The rest is just noise

November 6, 1987

The Knicks' first game of the new season is on the road, and their opponent is the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons and Knicks are two new teams in the Eastern Conference, and their management set the goal of defeating the Boston Celtics when building their teams.

Louie and Chuck Daley are still friends.

Therefore, the relationship between the two teams is relatively friendly.

"Chuck, if I were you, I would try my best to get Dominique Wilkins in the offseason." Louis has already seen the problem with the Pistons.

In terms of lineup, this team looks mature enough, with good players in various positions, but no real superstars.

Daley smiled bitterly: "If I were the general manager, of course I would consider this matter."

Does this mean that the Pistons' general manager doesn't think Wilkins can bring changes?

Maybe, Wilkins doesn't have that big a role, but he is the only two players currently in the league who can restrain Bird in terms of play style and attributes.

The Pistons lack nothing but a superstar.

If they really can't find superstars, quasi-superstars like Wilkins should be given priority. However, their management seems to have other ideas.

Louis had seen this kind of thing a lot.

When you have no choice, shouldn't you try to improve your team's lineup as much as possible?

Louis returned to his team.

In the first game of the new season, the lineup was Stockton, Miller, Wilson, McHale, and Ewing.

Before Ellis comes back, Louis wants to see how Miller's chemistry works with N.UCLA's lineup.

The Pistons' lineup looks very good: Dumars, Ilo, Dantley, Parish, Malone.

James Worthy actually came on as a substitute.

This can prove something more or less. They are also looking for changes, but not through signings, but by changing their lineup.

At the beginning, Stockton consciously created opportunities for Miller.

Miller, a newborn calf, was not afraid of the famous Pistons players. He spat at Ilo: "Don't think you can handle me just because I'm a rookie. To be honest, you're still a million miles away."

, I can just run a few fucking steps and catch the ball and kill you..."

What was the result? He pissed off Iroh, and was mercilessly defended by this tough guy known for his defense.

But at the same time, Benjamin Wilson took advantage of the defensive pressure Miller brought to the Pistons to catch the ball on the weak side and single out Adrian Dantley.

It seems that the first goal of the new season will be scored by him.

Wilson held the ball, but suddenly gave a lob to McHale who was cutting inside.

McHale caught the ball and made a layup.

2 to 0

Wilson singled out Dantley to score is what Louis wants to see, but Wilson, who does not prioritize singles and focuses on looking for teammates to pass the ball, is what Louis wants to see even more.

"That's right, Benj!" Louie clapped his hands and shouted, "Hurry back to defense, they are coming."

The characteristic of the Pistons is that the defensively strong combo guard Dumars is paired with multiple outstanding frontcourt players, who can destroy the defense in multiple fields such as misplaced play, low post play, finishing and pick-and-roll offense. They are definitely a nightmare-level misplaced ball.

The shortcoming of this team is that there are few means of truly one-on-one attack, and switching defenses are highly dependent on the two defenders in the backcourt. Malone and Parish can ensure the quality of the finish after receiving the ball deep in the basket, and when necessary

Can catch the ball and play in isolation. Therefore, they will need to use mismatch to establish an advantage when facing any team in the future.

The Pistons' first goal was accomplished through Dumars' personal ability.

Louis's first impression of him was only during the years when he was a Pistons executive. Unfortunately, Dumas was a manager who was at the peak of his career. The Dumas that Louis saw already regarded Stucky as the cornerstone and regarded Maxx as the cornerstone.

I recognize him as General Manager Zhi Xi from Big Ben II.

He hit the target with a horseback archery-style jump shot.

2 to 2

Stockton directed the team's offense in an orderly manner, and it was extremely satisfying to watch Wilson and Miller's tactical interplay.

Tomjanovich said: "If it was Dell, his movement would be more aggressive, but Benj's movement would be affected."

Zhao Yuanzheng nodded in approval and said: "The biggest difference between Dell and several other shooters is that he is not only familiar with his own tactics, but also understands every move inside. Except for General (Stockton), all players are familiar with tactics."

The player who knows the best."

As soon as they finished speaking, on the court, Ewing screened Stockton from the high post, and McHale covered Miller on the weak side. Stockton dribbled the ball outside the paint area and suddenly passed the ball outward. Wilson caught the ball and once again

transfer.

The basketball was eventually sent beyond the three-point line at the top of the arc.

Miller caught the ball and made a three-pointer.

5 to 2

"Knicks rookie Reggie Miller made the first shot of his career. Many people like to compare Reggie with his legendary sister, but unfortunately, the great Cheryl is not like Reggie.

