The rest is just noise

When Cunningham stopped the game, Louis said to Bird who was walking off the court: "Larry, I remember when you signed with the team, you said you were going to kick the butts of players who were paid more than you.

I think you've got the chance now."

Bird glanced back at Louis.

It was just an ordinary look, but Louis felt other meanings from his eyes.

"Keep your eyes open," Bird said sarcastically, "and you'll see Philly's naked butts howling."

Even though there isn't a strictly Philly guy on the 76ers, Louis nodded and said, "Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

It's not entirely unreasonable for Louis to provoke Bird. He wants to arouse Bird's anger, open the door to his potential, and let this superstar who never needs too much attention to dominate the game find the switch.

In Louis' eyes, there is only one standard for judging superstars.

That is whether he can play incredible games that you can't imagine.

Before taking the court, Bird pulled up his pants.

With a score difference of 15 to 4, if Bird breaks out, the 76ers will be unable to withstand it.

Sampson also came to the court. According to Fitch (Louis)'s instructions, in addition to limiting the 76ers' attacks on the penalty area, he also had to pay attention to Bobby Jones's movements. If he wanted to run to the mid-range to catch the ball and shoot, he would

Follow him out and forbid him from doing that.

Sampson couldn't be the protagonist in this section because of Bird.

Bird began to do what Louis called incredible things.

He has been with the team for two seasons, and this is the first time Louis has seen him become a superstar. Only with such performance can he be worthy of being the MVP of the season, beating Dr. J.

Bird first broke through Doctor's defense with the ball on the offensive end.

He couldn't get rid of Doc, but his offense was enough to disrupt the 76ers' defense. Maxwell took the opportunity to attack the basket, and Bird's pass flew unexpectedly into Maxwell's hands.

The latter dunks when he gets the ball;

Half a minute later, Bird saw through the 76ers' tactics again, intercepted the pass and launched a fast break;

In the low post, he withstood Black Jones' back attack and allowed the opponent to hit a three-pointer;

Sampson blocked Cheeks' breakthrough, grabbed the rebound and saw a white phantom in front of him, then grabbed the ball with one hand and threw it forward, knowing that Bird would definitely make the ball.

Bird caught the ball and made a layup;

In the last minute of the first quarter, the Celtics rushed to grab offensive rebounds continuously. Bird's position was so amazing. He stood under the basket that should be occupied by the center, with open hands to trap Dawkins behind him. He

He used a small move to push Dawkins' body back, and with those divine hands that could create anything, he grabbed the offensive rebound. He expected that the chocolate bomb behind him would jump up to block the shot, so he immediately threw the ball toward the backboard.

.

Although it was blocked by Dawkins, the basketball was the first to touch the backboard, so it was an interference ball;

34 to 18

Bird had 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a single quarter. It is no exaggeration to say that he was the dominant player in the first quarter.

Louis threw the towel into Bird's face, "It's so awesome, you kicked the Phillies' butt into the shape of a football."

"Can you still poop?" Bird asked rudely.

Louis smiled and said: "How about you kick them back to their original state?"

Bird's face showed his trademark smile pretending to be successful: "This is the only thing I am willing to help."

Fitch wanted to let the outstanding lineup continue to play, but Louis had already seen the fatigue of Archibald and Carr. He suggested replacing Archibald with Randy Smith and letting John Long play.

Serve as the second point of firepower.

"But... John has never been our second firepower." Fitch felt something was wrong.

Louis said: "His firepower is limited by our system that has been suppressing it. In this game, defense is not the focus, the focus is the quality of our offense. In the previous four games, John's performance was not good. If he can open up this point,

It will fundamentally change our offensive posture."

Hearing this, Fiqi's face became solemn.

Suddenly, he asked: "Is this what you call the barrel theory?"

"Yes, the shortest board determines the upper limit of the system." Louis said.

So far, the game has gone smoothly according to Louis' plan, and Fitch has no reason to reject his suggestion.

Therefore, he adjusted the lineup as Louis suggested.

Fitch ordered, and Louis walked up to Long and said: "John, you are no longer a fixed-point shooter. Use your strengths. This is a big stage, and everyone will see your strengths."

Lang saw how Louis fought for opportunities for him, and he was excited and grateful.

In this strange city, only Louis was thinking about him.

"I won't let you down." Lang said solemnly.

"I believe you won't." Louis patted his shoulder.

In the first round of the game, Maxwell was too eager to start killing Dr. J, and was charged an offensive foul.

Maxwell asked earnestly: "Doctor, why are you rolling around like a scoundrel? This will seriously damage your image."

Dr. J's face turned red, and he didn't like it either.

