The rest is just noise

May 2, 1983

Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

More than 11,000 fans entered the historic arena, with Milwaukee fans hoping to see the team sweep the mighty Celtics.

CBS broadcast the game live.

Moreover, it is broadcast in real time. Starting from the playoffs this season, video-delayed broadcasts have become increasingly rare.

When the Celtics came to the Bucks' home court, Louis' attire attracted many people's attention.

He did not attend in formal attire like other head coaches.

"Boston's acting coach 'Little Lu' came to the scene like a high school coach." CBS commentator Gary Bender said dumbfoundingly.

His partner is none other than Celtics legend Bill Russell.

Even Russell didn't know how to explain Louis' dress.

"He is indeed too young." Russell could only say this.

Louis was chatting with Celtics legend and current Bucks coach Don Nelson at midfield.

"Reed must be crazy." Nelson shook his head.

"Yeah, he's been very crazy recently. He keeps talking about the Three-Character Sutra (son of a bitch) every day." Louis was also very troubled.

After hearing Louis teasing Auerbach, Nelson believed that their relationship was unusual and that Auerbach would not be so stupid as to let someone who lacked knowledge of professional basketball coach him.

Nelson has no expectations for Louis' coaching ability, but he doesn't dare to underestimate him.

Louis returned to his bench area, took the tactical board and said: "According to our original arrangement, after the opening, we will forcefully rush into their penalty area to bring out the aggression that was lost in the previous games!"

The difference from before is that the strong rush into the penalty area arranged by Louis on the offensive end is by no means a strong rush in the literal sense.

The Bucks have two great players on the inside, Bigfoot Lanier, and Alton Lister C, the top inside basket leader in the early 1980s.

The Bucks play a twin-tower lineup, and List's presence is undoubtedly the key reason why it limits the opponent's scoring ability so significantly.

This person is a pseudo-starter who only averages 23 minutes per game, but averages 1.7 blocks per game.

If converted to 36 minutes, this guy averaged 3.4 blocks per game.

If you rush him with this kind of rim protection ability, you will block a lot of shots. Louis does not do such stupid things.

The opening jump ball, Sampson was full of energy after his first start.

Isiah Thomas figured out Sampson's speed and delivered a lob.

Before the Bucks' defense was set up, Sampson was already striding towards the penalty area. Lister was not fast enough and Lanier was old. On the first attack of the game, the Bucks, who are famous for their defense, caught fire at the gate.

.

2 to 0

Sampson's dunk gave the Celtics a good start.

On the defensive end, Louis designed a man-to-man marking with the free throw line area as the boundary based on the Bucks' 2.1 three-point attempts per game and 0.5 goals per game.

It seems to be man-to-man, but it is not much different from a zone defense, because the Celtics do not guard against the opponent's three-pointers and long two-pointers at all.

Marquis Johnson dribbled in.

He will be flanked by two or three people.

As a representative offensive small forward in the 1980s, this person was regarded by Nelson as a tool for innovative tactics.

Based on the successful transformation of Havlicek and Rick Barry into organizers in the 1970s, Nelson intended to make Marquis Johnson a point forward.

Having been instilled with the concept of organization, when Johnson saw a double attack, his first thought was naturally to find someone.

Lister appeared in his sights at the right time and he passed the ball, but Sampson's agility was too outstanding.

While using his height to influence Johnson's decision-making, he can also influence List's offense.

Liszt was afraid of Sampson's height, so he slowed down his movements and was covered on the spot.

"Ralph's athletic ability is amazing for his height!" K.C. Jones said in surprise.

The defensive effect is something Louis doesn't value.

Just because one person's defense is strong does not mean that the entire team's defense is strong.

Compared with Howard and Mutombo, who have a self-contained system and lead a group of monsters who can bring the team's defense to the top six in the league as long as they defend three-pointers, teams that lack such monsters have to pay more attention to the defensive end.

The response and linkage of the players on the field.

When to switch defenses, when to make up positions, how to rotate in time, and how to stay in position to protect defensive rebounds.

This kind of tacit understanding cannot be developed in the playoffs.

Louis has no time now, so he can only let Sampson use his talent as a barrier in the penalty area. The real tough battle is how to break through the Bucks, the league's best steel defense.

The offensive end is where Louis has made a lot of preparations.

Where his methods are, people on the field will know immediately.

Bird is in the right waist position, Sampson is open, Laimbeer is also open, and Isiah Thomas is also open.

What's even more interesting is that the two interior linemen and a defender are all pulled to the strong side, while John Long and Bird are on the weak side.

Long stood outside his newly developed three-point line at the top of the arc, and Bird singled out Sidney Moncrief at the waist.

Moncrief was one of the greatest defensive backs in history and the most underrated figure of the 1980s. His Bucks were, outside of Dr. J's Philadelphia, Larry Bird's biggest pain in the East. Louie studied the former

From the video of several games, it is obvious that Fitch and the entire coaching team used Bird problematically.

They used Bird as Durant, letting him run and catch the ball.

Due to Bird's incomprehensible shooting ability and his versatility that he didn't know how to develop his value, Fitch and his assistants chose the method that least reflected Bird's value and had the greatest impact on Bird's performance.

Make him a finisher who can attack with the ball.

This allowed Moncrief to successfully transform into Tony Allen, using his muscles and bones to strangle Bird's touch in endless running and off-ball combat.

Louis gave up this strategy when he came up and directly designed a grand offensive system for Bird.

Although this offensive system currently only has two corresponding tactics, its prototype has already appeared on the court as it is.

"Larry, I want you to catch the ball in this position. If they use one person to deal with you, I don't care what method you use, just kill his defense!"

Once in the low post, Bird's physical advantage had room to be used. He fiercely pushed away Moncrief's body, turned around and shot, hitting the rebound.

"Larry, why didn't they put anyone in there to play against you?"

Louis's greeting seriously offended Moncrief, who was fighting desperately behind Bird.

He looked unhappy.

Is it his fault that he's undersized? Is it his fault that he was overwhelmed by Bird's post-up play, making it look like Bird was fighting the air?

Louis' words seriously offended this star player who regarded defense as his life. He was determined to find ways to prevent Bird from scoring in the low post in the next few minutes.

This is what Louis wants to see, let Bird defeat the Bucks' defensive pillars one-on-one. When they realize that Bird cannot be defended by one person, that's when this simple offensive system will really come into play.