Chapter 967 - 17 Moon_2

The things he once said might truly be correct, didn’t what he and Larry Johnson said sound identical?

Gan Guoyang thought this as he looked out at the moon, shining incredibly bright in the thin, chilly atmosphere of the stratosphere.

-----------------

The game between Miami and Orlando was also quite relaxed.

Orlando wasn’t what was scary for Gan Guoyang; rather, it was Disney’s roller coasters.

Everyone planned to visit Disney, so Gan Guoyang pretended to be sick, claimed he had stomach issues, and stayed at the hotel, dodging the ordeal.

Once in Miami, Gan Guoyang gathered with the old coach, Jack Ramsey.

Compared to his time coaching the Trail Blazers, Ramsey had less hair but appeared much more amiable.

He was thriving as an announcer, free from the stress of being a head coach, enjoying the games thoroughly.

Upon meeting Gan Guoyang, Ramsey tightly gripped his arm, looking up and down at his most prized disciple with loving eyes.

"Sonny, I didn’t expect you to become even better; watching your games is a pleasure for me."

"Jack, do you ever regret retiring too early? If you were still around, you’d surely have more rings."

Gan Guoyang said this without any regard for Bobby Berman, feeling he could win championships regardless of who coached.

Ramsey laughed heartily and said, "You underestimate Bobby’s role; he’s a good coach, strong and bright with ideas. Let me tell you a secret: Pat has been secretly learning from Bobby, trying to acquire his methods and software on data analysis."

Gan Guoyang scoffed dismissively, saying, "What’s with this secret? Riley, that thief, has long been poaching from Portland. Yin Man, Spo, Clyde, even you, were stolen away! I initially thought you’d be an assistant coach for the Heat, but if that were the case, I’d skip dinner with you."

Jack Ramsey shook his head saying, "Why would I, a champion coach, ever become an assistant to a defeated rival? I just want a place to retire while enjoying the games without the stress that ages me quickly. However, with Riley around, it’s just a matter of time before the Heat rise; I even heard they’re talking about trading Olajuwon, likely targeting you."

Gan Guoyang recently heard rumors about the Rockets and Olajuwon too.

After their last game, Olajuwon’s leg injury led the Rockets to suspect him of faking it to negotiate contract changes; Olajuwon insisted he was genuinely injured and refused to play.

From Olajuwon calling him and saying "You were right," Gan Guoyang knew Olajuwon might indeed leave.

After all, there’s hardly anything attractive about the Houston Rockets, from the owner to the fans to the management; cold and indifferent vibes all around.

But Gan Guoyang didn’t know where Olajuwon would end up; if he really went to Miami, the Heat would quickly rise as strong contenders.

"It doesn’t matter; if Hakeem comes to Miami, Jordan should worry first, not me."

After all, the Heat are in the Eastern division; if Olajuwon heads East, Jordan would face the former inside-out duo from the University of Houston during the playoffs.

If he can’t get past the Heat, Jordan can forget about meeting the Trail Blazers in the finals.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy for Gan Guoyang to handle Olajuwon + Drexler in the finals.

Riley has been plotting revenge against the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang since 1988.

Step by step, he tried to dismantle the Trail Blazers and rebuild a new basketball empire on the South Coast, assembling a strong team aimed at the Trail Blazers and Ah Gan.

All these years, he stayed patient, low-key, and meticulously crafted the Heat, now finally poised to make a big gamble.

Of course, Riley wasn’t just building the Heat’s lineup; he was also shaping the team culture, which is more important than any roster on paper.

Pre-game, Jack Ramsey reminded Gan Guoyang that the Heat would certainly be a formidable opponent, becoming increasingly excellent and aggressive.

This season, the Heat have successfully entered the playoff race; last time in Portland, beating the Trail Blazers proves their tough strength.

Back in Miami for this game, the Heat surely aimed for another home victory, completing a double triumph over the Trail Blazers.

But before the game, armed with rumor info, Gan Guoyang began his psychological assault on the Heat.

During the center circle jump, Gan Guoyang pointed at Heat’s starting five, saying, "Except Clyde, who knows which of you will get traded to Houston. Better prepare to smell horse manure."

Heat players were definitely aware of the Olajuwon rumors too.

While the season’s trade deadline has passed, come summer, for the big fish Olajuwon, the Heat would surely put everyone but Drexler on the shelf.

Despite Riley’s emphasis on finishing this season well, trying to reach the second round of the playoffs.

But the trade rumors could hurt team morale; if the trade goes through, good; if not, it’s a lose-lose situation.

Riley heard Gan Guoyang’s words from the sidelines, his face bitter and livid, wondering how this guy knew about the trade rumors?

Someone within the Heat must have leaked info to him.

But there’s nothing he could do; Riley had poached many people from the Trail Blazers to the Heat for information.

As a result, these people would leak Heat info back to the Trail Blazers, eating from both sides, an unavoidable situation.

Gan Guoyang maintained great relations with old Trail Blazers employees; Yin Man was particularly loyal to Ah Gan (and secretly Riley was too).

Riley might have to consider, once a championship team is formed in the future, cleaning out a batch of employees originally poached from the Trail Blazers.

For the championship, for revenge, Riley would certainly make the move.

Since the season began, Riley executed a strategy: banning overly intimate relationships between players and team staff.

Riley didn’t want to build a family-style team culture; he believed that as the NBA evolved, family-style teams would get eliminated.

Like the Boston Celtics nurturing employees step by step from a small role up to manager, forming tight-knit groups, it’s outdated now.

The NBA has become a commercial league; capital and efficiency are most important; family-style teams would end up promoting favoritism, hindering talent selection, eventually requiring reform.

To achieve this goal, Riley banned frequent private contacts between staff and players within the team.

Recently, he even fired a marketing person closely bonded with the players, as a warning.

Riley’s decisive and even impersonal measures, besides enhancing efficiency and reducing emotional interference, had another significant purpose:

Making players emotionally dependent solely on him; he aimed to tightly control the Heat, demanding loyalty from them only to him.

He didn’t want anyone else influencing his control over players, affecting his ability to exert influence.

Today’s Heat, disciplined and harshly competitive, Riley demanded sacrifice spirit from everyone, adept at stirring player emotions, extracting their potential, making them willingly commit to fierce battles—such fierce competition often harmed player health.

However, Riley’s control was nearly undone tonight by Gan Guoyang’s trash talk.

During the game, Gan Guoyang kept preaching to the Heat players, brainwashing them with, "Riley’s going to trade you guys, why so serious?" "Don’t get hurt, staying healthy is most important now," "Aim for a good contract," "What’s the point of risking your life for your annual salary of several hundred thousand US Dollars?"

Riley’s face turned dark hearing this from the sidelines, but there was nothing he could do.

Trade rumors spread wide, crippling the Heat’s morale.

Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers easily suppressed the Heat, with Gan Guoyang unashamedly scoring 47 points, leading the team to a resounding victory over the Heat.

After the game, Gan Guoyang told Riley, "Pat, I look forward to you forming another super team to challenge me; I’ll be waiting for you in Portland, don’t make me wait too long."

Riley forced a smile, but then angrily left the court, heading to the locker room, punching the tactical whiteboard, finding some clarity through the pain.

The season’s unlikely to succeed; next season, revenge must take place, definitely, Riley vowed silently.