The rest is just noise

The Knicks withdrew their murderous pressing formation and played the remaining two minutes of the first half with Stockton, Ellis, Corbin, Ewing, and Ball.

Bird is not feeling good, which is good news.

In the first half tonight, Bird shot 2 of 12, which was definitely a "good brother of the Knicks" level performance.

It was Bird's poor touch, coupled with the Knicks' murderous pressing that posed a threat to the Celtics' second team, that allowed them to enter the second half with a 50-45 lead.

This half of the game made many Celtics stand on their heads.

They were frightened, including Tom Heinsohn.

It's not that the Knicks already have the strength to replace the Celtics, but the growth rate of this team.

Last season, they could only try their best to win one game.

Now it is possible to play evenly with the Celtics, who are fully staffed, in the regular season, and even defended Larry Bird, the league's leading player, to 2 of 12 in the half.

And the murderous tight end that made Boston mad.

Unlike the Pistons, the Knicks took a different path under Louis.

The Pistons are crazy about stacking up frontcourt depth, while the Knicks are building up terrifying wing strength.

In terms of compatibility and growth, the Knicks' Murderous Press has proven itself.

Without Isiah Thomas, they can pose a serious threat to the Celtics.

Most of the players on this team are sophomores and juniors, far from their ceilings.

"I said, any idea of ​​underestimating the Knicks is stupid." Heinsohn sighed, "They are stronger than imagined!"

What's interesting is that the Knicks showed their strength and frightened the people of Boston.

Louis was also shocked by the Celtics' strength.

Tonight's game can be regarded as the best spirited game between the two sides in the three meetings this season.

Louis tested the team's new tactics, but it didn't go well. Dale Ellis was stuck in a lawsuit. The more trouble he got off the court, the better the BUFF was. Wilson was adapting to the new tactics. Even so, they relied on defense to

The lead entered the second quarter.

The Celtics had a slow start, but used Sampson as the breaking point to reverse the situation in a short time. However, Louis closed the gap through murderous pressing and entered the second half with an advantage.

In the first half, the Knicks tested their quality.

As for the Celtics, how much did they perform? Louis believes that this is far from the Celtics' ultimate strength.

Thomas just passed the ball and breaking the Knicks' murderous press was his only highlight. More highlights came from Sampson and other role players.

Even Bird, the league's number one player, has stretched his crotch.

this is the key of the problem.

The performance of the Celtics' two best players and the two cores of the four major offensive systems was not what Louis imagined.

In other words, they didn't play much at all. They just let Sampson show off his strength as the league's No. 1 inside man, and it drove the whole team to be on par with the Knicks.

This is definitely not a good sign.

It's like Shohoku playing Shoyo in "Slam Dunk". As long as Fujima pretends to be a bad guy and sits down in his uniform to dance, Shohoku has to compete with all his strength and find a way to force him to play.

The Knicks are not yet at the level of the Lakers in the Finals.

Louis walked into the dressing room worriedly.

He didn't close the door because the locker room in the Garden was so rotten that he couldn't stand it. He couldn't believe that he had been an assistant coach here for four years and the head coach for one year.

How did I persist in the first place?

"We have to stick to defense in the second half." Louis said, "Our defense against Bird was very effective, so keep the intensity and let him have a more difficult night."

"In addition, we have to set up double attacks in several positions. Except for Larry and John Long in the corner, everyone on the Celtics, as long as they want to shoot three-pointers, let them shoot three-pointers."

Louis emphasized.

"The double attack near the paint area, the control of the penalty area, and the blocking of the breakthrough player are the top priorities in the second half!"

The second half for both sides was normal.

The Celtics' typical Thomas, Long, Bird, Sampson, Laimbeer, this is a dynasty.

Originally, Long had been replaced by Harper, but because his three-point shooting was very smooth today, he was allowed to enter.

The Knicks also have a signature five-man team, and Louis still has some expectations for Dale Ellis' status tonight.

If he can find his frightening touch, the Knicks' offense will be saved today.

If not, then you can only follow the dogma: defense wins championships/games.

It's not just a matter of words that an off-ball master can save the team's offense. Ellis is the master who saves the Knicks' offense. Before Wilson can become the superstar that Louis imagined, his performance is crucial.

However, the Celtics also know how important Ellis is to the Knicks.

Therefore, no matter what, the only thing those who defend Ellis have to do is to continue to fight.

A very important aspect of the Celtics' winning record in the Garden is that few referees blow whistles here.

Without the presence of body hair whistles, they can do whatever they want to their guests.

Ellis, who is in poor condition, will perform even worse in this situation.

