The rest is just noise

With 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Andrew Tony strode into the fence prepared for him by the Celtics.

At the last moment, he remembered Billy Cunningham's instructions and handed the ball to his leader.

Dr. J, he runs gracefully and wants to get the ball.

But in the end, the ball was swatted away by Larry Bird's outstretched hand and intercepted.

"Larry stole the ball!!!"

Johnny Most roared just like when Havlicek completed the steal of the century.

His voice was so majestic that it caused the garden to boil completely, like a pot of boiling water, causing everyone in it to scream out uncontrollably.

The 76ers' mistakes at critical moments allowed the Celtics to seal the victory.

105 to 104

The Celtics defended their home court with a 1-point advantage and won the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Sampson, who was beaten to six fouls by Andrew Toney and left the game, excitedly pounced on Bird.

Laimbeer had roughly pushed Bird to the ground, and then a group of teammates rushed over.

Louis' expression was serious.

What he expected, or what should have happened, did not happen.

The 76ers did not concentrate their firepower in the mid-range. Andrew Toney was really determined and violently attacked their penalty area.

The victory is certainly gratifying, but the 76ers only lost by 1 point without a large number of mid-range shots, and Tony defeated Sampson by only relying on breakthroughs to cause damage.

The inner story hidden in this is horrifying to think about.

Bill Fitch's expression was very relaxed. This victory confirmed what he said that the 76ers could not kill them by shooting.

He regarded it as inevitable that Tony and the 76ers team would rush into the penalty area crazily.

"They can't win if they don't do this!" Fitch said confidently to K.C. Jones.

Louis wasn't listening to their summary. He was not interested in Fitch's conclusion. This victory was something to be happy about, but there were many details.

Although Tony's breakthrough was affected by the pocket formation, his lethality was still the same. He scored 30 points in the game, 14 of which were scored on free throws. Moreover, the referees have low tolerance for first-year fouls. This problem still exists in the playoffs.

.

Sampson gets fouled more often than others.

When Sampson is in foul trouble, his defense will not be so effective. Once he is knocked off the court, the most important sweeper of the pocket formation will no longer exist, and the power of the defensive formation will also be greatly reduced.

After the game, 76ers coach Billy Cunningham said solemnly: "The outcome of the series will be determined by small things that seem insignificant. We messed up a lot of small things tonight.

This is where we need to summarize.”

Fitch was very excited. As usual, he said something that made the media happy and boosted morale: "Boston is better than Philadelphia in every aspect. We have a great leader Larry, a great rookie Ralph, and we have

A true bunch of warriors. We cracked the Liberty Bell tonight and spoiled their milk and cheese."

Louis did not expect that a speech to the media could keep up with current affairs and highlight the recent popular food safety issues in Philadelphia.

Fitch's interview satisfied the media; they just wanted to hear this kind of answer.

It is both interesting and can create news hot spots.

Louis didn't say much else. He asked the CBS TV personnel at the scene to get a copy of the video of tonight's game.

Although they did not broadcast the game live, they sent a live broadcast truck and cameras to record the entire game.

If necessary, they will postpone the game on videotape.

Although the game was fierce today, it was not a classic game. Except for Bird's final steal, there were no other hot spots. Therefore, this videotape will only be sealed in the CBS database and will never be seen in the world.

But NBA teams can ask for backup from TV stations, which is part of the broadcast contract.

Louis got the tape and watched the game again when he got home.

He watched a 130-minute game for three hours.

Because he recorded every offensive method of the 76ers in detail.

Tonight, 64% of the 76ers' offense occurred at the basket, most of which were dribbling breakthroughs led by Tony.

Then, there are nearly 20% mid-range jump shots.

Moreover, all their players, including Dawkins, attempted mid-range jump shots. Except for Dr. J, all of them made at least one mid-range shot.

A terrible phenomenon.

The Celtics' pocket formation is very primitive. It is not like the Bucks in 2019-20, which has a wing group with amazing athletic ability to conduct large-scale rotation defense, and will only miss three-pointers from the top of the arc at most.

If the 76ers work hard in the mid-range, the Celtics' pocket formation will become a bluff, and they will have no way to deal with their mid-range shots. Because except for Sampson, there is really no second athlete in the Celtics team.

A powerful inside or wing player.

Maxwell may be considered one, but even if he defends very hard, the effect of off-ball defense is very average.

With this victory guaranteed, Louis knew Fitch would hold on to the pocket formation until the end, unless the Celtics were pushed into a desperate situation.

Louis has understood that no matter whether it is a large pocket arranged in the paint area or a small pocket designed on the edge of the paint area, facing the repeated attacks from Tony and Dr. J, they can only be passively beaten.

The key to victory for the Celtics today is defensive counterattack.

This was the 76ers' specialty, but the Celtics used their pocket formation to prevent their attacks many times. Bird managed the counterattack smoothly.

When the Celtics' counterattack score was more than twice that of the 76ers, the 76ers certainly couldn't win.

In order to prepare for the most likely accident, Louis designed some defensive routines and offensive changes overnight.

But these changes cannot be made immediately.

Fitch is intoxicated with victory. Don't disturb him. Let him be happy for a few days.

Louis has reason to believe that the 76ers' counterattack will come soon. How fast it will come depends on the ability of their coaching staff.

It was late at night, he rubbed his eyes, and it was almost five o'clock in the morning.

He is tired and sleepy now, and a little hungry.

If he lies down to sleep, he will definitely not be able to get up until noon.

After much deliberation, he decided to set an alarm clock. He had to sleep for a while.

When Louis arrived at Greek Academy the next day, Fitch was emphasizing to the players the necessity of sticking to the pocket formation.

"Did you know the great Dr. J only got a few points yesterday?"

"Only 12 points!"

he said loudly.

His words were so inflammatory that no matter who he was, he would be excited to hear his tone.

"He scored fewer points than Cedric!" Fitch laughed. "Let's be honest, that's a feat!"

While everyone was laughing, Louis said in a rather ignorant tone: "Congratulations, lazy dog."

Then everyone laughed louder, and Maxwell's face froze.

Well, only Maxwell's Wounded World - reached.