The rest is just noise

Chapter 555: When the foreshadowing appears

"This is the most insane foul I've ever seen on a basketball court! Kevin McHale flipped Larry over like a clothesline!"

"You know, Larry has an injury on his back, and this may cause his injury to recur!"

Billy Cunningham lashed out.

The moment Bird was overturned, the boos in Boston Garden were like a tsunami scene. Fans filled with anger poured drinks and trash into the court, almost causing a riot.

Laimbeer rushed over and pushed McHale to the ground. The two sides got into a mess, and only Sampson tried to break up the fight.

Earl Strom and Bill Sarr want to stop this conflict, but how can two people contain a group of nine people?

It's hard to tell how many punches were exchanged between the two sides. The Knicks had a stronger desire to fight, and the conflict ended with the coaching staff of both sides coming on the scene to restrain the players.

Just when Ewing was about to throw a black punch, Louis put his hand on his shoulder: "I don't want you to be expelled, just bear with it."

Ewing then lowered his fist.

As for Bird, Celtics team doctor Arnie Scherer entered the court immediately.

Ever since he was fouled by McHale's clothesline, Bird had been lying on the ground without getting up. Obviously, this was not as simple as just a fall.

McHale put all his weight on his back, which is the worst thing that can happen to a guy with a back injury.

"Louis, is it fun to play like this?"

K.C. Jones asked angrily.

"Dale Ellis is still in the infirmary. Where were you when Larry spat on Benj?"

With personal relationships torn apart by the on-court battle, Louis faced K.C. unapologetically.

What was the outcome of this conflict?

The referee ignored the quarrel behind him and gave McHale a personal foul.

In an era without flagrant fouls, if the referee believed that McHale's behavior did not constitute "unsportsmanlike conduct," it would not be a technical foul.

Well, even though McHale almost killed Bird, he didn't violate sportsmanship, just like Laimbeer didn't violate sportsmanship when he stepped on Ellis.

In a few decades, such behavior could lead to a ban.

But this was the 1980s. It was good to have free throws, but the worse situation was that there were no free throws, just like now.

Bird was not in shooting condition when he was knocked down, so the Celtics couldn't even get a free throw.

The Celtics team doctor had Bird carried off the court on a stretcher.

There are various signs that Bird's injury is very serious, and fans' hatred of the Knicks is getting stronger.

Heinsohn continued to fan the flames in the commentary box: "It's not a technical foul? Earl Strome is definitely responsible for the trend of this series! He ruined this game, and he definitely took over the Knicks

of black money”

On national live broadcast, he openly accused the referee of being paid to blow the whistle. Only Heinsohn could do this kind of thing.

Dick Stockton couldn't watch him lead the rhythm: "Well, it's almost impossible. Earl is a very hard-core referee."

"Now, not only is the situation of this game no longer clear, but the trend of the series is also hard to say." Cunningham had a hunch that McHale's clothesline foul would be a turning point in the series, "Even if it's 50%

Larry is also the anchor of the Celtics!"

Heinsohn cheered himself up and said excitedly: "No, we still have Ralph and Isiah. They are the best centers and defenders in the league. They can end this series."

No one knew whether Bird would come back, so the Celtics chose to let Ainge take his place.

On the court, the Celtics still have a very open lineup: Thomas, Ainge, Long, Laimbeer, and Sampson.

Seriously, this allows for a 1-4OUT offense.

However, K.C. Jones should not have such a forward-looking concept. Therefore, there is a high probability that he will use the No. 3 system left by Louis and a four-corner offense with Thomas as the core of the offense.

For the Knicks, Louis' face was ashen as water: "I like Kevin's foul, because we all know that he is the last person to foul like that. His fouling like this proves our determination and courage. It's this momentum,

No matter the cost, go all out and let us use more intense defense to suffocate the Bostonians!"

Bird was replaced, and the Celtics were angry and lagging behind. They needed someone to break out.

They never expected that Louis would intensify the conflicts on the court at this stage.

He replaced Rodman, Wilson, Stevens, John Salley, and Michael Cooper.

Just look at the list and you will know its intention.

"Here we go again, the Knicks' full-court press!"

"Little Lu doesn't want to give Boston a chance to breathe at all!"

Stockton said in disbelief.

"Yes, he plans to defeat the Celtics in one fell swoop, but he also has a bigger goal!" After all, Cunningham has just retired from coaching and is very sensitive to the game situation. "Larry's injury has given

The impact of the Celtics is immeasurable. They lost a supporting core and a spiritual leader. Even if they can turn grief and anger into strength, without Larry, many things will be different. Just like the Celtics

We almost defeated the Knicks in Game 3, and Little wanted to do the same thing."

