The Whip of the God of Basketball

Indianapolis in the sunset looks old and ancient. This city, which flourished in the 1950s, has fallen into irreversible decline like most old industrial cities in the central region since the 1970s. The Conseco Arena in the city center is surrounded by gray and black skyscrapers. This arena is a building composed of red brick exterior walls and large pieces of transparent glass, and those new balls full of modern atmosphere Compared with restaurants, it is full of retro taste.

This is not the first time Fox Leon has played here. He still remembers that when he came to Indiana as a team scout three years ago, he saw this arena and thought it was an old arena that has been in use since the 1970s. , Later he learned that Conseco had just been built in 1999, and it was a brand new arena that had just been put into use.

After getting off the bus and entering the locker room, many reporters have been waiting here for a long time. There is no doubt that this is an eye-catching game, because the Indiana Pacers currently rank first in the Eastern Conference, and the Boston Celtics Because of the fluctuating record at the end of January, they fell from second in the Eastern Conference to fourth in the Eastern Conference. But from the ranking point of view, if the playoffs start at this time, the two teams are likely to meet in the cruel semi-finals without any accidents, so naturally they have received a lot of attention.

"I heard that the Celtics' bus was late last night, and the hotel was not very good. Will this affect the team's state?" A reporter caught Leon in the passage and asked a question. It seems that many people have known about the Celtics bus being delayed yesterday, and these all-pervasive reporters must have their eyeballs in the hotel.

Leon walked quickly to the locker room, and replied: "Yes, we were blocked by bad weather, but this did not affect the rest of the players. They will have a good performance tonight." Leon is not willing He has been entangled with reporters in the channel for too long, because he will also participate in the pre-match press conference to be "interrogated" by reporters later.

One hour before the start of the game, Leon packed his things in the locker room and went to the press conference hall to participate in the interview. This is a part he has always hated in the past. He came here when the game was about to kick off. In the face of some strange and tricky questions from reporters, he prefers to stay with the players in the locker room, talk about the tactics of the evening game, and understand the status of the players.

Fortunately, the Indiana media reporters are as upright as the farmers in this state. They didn't ask embarrassing and difficult questions. They just asked about the Celtics' injuries, team status and some small tactical issues. , Leon quickly dealt with the past and was about to leave the media room and go back to the locker room to prepare for the game. That's when he saw the Pacers' coaching staff walk in from the entrance of the media room, led by the Pacers' head coach, Isiah Thomas.

The superstar who once played for the Detroit Pistons is now playing for the rival Pacers in the same district in the past, and his immediate boss is Larry Bird, the enemy who used to compete on the court. Life is so wonderful. In the circle of the NBA, which is big or small, anything can happen.

And then Leon felt that he didn't seem to belong to this circle. Isiah Thomas saw that the Celtics coaching staff was about to leave, and stepped forward to shake hands with Celtics assistant coach Dick Hart. , The two are old acquaintances. Hart's first job in the NBA was as an assistant coach for the Pistons. At that time, Thomas was still a fledgling rookie. It was from Dick Hart that Thomas learned the meaning of defense.

Then Thomas shook hands with Cowens and hugged, which is due respect for the former celebrity, while Leon was left aside. Thomas always had a signature smile on his face, showing his white teeth, but his Neither the smile nor the gaze turned towards Leon for a moment. Dick Hart felt a little embarrassed. He glanced at Leon and wanted to say something between the two, but Thomas had already stepped onto the press conference podium, and Leon also left the media room with strides.

"Don't worry about Leon, he did it on purpose, don't get angry..." On the way back to the locker room, Hart explained behind Leon.

"I know, I know, don't worry, I won't have extra thoughts. My only thought now is to overturn his team during the game." Leon turned back and patted Hart's arm with his hand, his eyes firm said.

…………………

At seven o'clock mountain time, the game between the Celtics and the Pacers in the Conseco Arena officially started. The arena, which was sparse 20 minutes ago, was full at seven o'clock. Indiana is the famous Indiana's sports state, this central state dominated by agriculture and heavy industry, people love those exciting and confrontational sports, so whether it is high-confrontation football, fast and intense basketball or dangerous and exciting racing cars, they are all Indiana. favorite.

Leon stood on the sidelines with a serious face. He knew that this would be a tough battle. The Pacers are superior. After failing in the 2000 Finals, they began to enter a new generation. In the summer of 2000, they got Jermaine O'Neal. The first step of the team's revival, and then the Pacers picked Jamal Tinsley in the 2001 draft. Before the closing of the trading market in the 2002 season, Jaylen Rose, Richardson, Best and others were exchanged from the Bulls for Ron Artest and Brady Miller, and the team's strength increased greatly.

Finally this season, with the sudden regression of the 76ers and the Bucks, the Pacers, along with the Celtics and the Pistons, began to enter the first group in the East, and they are so young, except for Reggie Miller. In addition to the old fossils, the main players are all under the age of 30, and the starting players are all under the age of 26. They are in the rising period of their careers, and their future is bright.

