Flying Pig + The Dream + Pippen! Rockets' Epic Strengthening?

A lineup featuring Sam Cassell, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing as the backup center... Just saying those names aloud was enough to make any opponent suffocate.

Chicago fans erupted in celebration!

They had lost Pippen, but gained an even stronger, more balanced "Galácticos," burning with an even fiercer fire of revenge!

For the Houston Rockets, this trade was equally momentous.

They had sent away two core players, but welcomed the league's universally acknowledged best second option.

Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen.

One "Big Mouth" who ruled the paint, one "The Dream" anchoring the restricted area, and one point forward capable of defending positions one through four while connecting the entire team's offense.

These three giants, whose combined ages exceeded one hundred, would form the "Sunset Big Three" in Space City and make one final push in their careers for their shared championship dream!

Inside the TNT studio, Kevin Harlan spoke as fast as a machine gun. "My God! Jerry Krause and Dawson—the Rockets' general manager—must have lost their minds! This trade has changed the league's landscape! Chicago in the Eastern Conference, Houston in the Western Conference—they've both made astonishing gambles!"

Bill Walton stroked his bald head, wearing an inscrutable expression. "No, Kevin, this isn't madness. It's a clash of destiny. Jordan and Malone needed a commander who could feed them ammunition, and they got Cassell. Barkley and Olajuwon needed an all-purpose glue guy who could bind them together while locking down the opponent's spearhead, and they got Pippen. Everyone's eyes are on New York. They want to know whether Li and his Knicks are ready to face these two superteams armed to the teeth."

Marv Albert looked at it from a deeper angle. "Who was the biggest loser in this trade? Clyde Drexler. He thought