The rest is just noise

"Coach Lu, as a coach, what do you think is the biggest difficulty?"

In mid-September, the Celtics held a media conference for the first preseason training camp in NBA history.

Louis was asked by a reporter from the Sun Weekly, which has been around for more than 100 years.

"The biggest difficulty is that no matter how difficult I thought this job would be, I would eventually find that the actual difficulty is much greater than I imagined." Louis said helplessly.

Louis received more attention than expected.

His age is an obstacle that cannot be overcome.

Until he proves his ability on the court, this is something that will be questioned countless times.

If he succeeds, age becomes his capital.

Louis met Bob Ryan, whom Auerbach often scolded.

This person started working for the "Globe" in the early 1970s, and shocked everyone when he said, "A New York Knicks championship is more important to the NBA than the Celtics' 11 championships."

Because of this sentence, Auerbach still refers to him as "that bastard".

"Coach Lu, can I ask you a few questions?" Ryan asked formally.

"This is our main mission here today." Louis said casually, "Excuse me."

Ryan's first question: "There are rumors that the Celtics have had internal conflicts many times in the past two weeks. Is it true?"

"Bob, how many people are in your working group?" Louis asked.

"7."

"Did you enjoy getting along?"

"We work well together."

"Are the seven of you close, have no conflicts with each other, and never have conflicts?"

"Coach Lu, I understand what you mean."

"No, you don't understand." Louis smiled, "If you civil servants all have conflicts and conflicts will arise, then how can it be so difficult for a group of young people with strong blood to engage in confrontational and fierce movements to cause conflicts?

Is it weird?"

Ryan obviously didn't let Louis go easily.

His second question was more pointed.

"After Coach Fitch took office in Houston, he hinted that you would be ineffective as his assistant coach. Do you have any thoughts?"

This is something Louis has never understood. No matter what Fitch says, Louis has already prepared his words.

I originally thought I wouldn't be able to use it, but I didn't expect it could still be used.

Thank you so much Fitch.

"After Coach Fitch won the championship, he expanded the coaching staff on a large scale. Did you know this?"

"I've heard a little bit about it."

"Suddenly, the Celtics' coaching staff became more professional. After Coach Fitch had a more professional and rigorous team, he rarely asked for my opinions. At that time, I was also a part-time scout for the team and needed to be regular.

Go out."

Louis smiled lightly and said: "I also want to help, but this kind of thing is a two-way street. If Coach Fitch vetoes my suggestion, how can I help? I am the one with the least say in the coaching staff meeting.

"

"If what you said is true, why was it you who succeeded K.C. or other assistants as the head coach?"

Ryan is not a likable questioner and interviewer.

He doesn't play tricks with you, he just wants to know the inside story and get the hard stuff out of you.

It's no wonder Auerbach doesn't like him. The existence of this kind of media person is a good thing for fans. Fans can get a lot of inside information through him.

However, the same cannot be said for the person he exposed the inside story to.

"If I could answer you, I would."

"How to say?"

Louis said to this guy who calls himself an NBA monitor: "If I can appoint myself as the head coach, why wait until now? You should ask Reid this question. I just accepted the new job he gave me, and

I have no reason to refuse."

"Coach Fitch has led the Celtics to a top-three record in the league every year for the past four years. Are you sure you can achieve this result?"

Louis could see that Ryan was on the side of Fitch.

Fitch is different from all coaches in Celtics history. He does not alienate the media. He is close to the media. He likes to deal with the media and uses his witticisms to make the press conference look like a talk show.

People who have a good relationship with the media can always get more exposure and praise.

Although Louis couldn't ask Ryan to like or dislike whom, he still didn't want to hear anyone comparing him to Fitch.

"You know, Reid prepared a complicated contract for me. Although the amount is considerable, the conditions are harsh. If I want to receive the full salary, I must lead the team to the league's best record and win the championship.

.”

"Unfortunately, I am a person who regards wealth as life."