The tactic came out, he shot, boom!

The tactic came out again, he continued to shoot, and bang again.

Another tactic, but this time the opportunity didn't come out and Stockton made a mistake in passing the ball.

Don't think that the previous two "bangs" were free. The cost was heavy. The Celtics easily scored 4 points by counterattacking.

Stockton's mistake allowed the Celtics to score a chasing 2+1.

Another secret to the Celtics' success in the Garden: They have body hair whistles.

Speaking of which, Louis was very lucky. In the epic game played in the Garden last season, the Knicks were rarely whistled. He must be grateful to the referee Tom Nunez.

Louis hopes that he will be the referee in every away game. He is a good referee. But not completely good. For example, if the Knicks play at home, he is not the referee that Louis wants. Because this person really can't

Blowing body whistles is cheap for the home team. As long as someone puts pressure on him, he will relax the rules and let the players fight on the field in order not to offend anyone.

It must be admitted that this kind of referee can easily lead to fierce competition.

It's a pity that he is not there tonight.

Ellis's form disappointed Louis and he replaced him again.

Without Ellis, there would be no reliable shooter, no outside space, and no one to keep the Celtics' defense tight at all times.

Louis did not dare to let Hornacek and Stockton partner in the backcourt. Although this is the classic lineup of the Jazz, at this time, they have not reached their peak, and the defense of these two people will be beaten by the Celtics.

wear.

Just getting Hornacek's shooting isn't worth the risk.

Louis made the safest choice and let Dell Curry come up.

In many people's minds, Ku Ritian's father should be a traditional shooter who mainly focuses on running positions.

In fact, no. If Louis hadn't traveled through time, he wouldn't have believed that Kuritian's father's style of play was similar to that of a swingman who mainly plays the second position.

He can hold the ball and is good at shooting three-pointers, but he is better at turning over jump shots from the left and right wings.

For him to stand at a fixed position on the outside and catch the ball for three-pointers is really an inconvenience.

It is precisely because Louis was unable to find a suitable position for him that Curry's priority will be after Hornacek.

After Curry came on the court, the Knicks' space did not improve.

Like Wilson, he is struggling to adapt to the NBA's three-point line. So far in his rookie season, he has averaged 0.8 three-pointers per game and shot 24% from the field.

In the Knicks, he has fewer opportunities, the competition is fierce, and every shot is under pressure.

Today, they are facing the defending champion. It is very easy for the Celtics to defend against him.

Just guard Ellis the way you want to guard him. Even a fourth-year veteran like Ellis can't stand it, and Curry can't stand it even more.

The Knicks' offense became difficult.

In the few minutes Curry was on the court, he went 0 for 4 from the field and was overwhelmed by the obvious pressure.

Louis did not embarrass him. Halfway through the third quarter, he asked for a timeout.

64 to 59

Louis replaced Curry, and at first glance, there were almost no available second positions.

He patted Tyrone Corbin on the shoulder: "I need your defense, Tyrone!"

The Achilles' heel of the Knicks' system is the second position.

Their N.UCLA system relies heavily on outside shooters to create space. If there is no space, no matter how you play the pick-and-roll, people just need to bypass the defense, which greatly reduces the difficulty of defense.

This is the era of weak three-pointers, and a dangerous shooter can do a lot.

The Celtics figured out the fate of the Knicks. Just as the team's rookie second position was not used to the intensity of the game, and was not even used to the NBA's three-point line, Ellis once again engaged in self-destruction off the court.

There are so many things to do that it is difficult to maintain normal training, and the absence rate so far this season is nearly half.

In this case, the Knicks can still achieve an 80% winning rate, which shows Louis' coaching skills and the depth of the Knicks' lineup.

On nights when Ellis couldn't play, the Knicks' offense was sometimes constipated and sometimes smooth.

It all depends on the touch of Wilson, Hornacek, Curry and even Stockton.

If it's not good, it all depends on McHale and Ewing.

Just like now, the situation is delicate. The Celtics lead by 5 points. That's not much. If you don't pay attention, they may be pulled to double digits. If you bite the bullet, you may be able to close the gap in two rounds.

flat.

McHale used 2High to create Bird's dislocation, and he used his signature spin shovel layup to score.

Bird came back and delivered a good brother-level three-pointer.

The Celtics committed a tactical foul on the Knicks.

Then, the in-pass cooperation between McHale and Ewing completed a wonderful Empty Lob (airside lob).

Ewing alley-oop dunk.

63 to 64

"Larry, you have a day like this too!" Louis mocked, "If we want to win tonight, it depends on whether you can continue 'such a good state' to the end."