He was a man who was trapped by his image and eventually lost himself. Hearing Maxwell's words, he forcefully defended himself: "Victory is above all else!"

Bobby Jones pulled outside, and Sampson followed the instructions.

At this time, Bird needs to face off against Dawkins. Dawkins runs from the short corner to the penalty area and Jones passes the ball.

Dawkins immediately jumped into the air after receiving the ball. This is a great talent that Bird could not match even with all his efforts.

With a bang, Dawkins dunked hard with his backhand under the basket.

"This move is called 'Boston Dies Tonight'!" Dawkins shouted wildly.

Furthermore, the referee gave Bird a body hair whistle.

Johnny Most asked loudly: "MVP doesn't even have any privileges?"

Dawkins scored a free throw. He was different from those rough guys who had strong bodies but no skills. Although he was not as good as other famous insiders of the same era, his skills were not bad. He had all the skills that a center should have.

Following Louis' instructions, Lang started running.

Randy Smith raises his butt to protect the ball. He is not a pure point guard, but he has good ball-holding skills and can carry the ball through half the court without any pressure.

The Celtics moved the ball widely.

From Smith to Sampson, from Sampson to Bird.

The moment Bird got the ball, he had already observed Long's running. He passed through the basket and was about to appear outside the three-point line in the right corner.

Bird's eyes were like an eagle's eye, locking in the position where the opportunity was bound to appear, and he passed the ball ahead of time.

"John Long in position!"

"Catch Larry's pass!"

"Turn around and shoot!"

"Play the board! Fight the board!" Most shouted loudly, "This young man is so hot when he comes up!"

36 to 21

Louis clapped his hands gently and continued to watch.

The 76ers became anxious.

Maxwell's trash talk to Dr. J made the doctor flustered.

The lob to Dawkins was too strong and the ball went out of bounds.

"Ralph!" Louie yelled, pointing to the free throw line.

Sampson nodded.

Randy Smith dribbled over and saw Sampson asking for the ball from the free throw line. His goal was huge and it was easy to give the ball to him. He also had the highest height in the game.

A lob, Sampson raised his hand to catch the ball.

Within one second, John Long used Sampson's body as a pillar, circled around and caught the ball, just to the left of the free throw line.

During his college days, he made countless shots from this position.

At this moment, the muscle memory of the past returned to his body. He jumped up confidently, aimed at the basket, and took another shot.

"Whoosh!"

Rick Barry praised: "John's release is very fast and he looks confident. He is a very good pitcher!"

Russell began to brag about himself, saying that Celtics players have always been very sacrificial and would refrain from performing at their best for the sake of the overall situation.

The 76ers' most dangerous assassin, Andrew Toney, escaped the double team set for him by Louis.

His first step was too quick.

Smith has no muscles and cannot fight.

Sampson was pulled outside by White Jones and was short of help defenders, so he pushed him into the penalty area and scored a layup.

This kind of score is bound to be lost.

Louis is not surprised, the important thing is to play well in the next game.

Under Louis' instructions, John Long ran without the ball in college and did not shoot any three-pointers, which completely disrupted the 76ers' plan.

They only regarded Long as a full-time shooter before, but suddenly he became the offensive arrow of the Celtics, and he had specific cover tactics.

Sampson doesn't need to do anything else, and he doesn't have to go against Fitch's wishes to play tactics he has never played before. He just needs to maximize the high-post pick-and-roll that Fitch is proud of.

In Fitch's system, Long is the player responsible for opening up space. He has not obtained the tactical position of high pick-and-roll. Now Louis just hands over the pick-and-roll benefits that originally belonged to other defenders. He does not need space.

attack.

The most valuable characteristic of all mid-range shooters is that they don't take up space on the offensive end.

Long's resurgence caused chaos in the 76ers' formation.

They lost their target and didn't know who to guard against.

At this time, Maxwell began to kill Dr. J.

Although his shooting is not outstanding, his ability to hit the basket is perhaps the strongest on the Celtics team. He dares to fight, has a bandit-like personality, and has a poisonous tongue.

At halftime, the 76ers were losing ground. Not only were they unable to narrow the score, but they also saw the point difference widening even further due to Dr. J's wonderful performance.

The Boston Globe’s meanest reporter and writer, Bob Ryan, recorded his impressions of the first half: “In the first four games of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics trailed the 76ers after every timeout, but tonight,

They hit the right spot every step of the way and left Billy Cunningham scratching his head."

Fitch received praise, while Louis gained popularity internally.

At halftime, the Celtics led the 76ers by an astonishing 64 to 42, leading by 22 points.