The rest is just noise

May 27, 1984, the first game of the finals.

In the morning, the Lakers arrived in Boston on a special plane.

"Magic" Earvin Johnson accepted an interview with the Boston media. Facing the reporters, his smile was still warm, even though he was surrounded by fans who were booing them.

"This is not a game between me and Larry, this is a game between the Lakers and the Celtics," Johnson said. "We respect each other's talents. I know Larry is a great competitor and a good guy, and I don't mind other people.

say what."

This isn't the first time Magic has unleashed his kindness on Bird.

Bird has always been very cold, and he will not have personal contact with the opponent until he beats Magic, because Magic beat him once in the NCAA.

That afternoon, super substitute Dominique Wilkins, who was officially designated as the sixth man during the playoffs and had a lot of dissatisfaction with it, was teased by fans.

A Celtics fan got his room phone number, called him, and the following conversation ensued.

"Hello, Dominic, I am your loyal fan, your dunk performance is fascinating!"

"I am grateful!"

"But Larry will still beat the shit out of you tonight!" After saying that, he hung up the phone with lightning speed.

This is the power brought by the media.

A few days before the finals, the warm-up for the showdown between the Celtics and the Lakers, their old rivals, almost reached the level of publicity for a foreign war.

When a country declares war, it always uses the power of public opinion to appeal to the people to unite as one and declare victory.

And when the media takes the initiative to publicize and warm up a sports event, the effect must be extraordinary.

Mainly based on skin color, it successfully divided Americans into two factions.

The story that happened in the NCAA in 1979 is happening again.

Moreover, the NCAA plays a decisive game, which is very random. No one knows which team will win until the end.

The NBA is different. Halfway through the conference finals, the media already know it.

They have been preparing for a year, and now they have to work harder.

On the West Coast, the Lakers released a team documentary.

Jerry West once again reveals how it bothers him that he couldn't beat the '60s Celtics.

Wilt Chamberlain also made an appearance, looking as puzzled as any other basketball historian when talking about how the 1969 Lakers lost to the Celtics.

"Yeah, I don't know how we lost to the Celtics." Chamberlain was far less sentimental than the LOGO man. He said in a playful tone, "This is still a mystery to me."

West Coast fans will be more angry because historically, the Lakers have always been beaten by the Celtics.

When it comes to pain, they are the most painful.

East Coast fans have more confrontational sentiments, "white supremacy" and "Bird is invincible".

As for those true Celtics fans, they think the historical record of the two teams speaks for itself.

Tom Heinsohn disparagingly called the Lakers' ShowTime a "circus show" and declared that "they should be in Hollywood, not the NBA."

Lakers fans were told how a generation ago was tortured by the Celtics.

Celtics fans were told how their predecessors tortured the Lakers.

The feelings of both sides are different, but the confrontational emotions are already overflowing.

Color is a tool used by the league and television to lure neutral parties to pay attention to the Finals, and they have done so successfully.

However, the real protagonists are Magic and Bird.

Bob Ryan wrote in the latest issue of the Boston Globe: "It's an insult to Kareem, DJ, Dominic, Isiah, Ralph, Bill, but it's inevitable.

.The rivalry between Bird and Magic is definitely a major storyline in this hit series."

It can be said that this is the first time in the NBA's 15 years that two arguably the best players in the league have faced off in a championship series. The last great peak matchup occurred in 1969, and that was also the last time the Celtics and Lakers faced off.

Meeting in the Championship Series, Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain and Celtics Bill Russell had their last historic confrontation.

Now, Bird and Magic meet in the finals, and all the previous preparations have produced results.

These two have been in the league for five years, and have won three-fourths of the NBA championships in the first four years, but they have never met each other, and they have long regarded each other as their biggest enemy.

For those involved, the continuation of the 1979 NCAA championship game between Indiana and Michigan State has finally arrived.

Now Louis truly understands the true meaning of the black and white duo "saving" the NBA.

After four years of preparation, the NBA recovered from a shaky state, the relationship with CBS was repaired, the popularity of cable television greatly increased the ratings of basketball games, the salary cap saved small teams on the verge of bankruptcy, the league changed hands, and Star

All the foundations for En to take off in the NBA are already in place.

