Playoffs! Begin!

"The playoffs are coming!"

April 18, 1998!

All regular-season games had officially concluded on this day.

The standings in both the Eastern and Western Conferences would no longer change!

Kobe quietly opened Twitter and looked over the playoff bracket.

Western Conference:

1st: Los Angeles Lakers, 70 wins, 12 losses

2nd: San Antonio Spurs, 69 wins, 13 losses

3rd: Utah Jazz, 67 wins, 15 losses

4th: Minnesota Timberwolves, 61 wins, 21 losses

5th: Houston Rockets, 59 wins, 23 losses

6th: Seattle SuperSonics, 51 wins, 31 losses

7th: Portland Trail Blazers, 50 wins, 32 losses

8th: Phoenix Suns, 47 wins, 35 losses

9th: Sacramento Kings, 45 wins, 37 losses

The Los Angeles Lakers!

They remained firmly atop the Western Conference!

Two-time MVP Kobe Bryant, in just his third year in the league, had once again led his team to 70 wins!

The Lakers would face the Phoenix Suns in the first round.

The Suns did not complete their comeback over the Kings until the very last moment of the regular season!

Danny Ainge had acquired Joe Smith from the Bulls. Along with Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Ceballos, Hornacek, Joe Smith, Danny Manning, Clifford Robinson, and a host of other seasoned talents, their goal this season was far more than simply making the first round.

Even Kobe had to admire Danny Ainge's ability to build a team.

After Barkley's departure had left the Suns in ruins, Ainge had built an all-around squad packed with second-tier stars in just a few years.

Danny Ainge might not have been a top-tier coach, but he was absolutely a top-tier general manager.

Perhaps he would realize that himself before long.

The current Suns had plenty of stars, but they truly lacked anyone who could take control of the situation.

The team's undisputed core was actually a point guard