Riley had players unite in a hotel ballroom during a walk-through in Oakland. When they got there, players saw four round tables—with chairs surrounding each one—in different pockets of the space. Riley assigned Charles Oakley, Ewing, Jackson, and McDaniel to sit down at the first table. He sat Starks, Anthony, and Gerald Wilkins at a second table. VanDeWeghe, Quinnett, and center Tim McCormick were at the third. Anthony Mason, Patrick Eddie, and Kennard Winchester sat at the final one.
