The rest is just noise

Ainge made two free throws, and the Celtics lost Bird. They not only lost the team's first core and the leading scorer in this game so far.

Bird has the same effect on his teammates that James has on his team.

Of course, the Celtics have two superstars, even if Bird is not on the court, they are still a strong team.

However, only when Bird is on the court, they are the team that beats the Lakers to the point of rebuilding.

Thomas took Bird's words seriously.

Since 1984, Louis established the power hierarchy within the Celtics, and it has never changed. Bird has the highest authority, followed by Sampson, and he is third. No matter who looks at it, it is taken for granted.

, even he himself was moved by the victory year after year, and he was willing to be a green leaf for them.

Four years later, Bird was promoted from "Larry Legend" to "GOAT", and Sampson was promoted from "Mr. Only" to a monster who can compete with Chamberlain, Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the No. 1 center in history. And he will always be

He is just the Celtics' third player, and no one knows how strong he really is.

Now, he finds Sampson to play pick-and-roll. He gives the ball to Sampson first, and then Sampson passes the ball to him.

Under the basket, Thomas made a high throw and scored on the board.

80 to 87

The Celtics, who had chased 4 points in one round, still had room to spare.

Ewing missed hitting Sampson with his back, and the Celtics, who were protected by defensive rebounds, wanted to play a fast break. However, the Knicks' full-court press blocked Ainge's path.

Hornacek's defense is very strong, and his prediction of the ball's path is also accurate.

In addition, Rodman's double-team pressure.

Angie passed the ball helplessly, and Thomas was about to break through the defense when Cooper made a physical foul and knocked Thomas to the ground.

"The Knicks' fouls are unlimited, they don't care about their opponents' life or death!"

Thomas sat on the ground and chewed gum. The more he did this, the stronger his fighting spirit became.

He holds the ball on the outside, changes direction with two bangs, shakes off Hornacek's defense, transports it to the basket, and passes it to Sampson.

Sampson made a feint shot and failed to light up Ewing, but with his beautiful steps, he turned around with a swaying shoulder, stepped in, and hit the board under the basket.

82 to 87

The Celtics, who were chasing 6 points in a row, gave fans hope. Then, Cooper made a long pass.

Wilson's fast break took the Greens by surprise. Laimbeer, who had a fierce look on his face, elbowed him hard in the body when he took off.

Wilson took the hit while throwing the ball up.

The referee blew the whistle, and Wilson scored a fast break, silencing the Garden, and then booed even louder to question the referee's decision of 2+1, which controlled the Celtics' counterattack momentum.

Louis felt increasingly difficult to breathe. This kind of pressure, knowing that the opponent was about to explode but unable to stop it, and could only pray that his players could withstand it, was beyond the control of the coach.

The superstar starts hitting unusual shots and scoring in unreasonable ways. What can the coach do?

Louis stared at Thomas.

His explosive power was unusual.

He is not Bird's explosive type who takes every attack by himself. Instead, he is looking for opportunities for his teammates to open while strengthening his own personal offense. He is playing the ball in the most correct way, which relieves Sampson's pressure.

, making teammates feel that Bird is still on the court.

Louis has long known that he is the Celtics' most underrated player.

His rapid changes of direction can easily penetrate the defense of the Knicks players. Every time he changes direction, his ankle is completely frozen.

In the four minutes after Bird came off the court, he scored 6 points and 2 assists in a row.

All of the Celtics' scoring is related to him, and the restrictions placed on him by the murderous press seem to no longer exist.

He no longer cares about the people around him because he knows that if he doesn't exert all his strength, he won't be able to beat the Knicks.

89 to 95

With 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Louis requested a timeout.

This is one of only two timeouts the Knicks have left.

Louis replaced McHale, who had no role in offense and could not keep up defensively.

McHale was replaced by John Salley, who partnered with Ewing, giving the Knicks two fast-moving 210-level long men on the court.

"Let Isiah go left, except Danny Ainge. Remember, except Danny Ainge, I allow any Celtic player to take a shot from a position other than the free throw line. Stick to the paint area, if Isiah dares to come in

, just put him down!"

Louis roared murderously.

"I would rather see him get to the free throw line than let him easily get into our basket for a layup!"

The young people of the Knicks have reason to be proud of themselves. They have done something that the Lakers have not done.

That is to let people see how strong Thomas is when he reaches his full potential.

Wilson yelled for the ball.

The Celtics asked Harper to guard him, and Wilson has proven many times that when he gets into shape, Harper's defense is useless.

Without any tactics, Wilson retreated.

