The rest is just noise

The Celtics' championship made Larry Bird and Wayne Gretzky an important name in North American sports in 1981.

One of them is an NBA superstar who won MVP+FMVP in his second year, and the other has been the best ice hockey player in the world since he was 19 years old.

The Celtics couldn't go home happy.

At this time, they did not have a special plane. To return to the Celtics from Houston, they needed to pass through St. Louis and then fly back to Boston.

The players are still savoring the joy of becoming champions, while the coaching staff and management are already thinking about the upcoming draft.

Isaiah Thomas is Louis' top recommendation.

But there are many different opinions within the team.

Because Thomas was too short and too thin, and his smile was unforgettable.

Thomas's smile begins with a pair of deep dimples, extending secretly from both sides of his face to his sparkling eyes. No matter what the situation, he will smile.

I can't tell you how many scouts and opponents misjudged him because of his gentle smile and mediocre size. It's hard to believe that scouts overlooked his stellar resume. At St. Joseph's High School in Westchester, Illinois

, his team's record is 73 wins and 15 losses. At Indiana University, Thomas, a sophomore, made a huge contribution to the team's NCAA championship last spring.

He had decided to participate in the 1981 draft, and Converse gave him a million-dollar endorsement contract.

He is like Magician II.

Moreover, his addition will make up for the Celtics' last shortcoming: the number one position.

Louis couldn't help but tremble just thinking about the future lineup of the Celtics: Thomas, John Long, Bird, Maxwell/Sampson, Laimbeer.

However, at the briefing meeting, someone vaguely suggested that choosing white people would be more helpful in attracting fans to enter the stadium and buy tickets.

This is simply a ridiculous idea.

Because after Bird joined the Celtics, the team has sold out its home games for two consecutive seasons.

Racism in the city of Boston is indeed deep-rooted, but what they care about is the skin color of the top players.

As long as the team's representatives are white people like Bird, Havlicek and Cowens, fans will buy it.

Listen to them recommend Tom Chambers, a forward similar to Griffin; Rolando Blackman, a swingman with outstanding shooting ability; Mark Aguirre, the most favored No. 1 pick, is also a swingman

People; Buck Williams, a strong and capable wing; Danny Warness, a hard-working white forward, it is certain that he will not perform well in the NBA...

Louis was tired of arguing.

"I have only one candidate, and that is Isiah Thomas. I have said enough about his merits. I am too lazy to say any more. I only know that he is the best candidate for the position we need most. I don't care.

The color of his skin, all I care about is how much value he brings. I think he has more potential than Andrew Toney, and if you have any doubts, go watch him play."

Louis moved Tony out just to let everyone recall how high his "bid winning rate" has been since he entered the industry.

To put it mildly, "only" 100%.

John Long, Cheeks, Tony, Laimbeer, all became outstanding players.

Tony even almost defeated the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Louis' strong speech made Auerbach make up his mind.

Two days later, the Celtics selected Isiah Thomas with the second overall pick in the draft.

At that moment, Louis knew that when this Celtics team successfully reached its peak, there would be no other team in the league that could compete with it.

Including the Lakers.

Perhaps, he has completely changed the pattern of the 1980s.

Because the bad boy army that ended the era of Magic Birds hegemony has been strangled in the cradle by him.

The two souls of that team are now green-blooded people...

The draft is over, and Louis' work for this season has come to an end.

He participated in the team's championship celebration.

Bill Fitch gets more compliments these days than he has in his entire life.

Various newspapers, magazines, observers and commentators in the sports world all claim that he is the best coach currently in service.

He changed the tactics in Game 5 and allowed the Celtics to turn the tide.

Fitch smiled at the praise from the outside world and did not mention Louis' name. Because it was originally part of the head coach's authority to adopt the assistant's suggestions.

His complacency triggered a new round of conflicts with Auerbach.

Because he began to reach out to the front office, he hoped to get the operating rights to determine the team's operations in the offseason.