Not long ago, in the match between the two teams at the North Shore Garden, Jermaine O'Neal scored 33 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in Boston. Even PJ Brown couldn't stop O'Neal from getting whatever he wanted inside. The Tran Blazers wasted too much youth, and finally ushered in a rebirth in Indiana. Before the start of this game, Leon was full of thoughts on how to curb O'Neal's performance. He didn't want PJ-Brown to face O'Neal directly. If so, Walker had to face Brad M. Le, Miller is not a point that can be easily given up.

Leon thought about it again and again, and decided to use the most common way to deal with the opponent's super insider-let him sit back on the bench, use the breakthrough from the outside to cause damage, and let O'Neal get off the court due to too many fouls as soon as possible.

Only one and a half minutes into the game, in the third offense of the Celtics, Paul Pierce and Walker completed a pick-and-roll. Pierce broke through with the ball from the left side and squeezed in against O'Neal's body. O'Neal The body is strong, but Pierce seems to be stronger. As a result, the two fell to the ground next to each other near the three-second zone.

The referee's whistle seemed to hesitate, so the whistle sounded when the players on both sides rolled to the ground to grab the ball. Because the Celtics were near the Pacers bench in the first half, Arenas and Tinsley blocked his line of sight, so he couldn't see the referee's gestures, but judging from the reaction of the fans , the result seems to be unfavorable for the Celtics.

Sure enough, the broadcast of "Paul Pierce hit someone with the ball" came out on the live broadcast, and the fans cheered. Isiah Thomas, who was standing on the sidelines, showed an imperceptible smile on his face, and then he sat back on the bench. It seems that this penalty is very satisfactory to him. Paul Pierce tried to argue with the referee, but the referee was indifferent. Tonight's referee is Greg Villard, a seasoned referee with 15 years of whistle-blowing experience. Obviously, in a confrontation where both sides have actions, he chooses to slightly In favor of the home team.

When the Pacers were about to serve, Willard walked near the midfield. At this time, Leon walked to the distance where he could talk to Willard and said loudly: "This is not a good penalty. The attacker was blocked. , but he fouled! This ball will not even have a free throw, just a confrontation, serve again!"

Villard glanced at Leon, let go of the whistle in his mouth and replied: "Everything is under my control!" Then he ignored Leon and continued to devote himself to the game.

Leon didn't answer, he wasn't going to yell at the referee at the beginning, it would only arouse the referee's disgust and even lead to a technical foul, the game had just started, he would gradually put pressure on the referee.

This is not the first time that Willard has whistled the Celtics game this season. In his impression of the previous few games, the Celtics head coach is a guy who is easy to deal with. He often does not say a word Standing on the sidelines to watch the game, occasionally calling a timeout, never yelling, and never complaining to the referee. So in Villard's view, this is a persimmon that is easy to pinch. After all, this guy is not a famous superstar, nor is he a champion coach, but a rookie coach who came out of nowhere.

But tonight Villard felt the pressure. As the first quarter unfolded, the physical confrontation between the Celtics and the Pacers became more and more intense. A few words in my ear, unlike other coaches who complain and vent purely, Leon's words are full of pertinence and professionalism. He will tell Willard what is wrong with his penalty, where he can blow it or not, is it a Good call.

He commented on Willard's penalty like a professional referee. The key is that Willard thinks what he said seems quite reasonable! Finally, in the ninth minute of the first quarter, in the same scene as the opening one, Paul Pierce picked and rolled Antoine Walker again. This time he broke through the middle and stuck to Jermaine O'Neal again. This time the two Did not fall, but Willard's whistle sounded.

"Beep!" Willard stepped forward and put his hands on his hips towards Jermaine O'Neal, "blocking foul, No. 7 Jermaine O'Neal", Willard reported the foul to the technical desk , the tone is firm and unquestionable. Because before Leon repeatedly said to Willard, "The internal slashing is too intense, you need to whistle to control their movements."

Perhaps Willard will not admit that he has been influenced by a head coach, but in fact he has indeed been hinted, and the confrontation between the two sides is indeed fierce. PJ-Brown and Ron Artest have begun to get a little angry. He started cursing, and he needed to use a few whistles to control the situation on the field and prevent conflicts from erupting.

In addition to the previous rebound foul, Jermaine O'Neal fouled twice in the first quarter. Thomas had to replace O'Neal. At this time, the score of the two sides was 17:18. point. Leon's plan to take down O'Neal was finally realized. Jr. O'Neal scored 8 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter. His end undoubtedly caused the Pacers to suffer a lot.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Antoine Walker hit Jerry Foster, who came off the bench in the middle, and hit a mid-range fadeaway jumper, turning the score into 26:24, overtaking by two points, and then The Pacers made a serve error in the backcourt, Arenas made a steal, made a direct shot in two steps from beyond the three-point line, and made a three-pointer at the buzzer. At 29:24, the Celtics, who had been suppressed by the Pacers for a quarter, turned over. Get up.

"Nice job!" When Arenas left the field, Leon gave him a big hug. Walker also high-fived Leon. In the first quarter, Leon didn't even call a timeout, nor did he command the players. He let the players Free to use what you have learned in training to prepare for the game.

When Dick Hart watched the Celtics players chirping with Leon to discuss the situation and feelings on the field during the break, he thought to himself, Fox Leon finally started to go on the road, a bit like a real head coach. But this game has just begun, and the Pacers and Isiah Thomas at home will not let the victory slip away easily.