In 1999, the attempt to form a Big Four failed. Barkley joined the Trail Blazers, while Pippen and Richmond joined the Lakers and both won championships.
Only Olajuwon stayed with the Nets. After last season ended, he signed a contract with the Nets, announcing that after this season, he would retire, ending his 18-year NBA career.
Gan Guoyang didn't recruit Olajuwon to join the Glory team for another year because he knew Olajuwon didn't lack championship rings.
With one championship ring, the pursuit of a second isn't as intense.
When making a decision, more consideration is given to factors like economy and family. It's better if there are more, but it's not a big problem if there aren't.
After all, having experienced it, having had the glory, having climbed the highest mountain and enjoyed the view from the top, there's no regret left.
The two soaked in the bathhouse, playing chess together on the side amidst the misty fog.
Olajuwon was a chess expert, and if it was a proper game, Gan Guoyang wasn't Olajuwon's match.
"Hey... where's my knight that was just here?"
"Your knight's gone? I must have captured it."
"No, it was clearly just here. You didn't capture it... did you sneak it away when moving your piece?"
"Who would sneak your knight away like that? I certainly captured it. Keep playing, even without a knight, you still have an advantage."
Olajuwon chuckled and shook his head. He knew it must have been Ah Gan who, under the cover of the mist, took his knight.
If it were his younger self, he would definitely have fought with Ah Gan. This person was so shameless.
In their rookie season, the two were the most frequent fighters in the league.
18 years have passed in the blink of an eye. Olajuwon has mellowed considerably, now frequently speaking of Allah and God, and making pilgrimages to Mecca during the offseason.
During the championship season in 1995, he still strictly observed Ramadan and scored 41 points in an important game.
However, the events of 9/11 brought significant negative impact to Olajuwon, especially since he was in New Jersey, so close to New York.
The entire city was filled with hostility. Olajuwon had to spend a lot of time dealing with inner turmoil and explaining his stance to the outside world.
This was one of the reasons Olajuwon decided to retire. He could no longer expose himself long-term in the public eye. At the moment the towers fell, he knew it was time to retire, just like when the Houston Twin Towers were destroyed by Ah Gan, it was over.
"Sonny, I know why you can win so many championships and still insist on playing. You're just a competitive maniac who has to win."
"That was Michael, not me. I'm not that kind of person. I'm just better than you all. If I played as poorly as you, I would have retired too."
Even the good-natured Olajuwon sometimes couldn't help but want to pick up the chessboard and hit Ah Gan on the head with it—to silence the world.
"Sonny, the world would be better off without you. I could have won many more championships."
"Come on, without me, you would've won just two championships."
"How do you know?"
"I just know! Checkmate! You've lost!"
"Huh? Where... where is my queen?"
"Your queen's been gone for a while. I captured it long ago."
If he weren't truly no match for Ah Gan, Olajuwon would've actually taken action.
On the night of the 20th, Olajuwon vowed to seek revenge on the court.
The Nets' lineup this year is really impressive. After trading for Jason Kidd, they reached the Eastern Conference finals in the 2000-2001 season, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers, one step from the NBA finals.
Kidd almost made his way back to Los Angeles for a showdown with O'Neal.
This season, the Nets' core lineup has matured further, starting with Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, Fan Huo'en, and Hakeem Olajuwon, forming a strong lineup with a mix of older, mid-career, and younger players.
Currently, apart from the Boston Celtics, no other team in the Eastern Conference is a match for the Nets. These two teams are far ahead of other Eastern teams in terms of record and strength.
The Glory team is in full force, with Arenas and Gerald Wallace returning, hoping to end their losing streak in this match.
Arenas, after the All-Star game, gradually stabilized in form. Although Glory lost the last three games, Arenas performed well, consistently scoring double digits and contributing about five assists per game.
Though still a rookie, his performance on the court is already enough to become the starting point guard for an average team.
However, his stability still needs improvement, and his three-point shooting percentage is lacking, at 34%, with significant fluctuations.
When he's on fire, he can go 7-for-6 or 5-for-4 from the field, but when he's not, it's 5-for-1 or 4-for-0. Such performance won't work in the playoffs.
In the playoffs, the outcome of every game is crucial. Winning by 30 in one game and losing by 10 in another is far less beneficial than winning both games by 5 points. Consistent performance is key.
Arenas is still very young, a newcomer with plenty of time and space to grow.
For the Nets' power forward Kenyon Martin, facing Ah Gan is also a nightmare.
Before Christmas last year, Glory played an away game in New Jersey, and Martin boasted before the game about dunking on Ah Gan three times.
At the time, Kidd and Olajuwon just smiled and said nothing, and sure enough, Martin got blocked six times in the game, all by Guoyang.
Compared to last December, the Glory team has had significant changes in their playing style, focusing more on offense rather than defense.