The rest is just noise

November 29, 1985

Boston, Massachusetts, Boston Garden

Because the Knicks and Celtics both belong to the Atlantic Division, they play five regular season games in a season.

Today's Atlantic Division is pretty good, the 76ers have greatly degraded, and the Washington Bullets and New Jersey Nets have their own problems.

It was outrageous just a few years ago. All five teams in the Atlantic Division were playoff teams and would play 25 games a year against each other.

This kind of internal friction has an obvious impact on the record, which is also one of the effects of having a small team.

Tonight's game is not only the second time the Knicks have challenged the Celtics this season, it is also the first time that the two new players involved in the Louis Orr trade have represented the Knicks.

Although Louis never had expectations for these two, he will still give them some playing time tonight.

"I believe you all still remember how they humiliated us at MSG some time ago."

In the locker room, Louis lectured calmly.

He had no intention of injecting chicken blood or giving him chicken soup.

When the Knicks and Celtics play, the gap between the two sides is too big. If they play 100 games, the Knicks will win at most one game.

With the huge gap in strength, no amount of chicken soup or chicken blood will work.

What Louis has to do now is to discover the "chances" little by little. If one game is not enough, just two games. If two games are not enough, then three games. Then slowly accumulate strength. It won't be long before they turn from rising stars to challengers for the throne.

"I remember."

Ewing said angrily.

"are you mad?"

"angry."

"Why?"

“They can’t look down on me just because I make a lot of money!”

Louis smiled, "But you played very ugly in the last game."

"Absolutely not this time!"

"Okay!" Louie shouted, "Then let's play a game that's not ugly!"

Louis led the players into the garden, and the excited audience first booed them and then cheered Louis.

As long as Louis' team is not enough to pose a threat to the Celtics, fans will not boo him.

After all, the foundation of the Celtics' current glorious appearance was laid by him.

Before the game started, many people from the Celtics came to say hello to Louis.

Bird came over and started talking trash: "We're going to win by 30 points tonight."

"Don't worry, we almost won by 50 points last time at our home court. Now it's your home court. Winning by 60 points is not too much." Louis said sarcastically.

Bird acted as if winning by 60 points was not impossible.

"I have to give you some face."

"I'm touched, really." Louis hugged him, "You are such a country bumpkin who values ​​love and justice!"

Afterwards, Sampson came to say hello with Ranbir and John Long.

Finally, there's Danny Ainge.

Isiah Thomas never came, and Louis believed he would never come. Thomas never liked him, just as he didn't like Thomas.

After the warm-up, Louis said to them tonight: "Larry just came over and said he would beat us by 30 points tonight."

"He's farting," Oakley said angrily, "I'll be the first to hit him later!"

"We're not here to fight!" Louis stopped his thoughts, "Unless they make a move first, we'll just play ball honestly."

When it comes to fighting ability, Louis completely trusts Oakley.

He has no problem challenging the entire Celtics team by himself, but if he is sent off, Ewing's rebounding problem will be publicly punished by the Celtics.

The Celtics are still the five people Louis is most familiar with.

But the Knicks are different.

Tonight, the Knicks are Sport Weber, Ellis, Campbell, Oakley, and Ewing.

"This is simply unbelievable. Little Lou actually took John Stockton, who averaged 13 points and 12 assists per game, off the list!"

"Instead, the 5-foot-6 Weber was put on the roster."

"What are you doing this for?"

Louis specifically called Webber to his side and seriously warned: "Only Isiah can keep up with your speed. As long as you make full use of our pick-and-roll system, you will be the 'uncounterable' under the Celtics' defensive system."

Louis' words inspired the strongest 168 on the surface.

"Coach, I will definitely"

Before his heroic words could be uttered, Louis pushed him onto the stage.

"Don't tell me those useless things, get ready for a big fight!"

There are concerns about using Webber to replace Stockton, Tomjanovich and Phil Jackson.

"Can Spot make the whole system work?" Tomjanovich asked.

"It does not matter."

"No, it's not important?" Tomjanovich wanted to know what was important.

Louis said: "There is a big gap between us and Boston. Whether the system is systematic or not, it doesn't matter. Rather than this, I want to see how they restrict Spot."

Jump ball, Sampson took the lead.

After settling into position, looking at the Celtics' position, Louis discovered that K.C Jones had given up his high and low position and instead adopted a two-inside-three-out formation.

This change shows that K.C is a pursuing coach and he does not want to live in the shadow of his predecessor.

In the first round, John Long opened up the space on the wing, Laimbeer covered the paint area on the right side, and Bird ran to the left high post to catch the ball and shoot.

It was a smooth collaboration, but Bird didn't make the shot.

Oakley collected the rebound and gave the ball to Webb, Gao Neng came.

The strongest 168 on the surface didn't look at his teammates and pushed forward at full speed, so fast that even the Smiling Assassin struggled to keep up with him.

