The Whip of the God of Basketball

Leon directly witnessed the scene where McGrady was reversed after he put down his big words. The same situation, the same words, but a completely different ending. Leon did not feel gloating about this. On the contrary, he saw the cruelty of competitive sports, the cruelty of the media and fans from McGrady. Perhaps many people will view victory or defeat with a peaceful and respectful attitude, but when the desire for victory and enthusiasm for supporting the team drowns out everything, the resentment and anger caused by mutual criticism and bashing will The kind and beautiful aspects of competitive sports are completely submerged.

Leon can already see that for a long time to come, if McGrady cannot prove himself through victory, then these words he said in the 2003 playoffs will be mentioned repeatedly and ridiculed. . This may not diminish some fans' love for him, but it will also become a sting in his life that cannot be removed. Such a sting almost stuck in Leon's flesh.

Leon was both scared and excited about this. He has indeed changed a lot in this half season, including Auerbach and Ainge's step-by-step confrontation and mutual support, and Fox-Leon's inner changes. His spirit is no longer just completely dominated by the soul of Fan Chen in the past, but also integrated into the personality of the original owner of this body, who loves gambling, seeks excitement, and shows mania and huge emotional changes from time to time.

The moment Leon lit the cigar at Staples that night, he realized that he derived great pleasure from this behavior. In fact, it was a completely unconscious behavior at the time. He just happened to throw the cigar and matches in the In the inner pocket of that coat. When the Celtics were sure to win, his hand touched the cigar and the match. He took it out and lit it naturally like Auerbach.

Of course, in Leon's mind, the voice of reason still occupies most of the space. Even so, reason did not swallow up passion, but deliberately left a space for passion. He was calmly thinking about the consequences of each of his wild words and blatant provocations, and he also enjoyed the sense of accomplishment when he succeeded in pretending. Like Auerbach, he even used this behavior to inspire and drive the Celtics players into an exciting state of competition.

In the fifth game against the 76ers, Leon made almost no special tactical arrangements. He just kept telling the players to do their best to win this game. Leon's inflammatory language and the fanatical atmosphere of the scene supported the Celtics with gritted teeth and withstood the 76ers' counterattack, and finally won the game. Such a victory is a great encouragement to the players' spirit and a release of pressure.

In the days after winning the game, Leon was waiting for the result of the series between the Pistons and the Magic. He waited for a week. The Pistons eliminated the Magic in a tiebreaker, and the Celtics also booked a flight to Detroit.

On the flight to Detroit, the atmosphere within the Celtics was relaxed and happy. They unexpectedly passed the 76ers in the first round, slapping all the experts and fans who were not optimistic about them in the face. They feel very confident and extremely powerful. They have experienced insiders, top stars in excellent condition, well-rested main players and a deep bench.

In comparison, the Detroit Pistons, who unexpectedly experienced seven games, advanced to the next round, but were questioned by many people. Ranked first in the Eastern Conference, they were cornered by the Magic in the first round and almost got beaten. If this was not the 2003 playoffs but the 2002 playoffs, then the Pistons would have gone home to fish with the shame of being hacked.

The reversal of public opinion did not make Leon happy. On the contrary, he was worried. For more than half a season, Leon has been using various means to create public pressure for the Celtics, including asking Andy Miller to write articles attacking the Celtics, in order to make the team in bad circumstances Extraordinary motivation bursts out in the public opinion environment. Not just the Celtics, but Boston as a whole is feeling like it's back to the evil empire of the past, fighting against the entire league.

But the feeling is just a feeling. Before they become the real devil, public opinion can turn around at any time and lift you to the sky, and then watch you fall down hard.

Leon watched the young people bet on the score in tomorrow's game. Arenas said: "I must score 20 points, definitely, just watch." In the first round of the game against the 76ers, Arenas said Both scored only 15.5 points, which was one length less than the regular season. The main reason is that Leon has always arranged for him to defend Iverson alone, which puts him under huge defensive pressure and cannot let go on the offensive end.

"Stop saying a few words, winning is the most important thing... I have already scored 20 points, so I don't bother to compare with you." Michael Reed said disdainfully to Arenas. In the playoffs, Reid once again became the Celtics' third scoring point, and his role seemed to be even more important than Walker's. His three-pointers on the wing and pull-up jumpers on counterattacks made the entire series better. Lee Brown couldn't solve his defensive problems.

