The rest is just noise

Several transactions made by Louis were reported by the media and spread quickly.

Although the three new players acquired by the Celtics are not the kind of star players who can improve the team's level, they are all practical players who have been tested in the league.

What the Celtics lack most right now is lineup depth.

After these transactions are completed, Isiah Thomas can no longer say that he has no one available.

Big Kimbill Simmons made a very personal joke: "It's time to discuss who is better at stealing the ball, Legendlu or Winola Reed."

I have to say that this metaphor is very wicked and offends both Louis and Winola.

Just this month, Winola became a national hot topic for burglarizing a house in Beverly Hills. People wanted to know why this actress who was so popular in the 1990s chose to become a thief.

Louis didn't like Simmons' metaphor very much, so when he received an interview invitation from ESPN before the New Year, he declined.

In order to please him, ESPN specially sent Bill Simmons to interview him. They thought this was a good thing that came in pairs, but in the end, they accurately stepped on Louis' minefield.

Louis not only refused an interview with ESPN, but also made a special appearance on a TNT program to chat with Barkley and others about the inside story of the transaction. This made ESPN's decision-makers realize that it was a mistake to let Bill Simmons interview Louis.

decision.

In this way, Louis reminds them not to make the same mistake again. Louis said a lot in the TNT program.

When he was the head coach before, he rarely talked about the team so openly with the media, but this time it was different.

Louis said the Celtics should strive for a top-six finish in the Eastern Conference.

On this basis, returning to the playoffs is not a problem, the question is where to go? Louis' idea is that if we can reach the semifinals, it means that the management's operation from the summer to now has been successful.

This statement actually has another meaning.

If the Celtics don't reach the semifinals, it's the management's fault.

Although Louis likes Pua Thomas, he has done his best to reduce his pressure in public opinion.

Regarding the subsequent transaction questions, Louis gave a clear negative answer.

Unless the new players don't fit in smoothly, or the integration of the new players causes new problems for the team, there will be no more trades and the Celtics will end the season with their current lineup.

As for the inside story of the transaction, Louis naturally couldn't reveal the py transaction between him and Ainge. He just said that the Grizzlies were focused on rebuilding, and the 76ers' transaction had nothing to hide.

Benj wants to play ball with his good brother. Louis doesn't need to say this, everyone knows it.

After the arrival of new players, the Celtics have obviously many more players available to play.

So a new problem arose.

With Thomas's brain, he can't handle long rotations.

Therefore, of the three players Louis exchanged, only Brevin Knight has truly entered the team's main rotation.

Knight's organizational ability is what Parker lacks now. When Knight is on the court, the Celtics' offense is very smooth.

Because of this incident, Thomas almost let Knight@ start. This incident was stopped by Louis.

Louis asked Thomas to observe more than a dozen games before talking.

He didn't intend to overstep his command, he just wanted Thomas to make decisions when he wasn't at the top.

In the short term, Knight is indeed very suitable for the starting lineup. He is so clear-headed and has a natural commander ability. However, the innate limitations brought by his size make him destined to become a loophole on the defensive end. Secondly, his personal shooting range cannot be extended to three.

Outside the line.

As a bean guard who is only 178 centimeters tall, Louis cannot understand Knight's delay in developing three-pointers.

Generally speaking, small guards have a sense of crisis and know that they are inherently deficient, so they cannot have any technical shortcomings.

Knight has never had the idea of ​​broadening his shooting range. It is precisely because of his poor shooting range that he is not suitable for starting.

After only five games, Thomas realized that Knight's range would cause problems for insiders such as Yao Yueban.

There is no shooting threat from the outside, and his breakthrough does not have the impact of Parker. His huge shortcomings on the offensive end make his organizational skills less dazzling.

Thomas dismissed the idea of ​​starting Knight@.

When the Parker CPU is burned out, it is a wise choice to let Knight come up to cool it down.

Thomas, who has found the right direction, can be said to have brought the Celtics into shape. During December, the Celtics had 11 wins and 5 losses, and their record rose to fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the 76ers, Knicks, and Heat.

However, this fourth place is not stable.

Behind them, the Pacers are closely following, and the Cavaliers, who are sixth in the Eastern Conference, are only 3 games behind the Celtics.

