2016 May 24
The day starts with a tinge of excitement. Did we really
just beat the CBA Champs? Can we do it again? As we are boarding the bus, I try
to think of all the things I would do differently if I were the coach of the
Whales. Then I thought about the way to counteract it. I try to play the game
in my head over and over, seeing what happens when we play. I try to anticipate every possible scenario.
The ride appears to be uneventful, and when we arrive at the
promotion three hours later, the guys are met by 100 or so enthusiastic
basketball fans. Both teams are there and the Cheer Squad. The podium is tucked
away in a downtown shopping district. Balloons. Banners. A blowup arch. Everyone
signs a large poster commemorating the event. There is much glee, but it is
short glee. We are back on the bus in no time and arrive at the hotel just in
time for lunch.
The weather looks threatening and I am tired from the road
and decide a nap is the best way to spend the afternoon. By the time pregame meal rolls around, I have
a good feeling about how things are going to play out tonight. The players
straggle to the bus and away we go.
Game-time
This arena is nice. The seating capacity is around 7,000.
It’s bright and the floor is full size. This will work for us because we like
to run, but will work against us as the Whales will have more room on the
perimeter for their shooters. The place is packed.
The national anthems are played tonight. I stood with my
hand over my heart and singing while The Star Spangled Banner played. With the
words…and the home of the brave…I lower my hand and start to turn. Did you know
there was a second verse? I suppose I did, but I have never ever heard it
played at the game. The arena DJ most certainly just grabbed the first version
of the anthem they found on the internet and used it. At one point during the
extended time, I motion to the scorer’s table to cut it. I mean, what if there
are 4 or 5 verses? The Chinese Anthem is quite short. A call to arms, trumpet
intro, followed by throbbing percussion, some lyrics, a crescendo, and done. I
look around the arena and hardly anyone is singing. I mean not even moving
their lips. Is it because they don’t know it or don’t like it? Strikes me odd
each time. In the USA, I am surprised when the anthem is not followed by at
least a couple USA…USA…USA chants. Here, there is polite clapping.
My goal last night was to win in such a fashion that the
Whales would not want to come back tonight. Sounded bold as you read that
yesterday, but it is the only way. If they had won, our cloak of invincibility
would have been gone. If we won a close game, they would have come back at us
with double the effort to beat an American team knowing that only the smallest
thing could turn the game. No, we had to destroy their hope.
It was a good time to get off to a great start; and we did.
It was 26-3 when Robert hopped off the bench and whispered into my ear to let
them score. Apparently, Mr. Gao had sent him. Imagine selling 7,000 tickets to
a show no one wants to watch anymore and there are two hours left. Remember
when I said we are part Lakers, part Globetrotters? The Whales make a couple
shots, we miss a couple shots and the first quarter ends 34-12. Clearly, the
Whales are done. The USA wants to pad their stats, but they too know it garbage
time. I ask the point guards to walk the ball up the floor if we get a rebound.
They can run on turnovers. It is not exactly a stall offense, but it takes a few
extra seconds off most possessions. You would think I stole the team’s fries.
The faces, the comments, and then their play was atrocious. There were three
straight possessions where 5 USA players did not cross mid-court converting to
defense. Even as I typed the word “converting” I felt like I just insulted the
word “converting.”
Time out. I send the players to the bench and tell them to
have a seat. I motion to Robert to bring Mr. Gao to the court so we can talk.
With Robert as my mouthpiece, I tell Mr. Gao that we cannot play like this.
That I cannot coach with one hand tied behind my back. We need to be allowed to
play. I am pretty sure Robert was nervous delivering this message. I am hoping
he has grasped the “tiger and stripes” concept. I am also pretty sure he has
never been summoned to the court for a chat with the coach. He takes a moment,
nods his head, and gives the thumb up, literally as he speaks no English. The
second quarter comes to a fast paced close. The guys are hyped because of the
on-court summit and finish the half strong. At the half the score is 60-33.
In the locker room at halftime, I tell the guys how
disappointed I am in them. That I did not tell them to stop playing. That I did
not tell the quit. That quitting is the least attractive quality in an athlete.
I would rather be called a non-talented guy that hustles on every play than a
talented guy who quits. They put up some initial resistance, but they knew I
was right.
Remember, this game is over. It is halftime and it’s over.
Back to the court. There is a dunk contest every game. Two Americans and two
Chinese players. The USA wins every time. Not that the Chinese can’t dunk, they
just don’t do it with the same flair.
