The rest is just noise

The Lakers in the third quarter showed the essence of basketball.

It brings out the best in the sport.

As a team, they moved the ball smoothly and made 0 turnovers in a single quarter.

Personally, Wilson took over strongly in the last two minutes and beat the Celtics, who had no one to fight against, to a pulp.

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics' problems came to a head.

The performance of Sampson and Malone is Hill's barometer. If the two of them perform well, Hill will naturally benefit from it.

If they don't perform well, Hill will also disappear. Malone continued his sluggish state in the third quarter. Sampson also gave up long-range shots due to his reduced physical strength and turned to attacking the basket with the ball to cause damage.

In a few minutes, Sampson made seven free throws.

However, due to physical problems, the feel of free throws declined rapidly, and he only made three out of seven free throws.

On the Lakers' side, the lead continued to expand, and Louis had to seriously examine the effect of Ben Wallace against Malone.

Was Malone's performance tonight an accident or was it caused by man-made factors?

Although Louis believes that Ben's defense can produce certain results, he doesn't think Ben can achieve this level as a rookie.

Therefore, the main problem with Malone's hip stretch lies within himself.

The second is to look forward to the direction of the series. Now it seems that the Lakers do have a great advantage. With the Celtics' personnel structure, this gap is almost irreversible.

What makes Louis most helpless is that the Lakers are about to take a 2-0 lead in the finals, but their trump card-beautiful basketball-has not yet been given a proper opportunity to showcase.

If the Celtics still cannot bring real intensity in subsequent games, perhaps the Lakers will have room for it until the end of the season.

This is undoubtedly regrettable.

Moreover, if the Lakers can't use "beautiful basketball" to play a jaw-dropping great game, how can they impress Dejan Bodiloga to travel across the ocean to shoot?

The finals no longer seem to be the most important thing for Louis right now.

The vigilance against the Celtics before the game also gradually dissipated. After the fourth quarter, the Lakers defeated the Celtics 124-104, winning two consecutive games at their home court and taking a 2-0 lead.

Benjamin Wilson remains a star among stars.

After playing for 37 minutes, his offensive status slumped to freezing point, but he came back strongly in the second half, finally hitting 50% from the field and scoring a triple-double of 38 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

Charles Barkley's post-game interview was a perfect combination of comedy and reality.

"Chuck, are you excited?" "I'm so fucking excited!"

"Why? This is not the closest you'll get to a championship."

What the reporter means is that Barkley was ever closer to the championship. How close was it? He led his opponent by 22 points at halftime in the match point game and was still in the lead until the last ten seconds.

Unexpectedly, Barkley said: "This time is different from before. There is no possibility for us to lose. Moreover, I am very happy. This is what I have always said. Pure honor theory is the most ridiculous thing in the world. You cannot use the championship

Let’s characterize a person because not everyone is lucky enough to have the best team.”

If these words are taken advantage of by someone with intentions, they will be misinterpreted. However, this is Barkley, he always says what he has to say.

And this was not the most effective speech he made today. In the end, he was so proud that he said without hesitation: "I didn't know until today that Patrick's happiness is so simple!"

"Chuck, what do you mean...?" The reporter obviously saw the excitement and didn't take it too seriously.

Barkley was also very cooperative: "You can take note of my words, the one who wins Benj wins the championship! You are always talking about so and so.

Not great because he can't make his teammates better! But I can

Said, the greatest thing about Benj is that he can make people like me look like a winner! Apart from Benj, no other person has such magic

"

When Barkley's remarks about kneeling and licking reached Wilson's ears through reporters, he smiled: "Chuck often says amazing things. You shouldn't take it too seriously. Even if there is such a person in the world, it's not me."

, but our coach.”

"We just play ball, and it's up to the coaching staff to make us winners."

Benj's statement brought the matter to a happy ending, and conveniently created a world in which only Barkley's predecessor and Ewing felt pain.

