He had watched the Heat outscore the Bulls 18-3 in the final three-plus minutes of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. "Watched" being the operative word.
Noah didn't play a second of the fourth quarter.
Feeling empty, angry and "almost depressed," according to his college coach, Florida's Billy Donovan, Noah took off for New York, hoping his native Manhattan could provide a little anonymity.
No chance.
"That series was seen worldwide, and everybody had an opinion about it," Noah recalled. "It got to the point where people would ask me about it 30-40 times a day. It was hard to escape."
Noah said he envisioned "sitting on a stoop and just chilling. Just walking down the streets, being with friends. Going to a restaurant, a club, whatever a 25-year-old does."
But wherever he went, an impromptu news conference broke out.
They fired questions and comments like this: Why didn't you play in the fourth? What was Thibs (coach Tom Thibodeau) thinking? What happened? I wish you all would have beaten the Heat. (Expletive) LeBron.
"All that stuff," Noah said.
Some R&R in Hawaii helped rejuvenate Noah. He worked out with Derrick Rose in Los Angeles and played for the French National team. He also rehabbed and rested the right ankle that bugged him for the final two months of the season.
But Noah didn't really find peace until he returned to his adopted home, Gainesville, Fla., for a few weeks in the fall.
"It reminds me of my childhood, the nostalgic feeling of going back to your college campus," he said. "Those were the best times in my life. To be around all these hungry kids who are trying to become professional athletes, it's a good feeling."
But mostly, Noah wanted to be around Donovan, the man he calls "Coach D."
"He has that sickness ? he hates to lose and is probably the most competitive guy I've been around, very similar to Thibs. He's also very religious and an unbelievable family man. We might not have similar beliefs or views politically (Donovan leans right), but he's someone I see as another father figure."
Noah would hit the gym at around 10:30 a.m. for a demanding individual workout with Donovan or a member of his staff. Then he would lift weights, often watch practice and return to the gym for countless reps with "The Tornado" ? his side-spinning jumper.
"I tried to tweak it once and made it worse," Donovan said. "You can talk about his form not being picture-perfect, but Jo has two things going for him: He has a very good eye and is relentless in trying to work on it."
Donovan drilled Noah on 15-foot jumpers. If he can hit them in games, teams will have to think twice about double-teaming Rose.
"He said, 'I'm with best player in the league in Derrick Rose; how can I help?'" Donovan said. "He is all about the team. It's never: I want to expand my game and score more."
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