Chapter Thirty-Four: I Don’t Like You, and I Don’t Like Your Bragging. Is That a Problem?

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After Riley subdued Mourning with just two sentences, the confrontation was resolved without further incident.

Lin Tian could not help but regard Riley with new respect. The man was thin and small, looking like a helpless chick next to Mourning, yet he had managed to make that iron-willed giant obey with only a few words.

No wonder that, years later, when Mourning was abandoned by Riley without a second thought because of his kidney disease, he harbored no resentment whatsoever. The moment his health improved, he immediately returned to Riley’s side and became one of his chief lieutenants once more.

This “Master Strategist” was almost as skilled at controlling people’s hearts as the “Zen Master.”

Once the officials confirmed that the confrontation would not continue, they hurried off to review the footage. After gathering in a circle and discussing it for quite some time, they finally announced their rulings.

“Alonzo Mourning, technical foul!”

“Lin Tian, two technical fouls. Ejected!”

“What the hell?”

Lin Tian spread his hands and protested, “I didn’t even try to throw a punch! I only cursed at him a couple of times! He threatened to kill me, and you eject me while giving him only one technical foul? What kind of standard is that?”

“My personal standard.” Fox glanced at Lin Tian. “I’m sick of your bragging, your trash talk, and your constant provocations. Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it is!” Lin Tian was so furious that he laughed. Spreading both hands, he said, “But let me make one thing clear: I wasn’t bragging! Every single thing I said is something I can actually do. Believe it or not, that’s up to you!”

With that, Lin Tian did not linger on the court any longer. He had been ejected, so what reason was there to stay? Amid the boos and curses of the twenty thousand spectators in the American Airlines Arena, he sauntered over, high-fived Rodman and the others, and headed toward the players’ tunnel.

“Kid, you just wait! The next time we meet, I’ll make you regret it!” As Lin Tian passed the Heat bench, Mourning, who had been pulled from the game by Riley to cool off, continued shouting at him relentlessly.

“Alonzo, take my advice and use your head!” Lin Tian looked at Mourning and sneered. “Think carefully about why Riley was driven out of Los Angeles by the Lakers and then driven out of New York by the Knicks. Think about why neither Magic Johnson nor Ewing has a single good word to say about him—why they practically wish he would drop dead on the spot! Think about it! Don’t let someone sell you off and then help him count the money.”

“Rookie, you’ve certainly got a sharp tongue.” Riley, his hair slicked back, looked at Lin Tian as if he had not heard a word of what Lin Tian had just said. He continued, “You are indeed very fast, but do you really think no one can stop you? Do you think I have no way to contain you?”

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“Pat, your tactics are excellent, so I absolutely believe you can come up with all sorts of ways to defend me—just as, when you were a coach, you always managed to maintain such wonderful relationships with your players! I wish you and Alonzo everlasting affection, just as you have it now, and that you continue working together until you win the championship!”

After saying that, Lin Tian waved his hand, giving Riley no chance to answer, and turned to walk into the players’ tunnel.

Of course, even if Lin Tian had stayed, Riley would have had nothing to say. That last remark had struck straight at his heart.

Was Riley one of the greatest head coaches in history? Absolutely. With Phil Jackson having won only one three-peat so far, Riley was still one of the strongest contenders for the title of the greatest head coach in NBA history. The Showtime dynasty he built with the Lakers was one of the most dazzling and dominant teams of the entire 1980s.

His organization of the offense and construction of offensive systems were unquestionably among the finest in history.

Many people even believed that, judged solely by his ability to build an offensive system, he was the best in the league.

Then, in the 1990s, Riley went to New York and transformed himself into a defensive mastermind. Together with Ewing, Oakley, Anthony Mason, and others, he built a “New York Mob” famed for its toughness, ruthlessness, and brutality.

Their punishing, meat-grinder style of play made them, after the Bad Boys, the most notorious and despised team in the league—the team fans found most loathsome and unpleasant to watch.

They could attack and defend. They could play superstar basketball or team basketball. They could turn a team into the league’s best offensive unit, then lead an entirely different group to produce a defense of historic proportions.

For a coach like that, where lay his greatest flaw—or, to put it more bluntly, his biggest point of criticism?

It was that, whether in Los Angeles or New York, he ultimately ended up being driven out after his relationships with the players and front office had completely fallen apart. The players joined forces to force him out of the organization.

His domineering coaching style, his insistence on having the final word, and his almost pathologically severe training regimen were simply more than ordinary people could endure.

And it was not only Magic Johnson and Ewing who could not take it and led their teams in rebellion. Nearly twenty years later, LeBron James could not take it either, fleeing after spending only four years under Riley.

Lin Tian was wishing Riley and Mourning a lasting friendship, while also wishing Riley as much success in Miami as he had enjoyed in New York and Los Angeles.

It was like wishing Sima Yi and Cao Shuang success in building a glorious Great Wei together, or wishing the brothers Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng a deep fraternal bond and mutual advancement.

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That was a killing blow aimed straight at the heart.

Watching Lin Tian swagger away, smug and triumphant, and disappear into the players’ tunnel, Riley suddenly patted Mourning on the shoulder.

“Alonzo, I won’t let you continue fighting alone. This season, I’ll find you suitable help as quickly as possible. I’ll find you a partner worthy of you.”

“At the very least, I won’t let you get into a fight on the court with no one coming to your aid! We will succeed!”

“I believe in you, Coach! That is why I came to Miami! You told me I would become the greatest center in the NBA, so I came! I will maintain one hundred percent faith in you!” Mourning nodded, expressing his loyalty.

“Then what do you think of that kid?” Riley suddenly changed the subject and asked Mourning.

“Him?” Mourning froze for a moment before shaking his head. “His speed is undeniable—absolutely elite. His passing and feel for opportunities are good too, and he has the potential to become the king of the fast break. But he is still a little raw. As a sixth man, he is unquestionably useful. As for anything more, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Besides, more importantly, if he were my teammate, I’d have to get into at least three more fights every year. He is practically begging to be punched!”

“Who knows? By the time he starts trouble, you might not even get the chance to step in.” Riley suddenly smiled. “Do you remember the rumors of an internal conflict that came out of the Bulls’ training camp? Everyone in the organization kept their mouths shut. No one was willing to say much, and even now, nobody can give a complete account of what actually happened.”

“But after those rumors, the Bulls traded away or released three players, including Randy Brown, while Lin did not receive a single minute of playing time in the first three games of the season. Compared with his performances in these last two games, don’t you find that strange?”

“You mean… he got into a fight with three other players by himself, then he was suspended while the other three were cleared out of the team? He fought all three of them alone?” Mourning’s reaction was quick; he understood immediately. “Is he really that tough?”

“Who knows? But I have a feeling that the two of you might be a match made in heaven.”