After microfracture surgery, he returned for the final 23 games of the 2003–04 season, in which he led the Kings (who went 55-27 that season) into the 2004 Playoffs where they faced their archrivals the Dallas Mavericks for the third year in a row, the Kings defeated the Mavericks in five thrilling entertaining games in the first round en route to reaching the Western Conference Semifinals against the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves led by league MVP Kevin Garnett, a series that would prove to be one of the most memorable in NBA history.