The rest is just noise

Unlike the 76ers, the Celtics took some time off before the start of the Eastern Conference Finals.

It only took Bill Fitch a minute to decide that he would use a pocket formation to deal with the 76ers.

"Although Dr.J's impact is very difficult, as long as we can make the pocket airtight, he won't be able to fly even if he really has wings." Fitch said seriously, "Remember this, no matter what

, we cannot allow him to dance in the penalty area."

Louis was happy to see that Fitch liked his pocket formation so much, but he was worried about Andrew Toney under the 76ers' bench.

"Who's going to guard Andrew Toney?" Louis asked directly, without hiding it.

Fiqi was startled when he heard this, then smiled and said: "Don't worry, he can't kill us alone."

Louis is not as optimistic as Fitch.

The pocket formation is mainly afraid of two things, the three-pointer from the top of the arc, and the unsolvable mid-range one-on-one.

In order to defend Harden, the future Bucks, who will develop pocket formations to the extreme, will develop a strategy of using Harden's right hand and guarding his left hand.

Even so, it's still hard to prevent.

Tony is a typical mid-range one-on-one player.

Since Fitch believed that they would not be killed by Tony, Louis couldn't say any more, so he took out another piece of data.

It took a long time to prepare data for the 76ers.

The 76ers are the league's top defensive team, but they are not a team that likes to press their opponents, force mistakes and defend against counterattacks.

They are a team that is very good at reducing the opponent's shooting percentage, because they have four players with long arms and legs who can fly into the sky on the defensive end. The air dominance must be theirs.

When all tactics have lost their effect and the players' fighting spirit has become a priority, they can also let go of their arrogance and do rough work with the Celtics.

This is why they are so difficult to defeat.

Louis originally hoped to use this data to give Fitch some inspiration.

Unexpectedly, this old boy was holding the data as if he had found a treasure, and actually said: "This is why we are determined to use the pocket formation against the 76ers! They like to attack the penalty area too much!"

There are several statistics in this data. They are that the 76ers rank first in the league in scoring in the penalty area and they rank first in the league in damage caused under the basket.

However, Fitch ignored several other data.

The 76ers are also No. 1 in the league in forcing opponents to score from the basket, and their defensive intensity in forcing opponents to take mid- and long-range shots is also No. 1 in the league.

The most terrifying statistic is that their counterattack scoring after grabbing defensive rebounds ranks first in the league.

In an era where defense wins championships, one thing the 76ers' advanced numbers reflect is that they are well-suited for the playoffs.

The way they play is prepared for the playoffs.

It seems that Fitch just wants to practice pocket formation more intensively and has no other special preparations.

Louis was a little helpless.

In this case, we can only resort to tricks.

You can never defeat the 76ers with just one pocket formation.

Watching the players start training, Louis was thinking about another question. Is this Celtics stronger than the original 1981 Celtics that had not undergone any changes?

In terms of personnel, McHale and Parrish are missing, but John Long, Laimbeer and Sampson are added.

However, the Celtics' offensive system limits Long's performance. Laimbeer's current immediate combat ability can only be regarded as a makeshift starter. Sampson's combat ability is good, but he lacks confrontation and needs time to grow.

The original Celtics have Parish, who averages nearly 20+10 points per game, and McHale, who can already play a role in the sixth man position.

If you look at it this way, at this stage, it should be almost the same as the original version of the Celtics. It may be a little worse in tough battles, but its growth potential is much higher.

Both Laimbeer and Sampson have just started their careers⑴, and Long's firepower needs to be unleashed tactically.

Is this enough to defeat the 76ers? Louis is not sure.

The evening of April 21, 1981

Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The Celtics had an unexpected situation. Starting defender Archibald was out due to injury, and Fitch had to let Gerald Henderson play as his substitute.

The 76ers' starting lineup is relatively fixed, still the same five players from last year.

Dr. J, Dawkins, Caldwell Jones, Cheeks and Lionel Hollins.

They also have two important players sitting off the field, Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones.

Moreover, their starting No. 2 player Doug Collins was retired for the season due to a stress fracture. The 76ers, like the Celtics, do not have a complete lineup.

It was a rough start for both sides.

The 76ers wanted to fight, and the Celtics set up a pocket formation.

The 76ers, who won the jump ball, faltered on their first offense and were forced to let Dawkins pull up to shoot from the high post.

Naturally, there is no such ball.

The Celtics went to the frontcourt, and the 76ers quickly retreated and started to use tactics slowly. Bird just had a chance to attack the basket, and Dr. J followed up like a whirlwind and blocked it.

But the 76ers' offense is also faced with difficulties.

The pocket formation blocked Dr. J's breakthrough space, and he barely managed to shoot from the high post, but missed.

Dawkins grabbed the rebound, but Laimbeer roughly hit the ball with both hands and knocked the ball out of bounds.

The young referee Richard Bavetta saw this level of contact and had no reaction at all, and actually ruled that the 76ers were out of bounds.

"It really works!" Fitch yelled, "If you are so defensive, I will kill anyone who dares to leak his pocket!"

Louis has been uneasy ever since he saw Dawkins running up high to shoot in an attempt to break the pocket.

The 76ers' offense seems random, but Dawkins will never run to the high post to shoot. They must have been guarding against the Celtics' move.

Moreover, they know very well that shooting from the high post is the key to breaking down the pocket formation.

Louis looked at the 76ers' court, where Andrew Tony was sitting comfortably. I wonder if this killer, who was almost selected by the Celtics last year, would wield the butcher's knife tonight?

Louis is worried that the 76ers' offense is getting worse every time.

They can't seem to find a good way to break the pocket formation.

Instead, the Celtics' offense gradually opened up their hands and feet.

John Long ran at Bird's signal, stopped suddenly, and caught the ball on the left wing of the free throw line, his favorite spot in college.

Pick and roll to keep up!

Louis clenched his fist, which was one of the "L" tactics. Long took advantage of the pick-and-roll to find a perfect gap and scored a jump shot.

“!@#%@!……”

"John Long's shot was just like Sam Jones back then!" Johnny Most directly blew Long away.

⑴In reality, 1980-81 was Laimbeer's first season. After being drafted in 1979, he went to Europe to play for a year before joining the NBA. In 1981, he averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds per game, which was okay, but compared with the same period.

The Chief is definitely incomparable (I point this out specifically to prevent you from overestimating Laimbeer's combat power during this period. He only gradually entered his peak period in 8384).