Like Ji, there will be a bigger stage to show yourself after leaving the campus league."

After many days of contact, Louis felt that Miller had a carefree personality and was very fond of his temper. However, as time went by, he also discovered that there was a twisted side to his nature.

At a barbecue during preseason training camp, Miller proudly introduced his sister, Cheryl Miller, whom almost everyone knew. Cheryl was the most dominant women's college basketball player of all time.

, was also the first female golfer to dunk in actual combat. At the 1984 Atlanta Olympics, her dominant performance was featured in two issues of Sports Illustrated.

There is no doubt about her strength. If there is a WNBA now, her dominance may be stronger than that of Maya Moore in the future.

Louis believes that the reason for Miller's twisted character is that he, a typical chauvinistic guy, actually smiled and told everyone how Cheryl abused him.

To Louis, he was like Fuji Shusuke's younger brother in "The Prince of Tennis", who had been overshadowed by his genius brother/sister for a long time. Fuji Shusuke's younger brother got angry just because everyone pointed at him when he was out.

He joined other schools and vowed to defeat his brother. But Miller was different. He was numb from the abuse, as if his consciousness was blurred and his dignity was gone. He didn't feel any guilt when talking about his past abuse.

Most superstars have the experience of being abused by their brothers and sisters with basketballs, but when they tell this story, they always say "until I beat them" at the end, but Miller does not.

His worship of his sister makes people doubt that until now, he is no match for her.

A man with such a strong self-esteem admits that he is inferior to a woman, even if this woman is his sister.

Isn’t this psychological distortion?

So it's understandable that he does anything on the court.

When he hit his first three-pointer, he shouted at Moses Malone who was unaware: "Old guy, it's time for you to fucking retire. The future of the league will belong to young people like me!"

"Don't talk to Moses like that!" Malone said dissatisfied.

Miller sneered: "You old guy, you are not active in defense, but you are quite narcissistic, and you actually refer to yourself in the third person. Are you fucking ashamed?"

Miller retreated, and the lingering effects of his trash talk rippled across the court.

There is no grudge between the Knicks and the Pistons, but it's hard not to make the other party angry if they show disrespect for their seniors and become awesome after just one goal.

Not surprisingly, Miller's trash talk drew the wrath of his opponents.

Ilo ran, caught the ball, and flew to the basket.

Ewing's defense instantly enveloped him, and he targeted the opportunity to hit the target.

Malone grabbed an offensive rebound, and the second attack was interfered by Ewing who turned around.

As a result, Ma Long grabbed it again where he was.

"Good guy!" Louis exclaimed, "Moses is still one of the most influential centers in the world."

Malone relied on his dominance of rebounds to score the second offense.

4 to 5

Ewing's defense was good enough, but Louis couldn't watch him being brushed with offensive rebounds continuously and remain indifferent.

"Patrick, you just stand and watch him grab rebounds? What is your height and wingspan used for? Is it for decoration? Do you want me to find someone to come on and help you grab rebounds? You even want to compete with Ralph in the league.

No. 1 center? I think you should wait another twenty years..."

The excitement of the competition continues to rise.

Miller's trash talk was definitely a turning point in the game.

Originally, Iroh and Dumars were both defensive gatekeepers, and Parrish and Malone were also top-notch defenders. The only problem was that Dantley would not guard him.

The fierce physical confrontation left the thin Miller at a loss.

Ewing caught the ball and shot from the high post.

Missed.

McHale hit the offensive rebound and Wilson grabbed it.

Pistons fans are a little worried.

Because it was just right, the space opened up, and Wilson and Dantley were one-on-one.

Louis did not give any plan. If it were Wilson as a rookie, he would choose to fight alone.

What now?

He passed the ball back to Stockton.

His rookie season made him understand that in Louis' eyes, one-on-one is the last resort, and you can't use the last resort when you have a lot of spare energy.

He moved again.

It is very interesting to observe Wilson's growth. As a rookie, he still had many bad habits left over from college. After being taught by Jordan and Bird in turns, he began to practice them with concentration.

The loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals was a critical moment. He discovered that Bird rarely played in isolation and always used his movement to tear apart the Knicks' defense.

If the first player in the league/the first player in history dominates the game in this way, why should he not follow suit?

Your opponent is the best teacher.

Louis saw Wilson's growth. He finally regarded himself as an off-ball attacker and became a part of the tactical system.

He ran out of opportunities. On the weak side, Stockton passed the ball and made an open shot from mid-range.

Whoosh!

The basketball game is as simple as moving, passing, and shooting according to the coach's intentions, nothing else.