Kenyon Martin breathed a huge sigh of relief on the side; if the Big Dream wasn't lined up with him, he'd have to do it himself.
Everyone knows that Ah Gan is petty-minded; if you offend Ah Gan, don't think you can escape.
After the second half began, Olajuwon became more active on defense, multiple times stepping out to the top of the arc to interfere with Gan Guoyang's coordination.
Olajuwon's outward defensive capabilities were very strong in his youth, especially when switching to the perimeter, his interference and stealing abilities were very troublesome for opponents.
The tiger may be old, but the power remains, successfully defending twice, disrupting the Glory Team's positional offense.
And then the Nets successfully launched a counter-attack, once with Kittelers scoring a layup from Jide's pass.
Once Kenyon Martin received a pass from Jide and went for a layup, but was so scared by Gan Guoyang, he stepped out, violating the rules.
Anyway, they converted one, and the Nets' defensive state got better and better.
The Glory Team immediately made adjustments, assigning the responsibility for coordinating offense at the arc top to Brad Miller.
Gan Guoyang and Arenas, Bell, and Hugh engaged in numerous pick-and-roll plays.
The two sides were evenly matched on both offense and defense, with the Glory Team maintaining a 2 or 3-point advantage, always at risk of being overtaken.
Olajuwon's defensive performance in the third quarter was quite outstanding, guarding the basket well, allowing young players to feel the power of the super center who once competed with Ah Gan in the 80s and 90s.
In the confrontation with Ah Gan, he gave his all, unleashing all his past experience and physical energy.
Gan Guoyang, of course, also fought with full effort, the two getting increasingly fired up, even playing for position and wrestling at the basket by the eighth minute of the third quarter.
Entering the fourth quarter, Gan Guoyang finally showed his sharp fangs; "Big Dream, your dream is almost over; it's time to wake up."
Having taken a five-minute rest and re-entering the court, the score was 74:73, with Glory leading the Nets by one point.
Gan Guoyang's three-point performance in previous games was poor, and this time it was also not good, but he suddenly launched an assault from the perimeter.
From the arc top, he received Miller's pass and shot a three-pointer, scoring.
Next, after grabbing a rebound, he dribbled forward, pulling up from the left 45-degree three-point line to shoot another three-pointer, and scored again.
Two consecutive three-pointers, and on the second shot Olajuwon ran inside the three-point line, helplessly watching Gan Guoyang take the shot, reaching out symbolically, only to watch the ball go in.
At that moment, Olajuwon knew that he and Ah Gan were no longer players from the same era.
He was the relic of the old times, while Ah Gan was still cutting through the waves of the new era.
When Gan Guoyang nailed the third three-pointer from the perimeter, the entire MGM Hotel Center erupted.
Meanwhile, the tourists or gamblers at the casino, whether they were winning or losing, all those who bought tickets came to the scene.
Those who won naturally were delighted, watching the game and then continuing to spend, contributing to the GDP of the gambling city.
While those who lost felt the enthusiasm of Sunshine at the game, blowing away the chill of losing, refreshing themselves, ready to start anew, and try again next time.
In terms of frenetic atmosphere, Glory's home doesn't lose out to any city.
And due to the gambling city, there's an extra hint of madness in such an atmosphere.
Gan Guoyang's consecutive three-pointers, accompanied by the on-site "biubiubiu~ ding" sound, felt like really hitting the jackpot.
It is said that after watching a Glory game, business on slot machines in the gambling city would see an uptick.
In this game with strong defensive confrontations, Gan Guoyang's sudden three-point strike was like an unpredictable stock market black swan, and the Nets' offense and defense collapsed quickly.
The point difference suddenly widened to over 10 points, forcing the Nets to accelerate their pace in chasing points and playing hastily.
Meanwhile, Glory seized the loopholes, with Arenas and Wallace continuously scoring through counter-attacks, Glory suddenly launched a wave in the fourth quarter.
Scott called a timeout at this moment, but was powerless to stop it; the Nets have always been a defensively grinding team.
Once their defense gets pierced instantly by a superstar, there's no remedy, entirely no remedy; Jide isn't someone who can trade blows with Ah Gan.
In the end, Glory still relied on Gan Guoyang's super performance to seal the deal with a three-minute wave against a strong Nets team.
The home advantage indeed had an effect, and Gan Guoyang felt like the basket in the second half seemed particularly easy to score; he wondered if it was loosened.
94:86, Glory defeated the Nets, ending their losing streak.
At the end of the game, Gan Guoyang and Olajuwon tightly embraced at mid-court.
Olajuwon patted Gan Guoyang on the shoulder, saying, "I never thought you could still have a future; I really envy you."
Gan Guoyang responded, "I envy you too, making over ten million in real estate but not sharing any information with me."
Olajuwon laughed heartily; before the 9/11 incident, he had just sold his property in New York's core area, making a fortune.
An era of giants is drawing to a close.