After the 23-game winning streak ended, the Celtics also removed the heavy burden on their shoulders and started from scratch. Leon and the players spent a joyous all night in San Antonio, and then left by plane at noon the next day and flew to Miami.

The NBA's regular season is so long and boring, flying around the country, training halls, hotels, arenas, airports, and back and forth in several places. Once it encounters back-to-back, it is extremely hard. In this long journey, victory is often the only fun. It's okay in a city with a rich and bustling nightlife like Miami. If you go to a small city in the west or north, the monotonous life will drive many players crazy.

Halfway through the season, the strong teams have already revealed their tragedy, the weak teams have slipped into the quagmire, and the young teams with potential are slowly showing hope for the future. After experiencing the disappointment at the beginning of the season, the Miami Heat are gradually on the right track and are among the ranks of the Eastern Conference playoff teams.

However, in the face of the strong Celtics and the Celtics who have just finished their winning streak from the beginning, the Heat have no chance of winning at the American Airlines Center at home. Lamar Odom, known as Little Garnett, did not perform as he should in front of the real Garnett. The entire interior of the Heat was destroyed by Garnett and Pj-Brown. In the game, the two men grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and scored at least 20 points with the second offense.

In the case of Pierce and Arenas with a normal outside feel, the Celtics relied purely on the advantage of the inside to beat the Heat through. In this campaign, they achieved an overwhelming advantage in rebounding, grabbing 21 more rebounds than the Heat. In this situation, the Heat resisted a first half, and the Celtics opened the score in the third quarter, and finally lost the game unexpectedly.

After the game, Leon returned to the hotel, but received an invitation text message from an unfamiliar number, asking him to go to a coffee shop in the South Beach Hotel in Miami. There was no record of this number in Leon's phone book, but after thinking about it for a while, Leon decided to go there.

After arriving at the place specified in the text message, Leon met the inviter, the manager of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, in the high-end private room of the cafe. He is sitting on a velvet stool, wearing an Armani high-end shirt, and wearing a huge ring in his hand-the championship ring he won with the Lakers.

"Welcome, you are here, I thought you would call to confirm." Riley saw Leon being taken into the private room by the waiter, and stood up and said.

"No, I know from the tone of the text message that it is you, the style of an Armani high-end suit." Leon seems to be able to determine the identity of the sender from the words of the text message, but in fact he just remembered this in his mind It was Riley's phone number recorded in the nba manager's contact book-he once looked through the contact book in Angie's office, and then remembered it all.

Regardless of whether Leon was bragging or really capable of this, Riley called the waiter to give Leon a cup of coffee.

"This is Hujue coffee from Crystal Mountain, Cuba. The annual output is very limited. I get it from a Cuban friend." Riley pushed the coffee cup in front of Leon. This was the coffee beans he brought personally. The people in the cafe made it. The cup was steaming, and the brown, silky liquid released its scent.

Leon took it and took a sip. It was not very bitter or very sweet. The mouth was very soft, with a slight sour taste, and a hint of refreshing. Although very faint, the taste of coffee is quite wonderful. .

"I don't like coffee, but I can also feel that this is a good drink... Since there is Cuban coffee, there should also be Cuban cigars." Leon seemed not satisfied with a cup of coffee.

Sure enough, Riley smiled, took a Havana cigar from his pocket and threw it into Leon's hand. He also took out one of his own, and the two quickly became confused.

Since they met in the summer league this summer, the two have a little friendship, and Leon is very good at dealing with this kind of old fox, because he has never stage fright, is witty, and can often match each other.

"Just talk about business. I drank coffee and smoked cigars. You would never tell me, just to smoke with me. The game is over. It is impossible for me to put water on you." Leon Asked Riley after exhaling a big puff of smoke.

"Hehe, no, nothing, really nothing. I just want to smoke, drink coffee, and chat with you. You and your Celtics have achieved amazing results, maybe I can learn from Get some experience from communicating with you, after all, the Heat are still growing.” Riley smiled, half-jokingly said to Leon.

Leon didn't care, and really talked about basketball with Riley. As a legendary coach in the history of the NBA, Riley naturally has a lot of valuable experience to learn, and Leon, as a marvelous coach with no background, also has many talented ideas that surprised Riley.

After drinking three cups of coffee in a row, Riley suddenly mentioned a sensitive topic.

"Have you ever thought of coaching a team other than the Celtics?" Riley asked suddenly.

"One day Celtic, lifetime Celtic." Leon said.

"Hahaha, the players and coaches in the league are divided into two categories, one is the Celtics, and the other is the others. But today is not what it used to be, although the Celtics are still very powerful, and you won the championship this year. The hope is great, but this league is no longer the time for the Bostonians to block half of the sky. Fox, I know Auerbach has high hopes for you, but I bet you will not become the second Auerbach. From your I can see the way you do things, you will be invincible, but you will not crack the earth and conquer the king." Riley's eyes became like a knife, but Leon was silent.

Leon must admit that Riley had something to say to his bones. He does pursue victory, championship, and success. In fact, if he is not engaged in basketball, he will have such pursuit. He enjoys the joy of winning and succeeding in this interesting sport of basketball, and the pursuit of ultimate tactics and the fun of the team, but he does not seek to build a Celtic empire.

From this point of view, he is a person who lacks basketball feelings, but a rationalistic pursuit of success.

Seeing Leon no longer speak, Riley fiddled with the ring on his hand and said: "This is the championship ring I won when I coached the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in 1982. In 1982, my first coaching, championship. Hehe, in my first season, I got a lot of things that coaches have dreamed of. The Lakers at that time were just as powerful as the Celtics now. Many people like to remember Kay back then. The yellow-green showdown between the Celtics and the Lakers, but I tell you, the Lakers are much stronger than the Celtics~lightnovelpub.net~ In Los Angeles, I won four championships in nearly ten years. Then I went to the Knicks, one step away from the championship. Finally, to this day, I was in the Miami Heat and did nothing. But I am happier here than in New York and Los Angeles. This is my team."

Leon smiled and said: "Yes, this is your team, not my team."

"Haha, I'm not here to persuade you to join, you still have a way to go in Boston. I just mention it casually, don't mind. Oh, one more thing I want to tell you, when the team reaches a certain level, it His opponent is really only himself." Riley said at last, and then they ended the meeting.

Leon left the South Beach Hotel, left with the Celtics the next day, and continued on the journey of the regular season. No matter what Riley said, Fox-Leon's will to win the championship for the Celtics will not be shaken in the slightest.

This is a promise and destiny.

In the days that followed, the Celtics continued winning streaks in the regular season. The Lakers declined due to Malone’s injury and Kobe’s absence. Since then, no team has been able to compete with Kyle in the regular season. Special people compete. As soon as possible, the Celtics have begun to focus on the playoffs. (To be continued.)