"He wanted to completely destroy the Celtics' fighting spirit when they were the most angry, wanted to avenge Larry the most, and the whole team shared the same hatred!"

57 to 45

The Knicks lead the Celtics by 12 points.

The Celtics want to serve a sideline ball, and Stevens is responsible for interfering with the serve.

His wingspan helps interfere with the server's vision.

Celtic successfully delivered the ball.

The Knicks' defense is close to the body, full of confrontation, and the extreme pressure makes it difficult to breathe.

Not to mention the players on the field, even the fans on the sidelines were breathless.

Moreover, Luo, Wei, Ku, Seth, and Si are all versatile defenders who are excellent/top-notch in single defense, excellent in assist defense, and can switch to defend multiple positions.

The Celtics used a four-corner attack to open up, and Thomas broke through.

Rodman double-teamed, Thomas passed the ball to Ranbir. Sali changed defense, and Laimbir passed to Sampson.

Sampson was instantly double-teamed.

The Knicks' terrifying defensive rotation speed gradually expanded the power of the murderous press to positional warfare.

Even in the small ball era, no team can assemble a five-man group that is so suitable for executing pressure defense.

The man who saved the Celtics offense was John Long.

The veteran made a 47-57 victory through running, catching the ball, and ignoring defensive interference.

For the Celtics, offense has never been more difficult than it is at this moment.

The Knicks' offense was equally difficult, and the Celtics used a 2-2-1 full-court press to counterattack.

Louis can be called a perfect murderous pressing team. What he lacks most is a person who has the body, defense to keep up with the strength, and who has point guard-level movement control.

But this kind of person is generally not put on a murder squad.

In fact, the Knicks have this person.

Wilson is, but his luck control still has room to improve. If he hadn't asked for it himself, Louis wouldn't have wanted him to join the team.

Murder press is a consumable product, and it depends on the player's physical fitness. If you defend like this for a few minutes, no matter how good your physical fitness is, you will be out of breath.

Wilson's mentality has grown a lot after being tempered by Bird.

He could only be regarded as a young star before, but since this game, he has shown the image of a superstar.

Moreover, he is the kind of Havlicek-type superstar who does all the dirty work that Louis admires most.

Louie couldn't imagine another sophomore prospect choosing to join the thankless Murder Press team.

This is not only a waste of them, but also an overconsumption of them.

It is not easy to have a super young talent, and he should be carefully protected. Letting him be the front row of the full-court press is simply a waste of natural resources.

But this is also the most valuable thing about Wilson. His aggressive fighting spirit, his desire to fight more and more passionately, and the mysterious magic power that can ignite himself in the body make him willing to do this kind of dirty work that other superstars avoid.

.

The Celtics' 2-2-1 full-court press counterattack was broken by him holding the ball alone.

It took 6 seconds after halftime to reach the frontcourt and pass the ball to Rodman in the high post.

Rodman takes the ball in the high post and looks for someone to deal the cards like Draymond Green.

Before Wilson could take a few breaths, he ran out from the wing to get the ball again, used Rodman's body to take over and cover the ball, and carried the ball to the right paint area, attracting two people to double-team and pass the ball to Cooper on the outside.

This is the difference between the Celtics' defense and the Knicks' defense.

The Knicks can apply pressure on the strong side and use other people's athletic abilities to rotate on the weak side to ensure that the opponent's ball cannot be passed to the open person. Because it takes time to pass the ball in place, players with outstanding athletic ability can ensure that the ball is in the right position.

The first person to arrive is the first to arrive.

The Celtics' offensive upper limit is difficult to quantify, but the defensive upper limit is visible to the naked eye.

Everything depends on Ralph Sampson.

Obviously, Mr. Wei, who was sweating profusely and out of breath, was exhausted.

He played for too long and K.C didn't dare to replace him.

This is another side effect after Bird left the game. Sampson was deprived of even the chance to paddle. He needs to step up.

And he is no longer able to support the Celtics' offensive and defensive intensity.

Between offense and defense, he can only choose to do his best on one thing.

This resulted in Wilson passing to an open Cooper, leaving the Celtics with no one to rotate.

Cooper took an open shot from outside the three-point line. The veteran who suffered a lot from the Green Army in the Lakers hit a three-pointer.

60 to 45

With less than five minutes left before the end of the third quarter, the Knicks' lead expanded to 15 points.

Louis spreads his five fingers apart and requires all five players to expand to the midfield.

The high intensity since the opening, the exhaustion of the full-court press by the murderous press in the second quarter, Laimbeer's step-up, McHale's clothesline and Sampson's physical exhaustion and various foreshadowings have all come to the end.

Louis glanced at K.C.

He won this war of attrition.