Chapter 2200 - 23: New Time (2)
It wasn’t until after one o’clock in the afternoon that Gan Guoyang finally dialed Beelman’s number, and a rather weary voice came from the other end.
"Hey! Sonny! Sorry, I can’t battle with you in tonight’s game, consider yourself lucky, you son of a bitch."
"What the hell are you up to, why did you suddenly leave?"
"No departure is sudden, everything has been foreseen. However, my career in Boston has satisfied me. Damn it, as a coach, I retired before you did! You really have incredible endurance, buddy."
"Why not come to Las Vegas?"
"Oh, come on, you’ve almost turned Las Vegas into a retirement community, it’s not a good sign. I’m old, I’m tired, I need to rest. I’m planning to publish another autobiography, I’ve already thought of the title, it will be called... ’Starlight’!"
In 2005, after leading the Celtics to a championship, Beelman published an autobiography called ’Moonlight’, indicating his brilliance came from the sun.
In just two short years, his journey with the Celtics had come to an end, yet at this time, their record was still first in the Eastern Conference.
Over the phone, the two didn’t talk much about the resignation matter; Gan Guoyang just offered some consolation for Beelman’s disappointment.
Beelman’s coaching tenure at the Celtics was undoubtedly successful, reaching the finals 3 times in 8 years and securing 2 championships, consistently being contenders every year.
But human nature is always greedy. The Celtics boasted an excellent lineup, and the Eastern Conference was relatively weak, yet they repeatedly suffered unexpected playoff losses.
Especially with the loss to the Miami Heat in 2004, who had assembled a super team, leading the elder faction headed by Auerbach to lose patience, forcing Beelman to compromise and agree to trade Steve Nash.
As a result, in 2005, the Celtics won the championship after acquiring Parker, which further eroded Beelman’s authority.
The sharply critical Boston sports media believed Beelman wasted several championship opportunities by trying to retain Gonzaga’s Nash.
By the 2006 season, after another playoff loss to the Heat, Beelman lost a significant number of supporters in Boston.
Although he implemented many reforms, transforming the Celtics from a small operation into a truly international team, the changes he brought were far more than just two championships, but reformers typically don’t end well.
Most importantly, with Auerbach’s passing in 2006, Beelman lost his greatest protector.
Although in 2005, Auerbach led the elders to push for the Nash trade, he still staunchly supported Beelman in leading the team.
In his words, "I just helped Bobby correct some mistakes; his ability is still undeniable."
With Auerbach’s death, Beelman truly lost his footing. Only then did he realize, though Auerbach seemed like his opponent and obstacle, as they sparred, Auerbach’s presence was the reason Beelman could exist and innovate.
When Auerbach was gone, the real other faction emerged, and Beelman truly had no chance.
After all, he wasn’t a real Celt; green blood didn’t flow through his veins.
The person succeeding Beelman was Doug Rivers, a more straightforward coach, rather than a comprehensive reformer like Beelman.
The task of the reformer was completed, the green empire was established, and as long as Tim Duncan was there, they could maintain competitiveness for many years.
Moreover, repeatedly losing to the Heat was indeed tactically unforgivable, so Beelman’s departure wasn’t without reason.
If victory isn’t achieved on the court, everything becomes void.
On the evening of the 2nd, Gan Guoyang led Glory against the Green Army.
The Celtics, having just gone through a coaching change, were clearly not in form.
Before the game, Tim Duncan was interviewed and asked about the coaching change; the big man chose silence.
Generally, in such team personnel changes, players often say a few nice words.
Yet Duncan’s silence indicated he was not satisfied with the team’s decision.
After all, from 1997 to now, for ten years, Beelman protected Duncan all the way.
Two authentic championship rings, in these chaotic times, claiming even one ring is not easy.
With the long Portland dynasty’s demise, the entire NBA fell into a Warring States period.
From 2001 to now, no team has successfully defended their title, and the Heat’s chances of defending successfully this year are also incredibly low.
The Heat’s strength has declined significantly, failing to even reach the upper half of the regular season standings, once hovering at the playoff edge.
So this year, it’s highly likely another new team will win the championship; as for which one, no one can accurately predict.
The night game between Glory and the Celtics was full of twists and turns; Glory took an early big lead, but the Celtics suddenly launched a fierce counterattack in the third quarter.
A 14-1 offensive wave quickly reduced the largest 18-point gap to just 4 points.
It was Gan Guoyang who stepped up to steady the team, hitting consecutive mid-range jumpers to regain the advantage.
The two teams engaged in a final fierce battle in the fourth quarter, with the Celtics again closing the gap.
At the crucial moment, Allen Iverson’s three-pointer from the arc and Rajon Rondo’s steal helped Glory claim victory.
Though the coaching change dampened the Celtics’ morale, the game showed they were still formidable.
New coach Doug Rivers had some skills; this former opponent of Gan Guoyang on the NBA court had been coaching for years.
At the end of the game, Rivers came over to hug and greet Gan Guoyang, unable to help saying, "Sonny, your son is almost playing in the NBA, you..."
Currently, Gan Wenshan is playing at Gonzaga University, having grown to 6 feet 9 inches tall, wearing the number 32 jersey, he plays as a guard, saying his idol is Magic Johnson, not his great dad.
He has great talent, predicted to enter the draft in 2007 or 2008, and will be in the lottery. But for now, it’s evident he won’t match his father’s achievements, not even halfway, or even halfway of halfway.
"I’m just old, I’m not dead; you can play, you can also play."
"You’re a god, I’m just human."
"Confident in making it to the finals?"
Faced with Gan Guoyang’s question, the newly appointed Rivers hesitated for a moment, while Gan Guoyang smiled, patted his shoulder, and left.
Afterward, Glory played two more home games; on January 7th, they went to California to start a Western Conference away journey.
On the evening of January 8th, Glory was set to face the Golden State Warriors away. However, Gan Guoyang wasn’t at the training facility that afternoon, as he took leave.
Surprisingly, he, along with a few friends, appeared at the Moscone Exhibition Center in San Francisco.
His arrival and appearance caused a stir at the exhibition hall, even momentarily stealing the spotlight from its true main character—Steve Jobs.
Gan Guoyang was at Moscone Center to attend the Macworld conference held there, an information technology exhibition focused on Apple’s electronic products and platforms.
This Moscone Center was named after George Moscone, the San Francisco mayor assassinated years ago, and Teacher Lavin, who had helped Gan Guoyang when he first arrived in San Francisco, was a friend of Moscone’s and delivered the eulogy for Moscone’s passing.
While in Portland, Gan Guoyang once considered investing in Silicon Valley’s high-tech but lacked direction, eventually turning to the more traditional funeral and construction industries.
Now, as Gan Guoyang’s status as a Chinese leader increasingly stood out, his network and connections in San Francisco expanded, some even coming to him automatically.
Back in 1997, Apple was in severe financial crisis, nearly going bankrupt, scrambling for funds, and Gan Guoyang, preparing to make a comeback, took the opportunity to inject capital, offering free publicity for Apple, becoming a minor shareholder.
Afterward, he was indifferent to the company’s development, fully committed to his basketball career, and in the blink of an eye, ten years passed, and his shares remained untouched.
This time, he appeared at the Macworld exhibition upon receiving an invitation from Jobs, who would unveil an important electronic product: the iPhone.
Gan Guoyang gazed at the smartphone in Jobs’s hand, truly sensing the rapid fading of the old era and the emergence of the new one.
However, he recalled the year 1981 when he first arrived in America. In San Francisco back then, the era of electronic computers just beginning to be popularized was also a new era.