"Shit!" Bobby Berman cursed, saying, "Is that what I meant? Fack, you can’t even understand what I’m saying anymore, Sonny, I clearly meant... clearly meant..."
Bobby wanted to deny it, but when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he looked into Gan Guoyang’s intense gaze, those black eyes that could see through everything, and he couldn’t say another word.
Seeing Bobby remain silent, Gan Guoyang chuckled triumphantly, pulled out two cigars from his pocket, tossed one to Bobby, and lit one for himself.
Blowing out a smoke ring, Gan Guoyang said, "Bobby, you have all the knowledge and skills to become a great manager. All you lack is some practice, and I believe you have no problem. People like Rick Pitino and Gavitt from college basketball can’t compare to you. College and the NBA are two entirely different things; you know better than anyone."
Relaxing, Bobby also realized that Gan Guoyang was right. He had countless great strategies in his mind, but nowhere to deploy them.
With the Trail Blazers, he had Ah Gan. In Los Angeles—honestly, Los Angeles wasn’t his ideal stage, too much interference from the owner and general manager.
For so many years, people just called him an accessory. But even a blade of grass in front of a Buddha becomes enlightened after hearing enough sutras. Moreover, Bobby had been constantly learning and progressing.
Boston could truly be his chance to showcase his strategies. He just needed a little courage, a little encouragement, and these were things only Gan Guoyang could give him.
"The Celtics have failed for so many years for many reasons. But I believe the most crucial reason is that there are too many voices internally, too many people speaking reason, too many values, too many correct people. Everyone has something nice to say, everyone has a successful past, and everyone makes logical arguments. But in basketball, there’s only one path: victory. There can only be one voice, and that’s victory’s voice. You have to firmly believe everything you’re doing is right, make no compromises; if you must compromise, better not do it at all. You can manage, Bobby."
Gan Guoyang’s words made Bobby thoughtful. After pondering for a moment, he said, "So... what if Auerbach stands out against me and stops me?"
Gan Guoyang smiled and said, "Then you bite off his ear."
Bobby also smiled. At this moment, he was ready, ready to embark on his Celtics journey.
[Not long after I took office, I immediately clashed with Auerbach-led Celtics management over team trades.
They didn’t directly oppose my ideas, but kept trying to persuade me to reconsider, claiming that such a trade might ruin a great situation.
Some even slandered me, saying I was abusing authority. Boston media supported me for only one day before cynically attacking me.
I didn’t compromise like my predecessors, trying to gain Auerbach’s tacit approval by listening to his every word.
I stood firm with my opinion. If they didn’t agree to the trade, I would resign, and in passing, I cursed the Celtics, saying they’d never win a championship again because they lost the best coach suited for them.
My persistence paid off. They backed down. Auerbach said he felt unwell and needed to rest in the hospital, which was a good choice.
Thus, I traded Antoine Walker to the Suns, acquiring Steve Nash and Cliff Robinson, beginning to build my ideal lineup.
It was a tough decision, and it was a difficult period, with waves of skepticism surging in.
During that time, Ah Gan’s encouraging words often echoed in my mind:
"You will definitely win the championship after I retire."]
——— Excerpt from Bobby Berman’s autobiography "Moonlight," published in 2005.