The rest is just noise

In the spring, the weather in Oregon is warm and dry, as if it was created by some chamber of commerce to make up for the wet past.

The air here is fresh and fresh, as if from another pre-industrial era.

It seems like a special gift after the long gray months have just passed and are soon to return. In days like these, staying at home is unthinkable.

Louis came to Portland, and today they have a game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In Portland's Memorial Coliseum, people witnessed the team reach the top three years ago. It was the most significant championship in the 1970s, and it was the first season after the league merged.

For Louis, the trip to Portland was extra work, but he enjoyed it.

When he saw that the Trail Blazers' opponent was the Lakers, he suddenly realized that maybe Fitch wanted him to scout, not the Trail Blazers, but the Lakers.

After all, the Trail Blazers can only be considered a mid-level team in the league, and the Lakers are the Celtics' biggest worry.

With this in mind, Louis became serious.

He is no stranger to the Lakers. Even without Fitch's additional task, he will focus on observing the Lakers' games.

Lakers head coach Westhead inherited his predecessor's fast-paced offense, making Magic and Norm Nixon like a fish in water.

The only one dissatisfied with the Lakers' fast-paced offense is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who likes slow-paced games.

But Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, like Chamberlain, has the temper of a young lady.

To put it bluntly, I like to do things very much, but I don’t like to tell things clearly.

As Deng Ziqi said, women like hints too much. And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also likes hints, so no one can always guess his intentions.

Magic's smile is purifying this team.

He is a perfect sports star, he will definitely steal the spotlight and applause. At this time, everyone likes him, but when everyone is tired of being his foil, that will be his real test.

Louis knows this Lakers team very well.

Fitch may not believe it, but he knows where the Lakers' Achilles' heel lies.

It's a pity that he is not the head coach, and, if nothing unexpected happens, the wheel of history will continue to move in the direction that Louis is familiar with.

The Celtics will lose to the 76ers in the playoffs, and then the 76ers will play five tough games with the Lakers, and then be defeated by the Magic in a legendary game in Game 6.

Finally, some memories about this era were awakened in Louis' mind.

He had a bit of the foresight of a time traveler, but it was of no use.

"Are you that 'kid' from Boston?"

Louis looked at the source of the voice. The man was smiling and looked very kind.

"Uh...I'm Louis." Louis didn't know how the name "Little Devil" spread.

Why do you always call everyone a kid when you meet them?

Isn't it good to call him a "little devil"? Although he sounds like a bad guy, "little devil" is too unimpressive.

"I heard Stu mention you." The man smiled to himself, "He said you were the youngest scout he had ever seen."

Louis laughed at himself: "I increasingly find that youth is not necessarily a good thing in this industry. There are many people who will despise my advice because of my age."

"Did they pay the price?"

"Not yet," Louis thought to himself. It seemed that the Celtics had not ignored his suggestions so far, "but soon."

Only then did Louis think of asking the other party's name.

"My name is Larry Weinberg." The other person smiled and said, "I am the boss of the Trail Blazers."

Louis has met Irving Levin, John Y. Brown, Harry Mandrian, and Sonny Weblin (owner of the Knicks), but Weinberger is the only one who makes him feel less majestic than his superiors.

people.

He is surprisingly approachable.

"It's an honor to meet you." Louis said solemnly.

"Are you here to scout the Lakers?" Even Weinberg knew that Louis couldn't be here to scout the Trail Blazers.

Louis did not deny: "So be it."

"Would you mind changing seats?" Weinberg invited Louis to his box.

Louis didn't mind at all. He didn't expect Weinberg to have such a good sense for him. They were not close friends, and this was their first meeting.

Weinberg's box was extremely comfortable, with drinks, videos, heaters and air that far surpassed the interior of Memorial Stadium.

Boxes with this condition originated at the Forum Arena in Los Angeles.

Jerry Buss brought an "enjoyable" aspect to professional sports, and many teams followed suit.

In tonight's game, the Trail Blazers were pinched seven inches by the Lakers from the beginning.

They clearly have two very good insiders-Maurice Lucas and Kermit Washington. In terms of technology, although they are far inferior to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they are both famous dead pigskin hob meat-Washington gave Tom Jare

That punch from Norwich destroyed the image of the NBA and became a bum. In just a few years, he went from the Lakers to the Celtics to the Clippers, and now here comes the Trail Blazers.