"Because money is the foundation of living in modern society, I will make money in order to create a better life. Therefore, I am determined to complete these two targets." Louis reminded, "You can write my words into your article,

Tell anyone."

Ryan gave Louis an ugly smile: "I understand, Coach Lu."

Fourteen media companies came this day, and 13 of them were local from Boston.

There is also an unpopular but nationally famous media, the New York Times.

Friends with good memories should remember that Louis had a bad relationship with this media.

"Hello, Coach Lu, I am Wil Wheaton, a reporter from the New York Times."

"What bad luck!"

"Coach Lu?"

Louis twisted like an aggrieved golden retriever, "Okay, you can ask."

“It must be hard working in a city like Boston with a long history of racism, right?”

Louis smiled and asked: "Isn't it easier in New York than here?"

"I dare not say anything else. In terms of moral sanctions against racial discrimination, New York is far better than Boston. We are recently preparing to pass a bill to prohibit people from saying insulting words starting with the 'N' word in public."

Louis didn't have the patience to listen to him preach about all the beauties of New York.

"Okay, can you talk to me about business?"

"Okay, Coach Lu, are you sure you can take the Celtics into the playoffs in the first season?"

"Exu color me?"

"Is my voice too soft?" Wheaton actually spoke uprightly, "Coach Lu, are you sure you can bring the Celtics into the playoffs?"

My mother-in-law, she is indeed a woman of all kinds.

Louis laughed to himself, what kind of waste would he have to be to take a team with Bird, Thomas, Sampson, Maxwell, and Laimbeer to a point where they couldn't make the playoffs? Even if he had one goal all season.

If you don't call timeouts, substitutions, tactics, and pre- and post-game arrangements, let the players make their own decisions, you won't be unable to make the playoffs, right?

"The Times is indeed the Times, and I am not wrong about you at all." Louis said with a smile, "You are really a ridiculous and extremely unprofessional media!"

Seeing the Times making a fool of themselves in front of Louis, even though Louis's answer was rude, none of his colleagues stood up to speak for Wheaton.

His way of asking was really amateurish.

Especially asking Louis if he can take the Celtics into the playoffs is really putting his ass in front of others.

It would be a disgrace to Louis and the Times if he didn't blow him away.

Today's media meeting also created a lot of Celtic history.

Louis asked all players to be interviewed in accordance with the common media meetings in the future, and asked each of them to tell an interesting story from the training camp. It was not allowed to discredit the team, but it had to help improve the team's image.

Bird initially demurred: "I didn't encounter anything interesting."

Seeing Bird, Thomas had an idea.

He told reporters: "When Coach Lu introduced the game concept to us for the first time, he drew an owl's face on the tactical board and compared it to Larry."

Bird was inspired by this.

He chose to shame himself.

"This is true, but what's even funnier is that before that, Coach Lu drew a pig's head. He compared the pig's head to me, and only changed it to an owl after my strong protest."

Bird said humorously: "I thought at the time that he should become a painter."

People with low EQ will only say "I wish Louis would get out of here right away", but Bird knew in front of the media that with high EQ "he should become a painter".

No player was left out in the cold.

The media was given plenty of opportunities, and everyone was telling stories, either real stories with added flair, or fabrications that could not be verified, and finally everyone gathered to put on their jerseys and take pictures.

"Lu is a very good debater. He can resolve all questions without revealing too much inside information to us.

But yesterday, he informed me of his goals for the new season in a special way. Lu said that he signed a complicated contract under the pressure of Reid and that if he wanted to receive a full salary, he must lead the Celtics.

People have the best record in the league and win the championship.

He vowed to me that he would get his full salary.

I regard this as a promise he made to me and all the fans who follow and love the Celtics.

‘Next season, we will be number one in the league and return to the championship.’ I think this is what he meant.

Finally we saw this scene. Lu was sitting in the middle of the photo, next to Reed, then Larry, Isiah, and Ralph. They were all smiling and high-spirited. For a moment, I seemed to see a scene.

A team on top of the world." Bob Ryan published in the Boston Globe on September 17, 1983.