Chapter 644: Chapter 35 Bragging
December 5th, Miami Arena, the Portland Trail Blazers away game against the Miami Heat.
In anticipation of the Heat’s arrival, the Miami city administration had constructed this comprehensive sports arena on the coast. It officially opened in 1988 and became the home court of the Heat.
The arena could accommodate 15,000 fans, which, by number, meant that this new venue was not very large.
Just like the Beckley Center, from the day it was built, this arena already showed signs of decline.
As a new arena it was too small, overly conservative in design and construction, lacking foresight, all tied to the rush to get it finished and in use promptly.
Last season, when Tang Jianguo had come with the team to play an away game in Miami, he said that if the Trail Blazers were to build a new arena, it could absolutely not be like the Miami Arena—too small, too outdated, no different from the Memorial Coliseum.
Before the game started, during warm-up, Gan Guoyang saw many old acquaintances.
Stu-Inman, Spoelstra, and Jack Ramsey, who was set to commentate from the sideline tonight.
Ramsey looked in good spirits; his hair was thinner, but his face was flushed with health.
His formerly somewhat gloomy face, now unburdened by work pressure, was full of smiles.
His face had gone from elongated to round, clearly enjoying life much more since stepping down as head coach.
"Sonny!"
Ramsey was visibly excited to see Gan Guoyang, moving forward to embrace him.
Gan Guoyang hugged Ramsey and effortlessly lifted him up; it had been half a year since they last saw each other.
Looking at Dr. Jack’s healthy and cheerful appearance, Gan Guoyang said, "Jack, you should find a team to continue coaching, or get into team management. Doing commentary is such a waste."
With four championships to his name, including a three-peat, a coach of Ramsey’s caliber shouldn’t merely be a commentator.
He could easily continue coaching if he wished, or take on a significant position with the Trail Blazers or another team.
Several teams had approached Ramsey about making a comeback in the past couple of years, like the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and others.
But Ramsey didn’t want to. First, he was older and didn’t have the energy; second, the Trail Blazers’ three-peat had exhausted him, and he couldn’t handle coaching again.
Most importantly, Ramsey knew he would never encounter another player like Ah Gan, and he couldn’t bring himself to coach any mediocrities.
As for the front office, with the NBA’s increasing commercialization, Ramsey couldn’t adapt. He longed for pure basketball but recognized that the times were changing and chose to retire rather than struggle against the tide.
In response to Gan Guoyang’s teasing, Ramsey said, "Florida is warm, good for retirement. I really don’t want to be shouting on the sidelines anymore, spare me."
Indeed, Miami was more suitable for retirees; Portland was too damp and cold.
After chatting briefly, Ramsey suddenly asked, "Hey, how’s Eric doing in Portland?"
"Eric? He’s doing great at school, and doing well on the basketball team. He’s smart, a decent point guard."
"John is worried about him, wants him to come down to Florida."
Eric, Little Spoelstra, had a strained relationship with his father since John Spoelstra "betrayed" the Trail Blazers to join the Heat.
Upon moving to Miami, John Spoelstra had persistently hoped that Little Spoelstra would come to Florida for school, but Little Spo stayed firm and applied to the University of Portland instead. He didn’t want to betray Portland like his father did by moving to Miami.
"Kids, they take emotions seriously. Plus, he’s always been a Blazers fan; doesn’t think much of Clyde. After Clyde moved to Miami, his dislike for Miami grew even more. Once he graduates and needs a job, John will surely be able to help out, but if he still doesn’t want to come to Miami, then let him stay in Portland. I’ll take care of him."
Jack Ramsey nodded; he would convey Gan Guoyang’s message to John.
During his time at the Trail Blazers, Ramsey and John didn’t quite get along; he disapproved of John’s aggressive marketing tactics.
Of course, after stepping down from coaching, Ramsey’s relations with everyone had improved; he wasn’t disapproving of this and that.
