You should cross the mountains like a brave man

Chapter 342 The Sudden Bad News

In the last few days of training camp, the intensity of training has dropped.

The intensity of the matchups slowly became normal because no one wanted to get injured before the season started.Marginalized people just want opportunities, and if they don't, they'll look elsewhere.

The substitutes also want opportunities. What they want is the opportunity to have more tactical status and playing time, which needs to wait.

The prerequisite for obtaining opportunities is to ensure health.

As a result, training intensity drops.

Wei Xia and his teammates spent the last few days carefree.

The day before leaving the training camp, Wei Xia's consciousness returned to the old time as usual.

Meanwhile, the 1963-64 season is about to start.

In the new season, the Celtics have several changes.

Bob Cousy retired, and his void needs to be filled.

At the same time, Auerbach also made some signings and drafts.

In the absence of a deal, Auerbach made reinforcements.

He signed free agent Willie Naulls (PF/C), who had his peak in the late 50s and made his debut with the St. Louis Hawks, but as a black man, even though his ability is obviously second only to Bob Pettit, he still cannot be tolerated by the people there.After playing less than 20 games, he was traded cheaply to the Knicks.

After that, he spent seven years with the Knicks, which was his prime.

In his best season, he averaged 25 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. As an insider with bare feet less than two meters, his achievements are commendable.But now it is no longer as brave as it used to be, and the NBA is no longer a league where a strong two-meter black man can rule the penalty area at will.Auerbach recruited him in the hope that he could be a supplement to the inside.His arrival will also enable the Celtics to complete a historical record that is difficult for Bostonians to accept and recognize: the first all-black starting lineup in NBA history.

Tom Heinsohn will be sidelined due to injury for some time in the future.

Auerbach, who has always had innovative thinking, had a whim and came up with such starters for 12 consecutive games: Bill Russell, Will Knowles, Tom Sanders, KC Jones and Sam Jones.

For the Bostonians who were jealous at the time, it was a misfortune to have such a team at their doorstep.

Even though they still win more championships than any other sports league in Boston, they just don't get the recognition and respect of the mainstream media.

In addition to taking Wells, Auerbach also signed Larry Siegfried SF, a college teammate of Havlicek's, one of the core members of the invincible Ohio State team in 1960, and was considered by some at the time to be the best guard ever in the Big Ten.However, the story of a man who dominated the NCAA becoming mediocre in the NBA is not new in any era.

Siegfried encountered the biggest gap in his life after entering the NBA.In college, he was known as the best guard in the history of the Big Ten. He couldn't even play a guard in the NBA. He was considered to have rough skills and could only play a small forward.Before Havlicek became famous, the NBA's baseline size for forwards was 190 centimeters. He just reached it, so he officially changed to the third position.

This is the Celtics signings in response to Cousy's retirement.

As for the draft that year, there are not many things worth mentioning.

In the 1963 draft, if Nate Thurmond hadn't been in the lineup, the overall quality would have been crushed by the 2000 draft, which is said to be unique in history.

However, this is a common problem in medieval drafts.

In the NBA draft before 1984, due to many reasons, it was not possible to gather all the best talents in each class, so there would be embarrassment like the top pick in the 1964 draft, Jim Barnes C, who was so mediocre that even Wikipedia could not find information.

To be honest, the 2000 class is by no means the worst draft in history.

The real Lakers are coming to the end of training camp.

The Celtics in the old days are on the eve of the new season opener, and their opponent is the Baltimore Bullets.

During training in the afternoon, Auerbach suddenly called Wescha—that is, Havlicek—into his office.

He was sitting in an office with only electric fans, and the weather was sweltering, and beads of sweat made his face greasy.

"Hondo, I need you to take on more in the new season." Auerbach said, "You are the young man I am most optimistic about. After Bob retires, you have to carry the team."

His words made Weixia feel like he was in a dream: "With Bill and Sam here, do I need to carry the team?"

"Don't shirk responsibility, Hondo!" Auerbach said heavily. "Everyone has their own mission. Bill and Sam will take care of themselves. I need you to correctly recognize where you are and don't mess things up!"

Wei Xia could only say: "Understood."

"Let's go to training." Auerbach finished speaking with a rough ending.

What are the benefits of Wescha coming out of Auerbach's office and playing for two teams at the same time?Identify how two completely different teams prepare and play, how to organize the locker room, how to run in, and how to create a positive chemical reaction.

Also, carefully compare Auerbach and Jackson.

Auerbach has a fiery temper, but not only has a temper, but also has a fox-like cunning and treachery.The foul language may be his way of covering himself up. The more you know him, the more you will be shocked by his meticulous thinking.

But he's still good for players.

Although every summer they will turn against the players for the thousands of dollars in salary, but after the quarrel, the players will basically complete the renewal of the contract, stay on the team, and then the relationship between the two parties will return to the original state.

Work is work, life is life, and they are clearly subdivided.

How did Jackson do it?Wei Xia really wanted to kill him with a hammer, which showed that Auerbach was the number one coach in NBA history.But Auerbach and Jackson's status is not the same.

One is the godfather, who manages everything big and small in the team, and the other is the head coach, who only has the right to make suggestions on the draft and signings.

The common denominator of playing under them is a lot of pressure.

The difference is that Jackson forbears it, but Auerbach will greet your son again and tell you what is wrong.

In contrast, Wei Xia prefers to play under Auerbach.

At least when you are scolded, you will be scolded clearly and clearly, unlike Zen Master who even chooses the time to criticize you.

For Wei Xia, today is just a normal day.

He goes to sleep normally and wakes up normally, leading two lives and experiencing two different environments.

Time moves forward bit by bit.

In mid-October, Bryant announced to the world his new nickname: Black Mamba.

His words appropriately catered to some revelations made by some reporters against him before.

FOX Sports expert Charlie Rosen said that Kobe Bryant "privately arrogantly contemptuous of the abilities of his teammates", was extremely harsh on his teammates, and was moody.

These characters—selfishness, harshness, arrogance, slightly nervous irascibility—we can also find in other superstars: such as Jordan, such as Bird.However, those shortcomings are magnified when the team is not winning.Victory can rationalize all shortcomings, this is the NBA.

After all this time, Bryant himself doesn't seem willing to hide anymore.

In the summer of 2006, Bryant's life seemed to start to turn in another direction.He began to not shy away from being a villain.

He touched the Mamba Viper and appeared on the cover, grimly posing with an "enemy against the world".This is not the first time he has acted cool, but this time, the way he takes revenge on the world is different from before.

Holding the black mamba in his hand, he said, he just wanted to be like the venomous snake, "moving fast and still attacking accurately".

Now, Kobe puts on the face of a black mamba, and his meaning is clear and plain: Bosses, listen to me, I don't care whether you like me or not.

And, he changed his number back to the number 24 he once wore in high school.

The era of No. 8 Kobe Bryant is over, and the era of No. 24 Kobe Bryant has begun.

For Wei Xia, this is an ordinary little thing.

Then, the opener on October 10, the Lakers are one of them.

They were scheduled to travel to Boston to play a game against the Celtics.

However, the day before the opening game.

On the last Saturday in October 2006—October 10—Cardinal Red Auerbach, who lives in Washington, D.C., extinguished his cigar.On that day, he died of a heart attack.

Wei Xia learned the news through ESPN.

The news was so untrue to him.

Auerbach is over eighty years old. For an old man of his age, he may lose his life due to a minor illness at any time. His death is regrettable, but not surprising.

Only Wei Xia, a young man who goes to another time and space to play under him every night, feels a torrent from deep inside his heart.

(End of this chapter)