97 to 89

Thomas discovered that Hornacek, who was guarding him, had changed his strategy. The defensive method that had always been to give him space to give him shooting opportunities suddenly changed to forcing him to break through.

When Thomas came to the basket, the Knicks formed a siege and let him know what the best pocket formation in the world looks like.

Thomas jumped up. He was too short. Faced with Wilson, Rodman, Ewing, and Salley, he couldn't see his teammates if he didn't jump up.

Under the cover of these four people, even if the Knicks engaged in illegal confrontation, it would be difficult for the referee to detect it.

All they could see was Thomas losing his balance in the air.

Thomas found his teammate who was passing the ball, and the ball was passed to Laimbeer on the outside.

Laimbeer made a three-pointer.

Hit!

Laimbeer's three-pointer was part of the Knicks' plan, because it was unrealistic to allow other Celtics players to get that much open space without doing anything.

The real core of this plan is to kill Thomas.

No team in this era can win a game with three-pointers alone, not even the Knicks. The Knicks focused on Ainge, the Celtics' most accurate three-pointer, and refused to create any miracles for them.

possible.

Laimbeer's three-pointer was an acceptable accident.

Sometimes, the determination to defend the throne is reflected by one's unyielding self.

About a minute later, when Thomas passed the ball out again, Louis was shaken.

This time, the ball was passed to Sampson.

Still outside the three-point line, another Celtic long man shot a three-pointer.

Hit again!

95 to 97

The Celtics caught up to 2 points, but Louis' strategy rarely worked.

"Coach, three-pointers can kill people." Sampson shouted from a distance, "You told me this yourself back then!"

Just when the Knicks' path forward became unclear, Ewing once again took the ball in the low post. He showed an exciting responsibility, faked a move to divert Sampson's attention, and suddenly broke through facing the basket, although his movements were not as fast as the opponent's.

It was sharp, but it really hit the Celtics' penalty area.

On the other side, Wilson passed Harper's defense, ran to the top of the key and yelled: "Patrick!"

Ewing's ball was passed from inside to outside. Wilson's performance was not as dazzling as Thomas, but he was by no means a person who was silent after being beaten.

When he got the ball, he happened to meet Thomas' rotation. With an opportunity to beat Thomas's defense, he took a contemptuous attitude towards Thomas' defense, just like Tracy McGrady, he made a three-pointer.

"I can do it!"

Wilson growled.

"I can do it a few more times!"

"Yes, you can do it!" Louie yelled, "You're still young, you can do anything, Benj, don't fucking lose to him!"

With four minutes left in the game, Wilson took the initiative to defend Thomas.

Thomas changed direction indifferently, and with the determination to humiliate him, took the left path, turned around and gave him a blow with his elbow, and then forced his way to the right.

This is the arrogance of a superstar, who can attack as much as he wants, but he underestimated Wilson's toughness.

Wilson, who didn't rest for a second in the second half, was like a perpetual motion machine, with the energy of a young man spraying all over his body. He caught up with Thomas, and from behind, he knocked the opponent's ball bloody out of bounds, destroying it with it.

The other party’s center of gravity.

The Smiling Assassin landed on one foot, and for a moment, an indescribable tingling sensation came from his feet.

"NO!!!" Johnny Most shouted heartbrokenly, "We can't add any more wounded!"

Thomas held his right foot, and the referee did not call a foul. In other words, Wilson's actions were completely in compliance with the rules. Thomas himself failed to control his center of gravity.

When Bird was carried off the court, everyone felt that something was wrong with the Celtics.

When Thomas sprained his foot at this moment, the smell of death immediately enveloped the Boston Garden.

How brilliant the Celtic dynasty was at its peak, and how heroic it was when it fell.

Thomas was helped off the court with 3 minutes and 44 seconds left before the end of the game.

100 to 95

With the Knicks leading by 5 points, K.C. Jones made desperate substitutions, letting Ainge play point guard, Harper playing the two position, Reggie Lewis coming up to play the three position, followed by Laimbeer and Sampson.

Louis also made substitution adjustments. Stockton replaced Hornacek, and Stevens replaced John Salley. From the substitutions, it can be seen that he still has to use murderous pressing.

To the world, what Louis did was a murder that was announced in advance.

He just wants to make people clearly see how the Celtics dynasty was killed.

The Knicks' defense was so good that the Celtics broke the ball and gave away the ball in vain.

They returned to defense in despair. Ainge, Harper, and Lewis were not of concern to Louis. The Celtics' only remaining threat was inside, but Laimbeer committed five fouls and Sampson committed four and was exhausted.

Even though they were in a desperate situation, the Celtics' defense was still commendable. No one gave up, and no one showed a mentality of accepting the outcome as if the outcome was already decided.