He now looked upon Gan Guoyang with nothing but admiration, always praising him to the skies whenever he commentated a Blazers game.
"What about tonight’s game, are you guys well-prepared?"
"Well-prepared? We’re definitely going to whoop Clyde tonight, he lost to Jordan last game, didn’t he?"
"Yes, lately Clyde hasn’t been in great shape, and in a place like Miami, if you don’t have strong self-control, it’s easy to lose yourself. It’s just too comfortable here."
"Then I’ll make sure he comes to his senses. Being the boss isn’t that simple. I see his shooting has improved a bit; there are fewer motions in his shot now."
"Not too bad, you can count the movements on your hands now."
Both of them burst out laughing.
At that moment, the Miami Heat players arrived late and started warming up on the court.
Drexler saw Dr. Jack and Gan Guoyang having a good time chatting on the sideline, so he naturally went over to say hello.
Drexler asked what they were talking about, and Gan Guoyang bluntly said, "Dr. Jack was just complimenting your shooting form for its variety."
Ramsay was embarrassed and gave Gan Guoyang a punch.
And Drexler was even more embarrassed, even a bit annoyed.
You two old buddies meet and don’t talk about anything else but talk smack about me behind my back, huh?
Back in the day on the same team, you were the boss, and I was the second in command; it was okay for you to talk smack about me.
Now we’re both the bosses of our respective teams, with the same number of rings, and you’re still talking smack about me!
Not just smack talk; the Trail Blazers always play the Heat like they’re out for blood.
Last season, in four games between the two teams, the Trail Blazers won by at least 13 points and at most by 41 points; it was a thrashing in every game.
This season, the Heat have moved back to the Eastern conference and only have two games against the Trail Blazers.
It’s very difficult to beat the Trail Blazers in Portland; only in Miami can they use their home-court advantage to stand a fighting chance.
So, tonight’s game is the Heat’s best opportunity this season to end the humiliation by the Trail Blazers.
Thinking of this, and recalling how these two guys used to suppress him, Drexler’s courage surged, and he said to Gan Guoyang, "Sonny, I’m telling you, we’re going to win tonight, and you’ll be just a backdrop."
Gan Guoyang and Jack Ramsay were taken aback for a moment, not expecting Drexler to say such a thing.
Gan Guoyang looked at Drexler with a sharp gleam in his eyes and said, "Well said, Clyde, that’s the spirit. How many points do you want to score tonight?"
Hearing Gan Guoyang ask that, Drexler wanted to say "50 points," but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them back.
points, that’s really tough, especially with Ah Gan guarding the inside. It’s too hard to rely solely on penetration when shooting doesn’t work.
As for fast breaks? Drexler knew the Trail Blazers; fast breaks against them were too difficult.
Swallowing his saliva, Drexler said, "40 points!"
"OK, 40 points. I’ll be watching your performance, Clyde. You really do sound like the boss now."
With that, Gan Guoyang patted Drexler on the shoulder and went to warm up on the court.
After saying all that, Drexler felt exhilarated, walking as if he were light as a feather.
points yesterday, 40 points today; even though he changed his tune, no one else knew.
Looking at Riley and Ah Gan, who clearly weren’t on talking terms, he was sure they wouldn’t tip each other off.
He thought to himself, no wonder Ah Gan loves to boast so much; indeed, blowing your own horn is truly exhilarating and satisfying.
But whether he could deliver later on was another matter entirely.
It wasn’t long before Gan Guoyang ran over to the Miami Heat bench and shouted to Riley, "Pat! Clyde says he’s going to score 40 points and win the game tonight. What do you think?"
Riley was contemplating tonight’s strategy when he heard that, something seemed off.
He turned to look at Drexler, who was warming up on the court.
Drexler was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Riley wasn’t one to mince words and shot back at Gan Guoyang, "No! He’s going to score 50 points tonight!"
Drexler missed a three-pointer, not even hitting the rim.
