Gan Guoyang made both free throws, breaking the stalemate on the court.
Then, he received the ball under the basket and pushed Olajuwon away for a layup.
Although his shot was interfered with and missed, he grabbed the offensive rebound, went up again, missed, tapped it in, and it went in.
He scored 4 points in one possession. Olajuwon angrily said, "Sonny, you've learned how to pad your stats now."
"It's just an old trick Moses left behind! You can do it too."
Gan Guoyang, due to weight loss, isn't as strong in confrontations under the basket as before, leading to a decline in his shooting accuracy.
However, his keen rebounding sense still makes him a significant threat in the three-second zone. Olajuwon really couldn't jump this time.
Fan Huo'en sent a cold arrow from the top of the arc, scoring two points and breaking the scoring drought for both teams.
Brad Miller immediately hit a mid-range shot from the top of the arc in response. Mid-range shots still hold an important place in the game.
Both teams' offense gradually picked up tempo, and the fans on the sidelines were slowly getting into the mode—more and more people were filling those empty seats.
Vegas fans face the same dilemma as the visiting players: the arena is connected to the hotel and casino.
So many tourist spectators prefer having fun at the hotel first rather than entering early and waiting for the game to start in their seats.
Even though the "Glory Girls" cheerleaders are all beautiful and charming, they're still not as spontaneous and enthusiastic as the dancers in the MGM Hotel's strip club.
The arrival of the Glory Team has greatly boosted business for the MGM Hotel, with every game day keeping the hotel incredibly busy.
The current plan for the new arena is to attempt a combined operation of hotel + arena + private club. MGM Hotel's revenue shows the uniqueness of this model.
Of course, all this is built on the exciting performances by the Glory Team and Gan Guoyang's strong box-office appeal.
Once the Glory Team's games become uninteresting, the complex's operations will definitely be affected.
Now, not long after the game started, both sides were gradually improving their offense, and fans who had been enjoying themselves began entering the arena.
The Nets' offensive rhythm is still very slow, with many believing Jide is unsuitable for the Triangle Offense, hence his departure from the Lakers.
In reality, Jide is an unusual point guard; he doesn't need to hold the ball much and often passes it to teammates after crossing half-court, then either sits in the corner or goes under the basket to grab offensive rebounds.
At the Lakers, people thought he was compromising for O'Neal and the Triangle Offense with this playstyle.
After moving to the Nets, he continued playing this way, passing after crossing half-court and starting off-ball movement to seek other opportunities.
This shows Jide is not a ball-sticking point guard; he left the Lakers because he didn't want to cooperate with Phil Jackson and O'Neal.
Jide received the pass from a teammate at the left corner, aimed, and made the three-point shot successfully. Jide's three-point shooting is still reliable.
Arenas at the top of the arc was closely defended by Jide. Gan Guoyang came over to set a screen, but Arenas found it hard to shake free.
"Go for the contact, don't be afraid, go for the contact!" Gan Guoyang reminded Arenas.
But it was still no use. Arenas tried to make contact, but couldn't push Jide away, and instead got called for an offensive foul.
Jide smiled and said to Arenas, "Don't listen to this guy talking nonsense. No one in the league can handle contact with him; he tells everyone to go for the contact."
Jide is one of the few who isn't afraid of Gan Guoyang and often jokes around with Ah Gan during games.
"How about I play point guard?"
"Then I'll go inside to grab rebounds."
The Nets inbound the ball, and Jide crosses half-court and passes the ball, then runs towards the right baseline.
The Nets' offense is actually very rigid; Byron Scott's half-court set plays are extremely stale.
But with Jide's presence, in some moments that aren't so stagnant, he manages to shine with creative passing.
This bit of brilliance is often the key to evolving a team from an average team to a top-tier team.
Kittelers passed the ball to the wing for Jide, who quickly lobbed it inside as Kenyon Martin cut to the basket, attempting to leap for an alley-oop.
Upon seeing Gan Guoyang, he chickened out and went up to grab the ball, used a fake move, pivoted, wiggled around, and finally tried a stiff hook shot, which Gan Guoyang slapped away.
"What the hell are you doing? Dancing? Just shoot the damn ball!"
It seems Gan Guoyang hasn't let go of what Martin boasted about before the game last December.
Martin had a dark expression, said nothing, and ran back to defend.
The Glory Team seized the counterattack opportunity, with Gerald Wallace receiving the ball and charging toward the basket, scoring with a powerful two-handed dunk!
The electronic sound of a slot machine payout, "biubiubiu," echoed in the arena, a special sound effect prepared for Wallace's dunk, Arenas' three-pointers, Gan Guoyang's hook shots, and other highlights, which is a distinctive feature of the Glory Team.
The seats were about 80% full, and the fans erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Actually, all the tickets were sold, but some people might not even show up until the game ends, because they're caught up in gambling in the casino; such events happen daily in Vegas.
Gan Guoyang set a pick-and-roll with Arenas at the top of the arc, cut outside, received the ball, and scored with a mid-range jump shot.
Olajuwon couldn't take being hit repeatedly, so he demanded the ball at the low post, backed up during the catch, turned around, and scored with a jump shot.
Even though his speed is much slower than at his peak, and his jumping isn't great anymore, Olajuwon's touch and footwork remain.