On the other hand, the Celtics' post-game interviews were a bit lackluster.

Sampson, who scored 46 points and 11 rebounds but still couldn't win, told reporters: "I'm not the same person I used to be."

The Boston media felt sour when they heard this.

Sampson did not mean to blame his teammates and took the responsibility for the loss, believing that the reason for the loss was that he could not dominate the game as before.

However, this statement cannot redeem the respect of Malone and Hill.

Because even Sampson at his peak could not dominate the game from beginning to end. Otherwise, the Knicks would not have been able to defeat the Celtics in 1988.

Taking the initiative to take on responsibilities that are not yours can not only win people's hearts, but also relieve the pressure of public opinion on Malone and Hill, and prepare for subsequent home games.

Louis secretly felt sorry for Sampson.

This superstar, who has locked himself into the top six in history, may only have played eight meaningful seasons.

After the Celtics dynasty ended in 1988, Sampson's career began to turn to another track.

Especially in the 1990s, except for the season when Cosmos Fever was formed, Sampson's peak years were wasted in the rest of the years.

For comparison, Ewing has been playing for a Finals-level team since the second year of his career.

Wilson even had a tragedy-level career start. In his rookie season, he entered the Eastern Conference Finals with the team and played a series with Bird. It has been eleven years now, and he has been playing for a finals-level team almost every year.

Play ball.

Their peak period coincided 100% with the team's peak period.

Not Sampson.

From the age of 28 to 37, nearly ten years, he only played for a competitive team for two or three years.

Therefore, the legacy of James' "decision" is both good and bad. The good side is that people like Sampson, who are burdened by the team, can make the same choice without any scruples, because the Emperor has already

Take all the blame that deserves it and make it a routine whenever everyone is unhappy in life. Gradually, no fans will have any objections to this, and the "decision" will be shaped by the joint efforts of everyone.

Come up with a correct memory that is in line with the trend - time has not waited for us. Why should you be criticized for doing things that you and I like? If you are not satisfied with the working environment, why can't you change jobs? Yes, that's right.

Sampson had no chance to reap the dividends of the Emperor's decision, so he waited until the age of 34 to break up with the Celtics. He then went to Miami to experience the ups and downs of human relations before returning to Boston.

Then he proved that he is still one of the best in the league, but if his teammates have problems, it will be difficult for him to support them independently.

Louis understands Sampson's attempt to help Ma Long take the blame. This is by no means a green tea bitch-style prank, but a manifestation of an old man's mentality.

Sampson's transformation this year has been very successful. People say that his high-post play is the key to the Celtics' performance. However, he himself also knows very well that without Malone doing all the dirty work in the paint,

He also doesn't have the chance to play in a high position with ease.

The Celtics' hope for revival lies with Malone. Sampson also believes in Malone.

If Malone can't wake up, Sampson will lose confidence as he plays.

This is where Louis regrets and feels sorry for Sampson.

In his mind, the best lineup of "Beautiful Basketball" is Tragedy, Wilson, Bird, Duncan, and Sampson.

It is not difficult to build a championship team around Sampson, but in the later period of Auerbach, the magic of the Celtics front office was completely lost. Moreover, due to the twists of fate, Mr. Only could never have a capable team like Ewing.

A management team that started a correct and positive team building plan around him.

From this point of view, Sampson is a gorgeous version of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and a reverse Chamberlain. He has the strength and competitiveness of the first center in history, but he still cannot beat the crowd.

What is even more regrettable is that the capital he built to win the Presidential Hill was built before he was 28 years old.

After Louis and Wilson were interviewed, they met Sampson on their way back to the locker room.

Sampson said hello worriedly and left. "It's not easy for him either." Louis said with emotion.

Sampson is one of Wilson's most respected players. Seeing him in his late teens but still the backbone of the team, wanting to give it a try but unable to do so, this raised a question in Wilson's mind.

"Coach," he decided to ask the person he trusted most about this question, "How can I grow old gracefully?"