Thomas' good days were just a few days away. In the first game of 2002, the Celtics faced the Magic, who were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Scottie Pippen played his best game of the season. Even more important was Thomas' decision-making.

At the last moment, Yao Yue, the team's most consistent free throw shooter, fouled out and left the game. The Celtics were only leading by 2 points, but they chose to challenge their opponents for free throws.

As a result, the rookie on his side failed to withstand the pressure and missed free throws, but the Magic hit free throws one after another, forcing the game to become suspense.

At the last moment, the Magic's Chinese forward Du Shuai made a pull-up in front of Sprewell and beat the Celtics at the buzzer.

This made the audience in the fleet center go crazy, and they collectively booed Thomas.

Louis didn't even watch the game because he couldn't imagine the Celtics losing to the Magic.

After the loss, he called Van Gundy to find out what happened.

Van Gundy recounted the situation at the scene. It turned out that Laimbeer, a young kid, told Thomas about the Magic's inaccurate free throws at critical moments. As a result, Thomas wanted to show off his tactics and completely stifle his opponent's comeback hopes through tactical fouls, but he failed.

The next day, when Louis showed up at the Waltham Training Center, Thomas didn't dare to look at him.

He thought he could not escape a scolding, but Louis made no sign.

Louis himself is also a tidy person, and he accepts this kind of tidying up based on correct information.

If the job is ruined, it's because of poor craftsmanship. Just learn a lesson, and there's no need for him to scold Thomas. There are plenty of people out there scolding him.

In mid-January, Michael Jordan, who had not been seen for a long time, became the third player in NBA history to score more points than any other player.

Now Jordan is only 39 years old and still averages 26 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, but he is no longer the focus of the sports world.

It's as if the only mission left in his career is to break Ralph Sampson's all-time scoring record.

But what's the point? Mr. Only is not great because he holds the historical scoring record. That record is just a small embellishment of his career.

Sadly for Trail Blazers fans, becoming the all-time scoring leader may be the only way for Jordan to shake off the image of The Biggest Loser.

If he cannot retire as the all-time scoring champion, then when people in the future mention him, they will only think of the sad six runner-up finishes.

The Celtics, who had great momentum last month, also encountered obstacles in the first month of the new year.

The first is Gasol's injury.

The Spaniard sprained his ankle at the beginning of the month, and for safety reasons, the team kept him out indefinitely until he fully recovers.

The impact of Gasol's absence due to injury on the Celtics as a whole is immeasurable. Yao Yueban averaged 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in his rookie season, which is inseparable from the additions brought by Gasol's partnership.

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If there is a problem with the core inside, the performance of others will also fluctuate accordingly.

In January, the Celtics' winning percentage was less than 50%, and for the first time there were calls for Thomas to be fired from the Fleet Center.

Fortunately, Yao Yueban was successfully selected for the All-Star Game roster, which gave fans some comfort.

Moreover, due to the full support of Chinese fans across the ocean, Yao Yueban actually replaced O'Neal and became the All-Star starting center in the Eastern Conference. In addition to Yao Yueban, the Heat's Chinese guard Liu Yuqing was also selected for the All-Stars.

This year, Liu Yuqing had the best performance of her career. As the absolute main force, she played 35 minutes per game, scoring 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. She averaged 4 three-pointers per game and her three-point shooting rate was as high as 43%.

As a famous master of unintentional comedy, Liu Yuqing accepted an interview with reporters after being selected as an All-Star.

The reporter was very excited and surprised. Liu Yuqing didn't understand why the other party was doing this.

"You shouldn't be surprised." Liu Yuqing said expressionlessly, "I was the number one shooting guard in the United States when I was in high school."

What he means is that he is just catching up with his former self. But in the eyes of others, is this showing off, right?

Is there ever a time when the cold-blooded Jiang Duo is so stinky?

This cute contrast made Liu Yuqing unexpectedly gain more popularity. During the rare holidays, Louis also gave himself a holiday and took his wife and children to watch "The Lord of the Rings" in a private room.

This classic fantasy epic was one of the blockbuster films that was well-received by Louis in his previous life but was repeatedly discouraged by the length of the film. Now he can finally watch it in the cinema. It’s really good to watch, but it’s a bit exhausting.