If Sampson hadn't retreated early, Weber's attack would have been successful.

Even with Sampson, he could only cover Webber.

Seeing that the attack was unsuccessful, Weber turned around and passed the ball behind. Tony Campbell caught the ball and made a jumper.

2 to 0

"Spot is so fast!"

"Yes, maybe that's why Little Lu let him, his speed can change the rhythm of the game!"

The Celtics' counterattack came, and Thomas's eyes were filled with anger, as if he wanted to fight Webber in person.

However, Weber had already received instructions from Louis to short Thomas by two meters.

"Isiah, after two years, have you mastered your three-point shooting? Just shoot it for me!"

Louis shouted from a distance.

Thomas turned a deaf ear and passed the ball to Sampson.

Sampson was facing Ewing, and when he was about to dribble the ball, he suddenly realized that the opponent's center of gravity had dropped significantly today.

There was still a lot of attack time, Sampson didn't intend to force the ball, and the ball was handed over again.

In the end, Laimbeer casually shot a three-pointer.

"boom!"

The rebound flew out of control inside, and Bird used superhuman awareness to fly up and grab the offensive rebound, then turned around at a 45-degree angle and hit the shot.

2 to 2

"Tony, don't let him grab the rebound so easily, didn't you see that even Patrick was stuck?" Louis shouted.

Boston people are very strange. In their impression, Louis is at most "guiding" on the sidelines while waiting for the team to attack. Why did his personality change after he went to New York?

When he was in Boston, he didn't interact with players so intensely and frequently.

Weber dribbled over, saw Louis' gesture, and understood.

Weber raised his left hand and hooked two insiders on the team.

Suddenly, Ewing and Oakley were in the high post at the same time, and the two most animal-like members of the Knicks' famous 85 animal class set up a double pick-and-roll for Webber.

This pick-and-roll is also called a slide screen within the Knicks, because the layering of the screen spreads downward like a slide.

Webb's intention was not to attack the penalty area. He used pick-and-rolls to tear apart the Knicks' defense. Sampson was like a hyena biting him.

Sampson's body, speed, and athletic ability all threaten the safety of the ball.

Weber rushed the ball.

Campbell caught the ball and moved it again.

In the high post, the moment Ewing got the ball, he immediately passed it to Ellis, who was left open outside the left three-point line.

Ellis made a three-pointer.

5 to 2

"This is our silent assassin. His three-pointer is no joke. Don't miss it next time." Louis challenged.

Although he was openly provocative, he was still nervous about Sampson's close defense against Webb just now.

Sampson proved that under the current rules, he can pester Webber.

The Celtics maintained the pocket formation style of the Louis era, so it was difficult to enter the inside line. Webber would be surrounded if he entered the inside line with his body. Therefore, Sampson must have used his consciousness to judge that Webb was going to

The ball is taken wide.

Fortunately, Weber played the ball in time and his teammates moved the ball quickly enough, otherwise the strategy would have been in vain.

This is Ralph Sampson, the monster Louis raised.

His defense is better than last season.

It’s no wonder that he beat the Lakers to a pulp in last season’s finals, and even stole the Finals MVP from Bird and Thomas. His personal ability has reached another level.

His influence tonight is still on the defensive end, and he has not yet exerted any force on the offensive end.

When Sampson starts holding the ball, it means the Celtics have officially entered the state.

Bird is the Celtics' ace, and Sampson is the barometer on both offense and defense.

The Celtics played at a fast pace, with Sampson and Bird both in the low post.

Laimbeer lobbed to Bird.

Sampson was relieved of his position, and Ewing was just relaxing a little. Suddenly, his opponent knocked away his body and rushed to the basket. Bird only had to throw the ball into the sky.

"boom!"

Louis didn't scold Ewing for not blocking Sampson because the impact was a foul.

Why didn't the referee blow the whistle? Of course he couldn't blow the whistle.

Louis just stared at Ewing, wondering if the guy would respond.

Sure enough, Ewing has a boring personality, if not a bit boring. He has the temper and self-esteem of a superstar. He must respond when he is beaten.

It's just that his response ball is not stable.

With Sampson behind him, Weber passed the ball. Ewing turned around and hit the hook, but was blocked by the opponent.

The ball fell back into Ewing's hands and he tried to hit it again, but Louis yelled.

"Don't worry!"

Ewing calmed down and handed the ball to Oakley.

Oakley swayed a little, and he actually made a back pass, and the ball was transferred to Ellis's hands.

His three-point threat has aroused the Celtics' vigilance, causing the Green Army to expand its defense.

This is the value of space points.

A good shooter can bring comfortable offensive space.

Ewing once again made a slide screen with Oakley, went down, caught the ball, and challenged Sampson again.

Even if he is the league's top center, it is impossible to stop Ewing from hitting the ball high and setting the basket to score.