The rest is just noise

The 76ers, who wanted to defeat the Celtics with a crisp 4-1 in the Garden, suffered an unprecedented blow.

Trailing by 22 points at halftime and 25 points in the third quarter.

Judging from the content of the game, it seems that they are two levels of teams, but everyone knows that the gap between them is not that big.

Billy Cunningham was chagrined and disturbed.

No one wants to beat the Celtics more than he does. This is the nightmare and shadow of his playing days.

"John Long's outbreak completely caught us by surprise." Cunningham said with great confusion. "According to the intelligence we received, he is not a player who is good at scoring in the mid-range."

It's hard to blame Cunningham, and he's right.

In the NBA, Long is not a player who is good at scoring in the mid-range, because this skill of his was banned after his rookie season.

The Celtics don't need his midrange.

Under Fitch's system, there is no need for an attacking defender who is constantly running around the inside. Since his ball-holding ability is unreliable in high-intensity competition sessions, he cannot yet serve as an attacker to supplement the team's offense. If it were not for Louis to lead

If he practices three-pointers, he may not even be able to start.

Long's three-point threat makes him a unique spacing point for the Celtics.

But he has never practiced three-pointers before, and he is learning from scratch. He cannot catch the ball and shoot three-pointers while running like a future shooter.

His three-point shooting percentage on open catches is only 33%.

This was enough in the 1980s.

A man as strong as Bird and a legend in the Three-Point Contest only shot 33.1% from three-point range in the first four years of his career.

In other words, Long's catch-and-shoot three-pointers are already at the top level compared to others of his generation.

Long's explosion was so sudden that the 76ers had no preparation. They watched him make mid-range shots one after another, finishing with 24 points, second only to Bird.

In the fourth quarter, Sampson danced around in garbage time, playing the point forward and scoring 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Throughout the game, the Celtics' offense was like mercury pouring down the ground, without giving the 76ers any chance.

This is tactically targeted restraint and strategic victory.

All the goals that Louis set before formulating the game plan were not only accomplished, but most of them were exceeded.

Cheeks was in a downturn throughout the game;

Andrew Toney's shooting percentage was suppressed to below 45% and he only scored 16 points;

Dr. J was at a disadvantage in the matchup with Bird and Maxwell. Bird's statistics and performance crushed him. Maxwell was evenly matched with him, but his vicious mouth beat Dr. J into oblivion.

How can Dr. J, who has always been promoted as a saint by his management team, accept this?

His mentality was lost in these things, the team was slaughtered, he had a seemingly acceptable 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 turnovers that were ignored by the Phillies.

As the second-placed player in the MVP voting this season, he was outscored by Bird, who scored 36 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

Sampson's restraint on Bobby Jones was successful, and the White Lightning failed to shine tonight.

The 76ers' strategy of attacking the penalty area has also been a great success. Tonight is the only game in the five games of the Eastern Conference Finals where the Celtics have higher scoring and efficiency in the penalty area than the 76ers.

Let the opponent achieve all the pre-game strategic goals, how can Philadelphia be undefeated?

The only player the 76ers salute for them is Lionel Hollins, who doesn't get much attention.

"L Train" scored a team-high 23 points.

This is their only bright spot.

The Celtics defended the Garden and once again let the world see their heartfelt sense of glory.

Bill Russell said: "As long as they can maintain this tone, it will be difficult for the 76ers to defeat them in the series!"

On the night of the disastrous defeat, Cunningham tried to summarize, but he couldn't.

There are too many questions, how can we summarize them in a few minutes?

Boston Strangler Andrew Toney said forcefully: "Congratulations to the Celtics, but for us, this series is just the difference between winning tonight or winning tomorrow night."

His speech was exactly the voice of the 76ers.

It was just a negligent failure.

If this is the case, congratulations to them indeed. They can sell tickets for one more game at home. The boss must be very happy about this.

Katz, the owner of the 76ers, is famous for his love of basketball. An owner who loves basketball should let him make money.

With a smile on his face, Louis looked up at the garden.

That's where the glory lies.

It is the soul of this team.

Bill Fitch said he didn't understand the glory of the Celtics, but he had to stand under this glorious jersey and flag and command the team 41 nights every season.

Louis is also not able to fully understand "Celtic Glory", but he stood here tonight, on a stage that was related to the survival of the team, and directed a game according to his own wishes throughout the entire process.

He won!

"Are you enjoying it now?"

With a rough voice, Louis recognized the speaker instantly.

He looked back and saw Reed Auerbach holding a Cuban cigar in his mouth. The smoke from the cigar slowly rose, creating a mysterious pressure.

In the beginning, Louis would feel pressure every time he saw Auerbach.

"I just..." Louis searched for the feeling in his heart, "I'm very excited."

"You should be excited. You did something tonight that a 21-year-old kid couldn't possibly do." Auerbach held a cigar. "But you did it. Be proud of your performance. But I'll wait for you tomorrow."

When you wake up, it's a new day, and you know it's not over yet."

Louis walked into the tunnel accompanied by Auerbach, and the stuffy and stinky air disappeared.

Louis unconsciously got used to the garden environment.

He entered the locker room, Fitch had left, and the players were reviewing the game.

"Bob Ryan said, every move we made tonight was right, he said we're going in the right direction." Louie said, "What's right? How can he know for sure? He's just a mean person."

Reporter, he doesn’t understand anything.”

Everyone looked at Louis, and everyone knew who the unsung hero of tonight's game was.

"I don't think there is a right direction on the field, because we and the 76ers are both outstanding teams. We have outstanding talents, and you will bring unlimited possibilities to the game, and any possibility will make the game better."

Off course! So, rather than the direction, we are pursuing a fruit tree growing with 'victory' fruit! All of us are obsessed with its taste and make a living from it! Our world cannot accommodate other garbage

, in order to satisfy our hunger, we must continue to move forward!”

"There will always be a day when we can no longer find the fruits of victory and starve to death, but I believe that this day will not be May 1."

The young and energetic Ralph Sampson responded to Louis as he addressed Fitch: "Yes, you're absolutely right, Coach!"

Auerbach stood at the door with a cigar in his mouth and said nothing.

Who says a 21-year-old kid can't become a head coach?

There is a smile on the corner of his mouth, but more of it is his expectation for the future.

Auerbach did not enter the dressing room, he gave the moment to Louis.

Louis took over the moment perfectly.