The rest is just noise

What is the clearest sign before a team wins the championship?

It must make everyone believe that this year belongs to them.

For more than half a year, the Celtics have proven themselves.

In the first two quarters tonight, their performance got better and better as time went by, and Bird was at 100%.

His form was so good that Louis was reluctant to replace him.

When he scored three consecutive points and pulled the point difference to 15 points, there were four minutes left in the first half.

Louis didn't want to see players get injured if they played for too long, so he replaced Bird.

He stood on the sidelines with unfinished business, giving rare encouragement to his teammates.

The last time he was so devoted to a game was the legendary 1-3 reversal of the 76ers series in 1981.

49 to 34

The Celtics had a 15-point lead, and Bird's performance completely surpassed Magic.

After Bird left the game, Magic seemed to want to reverse the score.

He tried this, but was double-checked by the Celtics and made a mistake.

Maxwell was on a fast break, and Wilkins tried his best to catch up with him and interfere. After that, he couldn't do anything else.

He fouled and Maxwell went to the free throw line.

"You are finished, you know?" Maxwell shouted arrogantly, "We are not our opponent at all. The championship belongs to Boston, and the glory belongs to the Celtics!"

Louis shouted: "Stop talking nonsense, Cedric, just shoot free throws!"

Maxwell made one of two free throws.

This is a fly in the ointment, but it has little impact.

At the end of the first half, Bird personally stood up and high-fived every teammate who came off the court. You could see the clear smile on his face, and he was happy from the bottom of his heart.

Being used to his usually arrogant and cold demeanor, seeing the enthusiastic Bird made it difficult for Louis to change his impression.

Isn't this what a magician looks like?

Speaking of the magician, Louis turned his eyes to the other side.

Judging from the overall morale, the Lakers have given up fighting for victory, and Magic's every body language says "Mom, I want to go home."

At halftime, the Celtics led by 17 points.

During a midfield interview with CBS, Louis mentioned his thoughts: "I'm sorry that the Lakers did not show their best level. We should have competed in six or seven games, but now it seems that this series will be over tonight.

It’s about to end.”

The CBS reporter didn't expect Louis to say so boldly.

They asked tentatively: "Coach Lu, you mean the Celtics will win the championship trophy after the game?"

Sometimes, being too modest can be annoying.

Anyone with basic knowledge of basketball will come to this conclusion.

"I don't see any factor that can prevent us from winning the championship." Louis said firmly, "It's tonight."

These words are bound to reach Riley's ears, and then he will find a way to use Louis' words to stimulate the lifeless team members.

If he can do it, he can still play in the second half. If he can't, it's not impossible that there will be garbage time in the first half of the game.

Louis hopes the Lakers can hold on and not fall down so quickly.

In his memory, the 1984 finals was a classic decisive battle that lasted seven games in one round.

Even if it is not the greatest series in NBA history, it is still one of the top five or even top three series in history.

If the Celtics win five games this year and even play garbage time in the season finale, will this series still be called a classic?

Although ending the series in five games will make people misjudge the strength of the Lakers, thinking that they are not a team at the same level as the Celtics.

But as long as fans have watched the first four games in full, they will know that these two teams belong to the same level.

The Celtics are simply the better team in every aspect.

Especially in the third game, the gap in absolute strength between the Celtics' Big Three and the Lakers stars was overwhelming.

Louis returned to the dressing room, and the noisy room suddenly became quiet.

Louis doesn't like to say empty words and lies. What will follow may be his last training of the season. What will he say?

"Do you know? When I took this job, I promised Reed that I would make you what you should be."

"This is actually a big saying. Human beings are too complex. The side that everyone shows to the outside is not the most true side. All of us are special individuals who long to be understood but will never be understood."

Louis' voice was very soft, but the locker room was so quiet that you could even hear breathing, so his tone didn't matter.

"I want to see a team that can't be beaten and I've seen that."

"I want to see a team that's smart, crafty and hateful, and I've seen that."

"I wanted to see a group of talented guys working selflessly toward the same goal." Louis said with satisfaction, "I swear I saw it."

