The Stoppage Ends, Teams Are Already Vastly Different!

In Houston, a similar scene unfolded inside the Houston Rockets' training facility.

Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Scottie Pippen—the three giants whose combined ages exceeded one hundred—stood shoulder to shoulder.

Their faces bore the marks of time, but the hunger for a championship in their eyes burned hotter than ever.

"Guys," Olajuwon said in deep English heavily accented by Nigeria, "this is our last chance. Charles, Scottie, and I—we're all old now. A shortened season is a gift from heaven for us. A denser schedule, less wear and tear—it's practically a script written just for us."

Barkley flashed his signature grin. "Hakeem's right. This fat on me was made for back-to-back brawls! I don't care whether it's Michael or that Chinese kid—anyone who stands in front of our Houston Rockets, I'll smash them to pieces!"

Pippen was much calmer. He merely clapped his hands lightly and summed it up. "Focus. Execute. Do every single thing we're supposed to do. The championship is waiting for us at the finish line."

Meanwhile, in New York, the atmosphere inside Madison Square Garden's training facility was even more feverish.

Under Li Fei's leadership, the Knicks players had already maintained several months of intense secret training.

When word came that the lockout had ended, they were not surprised in the slightest. They only felt the excitement of, "It's finally here."

Li Fei stood at the center of the court, his body as imposing as a mountain, looking around at his young, hungry teammates—Larry Johnson, Allan Houston, Donyell Marshall, as well as Sprewell and Stephen Jackson, whose wolfish eyes gleamed from the bench.

"The long wait is over." Li Fei's voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable strength.

"Many people are saying that the Bulls got Malone and Ewing, that they're unbeatable. Many people are