conference matchups, the Suns, who missed Kidd in last season's playoffs, were without Penny Hardaway this season... The Suns, unable to maintain peak form, naturally couldn't face a peak Kings team!
Peja shone brightly in this series! While the Suns focused all their attention on the inside presence of Webber and Divac, Peja rained down shots from mid-to-long range, scoring a series-high 23.3 points per game for both teams!
Suns head coach Scott Layden's persistent strategy of having Marion converge to help Webber did, to some extent, contain Webber's performance, but it allowed Peja to explode.
The Suns, unable to manage both threats, ultimately lost 1-3, once again stopping short in the first round of the playoffs.
The final Western Conference matchup was between the old Western power, the Jazz, and the emerging Western force, the Mavericks.
The Mavericks certainly knew that the aging Jazz would not be an easy opponent. However, the level of difficulty was beyond their expectations.
In Game 1, Stockton, completely disregarding Nash's defense, dished out an astonishing 18 assists, tearing the Mavericks' defense to shreds... Five Jazz players scored in double figures, and Malone scored a game-high 26 points!
When the game entered its final minute, the Mavericks led the Jazz 86-82, a 4-point advantage.
However, Stockton first assisted Danny Manning for an outside three-pointer, and then drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Juwan Howard, and made both free throws!
In less than thirty seconds, the Jazz scored 5 unanswered points, successfully reversing the score to 87-86!
But the game wasn't entirely over; the Mavericks had one last offensive chance.
Coach Don Nelson entrusted the opportunity to Nowitzki. When Nowitzki posted up Malone, he was met with a crucial steal from Stockton!
After successfully stealing the ball, Stockton pushed the fast break, launching a long pass to a streaking Donnell Marshall.
Marshall drove directly to the basket, intending to finish with a layup. Juwan Howard was forced to foul, sending Marshall to the free-throw line.
If Marshall made both free throws, he would secure the victory for the Jazz, but Marshall made only one of two, leaving the Jazz with a two-point lead. The Mavericks had 3.3 seconds remaining.
This time, Don Nelson entrusted the opportunity to Finley, who had better mobility on the perimeter. However, Finley's buzzer-beating three-pointer missed, and the Mavericks lost Game 1 by two points, with the Jazz stealing a home-court win right out of the gate.
In Game 2, the Mavericks, having recovered their senses, employed a mismatch defensive strategy on the perimeter, having Finley guard Stockton to completely contain his play, successfully evening the series.
In Game 3, the Mavericks continued to contain Stockton, but Russell exploded, hitting 4 out of 6 three-pointers. He scored 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, second only to Russell. Combined with Malone's 34 points and Stockton's 19 points, the Jazz successfully defended their first home court. With a 2-1 lead, they once again led the Mavericks and were the first to reach match point for advancement.