Louis' voice became excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

"There are many problems in this team. Even each of you is a difficult problem for me, but the answer to this question is not me, but you. It is you who need to face the difficult problem. You face yourselves.

Desires, struggles, team and individual choices are some of the greatest dilemmas in the world, and I'm glad to see each of you making the right choices."

Louis said excitedly: "This is why you cannot be defeated. You have strengthened your heart, approached the game with a pragmatic attitude, firm belief, and full of desire. Believe me, as long as you maintain your original intention and keep your teammates in mind,

Forget those selfish desires, no team will be able to defeat you within five years or ten years."

"Just move forward, you have reached the highest palace in the basketball world, win the championship, and make this night eternal!"

In the small and closed locker room, the Celtics players jumped up. They clapped, high-fived, and cheered each other up. Everyone folded their hands together, shouted a slogan, and then rushed out of the room with full fighting spirit.

Back to the court.

They were ready to finish off the Lakers and win the game with unprecedented dominance.

K.C. Jones stood behind Louie, and the players left, but he was still standing there.

"A perfect speech." K.C smiled.

Louis smiled: "Because we have players with 100 points."

Next, Louis returns to the scene with K.C.

In the second half, just as Louis expected, his words were used by Riley as motivational fodder for the players, successfully awakening their dormant fighting spirit.

It's a pity that the Celtics have been beaten to the limit, and everyone has exerted high-intensity offensive and defensive pressure.

Wilkins missed a strong attack at the basket. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar grabbed the rebound and tried to make a hook near the basket, but Sampson blocked it.

Magic rushed in to grab the second offensive rebound, and what awaited him was another block from Sampson.

Isiah Thomas shot forward like an arrow from the string. When he was moving at full speed, the Lakers had nothing to do. Watching him score a layup with a standard common people, the point difference between the two sides reached 19 points.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wanted to preserve the dignity of the Lakers. He stubbornly held the position, wanted to save the game, and hit the hook.

That was his 22nd point of the night.

22 points, which is currently the most scored by the Lakers team.

The 37-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the anchor of the Lakers, but the magician who can pick him up and wave him is trapped by the thoughts in his heart. The trash talk of his opponents, the boos of the fans, and the terrible self-doubt have destroyed his will.

He dribbles the ball, grabs rebounds, and passes the ball on the court, but these are just his instincts. He is already a walking zombie.

Louis didn't expect Magic to collapse in this way. The pressure of the finals was huge for him and Bird.

The difference is that Bird doesn't like the media and he blocks outside voices.

Magic is the darling of the media. He cannot face the media's harsh questioning. He cannot bear the fact that he was completely suppressed by Bird in the finals.

The Lakers' approach of attacking the penalty area gave the Celtics the best defensive opportunity.

Normally, the Celtics don't defend the penalty area so tightly.

Now they are eager for a dominance on both ends of the offense and defense, and they defend every Lakers player who tries to score from the penalty area with all their strength.

In four consecutive possessions in the second half, the Lakers' breakthroughs were all disrupted without causing a single foul.

This is not the worst. The worst thing is that the Celtics' offensive efficiency is not high, but the Lakers' rebounds are exploded.

If we compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan, these two evergreen players took two different paths in their later years.

Duncan is defense + rebounding + taking over in desperate situations.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar only had offense. When he was 41 years old, in Game 7 of the 1988 Finals, the Lakers were still 1 point behind in the last half minute. As a result, Riley called a timeout and handed him the last attack and the chance to save the season.

.He caused the Pistons to foul and made both free throws to seal the victory.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took on too many offensive tasks, which directly affected his rebound protection and rim protection.

From the third quarter onwards, the Celtics' desire to grab offensive rebounds greatly increased.

The Lakers missed offensive rebounds, causing the Celtics to score in their second attack after grabbing offensive rebounds even if they didn't score in the positional battle.

The Lakers missed four times and the Celtics succeeded four times.

The score difference suddenly widened to more than 20 points.

"It seems there will be garbage time tonight."

Louis is convinced that the Lakers are doomed.