The rest is just noise

On November 5th, the Knicks played their first home game of the new season.

Interestingly, their opponent is the Boston Celtics.

What's even more interesting is that tonight is a special day when the Knicks hold a championship flag-raising ceremony at home and a ring distribution ceremony by the president.

As for the Celtics, except for Larry Bird, who is confirmed to be out for the season, the rest of the players are still there.

Of their nine-man rotation, only Danny Ainge has left the team.

And Ainge joined the Knicks, the Celtics' mortal enemy.

CBS naturally broadcast the game live across the United States.

The Knicks vs. Celtics, even if Bird can't play, there's still a lot to watch.

"This is the first meeting between the two sides after the tragic Eastern Conference Finals. Rick, what do you think of this game?"

CBS commentator Bob Beale asked his co-star Rick Barry.

Barry said with a self-righteous attitude: "Without Larry, the Celtics are in a very bad situation, because we know that they rely heavily on Larry to drive the team. But the Knicks are not. In my opinion, they are very dependent on Larry to drive the team.

It seems like they are a special team that knows how to win, especially their leader Little Lu."

This is Madison Square Garden. After the Knicks won the championship last season, anyone who dared to call Louis "Little Lou" would be booed by the fans.

"Little, your mother!" a black fan who was close to Barry yelled, "Did you, a damn white guy like you, call you Little?"

I don’t know why, but Louis obviously likes the nickname “Little Lou” very much, but New Yorkers are naturally allergic to this nickname.

Later, someone studied it carefully and came to a conclusion.

Louis brought this nickname from Boston.

What does Little Lou from Boston have to do with New York? It’s as if he is still in Boston.

The Knicks general received the ring from David Stern in front of the Celtics.

Without the Knicks, this would have been theirs.

The Celtics have won five consecutive championships without any blind spots. Their opponents in the finals, the Trail Blazers, can be easily defeated by both the Knicks and the Celtics. This is a recognized fact.

Seeing the New Yorkers showing off their rings, everyone in the Green Army felt aggrieved.

both sides:

Knicks: Stockton, Miller, Wilson, McHale, Ewing.

Celtics: Thomas, Harper, Reggie Lewis, Laimbeer, Sampson.

Compared with last season, the only change is that Lewis has become the team's third position.

When Bird comes back, Lewis will still have to be the substitute.

At this stage, Lewis' presence is very important to Celtic.

However, Louis doesn't think the Celtics, who have the league's top center and the league's top three point guards, are so scary, because their three perimeter players all lack long-range shooting threats.

Therefore, the game plan formulated by the Knicks coaching staff is very simple and crude.

Leave Thomas, Harper, and Lewis open for three-pointers, and guard Sampson closely.

If Thomas wants to break through, he should provide intensity and confrontation according to playoff standards.

For the rest, just adapt to circumstances.

Ewing won the jump ball from Sampson.

Sampson seems not focused enough, otherwise with his height and jumping ability, it would be difficult for Ewing to win the jump ball.

The ball belongs to the Knicks. Stockton dribbles forward and has just settled down. The run has already begun.

The Celtics put Thomas on Stockton, Lewis on Miller, Harper on Wilson, Sampson on McHale, and Laimbeer on Ewing.

In addition to tactics, the art of coaching, if we dig deeper, is just the art of matchups on the court.

How to avoid your weaknesses being caught by the opponent and how to make your strengths come into play requires the coaching staff to work hard on the matchup.

The Celtics' impression of the Knicks remains at last season.

Harper's defense has little impact on Wilson, but the changes between both sides in the offseason are huge.

The muscle growth on Wilson's body has opened up a level between him and Harper.

He roughly threw Harper away, received a pass from Stockton at a 45-degree angle from the left, and hit the ball with a jump shot.

2 to 0

Louis' original expectation was that he would become Durant on the off-ball end and McGrady on the ball-handling end.

Now it seems that Wilson will not be as deadly as Durant in the short term.

Compared to Durant's wide-open and wide-open wandering in the high post, Wilson is more accustomed to Jordan Kobe's approach of running in the high post at a 45-degree angle on both sides to catch the ball.

That's why he and Dale Ellis didn't get along. Their running philosophies were at odds with each other.

Louis was standing on the sidelines. After the players returned from defense, he said casually: "Give our opponent a greeting gift."

Less than five seconds after he finished speaking, Thomas, who was dribbling halfway across the court, was double-teamed by Stockton and Wilson on the outside.

There were no signs of this double team.

As Bob Bill said: "Like a small animal caught in a tunnel trap, Isiah was rolled into a meatloaf!"

Ewing found out that Sampson was going to meet him, so he followed behind.