He is no longer a pure outsider, he has led the team back to the glorious championship stage.

But this was something Auerbach couldn't tolerate.

So, at the championship celebration, when it was Auerbach's turn to deliver a speech, he gave an official speech, praised everyone on the team, and then said: "I must solemnly introduce the coaching staff to you.

He is an outstanding scout, an excellent coach, and possesses rare professional qualities. What is even more unbelievable is that he is so young - Louis, come here!"

Louis never thought that he would become a knife in the tug-of-war between Auerbach and Fitch.

Louis was forced to come to the stage.

"He provided the key strategy that allowed us to come back and win in the Eastern Conference Finals. This young man has done many great things, but many people have no idea about him. Now, I invite him to speak!"

Standing in front of the stage, facing the attention of tens of thousands of people, Louis felt nervous.

He gradually understood that victory could cover up problems and suppress conflicts, but only temporarily. Just like the countless injections of analgesics that ruined Bill Walton's career, he persisted with injuries in order to defend his championship title, and eventually collapsed, and

The injury worsened. This caused a complete break between him and the team, and the Blazers' voyage came to a halt before it even started.

The conflict between Auerbach and Fitch will tear this team apart.

Louis' speech contained a lot of official language. He did not brag, making it seem as if Fitch had taken away his credit, but he also did not reject Auerbach's kindness. He admitted that he had made suggestions in the Eastern Conference finals, but he did not exaggerate the effect.

Auerbach has already given him the limelight, there is no need for him to add to it.

After the championship celebration, Louis took the initiative to ask for leave from Auerbach. He wanted to take some time off.

"Did the video captain say anything to you after that?" Auerbach asked playfully.

Louis said with a dead smile: "No, he didn't say a word."

"Listen, I deliberately ruined your relationship with him." Auerbach sneered, "You should have noticed that he is preparing to recruit new assistant coaches."

Louis noticed, and Fitch made the right move.

The head coach does not have to take care of everything about the team from offense to defense. If he has an excellent assistant coach who is dedicated to offense and defense, he does not have to worry about these complicated things. He only needs to restrain the players, do timeouts, and make substitutions.

People can achieve results by mobilizing before games, angrily scolding players who perform poorly and giving them chicken soup.

That's what future NBA coaches do, too.

Assistant coaches are the tools of the head coach. They use their talents and knowledge to help the coach win the game, and then all the praise and applause belong to the other side.

Louis was not angry at all, rather, it was inevitable.

This is the prerogative of the head coach. As assistant coaches, having their suggestions adopted is already recognition of themselves, allowing them to practice their ideas on the field and prepare for the future.

But in Auerbach's view, this approach is against the rules.

He intends to train Louis. If more assistant coaches come to the team, Louis' voice will be weakened. Fitch was so proud that he had obviously forgotten who was behind the scenes in the Eastern Conference finals.

"I completely understand his approach, Reed." Louis smiled, "If there is nothing else, I will go back first."

Auerbach couldn't see what Louis was thinking.

The young man completely hid his thoughts.

"Go and have a good rest."

In Auerbach's view, Louis is too young. He must have extraordinary talent and talent, but his heart is always closed.

Three years later, Auerbach still can't see what Louis wants.

He made great contributions to the rise of the Celtics, and half of the entire roster was players recommended by him.

During the playoffs, he also provided key strategies to turn the tide of the game.

But he never took credit for himself. Every time after the incident was over, he took out his hand and stood in the corner like a marginalized person.

Fitch took all the credit for the championship and wanted to recruit more assistant coaches to advise him. Auerbach thought Louis would be angry about this, but he didn't react.

So he aggressively carried Louis out during the championship celebration to make the fans aware of his existence.

But Louis still did not make a substantial counterattack against Fitch.

He allowed Fitch to take all the credit while he simply came to his office and asked for time off.

Auerbach couldn't understand Louis. This was not the poise a 21-year-old should have.

He was too calm.

"What do you want, kid?" Auerbach pondered.