Van Exel seems determined to make up for the time wasted during his years of wandering by going all out in Las Vegas.
He himself doesn't know how long he can maintain this; maybe after a month of craziness, he'll no longer be able to hold on.
After all, the temptations of the gambling city are too numerous—seductive beauties, the clattering sound of slot machines, vibrant strip clubs—forming a massive temptation for both home and visiting players.
Nick thinks it's a miracle that he's able to resist, but he feels pretty darn good about it.
When he first got here, he hadn't arranged for housing yet and stayed at the MGM Hotel.
During training, he'd go for his sessions as usual, but when he wasn't training, he'd head to the top floor to Gan Guoyang's office, where there was a gym.
He used Gan Guoyang's gym for strength training to improve his ability to compete.
Sometimes, Gan Guoyang would accompany him, and seeing Van Exel's effort, he said, "Finding your form takes time, don't rush it. You're only 30, you have plenty of time."
Gan Guoyang also feared that Van Exel might just be having a honeymoon phase; after coming to Vegas full of energy, he might succumb to temptation and head downstairs for a different kind of high.
Van Exel remained undeterred, and he asked Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, why are you always able to resist temptation?"
Gan Guoyang replied, "Resist temptation? I've never resisted temptation. Quite the opposite—I absolutely can't resist it. Otherwise, why would I retire twice and come back twice? And now, I'm thinking of building a team myself? Because the damned temptation of basketball is too great."
Van Exel finally understood that for Ah Gan, the temptation of basketball was far greater than the allure of worldly pleasures, no wonder the guy was never satisfied.
Plus, he'd always see him in the office at the MGM Hotel. As the most powerful man in this palace, he'd never seen him bring some beauties up to enjoy the spacious office.
Van Exel was also letting his imagination run wild; he probably forgot that the team's female owner was in an office on the same floor.
As March arrived, the NBA season entered the final stage.
The trade market was already closed, and with the exception of picking up bargains from the buyout market, teams had little room for major roster changes.
Teams that needed to make a playoff push were making their push, while the ones that were tanking kept tanking, and those planning playoff rankings were getting ready early.
Gan Guoyang's team had become a fringe playoff team for the first time, with everyone working hard to get into the playoffs.
They were probably the team the top four seeds in the Western Conference least wanted to face.
The explosive combo of Ah Gan+Van Exel could be unpredictable in a best-of-five first round.
Thus, the teams ahead in the Western Conference played cautiously, not daring to win too much, keeping the standings close.
Otherwise, once the Glory Team was locked in at eighth or seventh, meeting them in the first round would spell trouble.
They needed to leave some room for maneuverability to calculate their ranks later.
So, the top four Western Conference teams—the Lakers, Kings, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers—were all within 1.5 games of each other, with none willing to take the lead.
While Glory couldn't care less, they were pushing forward headlong, aiming to break into the top eight in the West and making it to the playoffs.
With intense training and gradually integrating into the Glory Team's system, Van Exel's performance became increasingly better and stable by mid-March.
His powerful three-point shooting and elusive dribbling provided strong supplements to the Glory's already imperfect tactical setup.
The bench players had an experienced leader to rely on, no longer cluelessly passing the ball back and forth when Ah Gan was off the court, which was quite embarrassing.
As for defense? Players like Porter and Cole couldn't defend effectively anymore; everyone was kind of in the same boat.
In March, Glory delivered a solid performance with a three-game win streak, a four-game win streak, gradually solidifying their spot in the top eight of the Western Conference.
However, the competition in the Western Conference was extremely fierce, with Glory, the Jazz, and the Spurs having similar records in the seventh, eighth, and ninth places.
On March 19, the Glory Team visited Salt Lake City, which had just hosted the Winter Olympics in February.
Glory would face off against the Jazz in a direct confrontation to gain an advantage in the playoff hunt.
The previous two clashes had seen each team win once, and since they weren't in the same division, this would be their last meeting of the season.
Gan Guoyang once again met his old friend Stockton, but compared to any prior encounter, Stockton seemed noticeably more dejected and silent this season.
He was quiet and reserved in the past too, but rarely dejected; his eyes would always have a spark.
This season, he didn't have that; he quietly warmed up, sitting at the sideline working on his legs. When Gan Guoyang came over, he jogged over, gave a slight smile, and hugged Gan Guoyang, but there was some uneasiness in his eyes.
Gan Guoyang knew what was troubling him, saying, "I won't try to recruit you to Las Vegas; I know your intentions won't change."
Stockton's expression relaxed a bit, then frowned again, saying, "Sorry, Sonny. But to be frank, I really did consider it. Then I realized I'm quite satisfied with my career, even if it ends like this, it's really not a big deal."
"I know, you had an amazing career, and we even won a championship together, didn't we?"
"Yes, yes."
After the 2001 season ended, Stockton signed a two-year contract with the Jazz and announced that he would retire after it expired.