The rest is just noise

April 24, 1981

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Spectrum Arena

Two days later, the third round of the Eastern Conference Finals ushered in.

Before the game, beloved Sixers home announcer Dave Zinkoff told fans: "Before tonight, Boston had lost 11 straight games on the Spectrum."

Louis became silent.

As Auerbach said, he has to wait.

Wait for Fitch to come to him. If he loses this battle, maybe Fitch will come. If he wins, Fitch is likely to stick to his ideas to the end.

Louis doesn't want to waste time in the unknown, he wants to make his waiting meaningful.

Therefore, he decided to record every 76ers offense during the game.

Especially the shot selection and position of those core players, as well as the methods they used in every attack in this game.

Fitch's behavior of humiliating Maxwell in front of the media caused him to lose the respect of the players, but it was also the burden of being insulted by his own coach that made the Celtics treat the game as seriously as soldiers on the battlefield.

.

A fight between dragons and tigers ensued.

In the first quarter, 27 to 31, the 76ers led by 4 points.

Tonight was a rough night, as Dr. J found his shooting touch outside of the Celtics' pocket.

The rise of Irving has brought something different to the 76ers.

Dawkins and Caldwell Jones stepped up to take on Sampson.

Finally, the much-anticipated super star fought an extremely subpar battle.

He missed all 8 shots in the first half and was abandoned by Fitch.

The consequence of Fitch abandoning Sampson is that the Celtics can no longer have a solid pocket formation. The Phillies, who are in good condition, will attack the city and uproot the Celtics' pocket.

It’s the third section again, a critical node.

Dr. J and Andrew Toney, one on the wing and the other in the high post, attacked the Celtics at the same time.

Bobby Jones harassed Bird like Spider-Man, Sampson was thrown off the court, Laimbeer? Archibald? Maxwell? None of them were enough to stand up and save the game at this moment.

Maxwell wanted to be a hero, so he took the initiative to challenge the doctor, but failed.

He tried his best to extend to the outside to defend the 76ers' shots, but failed.

Louis saw his efforts.

35 to 20

In this wave, the 76ers defeated the Celtics.

The fourth quarter was tense, but it was just what the 76ers' home announcer described as a death throes.

When Maxwell fell heavily to the floor while fighting for a rebound that had no bearing on the outcome, but no one helped him, the game was over.

114 to 100

The 76ers defeated the Celtics again with a 14-point advantage.

Taking a 2-1 lead in the series.

Moreover, this is the Celtics' twelfth consecutive loss at Spectrum Arena.

Now, it's the 76ers' turn to have home court advantage, and the pressure completely falls on the Celtics.

76ers coach Cunningham told the "Philadelphia Inquirer": "If the Bostonians can't win the game the day after tomorrow, I think they will be in big trouble."

"Why?" the reporter asked naively.

"Oh my god! Do they expect to win three games in a row against us when they are down 1-3?" Cunningham said a little frantically.

He was joking a bit, and the story of leading his opponent 3-1 and then being overturned by winning three games in a row somewhat poked at the unsavory past of this former all-American campus girl's dream lover.

On the other hand, Bill Fitch refused to be interviewed by the media.

Now, he has not only alienated his relationship with the players, but also cut off contact with the media.

The media can only assume that he is desperate.

When Louis saw him running towards the locker room with an angry look on his face, he knew someone was about to suffer something serious.

He must follow up and comfort him with a good voice after Fitch's roar destroyed everyone's will. This is also what the assistant coach should do.

"You bunch of bastards! You played a disgusting game!"

His fire was particularly focused on Sampson, and he didn't care whether this newcomer was a future Celtics player.

"Ralph, you fucking think you're still in school? You're as soft as shit!"

He then directed his ire at Maxwell, who, like Sampson, had a poor performance.

"Cedric, you are not only a lazy dog, but also a stupid dog! And I seriously doubt your gender. You have no fucking manliness at all. You lie on the field like a stupid bitch in heat and let Andrew...

Tony raped you%￥#%”

Disgusting words flew out of his mouth one after another.

His rage lasted nearly 10 minutes.

Finally, Fitch slammed the door and left.

Louis originally wanted to comfort them, but he underestimated the extent of Fitch's anger and overestimated his ability to organize language.

This room is filled with negative energy.

No matter what you say, nothing can heal the wound.

"Let's all go back to the hotel." Louis said. He couldn't say much. "You still have games to play, and the series is not over yet."

Byrd left silently, Sampson also disappeared quickly, and everyone else left one by one, except Maxwell who did not move.

