Pat Riley was on the bench, firing up his team. He encouraged his players and shouted motivation at Wade, praising him as the best guard of the new era. He was convinced Wade could shut Su Xi down.
At the same time, he was also stoking O'Neal's competitive fire.
At a time like this, even the best coaches had only one thing left to do: get their superstars fired up.
Tactics, on the other hand, became secondary.
Gary Payton sat nearby, his mind somewhat detached. He didn't seem very interested in what was happening before him; his thoughts were drifting. He felt this scene was incredibly familiar.
Déjà vu.
That's right, it was just like the Finals against the Pacers back in the day. The coaching staff had cheered on O'Neal and Kobe in the exact same way, hoping they would unleash their true dominance.
However, that series had destroyed Gary Payton's dream of a championship.
Now, after all this time, he was witnessing the same scene all over again.
