“Terri, don’t foul! Please don’t! Bodhisattva Guanyin, Lord Jesus, please bless us!” Ethan Brooks was silently praying for Terry. If Terry got taken out too, it would be his turn to go up.

Earlier, he’d gone on the court in a daze, fearless... yeah right, he’d almost peed himself from fear. Luckily, in those last moments of the first half, he was on the court with Rahim, and Rahim was the one guarding Francis. Now it was his turn! Rahim was the core of the team—how could he risk fouling out by guarding Francis in the crucial second half? Of course, it was going to be him, the cannon fodder!

As Ethan Brooks prayed, he unconsciously started muttering in Chinese.

“Hey, Ace, what are you saying? Is that Chinese?” The Croatian power forward from the Bulls dynasty, now a veteran on his last legs, Kukoc, asked curiously.

Kukoc was the most disappointing reinforcement for Hawks fans. He looked exhausted even in the preseason. People had hoped he’d form a powerhouse frontcourt with shot-blocking king Ratliff, but he’d only come for a big contract and to coast to retirement, leaving the Hawks in a lurch.

Fortunately, Kukoc’s presence provided technical guidance for Mohammed; otherwise, that $24 million would have been a total waste.

In those days, overseas players didn’t have much say in the NBA. Role players from the Bulls dynasty like Luc Longley and Kukoc were already among the best of the international bunch. So, even though Kukoc was sought after by many teams, he ultimately joined the Hawks for the big contract. But in reality, most of his teammates shunned him, thinking he was useless despite his big paycheck.

As for Ethan Brooks, the Asian guy, he got even less recognition in the NBA. Kukoc felt a sense of camaraderie with him and looked out for Ethan Brooks. After all, even though Kukoc was ostracized, at least he had some status. Ethan Brooks, aside from seeming to get some attention from the coaches, was completely looked down upon in every other way.

“I’m praying for Jason, hoping he doesn’t foul out,” Ethan Brooks answered honestly.

“Ace, you’re such a good guy. You two have never gotten along, so I really didn’t expect you to pray for Jason.” Kukoc was clearly a straightforward guy. This was before the age of internet bombardment and the information explosion—people were still relatively simple... at least when it came to chatting. Of course, there have always been good and bad people, and it’s not like there were fewer bad people back then.

At that moment, a voice Ethan Brooks hated rang out: “I don’t need a useless guy like you praying for me.”

While Ethan Brooks and Kukoc were chatting, Terry was finally forced to commit his fourth foul by Francis and was taken out of the game.

Ethan Brooks turned to look and saw Terry returning to the bench with a look of bad luck, wearing his usual proud and annoying expression.

You couldn’t really blame Terry for being so arrogant this year. Last season, as a sophomore, he averaged 20+3+6, becoming one of the standout stars of the 1999 rookie class—alongside Elton Brand, who was a 20+10 superstar from the start, and the left-handed magician Lamar Odom. Only he and that guy on the other team, Francis, were the new generation’s supernovas.

Why was Terry fighting so hard against Francis in this game? Because he wanted to outshine Francis. But in terms of ability, Francis really was a lot stronger than Terry, drawing four fouls from him in just three quarters.

Terry was already frustrated from being outplayed by Francis, and after picking up his fourth foul, he was even more upset. Then, hearing Kukoc and Ethan Brooks talking on the sideline, he immediately started mocking them.

Against Francis, Terry really had no answer—their physical abilities were just too different. But when it came to Ethan Brooks, Terry just couldn’t stand the guy. He couldn’t understand why this guy was even still on the team.

Fine, Ethan Brooks wasn’t going to stoop to his level... mainly because their status on the team was worlds apart. On the Hawks, aside from their only superstar Rahim and the paint protector Ratliff, Terry had the highest status. Ratliff was a nice guy and polite to everyone, and Rahim didn’t have the heart of a superstar, so Terry was now the “biggest name” on the Hawks. Getting into a conflict with him was definitely not a good idea.

Ethan Brooks curled his lips and turned his head toward head coach Lon Kruger. Terry, seeing Ethan Brooks ignore him, snorted coldly to show his displeasure.

Apparently, their team had just called a timeout. The Hawks’ foul count today was through the roof. Terry wanted to outplay Francis, and just like him, Francis wanted to dominate Terry.

Last season, as a sophomore, Francis also put up phenomenal numbers. Rudy Tomjanovich gave him all the ball control, and he averaged a ridiculous 20+6+6 in his second year. Other than Magic Johnson, no point guard had ever put up such powerful and all-around stats.

The Hawks’ backcourt looked decent, but how could they withstand the onslaught of Francis, who’d played four years of college ball, was now 25, and in his prime?

Even though the Rockets hadn’t even scored 60 points by the end of the third quarter, Francis alone had 30 points, plus 6 rebounds and 8 assists—he was basically carrying the entire Rockets offense.

30+6+8 through three quarters—when Ethan Brooks saw Francis’s stats on the big screen above the court, he was amazed. Before LeBron James entered the NBA, only Francis could casually put up numbers like that.