The game resumes and there is no buzz. The fans are not into
it. The teams are not into it. An interesting side note: I didn’t realize the
Jumbotron at our end of the court converted to a huge TV during game action.
The one I had been watching just shows the game stats. I look up and there I
am. Maybe 10 feet tall. In living color. It was surreal. I then became very
conscious of what I was doing. The third quarter ends 98-63. I wanted to go the
locker room. I wanted there to be a mercy rule. There was not.
The fourth quarter was loathsome. Lazy defense. Cherry
picking fast breaks. Uncontested baskets at both ends. The kind of action Las
Vegas hates as basketball gives away points that impact the over/under and the
spread. In the immortal words of Ricky Watters, “for who, for what?” As the
final minute wound down the USA finds itself with the ball and a 3 on 1. This
will be a lay-up, we just don’t know by whom or by what means: off the glass,
alley oop dunk, jumping over the lone defender and jamming it with two hands
followed by an extended rim hang to accentuate the action? Nope, a missed pull
up jumper mid-lane. I don’t think too much of it as we are up by so much, but
apparently that was the straw that broke the camels back.
I am finishing off the handshake line. I always go last. By
the time I get to the bench, there is a commotion. My first thought is a
security breach. But it is worse than that, two USA players are going at it.
Yelling, swearing, a punch flies, our guys are grabbing the combatants in an
effort to separate them. These are big guys with big egos. Do not allow the
perception of disrespect to enter the picture. Especially when it comes to
basketball and especially in front of thousands of fans. Apparently, player 1
barked at player 2 about not passing the ball on the final possession. Player 2
apparently didn’t like that. Additionally, there had been bad feeling between
these two all day going back to a situation on the bus about seating
arrangements (of which, we have none) and about where in cabin luggage should
be place (also a policy we do not have). Now we have a full scale debacle. It
continues down the tunnel, into the locker room. Player 2 is rushed out into
the hallway, player 1 is breathing fire in the locker room, a caged bull ready
to explode. It is ugly. The police are all around now. Spectators milling
about, trying to watch the most exciting thing to happen tonight. It’s a public
relations nightmare on full display.
It takes over an hour to get things to the point where we
can leave. Player 2 has been whisked through the bowels of the building and put
onto the Cheer Squad bus. The rest of the team has waited enough time to allow
for that bus to have a head start enough for player 2 to be escorted to his
room and sequestered. In the meantime, I am with player 1. Soothing,
comforting, and suspending him until further notice. He doesn’t understand why
he suspended for defending himself. I assure him that his actions were
embarrassing enough to warrant a suspension and that while he was not the one
who threw a punch, his actions and threats were serious violations of any teams’
protocol. He is calming down. He understands that the suspension involves being
sequestered in his room until the morning and that food will be brought to him.
No leaving for any reason.
While all of this is happening, Robert and I are on the
phone with the travel coordinators in the USA. I know how these things end and
it’s not pretty. There is no way these two guys can ever get passed this
exchange. Several players express their concern for the safety of players 1 and
2. We all know there is only one solution. I make the call to send player 2
home, to the USA. Arrangements are made and by the time the team bus arrives at
the hotel, the deal is done. Player 1 is escorted to his room, reminded of the
rules of his sequestration and the assurance that things will be worked out. He
does not know player 2 is on the way out.
I stop in to see player 2. He is upset at his actions, at
being suspended, and certainly about being sent home. He knows this is going to
impact his chance of hooking on with a Chinese team. While I am in there,
Robert and Mr. Gao visit. Mr. Gao gives him all the details of his departure,
and travel schedule back the USA. Player 2 is a decent guy who has not made
professional decisions on this trip. Hopefully, he is able to get on track and
find a team down the line.
I get to my room and there are many bags of laundry waiting
for me. I separated, sort, categorize and display it such a way then when the
players swoop through, they can grab and go quickly. Funny thing, I also get
the bag of clean uniforms for the Whales. Imagine their surprise when all of
their home uniforms are missing.
It is about 2 am when I crawl into bed. The Cheer Squad and
player 2 are leaving at 5. I tell myself that I will be in the lobby when it happens,
but I don’t. When I get up at 5:30 I feel badly that I did not say goodbye. I
should have been there for him.
OBTW, final score 121-96. 10 games, 10 wins. This was a
costly win.
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