A champion is still a champion until he is knocked down.

Louis has never stood on the sidelines so frequently and shouted that as long as the game is not over, as long as they have not won the game, the Celtics have not lost. Since the era of George Mikan, those failed dynasty teams have either

Either out in five games or outright swept, and those teams that build dynasties never lose in Game 6 or Game 7 of the series; they always win the crucial games.

You can’t help but believe in the momentum of the winner;

You can't help but believe how eager those who have won everything are to defend their glory when they are destroyed.

In Louis' view, the Celtics haven't collapsed yet because they still want to win. Without Bird and Thomas, they haven't given up.

The Celtics decided to squeeze out the last of their strength, and they successfully defended the Knicks' offense.

It was their turn to attack, but they no longer relied on the star's individual performance. Sampson set a pick-and-roll for Ainge, and Ainge passed to Harper who was covering the screen. Harper then passed to Lewis who cut through. This was an extreme offense involving all five people on the court.

.

Their desire, the intensity they still have at this moment, and the murderous look in their eyes have caused many people who have given up hope for them to question, will the Celtics really lose today?

The Celtics' desire for victory moved everyone, but their offense still failed.

Ewing was determined to prove that he was the best defensive player in the league. He quickly recovered from outside the three-point line. When the attack continued until the 22nd second, when Lewis's ball was completely released, he horribly knocked the ball that reached the highest point.

seize, take.

This is what happened with 3 minutes and 22 seconds left in the game.

The Celtics did not lose heart and returned to defense at full speed.

Ewing passed the ball to Stockton, and Stockton passed it to Wilson who was rushing down.

Wilson has the ball in his hands and knows exactly what he should do. As the Celtics' hope of winning is gradually disappearing, he must seize this opportunity. Once he misses, once they are given a chance to breathe, victory may be from his hands.

slip.

No matter how much he regretted it, he could not bring back the lost opportunity. In a unique round, Wilson dribbled into the Celtics' three-man pocket formation by himself. He jumped up with all his strength, like a big bird flying in the sky.

Laimbeer, who was blocking him, was knocked over head-on, and then the ball in his hand was exploded against the basket with a terrifying force.

Laimbeer may have just committed his sixth foul, but the referee did not blow the whistle.

There are 3 minutes and 16 seconds left in the game, 102 to 95.

Isiah Thomas couldn't watch the game being won by the Knicks. He stood up and asked to play.

No one knows what he said to K.C. Jones. The two were seen arguing for a few seconds before Thomas was replaced by Reggie Lewis.

The people in the garden went crazy. For the first time, they expressed their love for Isiah Thomas as much as they loved Bird and Sampson.

Thomas limped, faced Stockton, broke straight to the left, stopped suddenly, hit an unbalanced shot over the opponent's head, and caused him a foul.

He limped and fell towards the auditorium. The spectators on the sidelines controlled his body and prevented him from falling.

Unable to lower his waist, he missed the free throw.

Knicks' quick counterattack made it difficult for him to return to the defensive position in time.

So Stockton rushed in and hit an empty basket, making Thomas's heroic offense ineffective.

104 to 97

Stockton discovered that his knee hurt so much that he couldn't lower his back, so he ignored him when he stood on the outside and double-teamed other Celtics players.

Sampson passed the ball as if he had found a lifeline.

Thomas, whose body seemed to be filled with adrenaline, desperately used the offensive method he was least good at and shot a three-pointer.

"Uh-huh!!!"

With less than two minutes left in the game, Louis could no longer think about how Thomas did these things. The Celtics played 100%, and the Knicks also played 100%. Even the audience at the scene

, all invested 100% of their emotions.

Wilson wanted to get the ball, but Harper's off-ball defense, accompanied by the 100th uncalled foul, prevented him from receiving the ball.

Ewing turned around and shot, but was blocked by Sampson's fingertips.

Three no-sticks!

"Isaiah!!!"

Thomas, who had difficulty providing help on the defensive end, ran in front of everyone during the offense and his teammates sent a long pass. He was knocked over by Rodman who was following up during a layup. The referee was fair. When Wilson was

When someone fouled the ball and didn't blow the whistle, Thomas, who was off balance, also didn't get the whistle.

But his layup hit!

102 to 104

At 1 minute and 22 seconds, Thomas, who had scored 7 consecutive points, got up from the ground and did not notice the photographer who was knocked down by him. He just wanted to continue his momentum. Therefore, when he could no longer use his left foot at all,

, facing the cheers of the audience, he ran towards the backcourt with all his strength like a lame man.

