The rest is just noise

For the Knicks, the 1986-87 season was an exciting season.

A veteran led the young people to achieve the best results in the league. The team gave birth to four All-Stars, an assists champion, a rebound champion, and a rookie champion. McHale was selected to the double team, second in the MVP voting, and Ewing was selected to the second team.

Ranked fifth in defense and shot blocking.

Regardless, it was a successful season.

In June, Kevin McHale traveled with the team for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Celtics.

His attitude is very clear, he will play with injury.

But Louis firmly disagreed, and the two even fell out over this.

McHale thinks he's strong enough to hang on, at least through this game.

Louis gave him no room to bargain. If he said no, he couldn't.

"I fucking hate you!" McHale yelled at Louis and slammed the door.

Tomjanovich was there and didn't know what to say.

"I really don't understand him." Louis shook his head.

Tomjanovich also didn't understand Louis. For players of his generation, McHale's injury was ordinary. If it was the regular season, he would rest, but this is the Eastern Conference finals.

Generally speaking, it is normal to play with an injury, everyone does it.

Let me ask you, if the salary you get in one year is beyond the lifetime income of ten ordinary people combined, but you have to be exempted from the game at the most critical time of the season because of a minor injury? How can this be such a good thing?

For people in later generations, this view, that it is an honor to fight with injuries, is difficult to understand.

In 1969, Wilt Chamberlain asked to leave due to a foot injury in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Finals. Do you know who was the most angry about it? His old enemy Bill Russell. Russell thought that was

His final battle, and Chamberlain was his recognized opponent. As a result, he withdrew from the battle just for a little injury? Not fighting with him until the last moment? This is an insult to him.

When Chamberlain sobered up and realized that what he did would not be accepted, he wanted to return to the game. However, Lakers head coach Butch Van Breed, who had always had a tense relationship with him, lost his mind after he asked to be dismissed.

·Buth Van Breda Kolff shouted: "We don't need him!"

As a result, you already know that the old and smoking Celtics won the game with Nelson's shot, which the LOGO man said, "You may not make it if you ask him to make it 100 times."

Chamberlain solidified his reputation as the NBA's number one coward of his generation and entered the 1970s. Russell retired with the reputation of the ultimate winner and frantically attacked Chamberlain's weak behavior after retirement. It was not until Russell more than ten years later that

Only then did he apologize to Chamberlain for the matter, and the two reconciled.

This kind of plot has a legacy. When you see Russell, Havlicek, and Willis Reed playing with injuries and being praised by countless people, and then you see Chamberlain withdrawing from the game due to injury and being despised by countless people,

Later, everyone knew how to choose. Once there is an example, there will be successors.

Well, this is how the uncontrollable trend of grouping after 2010 came about. With a good example in front of us, no matter how hard we follow it, there will be no burden.

Louis comes from a future era where players can withdraw from the game if their hands and feet feel tight on the court. He cannot let his players play at the risk of aggravating injuries.

Therefore, he rejected McHale's wish with an attitude that could not be questioned.

In Game 6 at the Garden, the Knicks played with the same attitude as before.

The Celtics put away their "promotion is in sight" mentality. The Knicks are different from other teams in the Eastern Conference. They don't understand what despair is, so after the epic day of mourning, they can still risk everything.

Tonight, the situation is not on the Knicks' side.

The Celtics are playing their best, because the challenge posed by the Knicks has far exceeded their imagination. Just from a defensive perspective, it is impossible for the Lakers to provide the same level of defense.

The challenge posed by the Knicks is no less than that of the Lakers. For the Green Army, they have played a round of the finals in advance.

Moreover, Jim Peterson was reimbursed.

Although the Lakers and Trail Blazers are also inextricably tied, if they look at the Eastern Conference and find that the Knicks have dragged the Celtics into the mud and wrestled, they will be happy.

In each of the four quarters of the game, the Celtics led.

Ewing knocked out Sampson in Game 5, and Mr. Only beat him back in Game 6.

After losing the fifth game, the person who was most dissatisfied was Sampson. He, the league's number one center, was beaten by a stupid second-year kid.

