The Golden Age of Basketball

Actually, at that time, I really wanted to take on that challenge, especially when the rumors about Ah Gan retiring were rampant, which made me even more eager to try.

Because first, I don't think Ah Gan would retire at such a difficult moment for the team; second, if he really does retire, I could just take on a huge challenge.

Unfortunately, my back wouldn't allow it. My back injury was still severe, so in the end I gave up the tempting option of coaching Ah Gan.

When my back healed, I didn't miss playing, I started to miss the games.

In Florida, I could often watch Miami Heat's games, they won the championship in 1995.

That was Olajuwon's season, he was an incredible player, and both he and Riley got their wishes that season.

But honestly, I rarely focused on the players, during the games I would watch Pat Riley more.

I observed how he made decisions during the games, his ability to motivate players was remarkable, it was fascinating.

No matter which Miami game you watched, their players were always in the right position.

Riley excellently arranged their formations, urging the players to play hard, even if they were injured, Riley could find a way to win.

Riley is one of the best coaches in the league, although in the '80s we were foes, meeting twice in the finals.

We detested each other, Riley hated Boston, hated Boston Garden Arena because the floor was rotting, the locker rooms were shabby, there was no air conditioning, the hot water didn't work...

In short, he always had a lot of complaints, but it's certain that his complaints weren't mere grumbling, he had his own purposes and strategies.

In this regard, Riley is second only to Ah Gan, their every word is not said casually.

They know how to utilize the media, the referees, and their opponents to pave the way for victory.

Of course, as a player, I would never agree with everything they said, I would completely disagree with them.

Even though I internally acknowledged that Riley was one of the few coaches who could force me to change my way of playing, I never spoke well of him.

Riley could always make adjustments during the games to slow me down, for example, if I scored six or eight consecutive points, Riley would call a timeout, immediately change the lineup, and disrupt my rhythm.

He would have Magic Johnson come to double-team me, and a big player double-teaming always caused more trouble.

Another trick Riley used was instructing players to make me catch the ball further out, thinking it would knock me off balance, or make it difficult for me to immediately initiate an attack after catching the ball.

Riley specially let Cooper deal with me, Cooper was one of the most difficult players I ever faced. I once read a report where Cooper said he often lay in bed with his wife watching tapes of my games.

Riley created all sorts of trouble for me, but I always recognized him, I would never let him know that.

Then in 1987, he left Los Angeles, which I did not expect, the Lakers and Riley were shattered by Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers.

Thus Riley went to Miami, completely changed style, and built a whole new team.

Everyone thought Riley could only play one way, he was an open-style run-and-gun coach because that's how the Lakers played.

When he first arrived in Miami, he dug out Drexler, people expected him to mold Glider into the second Magic.

But actually, Riley crafted a different style of play in Miami, gathering a group of rugged tough defenders, playing like the former Detroit Bad Boys, crashing, chasing, fighting every night.

A hallmark of a good coach is that you can play two ways, one is technical, the other physical.

That's what I've decided to do if I really go into coaching.

I've found myself increasingly wanting to be a coach, just needing the right timing.

I constantly observe, think, and the more I think, the more I feel that Oregon Portland is a suitable destination.

Of course, I'm not a Trail Blazers fan, in fact, there's intense hatred between us.

1986 was the last time I entered the finals, so close to my third championship trophy.

It was an almost perfect season, but because of a loss in the finals, perfect turned especially imperfect.

68 wins became a curse, the star lineup became a joke, since then we never touched a championship or finals.

It was all thanks to the Portland Trail Blazers, who dominated the league for many years afterward, truly dominated, just like the Celtics dominated the NBA in the '60s.

Until 1993, when Petrović and Lewis died one after another, everyone was shocked, including myself.

After it was over, people wondered whether it was a curse from having too many championships and luck?

I know saying this lacks sympathy, but this saying indeed was rampant, people more or less carried a schadenfreude mindset, anticipating the Trail Blazers' failure.

Yet in the 1993 finals they held on, defeating the Heat 4-2, their desire for championships and victory was so persistent, persistent enough to overcome death.

It was at that moment I had already relieved my grudge against the Trail Blazers, losing to them was something I could accept.

At the same time, I really wanted to know what kind of culture they embraced that allowed them to consistently be strong.