Chapter 323: Battle with the Rockets (1)
“Boss, what do you think Mr. Tsai is really up to?”
Inside the Kings’ VIP suite, Chen Yilun asked curiously.
“Avoiding suspicion,”
Ranadivé replied, dressed formally for the occasion.
“If he contacted you directly without going through me first, that would’ve been crossing a line. But this is actually a good thing.”
“Why is that?”
Chen Yilun played along smoothly.
“Because if he’s being this careful, it means he probably won’t try to poach you later,”
Ranadivé said, clearly pleased.
“Before, Mr. Tsai and I didn’t really have any interaction, so he wouldn’t have hesitated to approach you directly. But now that he’s come to me first, it’s different. He’s a gentleman—he wouldn’t do something that openly burns bridges.”
“Oh! I’m late—sorry, sorry!”
Just as Chen Yilun and Ranadivé were talking, Mr. Tsai walked into the VIP suite with a smile.
“Welcome, welcome!”
Ranadivé and Chen Yilun immediately stood up to greet him.
“Vivek, you really went all out,”
Mr. Tsai said as he looked around the luxurious suite.
“When friends come from afar, how could I not?”
Ranadivé laughed.
“This is nothing.”
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three of them took their seats.
“Joe, your timing is perfect. This game should be a great one,”
Ranadivé said, gesturing toward the court below.
“Houston is strong this year. The chemistry between Paul and Harden is better than expected. But we’re no pushovers either. If nothing unexpected happens, it’ll be a real clash of titans.”
“Exactly,”
Mr. Tsai nodded as he watched the players warming up.
“My wife and I have always been die-hard basketball fans. This time, we didn’t just come for the NBA—my wife is even planning to buy a WNBA team and run it herself.”
Hearing that, Ranadivé couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
Being rich really did make everything easier—buying a basketball team sounded as casual as grocery shopping.
“Joe,”
Ranadivé suddenly asked,
“when do you expect to officially take over the team?”
“Probably next year,”
Mr. Tsai answered without hesitation.
“Right now, I only own 49% of the shares. According to the agreement, once my funds are in place next February, I’ll acquire the remaining 51%. So technically, the team isn’t mine yet.”
Then his tone shifted.
“Even so, preparations have already started. Vivek, I’ll be honest—lately, I’ve had a massive headache.”
As if he’d found the right opening, Mr. Tsai began venting to Ranadivé.
“That Russian owner left me a complete mess. Just when Sean finally managed to patch most of the holes, he turns around and heads to Washington. It’s frustrating.”
Ranadivé raised an eyebrow slightly as he listened.
We’re not even close—why are you venting to me? Something’s off. Very off.
Sure enough, after a bit of casual conversation, Mr. Tsai got to the point.
“Vivek, you really have an eye for talent. Who in the league doesn’t know that your front office is second to none?”
“Haha,”
Ranadivé let out a dry chuckle.
“That’s mostly thanks to Yilun. He practically built the entire team himself.”
“Yilun really is outstanding,”
Mr. Tsai said, looking at Chen Yilun with clear admiration.
“I’ll be honest with you, Vivek. When I first met him, I seriously considered poaching him. But his heart was always in Sacramento, so I didn’t push it any further.”
As soon as Mr. Tsai finished speaking, Ranadivé couldn’t suppress his smile.
Those words made it clear—Mr. Tsai had no intention of making a move on Chen Yilun anymore. Chen Yilun’s value, his golden signboard, was secure.
“Fair enough,”
Ranadivé said with a laugh.
“If you ever need help, just say the word. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll help.”
“That would be perfect,”
Mr. Tsai replied.
“Oh—looks like the game’s starting!”
Tonight, both the Kings and the Rockets rolled out their strongest lineups.
Kings: Richardson, Booker, Butler, Durant, Jokić.
Rockets: Paul, Harden, Ariza, Tucker, Capela.
In terms of star power, the Rockets were clearly behind the Kings. But the true value of Paul and Harden lay in how much they elevated the rest of the team.
The Kings won the opening possession.
Richardson brought the ball past half court. The pressure on him in this series was enormous. The reason he’d secured the starting point guard spot was his defense—if he got blown out, his status next season would take a serious hit.
So before the game, Richardson had already set his mindset:
No need to shine—just don’t mess up.
Once in the frontcourt, Richardson directed his teammates, then handed the ball off to Jokić as he came up to set a screen. Richardson immediately drifted to the weak side to create space.
“The Kings are sticking to their old routine,”
D’Antoni quickly spotted Malone’s intention from the sidelines.
The Kings’ most common offensive set was Jokić holding the ball at the top of the arc, spacing the floor, and initiating ball movement.
At the high post, Jokić pulled Capela out of the paint. Then, with a scalpel-like pass, he hit Butler on a back cut.
Butler caught the ball and powered his way toward the rim.
Ariza, who had been guarding Butler, could only trail closely behind, trying to disrupt the layup. But because of Butler’s head start, Ariza was already half a step late.
On the other side, Tucker—who had been guarding Durant—had no choice but to slide into the paint to help cut off Butler’s drive.
Just as Ariza and Tucker closed in from both sides and sealed off Butler’s path, Butler spun and fired a sharp pass straight to the corner.
Durant, already waiting there, caught the ball and adjusted his angle. Just as he was about to shoot, he caught Harden rushing over in his peripheral vision.
Durant sold a perfect pump fake, completely drawing Harden in. Then he kicked the ball out once more—this time to Booker at the strong-side 45-degree angle.
Booker hadn’t expected the ball to find its way to him after all that movement.
But with no one in sight on the perimeter, not shooting would’ve been unforgivable.
Booker bent his knees and rose into a textbook three-step shooting motion.
Swish.
Author's Note
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