Beelman knew Gan Guoyang made sense, in terms of morale, the Trail Blazers definitely couldn’t compare to the Heat, so they had to use experience and strategy early to take the lead.
Once the Heat seized the initiative, as the series went deeper, the Trail Blazers might encounter trouble.
Injuries, fatigue, these all plagued the Trail Blazers, striking first was the way to go.
On June 9th, the day of the finals, rain visited Miami once again, accompanied by strong winds.
The burning basketball passion of Miami fans was not extinguished; the team, established just six years ago, had made it to the finals.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, they defeated the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, and the immense joy blurred everyone’s minds, making them dizzy.
The Miami Arena, with a capacity of 15,000, seemed a bit small, unable to contain all the Heat fans’ passion, making tickets extremely hard to get for tonight’s game.
The Trail Blazers arrived at the arena after five in the afternoon, with the wind and rain along the way making the whole city look blurry. It took them a while to get through the traffic jam.
Porter complained about Miami’s damn weather in the locker room, the humidity made his calves ache faintly, and Calvin helped him massage and relax.
"Where’s the promised sunshine, warm breeze on the beach? Instead, what greeted us is rain, rain, and more rain."
Miami has a tropical climate, with rain and wind common in June, and hurricanes await the city in the real summer.
Gan Guoyang came over and patted the veteran Porter, saying, "There’s nothing we can do, on the away games we have to rely on ourselves to shine."
After six, players from both sides took to the court for warm-ups. Gan Guoyang looked up and noticed a lot of empty seats in the stands.
"Shit, the radio said tonight’s strong winds and rain couldn’t stop the fans’ passion, ticket prices soared to as much as 1,000 US Dollars! Where the hell are the people? Blown into the sea?"
The tickets indeed sold out, the fans were indeed enthusiastic, but that didn’t mean they’d arrive early.
Miami fans are like this, knowing arriving early doesn’t reveal the game’s result, they prefer to watch when the game reaches mid-point.
So, just before the game was about to start, the much-anticipated 1993 NBA Finals, Miami Arena was surprisingly not filled.
This area was empty, that area empty, like someone with alopecia.
During the warm-up, Gan Guoyang saw many acquaintances.
Sitting by the court to commentate was Coach Jack Ramsey, whose hair had finally completely fallen off, with his eyebrows growing longer, making him appear more amiably kind.
Behind the Heat’s bench sat Heat Vice President Spoelstra, whose son attended the University of Portland. Spoelstra Sr. always hoped his son would come to work in Miami post-graduation, but Little Spo insisted on staying in Portland with the Trail Blazers.
In the Heat’s lineup were Drexler, Anthony Mason, and Cliff Robinson, all acquired from the Trail Blazers.
All had fought alongside Gan Guoyang to win championships and now were striving for a title with the Heat against the Trail Blazers.
Another old acquaintance was Hakeem Olajuwon, who had a successful season after being traded from the Rockets to the Heat.
He was just one step away from fulfillment now, winning the championship would define 1993 for Olajuwon, even if the MVP went to Barkley.
Nine years ago, during the 1984 NCAA championships, Olajuwon faced a similar situation, being just a step away from making his college basketball career complete.
Winning the NCAA championship would have seen him proceed gloriously to the NBA, selected by the Houston Rockets to continue bringing titles to Houston.
But standing before him was Ah Gan, and everything changed, the NCAA title lost, and the chance in the 1986 finals was lost.
In the end, he even left Houston, though that was Olajuwon’s decision, Ah Gan’s remark "don’t let loyalty become a burden" played a catalytic role.
Many nights, Olajuwon pondered if persevering in Houston might have led to a championship someday.
Uncertain, without answers, but now, crossing Ah Gan might mean gaining it all.
Olajuwon appeared calm, his gaze devoid of the killer instinct from nine years ago in the NCAA finals.
Much like Miami’s laid-back fans, he went over to shake Gan Guoyang’s hand, with Gan Guoyang initiating an embrace with Olajuwon.
Olajuwon’s face bore a sincere smile, their relationship had been truly good, mutually appreciating each other.
Yet Drexler was off to the side practicing three-pointers, not coming over to chat.
Riley stood by the court, as always sleek and polished, his suit crisply pressed and spotless.
The cameras, journalists, photographers present were double what they were at the Eastern Conference Finals, so appearance must not falter.
He chewed gum, constantly checking his watch, waiting for the game to enter the starting process.
Riley appeared calm after entering Miami Arena, remaining silent.
Before the game, he uncharacteristically refused interviews, heading straight into the locker room to begin pre-game preparations.
On the court, he just stood there blankly, mechanically chewing gum.
Is he not excited? Not thrilled?
No, he’s too excited, too thrilled, too unable to control.
Therefore, his reason suppressed all his emotions.
He feared that if he let go completely, he’d howl madly like a wolf.
He’s done so much for this day, waited so long.
Six years, five seasons, everything started anew, no one knew how he endured.
Only he knew, the flames of vengeance may have flickered at times but never extinguished.
The blazing fire provided endless drive, propelling him forward, forward, further forward.
1993, Pat Riley’s long vengeance finally arrived at its finale.