The answer was indeed possible!
As all Houston fans anticipated the Rockets to defeat the young Trail Blazers with their experience, the Trail Blazers delivered a resounding slap to the face of the Houston fans!
With a 3:2 lead, the Trail Blazers, through a hard-fought Game 5, successfully kicked the aging Rockets out of the playoffs! The former champion Rockets, boasting the league's "Big Three Elders" Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Scottie Pippen, couldn't even defeat a bunch of youngsters?
The ignominious first-round playoff exit enraged Rockets fans. The management had spent a fortune, only to fall short of even reaching the Western Conference Semifinals. What was the point of such a roster?
Rockets fans clamored for a complete rebuild!
In other words, the Trail Blazers indirectly accelerated the Rockets' rebuilding process. Scottie Pippen was also traded to Rip City at the end of the season... the Trail Blazers became the prime culprits in fostering the Rockets' reconstruction...
Another layer of animosity was added between Rip City and Houston.
With this, the top four seeds in the Western Conference were finalized. In the semifinals, the Lakers would face the challenge of the young Trail Blazers, while the Jazz would confront the equally young Spurs.
In the Eastern Conference first round, the Pacers swept the young Bucks 3:0.
The dynamic duo of Ray Allen and Sam Cassell led the Bucks into the playoffs, but they were unable to pull off an upset against the more seasoned Pacers.
The Bucks' challenge failed, but the 76ers, under the leadership of Allen Iverson, accomplished an upset, defeating Penny Hardaway's Magic 3:1!
Over the four games, Iverson averaged 28 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals, shining throughout the East!
However, to Iverson's surprise, in the Western Conference, his perennial underdog, He Xi Meng of the Lakers, seemingly on a different level, posted a terrifying stat line of 33 points and 13 assists in the first round!
"The Timberwolves are too weak..." Iverson mused inwardly. "I really want to emerge from the East and crush He Xi Meng on the NBA Finals stage, defeat the Lakers, and win the championship..."
Iverson's thoughts were noble, but it was exceedingly difficult for the current 76ers to contend for a championship. Let alone defeating the Lakers, it would be a formidable task to break out of the Eastern Conference in the post-Bulls era...
However, for the Philadelphia fans, making the playoffs was already a significant improvement, and defeating the once-powerful Magic was beyond their expectations. For the Philadelphia fans, Iverson had already become a hero of Philadelphia! Whether he won a championship or not, Iverson was Philadelphia's hero...
If the Philadelphia 76ers' upset was somewhat within the realm of fan anticipation, then the Knicks' creation of a "Cinderella story" truly shocked a multitude of fans!
With Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Dan Majerle, and Voshon Lenard in hand, Pat Riley was shockingly upset by the Knicks 3:2, his reputation as a mastermind nearly tarnished by this Cinderella run.
However, upon closer examination of the Knicks' roster, one would find that the players under Coach Jeff Van Gundy possessed talent no less than the Eastern Conference's top-seeded Heat!
The starting lineup included Allan Houston, Patrick Ewing, Kurt Thomas, Larry Johnson, and Charlie Ward.
The bench featured players like Marcus Camby and Latrell Sprewell.
He Xi Meng simply couldn't understand how, with such a stacked roster, Coach Jeff Van Gundy managed to play so poorly during the regular season, barely scraping into the playoffs?
It was truly a pity for the Heat, who had achieved the top seed in the Eastern Conference in the post-Jordan era, only to be eliminated by the unconventional Knicks in a Cinderella upset...
This Cinderella upset also marked the breakout performance of "Mid-Range King" Allan Houston!
In the final minute of Game 5, the home-court Heat were actually leading the Knicks by 3 points!
Patrick Ewing drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Alonzo Mourning, and sank both free throws to narrow the deficit to 1 point.
Then, Tim Hardaway, handling the ball for the final possession, was stripped by a then-not-yet-"Wildman" Latrell Sprewell, successfully regaining possession for the Knicks!
With only 19 seconds left in the game, the score was tied by 1 point!
After a timeout, Allan Houston drove with the ball for the final shot, killing time, driving, and pulling up for a mid-range jumper!
In this do-or-die moment, Allan Houston withstood all the pressure, and with 1 second left on the clock, he successfully sank the basketball, a near game-winner against the Heat!
With 1 second remaining, the Heat's offensive play failed, and Terry Porter's forced shot missed, leading to the Heat's bewildered exit. They not only achieved the Knicks' Cinderella story but also personally propelled "Mid-Range King" Allan Houston to fame!
With this performance, Allan Houston solidified his position as the "New King of New York," becoming the highest-valued star in the Big Apple after Patrick Ewing!
The final Eastern Conference playoff spot would be decided between the Pistons and the Hawks.
Grant Hill, hailed as the "next Michael Jordan," ultimately failed to defeat Dikembe Mutombo's Hawks, losing 2:3 in Game 5 and exiting the playoffs, missing out on the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Eastern Conference's final four were the Knicks, Hawks, 76ers, and Pacers.
After the first round of the playoffs, the league's regular-season awards were announced.
In the post-Jordan era, who would inherit the mantle as the league's new MVP was the question most keenly followed by fans.
He Xi Meng observed that the young Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson were also nominated, a testament to their talent and recognition. However, their rankings were not very high. The true contenders for MVP were Karl Malone of the Jazz, Reggie Miller of the Pacers, and Shaquille O'Neal of the Lakers!
Ultimately, Karl Malone triumphed, winning the 1998-1999 MVP award! The league made up for Malone's long-standing regrets, and the energized Malone, upon receiving the award, believed that with "that bastard Jordan" gone, his era was finally coming...
This season's Defensive Player of the Year went to Alonzo Mourning of the Heat!
With Mourning's tenacious defense, the Heat achieved the top regular-season record in the Eastern Conference, initially exciting Miami fans who believed a championship run was imminent! Little did they know, in the first round of the playoffs, they encountered the unyielding Knicks! And the tough defender Mourning, while capable of guarding most centers in the league, could only fight tooth and nail against the equally resilient Patrick Ewing, ultimately suffering the agony of being nearly defeated by Allan Houston...
For Mourning, who had already been eliminated in a Cinderella upset, the Defensive Player of the Year award was merely a small consolation prize...