Thomas' line of sight was blocked. He saw Sampson coming to get the ball, but he didn't see Ewing behind him, so he passed the ball more casually.

As soon as Sampson's hand touched the ball, behind him, Ewing swatted the ball forward.

The out-of-control ball possession instantly aroused cheers from the entire audience.

Ewing caught up with the ball. MSG was like a ceremonial scene. Everyone was in a frenzy. The Jamaican King jumped up outside the paint area and completed a gliding dunk that was extremely shocking for a seven-foot center.

"Patrick Ewing completely saw through the Celtics' cooperation! This steal, this dunk, OMG!" Bill said in surprise, "The Knicks are stronger than last season!"

Barry said proudly: "This is what I mentioned before. The Knicks know how to win. They won once. Everyone on the team is very young. This team has a great future!"

·Jones' successor, Jimmie Rodgers, served as an assistant under Louis when he was the head coach of the Celtics.

At that time, he also looked down upon Louis because of his age. Now, he regards Louis as the most terrifying figure in the league.

The double-teaming of Isiah Thomas just now was definitely premeditated.

"Pay attention to keep in touch. Once the ball holder is double-teamed, others must take the initiative to respond!"

Rogers reminded me on the spot that these are the most basic ones.

When Thomas dribbled over again, Louis shouted from behind: "Isiah, these guys under me don't understand the rules, you have to be patient!"

The Knicks' defense maintained its consistent aggressiveness.

The Celtics didn't adapt.

They have also played more intense games, but they did not expect the Knicks to play like this from the first meeting in the regular season.

The Celtics don't know that the Knicks' intra-squad competition is much more intense than this, and everyone comes here like this.

Under Louis's request, the Knicks have indeed become a team that pays attention to confrontation at all times, is eager for physical combat, and desperately seeks collisions with the opponent in order to stifle the opponent's will.

Benjamin Wilson is the one who went too far.

Like a demon, he forced Harper to retreat after receiving the ball. His defense was so oppressive, like a piranha with its mouth open. His overwhelming aura did not give Harper a chance to breathe.

.

Harper only hesitated for a moment before Wilson slapped the ball out of his hand and it bounced out of bounds.

Louis has seen players like Wilson before, but he has never seen them before.

His aggressiveness is not like Jordan's murderous intention to eat up his opponents. It is close to Garnett's, as if he wants to spontaneously combust and drag his opponents to death. Therefore, he often cannot control his energy and let it leak out. But plus

Nate's biggest problem is that he cares a little too much. He cares about too many things, so he is not like Duncan and Nowitzki, who can press the alarm at a life or death moment and enter the "Give me the ball and let others roll"

"On" mode.

Wilson is different. He has Garnett's fireworks, the energy that infects others, but he doesn't care about too many things like Garnett.

All he wants is to destroy his opponent.

This is a Garnett with a killing mentality.

Louis saw the fear in Harper's eyes. He didn't expect Wilson to make such great progress in one summer.

Last season, Wilson was an excellent defender.

This season, he has taken a step further.

The improvement on the offensive end still needs to be tested in more games.

On the defensive end, he has become the Knicks' number one perimeter defender.

Compared with before, the Knicks' offense has many differences in addition to still focusing on the system.

One difference is that Ewing has been given more opportunities to catch the ball.

Louis designed a lot of tactics for him to support him with the ball in the low post.

Because the main opponent after the Knicks, if nothing else, is Jordan's Trail Blazers.

Even with the acquisition of Rick Schmitz, their inside line is still a weakness.

Developing Ewing's offense can enhance the Knicks' inside advantage.

Miller and Wilson opened up, and Stockton passed the ball.

The Celtics trusted Laimbeer's single defense, so no one double-teamed him. In the right corner, Wilson pretended to run to the line, then suddenly turned back and ran to cut the baseline, leaving Harper behind.

Ewing threw the ball over like a hydrangea ball, and Wilson then jumped up, played an elegant rainbow circle lever under the basket, and hit the board.

6 to 0

"I have thought about many starts, but this one is the only one that is unexpected." Barry said something that made Celtic supporters dissatisfied. "Even without Larry Bird, Boston shouldn't be in such a mess.

, what happened to them?"

Maybe it was because Barry wasn't in the game. He didn't see that the Knicks' intensity was overwhelming the Celtics.

When the outside line is left open, it becomes difficult to hit the inside line.

Laimbeer came out and shot a three-pointer.

But since Louis left, no one has asked him to strengthen his three-point shooting practice. He himself is a lazy man who neglects training, and it is doomed that his three-point shooting rate will gradually decline.

Shooting a three-pointer at this time is like a forced choice with no other options.

"boom!"