The New York media has been bragging about Ewing for several days. After enduring it for several days, he used all his strength against Ewing tonight.

Ewing was beyond his means.

The three years of wasted time at Georgetown made his starting point different from Sampson's, and the heights he can reach in the future are also different.

Sampson can explore his ceiling, while Ewing can only grow as much as possible into a modern-day Bill Russell.

Wilson's performance was a relief.

Starting from the third game, Louis did not let Wilson go. This was to allow him to avoid Bird, who was at his peak, so that he could appear in the transition period and quickly get into rhythm.

It was the same tonight, Wilson made a contribution after coming on.

He starts from defense, just like Kirilenko, blocking shots and stealing.

When Louis habitually set up a murderous pressing formation, Wilson was also the core of this lineup, and he was willing to "hand over" himself.

To be honest, Louis has never seen many stars who are willing to hand themselves over on defense.

There are not many Bird, Ewing, Garnett and Green. The Knicks have two.

When Wilson entered the murderous press formation, he did not have the self-consciousness of a star. He was willing to guard the toughest opponent, roll on the floor, fly to save the ball, throw himself on the floor and hold the ball in his arms without letting go.

This is something Louie didn't see in his college game.

Because UCLA doesn't need him to do that.

This kind of willingness and selfless hard work cannot be reflected in the data.

Advanced statistics will not tell you that some of the same people who grab 8 rebounds per game are just grabbing data from their teammates, while others are getting injured in exchange for it.

Wilsons carried out Louis' intention. Losing? Of course it's not unacceptable, but instead of accepting defeat at the beginning, they tried their best and were defeated by their opponents. Losing like this will have no regrets.

The Celtics never expected that the Knicks would use a full-court press in the second quarter.

This allowed the lagging Knicks to overtake.

At the same time, because of too many fouls, almost all the main players were troubled by fouls.

In the third quarter, Louis gave the substitutes more time. Their defense was okay, but their offense was far from the strength of the main team.

The Celtics seized the opportunity and went on a 10-1 run.

From that moment on, they had the game in their hands.

Louis kept making substitutions, and in the middle of the fourth quarter, Ewing committed six fouls again.

Half a minute later, Oakley also committed six fouls.

Another minute later, Rodman, who came on as a substitute, committed six fouls.

Because of the full-court press, they committed too many fouls. The Celtics made 40 free throws in the first three quarters, and the game was cut into pieces.

This is a game that tests the will and the Knicks' final persistence.

Wilson led a broken semi-main force to persist until the last moment.

108 to 101

The Celtics took 49 free throws and made 32 of them.

Their touch was shattered by the Knicks' hand-to-hand tactics, and it was difficult to grasp free throws. Even Bird couldn't make free throws.

"It was a suffocating game," Heinsohn said. "The Knicks are a formidable opponent!"

At the end of the game, Benjamin Wilson, who had been a winner on the court since the day he played, shed tears. This was the first time that he could not become the final winner despite trying his best.

"Coach, what did I do wrong?"

Wilson wiped tears or sweat from the corners of his eyes.

Louis put his hand on Wilson's shoulder, "Benj, I'm so proud of you, you did a great job!"

Wilson sobbed.

Louis called the players to his side and told them: "Go and pay tribute to our opponents. They play better and are stronger. We must be unwilling to do so, but we should not lose our dignity. Go and congratulate our opponents. Then, you can

Stand tall and leave."

Players from both sides, who were fighting to the death on the court, shook hands with each other.

When Bird came to Louis, he said, "You brought an amazing team."

Louis pursed his lips. If he said he didn't have any unwillingness, it would definitely be a lie.

Three years later, the Knicks finally have the strength to compete with the Celtics, and this is the end. Although they are not strong enough, it is hard to accept.

"Next year it won't be this result."

Louis said to Bird.

"But don't lose in the finals. I hope it's up to us to defeat you."

Bird said arrogantly: "Then I have to try not to disappoint you."

When Louis walked towards the reporters at the scene, he couldn't control his emotions and cursed "F***".

"Coach Lu, do you have anything to say about this season?"

In fact, that F*** can explain everything.

"I'm proud of my players." Just like that, he had nothing more to say.