"Gilbert, I guess you will get 20 points, but Billups on the opposite side will probably get 30 points." Leon suddenly interjected and said to Arenas.

Leon's words made Arenas blush, and everyone in the cabin laughed. Arenas was completely defeated by Iverson in the first round. Fortunately, his unwillingness to admit defeat prevented him from psychologically breaking down at all. , On the contrary, the more they fight, the more courage they get and they devote 100% of their energy to defense. Even so, Iverson still averaged 33.8 points per game in the first round, leading the series in scoring.

"Don't let him score easily on my head, I have to prove that I am better than him!" Arenas was anxious and shouted to Leon, but Leon had closed his eyes and fell asleep, no longer paying attention to Arenas .

Arenas became more and more angry as he thought about it, and ignored the jokes of other teammates around him. He just wanted to arrive in Detroit as soon as possible and shoot 300 three-pointers on the training ground to hone himself.

Arenas knows that this season, comparisons between him and Billups have never stopped in Boston. As the former No. 3 pick in Boston, Billups has not found his home here. After switching between the Timberwolves and Pistons, he finally found his value in Detroit. During the offseason, Ainge was also one of Billups' many suitors, but in the end, due to various reasons, the Detroiters took away their former No. 3 overall pick.

One of the reasons is that Leon insists that Arenas will not be worse than Billups. Judging from this season's performance, there is still a big difference between the immature Arenas and the gradually mature Billups. gap. Especially in the first round of the playoffs, Billups shined in the last two games, scoring crazy points and completely shooting through the Magic's perimeter.

On the contrary, Arenas was blown away by Iverson. He felt the ridicule and hostility from all directions, so he wanted to prove himself in the dialogue with Billups.

Leon smelled a hint of danger and uneasiness. Once a player starts to consider his own performance, or even deliberately competes with a certain opponent's player, it will most likely cause damage to the team.

But Leon was not in a hurry to stop or comfort Arenas, asking him to follow the overall situation and obey the team spirit. You know, the Celtics are a young team, and it is impossible for young people to give up the idea of ​​being in the limelight. Unlike those veterans who gather together for the championship and can sacrifice their data and future contracts, young people will work hard to express themselves in order to win.

Since he can't block it, it's better to open it up, Leon thought, maybe Arenas can break out in the next game.

But Leon was wrong about this.

After arriving in Detroit and resting for a day, the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals began on May 6 at the Palace Arena in Auburn Hills. The Celtics have been off for nearly a week, while the Pistons have only had one day off before continuing to start their next round of games.

Resting is a good thing most of the time, but sometimes it can turn into a bad thing, especially in the fierce competition in the playoffs. Resting for too long can easily lead to over-rest and not being able to integrate into the rhythm of the game as quickly as possible.

The Celtics just had a rest, and Leon also felt that from the locker room to the opening ceremony, the Celtics players never gathered the spirit to win, but were loose and loose. This is very unusual in an away game. dangerous. Sure enough, they were beaten 13:3 by the Pistons at the beginning of the game. The whole team was a little confused amidst the deafening shouts of Auburn Hills.

Leon tried his best to adjust the players' mentality, but the rhythm of the game was always in the hands of the Pistons. Billups is like a master of court control, while Arenas is a frizzy high school boy in front of Billups. In the third quarter, when the Celtics relied on Pierce's effort to chase the score to just three points, Arenas was deceived by Billups on defense and committed a three-point foul.

An annoyed Arenas yelled at the referee and received a technical foul. Unable to control his emotions, Arenas angrily kicked the ball off the court. As a result, he received a second technical foul and returned directly to the locker room. .

The Celtics lost hope of a comeback and were suppressed by the Pistons until the end of the game. Billups walked to the Celtics bench at the end of the game, stared at it for three seconds, and then slowly walked away to accept the cheers of the fans. In this battle, he scored 29 points, dished out 11 assists, and had 3 steals.

It seems that Billups has completed the first step of his revenge against the Celtics. And Fox-Leon was thinking about how to kill the black guy No. 3 on the opposite side.