Don't they know that in this case, even if they reach the finals, they cannot be the opponents of the Trail Blazers?

Of course they know, but they just can't accept the failure.

The Knicks were once again defended until the last second. Rodman found Thomas' mismatch, but his shooting ability couldn't help.

He turned over and took a shot, but missed.

Sampson, who had overstretched himself just like Thomas, stuck Ewing, preventing him from moving, and then used his advantage of standing high to win the rebound.

With 59 seconds left in the game, the Celtics, who got the rebound, were pressed by the Knicks.

Ainge had trouble catching the ball, Thomas couldn't get away from Stockton's off-ball defense with one foot, Wilson was stuck with Lewis, and it was too dangerous for Laimbeer to get the ball. Sampson decided to give everything he had like Thomas.

Because of dribbling in front of him and changing direction, he tried his best to avoid the eight-second violation and barely reached the frontcourt.

However, how to give the ball to the threatening person is still a problem.

Stockton gave up on Thomas. Even though this man had scored 7 points in a row, the Knicks still regarded him as a non-threat.

Sampson passed the ball to Thomas on the left wing, and Wilson rotated over.

10 seconds,

7 seconds,

5 seconds,

Unable to receive a response, Thomas dribbled toward the baseline, and Wilson enveloped him like night, forcing him to a negative angle.

Before the shot clock ran out, Thomas pushed Wilson with his back, and then unreasonably turned around and shot a three-pointer from behind the three-point line in a way that all basketball logic cannot explain.

Wilson's defense caused him to lose his center of gravity. He fell to the ground again and was unable to get up again. The fans in the front row used their own strength to push him up again.

What about his shot? It was a perfect, flawless hollow ball.

"The Celtics overtook the score!" Brent Musburger shouted in disbelief. "We have to watch about 10,000 mediocre games before we can see one special game. Dear viewers, you are now

What I saw was the most special of all the special basketball games in the past ten years!"

105 to 104

The Knicks still had 35 seconds left. Louis walked to the technical table and called the Knicks' last timeout tonight.

"Dale, I know it's hard for you to move." Louis called out to Ellis, "but I need you to stand on the court!"

Ellis stood up and said, "I can do anything!"

"No, you just need to stand on the court." Louis turned his eyes to Wilson, "Benj, you have the best bait beside you, launch appropriate tactics to confuse the Celtics, find the best opportunity, and then kill them

!”

After the timeout, Louis called Stockton and laid out a rearguard plan.

They didn't time out, there were only 35 seconds left in the game, and the Knicks were 1 point behind. Louis gave the best advice he could as a coach. The rest was up to these players.

"Dale's foot injury is worse than Isiah's. He can barely move. Is it too risky to do this?" Tomjanovich asked.

Louis chuckled softly, his throat was thirsty and his eyes were moist.

"At this moment, what can you do without taking risks?" Louis had decided to give it a try, "Just believe them."

Tomjanovich noticed that Louis was a little out of control, and he tried to make a joke: "Have a cigar, Reid will be furious. Remember the first time we won here?"

The two sides returned to the court, and the audience stood up. Even Bird returned to the sidelines to cheer on his teammates. The Knicks successfully delivered the ball.

The appearance of Dale Ellis revealed a conspiracy, and the Celtics were afraid of him. From the day Louis led the Knicks to defeat the Celtics for the first time, this name has been on the Green Army's blacklist.

.

In this Eastern Conference finals, if it weren't for him, the Knicks might have lost long ago.

Now he's here again, looking like bait, but can they really ignore Ellis?

The Knicks' tactics took five seconds to start. Then, Ewing gave Wilson a pick-and-roll, Stockton opened on the right side, and Rodman went to the left corner where Ellis was.

A seemingly fatal off-ball screen allowed Ellis to run to the left three-point line.

The Celtics' defensive focus was disrupted.

Just when they were hesitant to guard Ellis or Wilson.

Wilson dribbled back, widening the defensive distance from Harper, and Ellis' running diverted the attention of others.

At the free throw line, Wilson jumped up calmly and used his signature shooting motion to release the ball softly.

Either rush to death or rush to live. Wilson, as Louis wished, will decide the survival of the Knicks this season by himself.

That ball flew straight to the center of the basket, and with 15 seconds left in the game, it landed in the center of the basket.

An ethereal "swish!" may rewrite the history of the alliance.

In the last 15 seconds, K.C Jones also called the Celtics' last timeout.

Louis replaced Dale Ellis with Michael Cooper and issued a surprising directive to the players.

The Knicks pressed the whole court but did not prevent the Celtics defender from receiving the ball.

