Champion Creed
Chapter 769 - 769 261 Big 3

769: 261: Big 3?

Just a Losers’ Alliance (Requesting Monthly Votes) 769: 261: Big 3?

Just a Losers’ Alliance (Requesting Monthly Votes) The turn of the century meant new hope for some players.

Kobe Bryant continued his efforts day after day.

After an unbelievably bad finals, he was not discouraged but instead hoped to get closer to Roger, closer to victory.

Ray Allen was similarly refining his skills.

The ending of last season’s playoffs left him feeling humiliated.

He didn’t want to lose again to someone as arrogant as Roger, absolutely not.

Grant Hill pondered his future; his future didn’t belong to Detroit.

Perhaps he wasn’t suited for the Bad Boys Palace from the start.

Last season, after developing his mid-range shot, he had his peak season, but the record was ironically the worst in recent years.

He also wanted victory, so he had to leave.

Allan Houston gladly accepted the 6-year, 100 million US Dollar contract offered by the Golden State Warriors, leaving Miami.

He believed this was the beginning of his career peak, and Warriors owner Chris Cohan also believed the team could turn losses into profits.

Tracy McGrady, Larry Hughes, and Mike Miller grew up together.

They were all convinced that Orlando’s rebuilding period was over.

The year 2000 was a special one.

Few could experience such a millennial transition.

Human genes determined that they would always be full of beautiful dreams about the future at such special moments.

But for some players who had been active in the NBA since the 80s, the turn of the century held no beautiful dreams, only despair.

As one of the four great centers, Patrick Ewing was inevitably abandoned by New Yorkers amidst curses, traded to Seattle, leaving the Knicks he had served since 1985.

Last season, Ewing averaged only 15 points and 9 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of only 46% as a center.

He said he hoped to end his career in New York, at least fulfilling this final year’s contract.

But New York did not give him this dignity.

They couldn’t wait to trade Ewing, whose contract had only one year left, to Seattle, as if they couldn’t stand seeing him for another day.

At this moment, the once-splendid New York Giant appeared like a useless old man, kicked out of his home.

Those days fighting fiercely in the East, that Georgetown spirit of “fighting against the world,” would disappear completely from New York from now on.

People would only remember three things — he couldn’t win a championship with Michael Jordan, he went clubbing at the Gold Club with Michael Jordan, and he was swept out of New York.

This is the cruelty of competitive sports; this is the sorrow of the losers behind the glamour of the victors.

Hakeem Olajuwon absolutely didn’t expect when he won the championship in 1994, that six years later he would be put on the trade shelf by the Rockets voluntarily.

He didn’t lack imagination about himself at 37, thinking that with his achievements and contributions to the Rockets, even if he was no longer the core of the team at 37, he could play the role that Jabbar played in Showtime Lakers.

The latter, when assisting Magic to win the championship in 1987, was already 40 but still averaged 21 points and 7 rebounds in the finals.

Although he was not the FMVP, he was still a crucial member of the team, still respected by the Lakers.

It wasn’t until 1989, at the age of 42, that the legendary Skyhook truly declined.

So at 37, Olajuwon thought he could at least be a deputy, continue chasing championships, and become the Rockets’ totem.

Even if his status was worse than imagined, Olajuwon believed the Rockets would never let him, a legend in team history, wander outside.

But reality slapped Dream in the face cruelly.

Last season, averaging only 10 points and 6 rebounds, he was placed on the trading shelf mercilessly when the contract had just one year left, approaching the end of his tenure.

What totem, championship, all couldn’t rival time and an 18-year-old young wife.

Lethal 3-point shooter Jeff Hornacek was also one of the “Desperate Old Age Group”.

Although not as prominent as the two top centers of the 90s, Hornacek could also feel the bitterness of sunset.

99-00 season, he ended his final year contract with the Utah Jazz.

Last season, he had to wear thick knee guards for every match.

Inadvertently looking in the mirror, he lamented how he had aged so much.

Returning home, he’d find his little daughter no longer clinging to him all the time, because she had unknowingly turned six.

All these made Jeff Hornacek realize, it was time.

Luckily, he wasn’t swept out by the Utah Jazz, he could retire as a Jazz player with dignity.

But Hornacek also had his regrets; his entire career was left empty-handed, without a ring to show.

Being able to play in the NBA for 14 years had completely surpassed Hornacek’s expectations.

After all, after college graduation, Hornacek didn’t immediately try out for teams but wore a suit and tie, seeking jobs in various accounting firms because he felt he had no chance to play in the NBA.

Even after being selected by the Suns in the second round, he still looked for work during the offseason, thinking he would be eliminated by the NBA within a few months.

His achievements now had far exceeded his initial expectations for himself.

But human desires will inevitably expand; the Hornacek who sought jobs in accounting firms was no longer satisfied with playing 14 years of professional basketball, regretting that he couldn’t pursue a ring of his own glory.

Last season’s final fight with old teammates was thought to be the hot blood of immortals, but in the end, it was the desolate sweep by the Lakers.