Atai lamented that the 09 Rockets were unsatisfied: If McGrady did not hurt Yao Ming, we would have won the championship!

Fourteen years have passed, and Artest still cannot hide his regrets when he re-refers to the past of the Rockets in 2009 on the show. This tough guy who once fought with Kobe in the finals actually called the Rockets, who failed to enter the Western Conference Finals, the "most in-depth team in his career." What exactly made this "remnant formation" rocket become the white moonlight in his heart? What makes "if" the most painful word for Houston fans?

Artest's confession on "Gil 's Arena" revealed the dusty memory: "When I first arrived at the Rockets, I could only play 5 minutes per game, and I was clearly in my peak at that time!" Behind this joking complaint, the depth of the Rockets' terrifying lineup was reflected that year - they had powerful players such as Bathir, Scola, and Landry, and had created an astonishing 22 consecutive victories. But fate showed a hideous face in the playoffs: McGrady was reimbursed for the season, Yao Ming was injured in the knee in the second round of G3 by Kobe, Mutombo retired with regret, and a championship-level lineup was dismantled by injuries and was broken into pieces. The seven fierce battles with the Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals became the most tragic "lower defeated the upper" battle in NBA history. Atai averaged 15.6+5.3+4 in both offense and defense. Xiao Bu turned into a surprise and repeatedly extended his life. Hayes used his height of 198cm to bear Gasol. When Yao Ming dragged his bone-breaking soles to make a key jump shot, when Atei G2 blocked Kobe's final kill, the Houstonian really believed in miracles. But the incomplete lineup is ultimately hard to defeat God's will. After losing in the 12-point game in the tiebreak, Arte squatted on the floor in the center of Staples for a long time and refused to leave.

"If McGrady is healthy..." This assumption is like a knife carved into the hearts of Rockets fans. 35.13 seconds later, Mr. still averaged 15.6 points and 5 assists that season. His organizational ability and key goals could have made up for the sluggish position. What is even more regrettable is Yao Ming's peak state - 19.7 points and 11.3 rebounds in three playoffs, and he can still score a terrifying shooting percentage of 62.5% against Bynum + Gasol's top inside. Atai's statement is not empty talk: the Lakers, who eliminated the Rockets, finally won the championship, and the Rockets once doubled the champion team when they were in a complete range. What's special about this Rocket is that it interprets the tragic aesthetic to the extreme. When the whole world was waiting to see the Rockets "No Yao Wumai" were swept by the Lakers, it was Atei who used the body of steel to break through Kobe's defense, Brooks broke through and tear the cracks with lightning, and Landry fought for the rebound with five teeth broken by Kobe's elbow. They used blood and sweat to prove that if it weren't for the possibility of injury cut-off, the 2009 championship flag would have been flying in the Toyota Center. As time goes by, Atai's regretful confession reveals the cruelest truth in the NBA: talent determines the upper limit, and health determines the lower limit. That Rocket is only one healthy knee away from Great, and this unsatisfactory ends up becoming a cinnabar mole in the hearts of a generation of fans. When asked whether he regretted joining the Lakers later, Atei's silence may be the best answer - some unfinished dreams are destined to be more obsessed than the championship he won.