Ainge received the ball smoothly, and in 14 seconds, he was about to pass the ball, but Stockton knocked him down rudely.

"Beep!"

This was of course a deliberate foul. The Knicks' foul count had already been filled. Fouling Ainge would have sent him to the free throw line.

The Knicks are only 1 point ahead of the Celtics. Letting Ainge take free throws is tantamount to giving him the easiest scoring opportunity, and he is the Celtics player with the highest free throw percentage on the court. It seems like a suicidal choice.

, conveys another meaning.

Louis refused to give the Celtics the chance to win the final attack that determined the survival of the season. He wanted to get the ball back, even if it cost him the lead.

"If the Knicks lose this season, Little's final arrangement will be criticized endlessly." Even if Hubie Brown hates Louis, he will give a thumbs up to this decision, "But he is a real coach, and we

You will never see another coach make such an impact on a series!"

Ainge's free throw shooting percentage is 88%, and it is almost impossible for him to miss a free throw.

The result was the same, Anji made two free throws.

Just when he made the first free throw, Louis replaced two players, Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller, and replaced Rodman and Stevens.

K.C Jones thought about what happened during the Knicks' last offense, and how Ellis single-handedly attracted everyone's attention, allowing Wilson to easily get a chance to kill the game.

"Watch Wilson, keep man-to-man! Just man-to-man!"

K.C yelled at the top of his lungs.

Louis on the opposite side heard K.C's cry, and an imperceptible smile appeared on his lips. He knew that the game was about to end, and in 14 seconds, the winner of this series would be decided.

When everyone in the audience was standing, he sat down instead.

Louis watched Wilson being defended by the Celtics with tight man-to-man coverage. Once they did this, it would be difficult to defend against the high-post dynamic offense of the Knicks' N.UCLA system. And this is what Ellis and Rice did.

Reasons to be frightened.

K.C fell into Louis' chain trap. Is Ellis the bait? No, rather than saying that he is the bait, it is better to say that Benjamin Wilson's understatement and quasi-killer is the bait. That shot will be in these 14 seconds

In order to get him the focus of the Celtics, Ellis's presence has become weaker, and Miller, who is constantly running, seems to have a chance to execute the final shot than he does.

Time moved quickly, and Wilson's actions made the garden heated up.

They knew that this attack would determine the continuation of the dynasty.

For this young Knicks, the Celtics are a perfect stumbling block. They are strong, tough, and difficult to overcome. To challenge such a giant requires not only strength, talent, determination, courage, but also self-sacrifice.

spirit of dedication.

This is something Louis has been preparing for four years since he came to New York.

He needs a group of talented players who have a selfless heart and are willing to give up something to win. When all of them sacrifice themselves and give their all for the game, things will change.

Louis painted an incredible blueprint for them, but what really turned yesterday's Knicks into today's Knicks was their opponents.

Wilson passed Harper, allowing Sampson to come to help defend, and Ewing took the opportunity to cover Miller. When the Celtics mistakenly thought that Miller was the winner, they missed the opportunity to stand in the corner.

Ellis was motionless. Unknowingly, they forgot about Ellis, and the moment Miller received the ball, he crossed to the bottom corner. All the reactions of fear, trembling, fear, and sluggishness appeared in

In this round.

This is the most ironic thing in the world. The Celtics gave up their strict defense on Dale Ellis in the decisive round.

At the last second, Ellis received the ball from the left corner, started shooting, 0.6 seconds, 0.4 seconds, 0.1 seconds, the ball began to fall, the game time returned to zero, the buzzer sounded the final sound, and the whole world

Basketball fans all looked at that ball. Some saw that it had a straight curve, some thought it would miss the basket, some foresaw the rise of the Knicks, and some sensed that the Celtics would decline from now on.

"Shua"

"Dell Ellis killed the Celtics dynasty! It's over! It's over! Ladies and gentlemen! There's a new king in the East!"

The Knicks players rushed onto the court in an uncontrollable mood, as if they didn't know that this was just a series to compete for the Eastern Conference championship.

They knew very well that after this shot, they officially overturned the Celtics and advanced to the finals.

They completed what the Lakers had left unfinished and confirmed their own greatness.

No matter how great the Celtics are, they always appear to be greater than their opponents.

They realized the potential energy within themselves, and this belief will remain in their hearts. Years later, people will realize that the New York Knicks were forever changed on the night of May 30, 1988.

Some people never change again.

Louis, who was silently controlling the overall situation off the court, had tears in his eyes. He looked at his chief assistant: "Rudy, I don't need a cigar."

"I just want to take a sip of Coke." He wiped away tears that he could not hold back.

(BGM private ghtofWonde-Hiro)