Now, they need the ultimate showdown that will make fans fall in love with the NBA.

Just right, Bird and Magic, Celtics and Lakers, white and black.

A perfect outbreak, a perfect encounter, this is fate.

This is really a series that the whole country is watching.

Before Louis went out, his mother Li Xuanbing rarely said: "You won't lose tonight, right?"

She never cares about basketball games. If she was even alarmed, it shows how well the league's publicity work has been done.

"You will definitely not lose if you lose." Louis said confidently.

Li Xuanbing asked seriously: "How sure are you?"

"100% sure." Louis calmly reported an unreal number.

Then, she became concerned about other things: "Lorraine is several months pregnant. You must not let her go to the scene."

"Of course, a garden is never a place for pregnant women." And it's summer.

In summer, ventilation in the garden can only rely on vents from half a century ago, and the cooling method is giant fans placed at the intersections. No matter how big the fan is, it is impossible to lower the temperature inside the garden.

When the body odors of white people, black people, sweat, alcohol and all kinds of strange odors are mixed together, there is no difference between a garden and hell.

How could a pregnant woman come in to a place like this?

Louis left a message to Lorraine before going out, asking her to take care of herself. If they win tonight, he will go to her apartment today. Even if she is pregnant, she still has to do this.

Think about it carefully.

When Louis drove his car, he could see enthusiastic fans greeting him at almost every intersection.

"Coach Lu, we can definitely defeat the Lakers, right?"

"BeatLA!"

"I can't imagine the Lakers winning in the Garden!"

The Celtics won two consecutive games against the Lakers in the regular season, which greatly boosted fans' confidence.

Although Louis is 100% sure of winning tonight, he is not so optimistic about this series.

In the afternoon training session, Louis shortened the training time, which was his habit.

The training before the competition is not important, the important thing is the layout.

The shortened time was used by him in the video analysis room.

"Rudy, tell everyone what you know." Louis said.

Tomjanovich first showed the video highlights.

Before playing the highlights, he said: "Since the start of the playoffs, the Lakers' field goal percentage, effective shooting percentage and true shooting percentage are the highest among the sixteen teams entering the playoffs. Before the Western Conference Finals, they

His average field goal percentage even reached 58%."

"However, they have two fatal shortcomings."

Tomjanovich first released clips from the two Western Conference playoff games the Lakers lost.

It was almost the same way of losing. The rebound was blown up and the opponent attacked the basket and no one could guard it.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who can still get what he wants on the offensive end, is already 37 years old. All the super centers in history have retired by the time he is his age, but he is still the Lakers' first offensive player, and he can't beat anyone.

When it comes to driving, your number one choice is responsible for breaking the ice.

However, his rebounding and defense have seriously deteriorated.

This is the reason why the Lakers' offensive efficiency is so high, but they still lost two games.

Because their defense cannot guard against any team, once their offensive efficiency drops and their rebounds are blown, they may lose.

Offensive efficiency and defensive rebounds are the Lakers' two major weaknesses.

One is their advantage, and the other is their shortcoming. If their greatest advantage cannot be brought into play and their shortcomings are magnified, they will naturally inevitably end up losing.

"Rudy, thank you for the information."

Behind Louis, there are people from "Oracle" to help him collect data. Tomjanovich is now a very good scout. The data in Louis' hands can help him find the opponent's loopholes sharply.

These were questions that took Louis to heart, an impression reinforced by Tomjanovich.

Now, he wants to reveal his strategy for tonight.

"I want to say it very bluntly, the three rounds of the series we played before were just playing house, and they were completely warm-up activities for the finals."

At best, Milwaukeeans, Detroiters and Washingtonians will never hear this.

"This will be a very tough series. I hope you remember that you must be prepared to play seven games with the Lakers. It's not that we are not good enough, but that our opponents are that good!"

Louis circled the paint area, "The penalty area is a battleground for us tonight. I want to see what happens when we rush for offensive rebounds with all our strength."

This pre-match meeting lasted for a full hour.

Louis arranged everything in detail, raised the awareness of the players, and explained every detail of the matchup clearly.

He is 100% confident in winning this game, but the premise is that these guys must complete his instructions 100%.