Lucas's most famous fight was the boxing match with Dawkins in the 1977 Finals, which to ordinary fans. For today's NBA, Lucas's most famous fight was in the ABA and

"Locomotive" Artis Gilmore (C). Gilmore is nearly 2.2 meters tall and has superb athletic ability. He can be called the Dwight Howard of the 1970s, but he has a good temper and has been beaten by others.

, and still cares about whether the opponent’s fist hurts or not.

This group of people was actually angered by Lucas, so he chased Lucas all over the field, and finally forced them into a dead corner. Lucas had no way to retreat, and fighting was not his intention, but Gilmore had already lost his mind at that time

, so he acted with fear, stepped forward and knocked the locomotive to the ground with two uppercuts, and became famous in one battle.

The Trail Blazers have these two beasts, and they can take advantage of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's dislike of confrontation. Washington is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's former bodyguard, so it is understandable that he is not easy to take action, but Lucas's performance is puzzling.

"Maurice Lucas has no energy." Louis said bluntly, "He doesn't look like he wants to play at all."

Weinberg laughed: "Because Stu didn't give him a satisfactory price."

Louis looked at the Blazers boss, there were many things he didn't know.

"Morris thinks he is worth a salary of 650,000, but we did not satisfy him." Weinberg seemed not to be angry at all for Lucas, who was passive on the court. "He believed that if it was a big red-haired man, no matter what he wanted,

We'll settle for any amount of money because the guy is white and he's black."

"Then..." Louis asked cautiously, "Is this related to skin color?"

"I can't say it doesn't matter at all."

Weinberg freely acknowledged that skin color affects players' earnings.

"I also thought, if Morris was a white man, would we reject him outright?" Weinberg himself didn't have an answer to this matter.

Many white people say that black people are not discriminated against and they make more money than they can afford.

After the Robinson case, this phenomenon objectively exists. In order to get the players they want, some teams will maliciously raise the price and raise the player's worth to obtain the player.

But this kind of thing, this kind of benefit, has always belonged to the top players.

If it's a substitute player, or a small role sitting on the bench waving a towel, most teams will choose a white guy who is weaker, cheaper, and more popular with fans.

This is the unspoken rule of the contemporary alliance.

Everyone knows the difference in skin color.

"Actually, if the big red-haired man was still there, we would also meet Morris's request." Weinberg meant to excuse himself and the team, "It's a pity, fate has its way."

This is what interests Louis, how the Blazers used two years to collapse a promising "white hope" championship.

Louis's wish is to become a godfather like Pat Riley and Auerbach.

To become a godfather, he has to consider more than just scouting and coaching. He also has to figure out the makeup of a championship team, the most important secret to winning, and making champions who should have become dynasties but not become dynasties

The secret of the team's collapse.

It seems that he is very close to the secret today.

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with your decision." Louis naturally wanted to follow Weinberg's words and couldn't let this kind-hearted boss act alone.

Weinberg looked at him, wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Even if the big red-haired man is still there, I don't see the need to keep Morris." Louis pointed out, "He is no longer in his prime. If we give him a lot of money, it is better to find ways to introduce some younger and more mature people.

A capable insider. This is entirely based on business capabilities and has nothing to do with skin color."

Louis' words struck a chord with Weinberg.

It seems that this can clear away the fact that they are ashamed of their meritorious service.

"Yes, you are right." He is an approachable and good boss, but he is still a businessman. He cannot pay more than the market price for a product that gradually depreciates and cannot bring more profits. "As expected of Li.

The 'little devil' whom virtue values ​​​​."

To be fair, Louis doesn't dislike Weinberg's stance on this matter at all.

He was not wrong. Their biggest mistake was that they refused to pay Lucas a high price and did not sell him quickly, leading to the current situation of mutual torture and the latter's transaction value constantly declining.

This reminded Louis that when looking for a boss in the future, he must find someone who doesn’t mind losing money.

He must be the kind of person who takes winning seriously and won't interfere with the team's operations.

He has met very few bosses so far, so he has yet to meet one that fully meets the requirements.

What's more, he has Auerbach on his head.

Although he has a bone in his head, he still has a long way to go to realize his ambition.

That night, the Lakers slaughtered the Trail Blazers with 24 points.

Magic scored 19 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. He made Weinberg covet more than once.

"What a good player!" Weinberg said enviously, "This is a guy who can make people put aside their skin color completely!"