"Now, you can laugh at me all you want." Maxwell's face turned pale. "You know I can't refute."

Of course Louis is willing to do the thing of rubbing salt into the wound and beating the sinking dog so that the player who hates him the most in the team will collapse directly. But he doesn't want to do this because no one knows whether Maxwell's life will be in danger after driving him crazy.

"I'm not going to do that."

"You may not believe it, but I appreciate your performance so far."

Louis sat down next to Maxwell, detailing his bright moments tonight, "I saw you taking the initiative to ask for the ball after Doc's explosion and you succeeded; I saw you eager to guard Bobby...

Jones' shot, but he was so accurate tonight; I also saw you trying to step up and save the team after Larry was frozen, and you failed, but your courage was commendable; you know what else I saw?"

Maxwell had no idea he had so many things to boast about.

He looked at Louis and couldn't help but ask what it was, but he didn't say anything.

"The moment I admire you most is when you knew there was no hope of winning, and you fell to the ground from a height of 80 centimeters while rushing for a rebound with Daryl Dawkins." Louis laughed jokingly, "If

You are a bitch, then you should be the toughest bitch I have ever seen, enough to break the genitals of Philadelphians. You have nothing to be ashamed of, I saw the best tonight

Cedric Maxwell."

This is really ironic.

Maxwell never expected that when he was most discouraged, the person who encouraged him would be Louis.

The person he hates the most and the person he most wants kicked off the team.

"You fell very hard just now. Now go to Arnie (the team doctor) and ask him to check you. If there is any problem, go to the hospital for a comprehensive examination."

After that, Louis also left.

Although he doesn't like Maxwell's usual careless attitude, after being polished in this year's playoffs and being baptized by Fitch's "Zuan poisonous chicken soup" that he will remember forever for the rest of his life, he believes in this person.

There will be changes.

Maxwell is the oldest player on the team and the only representative of the Havlicek era. Normally, he is an affable guy who likes to joke around. Most of his teammates love him, otherwise Fitch would not have appreciated him before.

he.

He did not wait for the day when he became the core of the team. After the team selected Bird, he lived under the wings of the other party. This changed his mentality. Anyone who saw the stable core position was replaced by another person

It's impossible to snatch it away without any reaction.

In the next two years, he couldn't compete with Bird, so he vented his frustration on the training field and the court. He became a mean trash talker and developed lazy defensive habits.

Then, it's now.

The series between the Celtics and the 76ers, if they fight to the end, will definitely be the ultimate showdown of talent, body, endurance, and belief.

To defeat this monster, they need Maxwell's resurrection.

Two days later, they returned to Spectrum.

The crowd smelled blood on Friday night. During the pregame cheers, jazz master Grover Washington played the American national anthem on his saxophone, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

With no more variables, the Celtics operated their system to the extreme and were tied with the 76ers for the entire first half.

In the third quarter, Andrew Tony held a bloody butcher knife and once again became the game-breaker. He made 4 of 6 mid-range shots in a single quarter, making the Celtics' defense lose sight of one thing. Moreover, Tony's goals were all from the top of the arc.

Attacking with the ball, this seriously shook the Celtics' defensive confidence.

In the first half, which was originally tied, after Tony's explosion, the 76ers led by 17 points entering the fourth quarter.

Bird roared angrily, kicked over the bench, and shouted, "I don't want to fucking lose like this!"

Then, the Celtics caught up to a 1-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

The 76ers' super sixth man Bobby Jones has become a player who dominates critical moments.

Sampson missed a mid-range shot, Jones got the rebound and made a long pass to Dr. J.

Dr. J's fast break was missed by Maxwell, and Dawkins also missed the tip-in. If Bird had enough bounce speed, he could get the rebound, but he didn't. So, White Jones flew up from behind

, grab the rebound and complete the tip-in.

"White Lightning has pushed the Bostonians to a dead end, and the 76ers are sure to win!"

After that, Bai Jones flashed out again and stole the Celtics' serve, ending the suspense of the game.

107 to 105, 3 to 1, only one game away from the 76ers advancing to the finals again.

For some reason, Louis didn't see despair on the players' faces. It would be unacceptable to insist on any other emotions.

They are full of unwillingness.

This was a winnable game, just a little bit short.

They were about to leave the game when suddenly, the 76ers' announcer Zinkov informed all fans at the scene through the public address system: "Tickets for the finals will go on sale in 10 minutes."

This move was like stepping on a dog's tail. Within half a second, the entire Celtics team was furious.

"What the fuck, Pennsylvania guy, we'll see!"

Maxwell roared angrily.