the rest, only noise

Chapter 366 The Invisible Upper Limit (5135)

After the Knicks made it 36-31, KC Jones felt the fans' displeasure from the boos in the garden.

He requested a timeout, replaced Thomas, let Angie play the first position, and the frontcourt configuration became Bird, Sampson and Bill Walton.

When Louis decided to play the N.UCLA offense, he also fought for Wharton from the Clippers.But he couldn't offer a better offer than the Celtics, so it failed.

Looking at it now, it is right not to trade. Although Walton has a second spring in the Celtics, he has fallen too much in all aspects.

When the Celtics played Bird, Sampson and Walton, and Angie and John Long on the outside, it was the time when the entire team had the highest offensive limit.

In order to match this intensity, Louis is also very particular about the selection of the lineup.

Stockton to Angie, dirty to dirty;
Alex Stevens swung to the second position, struggling against the complacent Buddhist players;

AC · Green to Bird, ascetic to megalomaniac;
Ewing vs. Sampson, it is a success if it is not completely blown;
Oakley vs. Walton, Chainsaw Massacre vs. Crippled Savage.

From the perspective of matchup, the Knicks are inferior in all aspects, and some points can only be targeted, not suppressed.

In contrast to the Celtics, both Bird and Sampson have a clear matchup advantage.

Sure enough, as soon as this lineup came up, Bird and Wharton's low-post handovers were completed.

Walton gets the ball in the low post, Bird cuts, and Walton passes the ball behind his head to Bird without even looking.

This kind of opportunity, Bird will never lose.

33 is better than 36
Ewing went down at full speed, not realizing that the Knicks would forcibly turn the positional battle into a fast break like Show Time, and the Green Army still slowly retreated.

When Stockton threw a lob from beyond the three-point line, it was too late to think about this quarter.

38 is better than 33
"The Celtics really slacked off tonight. They gave their opponents too many chances to score easily." Heinsohn said dissatisfied.

Next, still Bird.

AC Green's speed is not enough to prevent him.

Bird's confrontation against the inside line suddenly withdrew from the outside line, Walton's off-ball screen was perfect, Oakley's awareness of changing defenses was not good, and he did not follow Bird out.

So outside the three-point line on the left, Bird received the ball for a three-pointer.

36 is better than 38
In the frontcourt, Sampson cut off the Knicks' serve and distributed it to the outside.

Angie made a three-pointer.

Again!

39 is better than 38
The Celtics actually overtook in a blink of an eye, and the atmosphere in the garden was like a steamer.

Suddenly being pressed by the opponent, the Knicks were a little overwhelmed.

Both Tomjanovich and Phil Jackson advised Louie to take a timeout, but Louie wanted to see how the group handled the situation.

Suddenly, it was Stockton who served the ball.

He threw the ball forward hard, and it was a long pass.

In the midfield position, Ewing received the ball and made an open three-pointer for Stevens.

Stevens, who was useless on the offensive end, missed a three-pointer, but Ewing grabbed an offensive rebound.

Sampson's defense arrived and defended Ewing's second attack, but Oakley still grabbed the offensive rebound.

The Knicks' two inside starters took turns to brush offensive rebounds. Sampson sent two blocks in one round, but it was difficult to guarantee that the penalty area would be penetrated.

40 is better than 39
What about Bill Walton?The old man just ran beyond the three-point line in the backcourt.

This is a problem he has to face now. Game awareness, skills, and position defense are all fine.

However, the athletic ability of youth completely disappeared.

He is now like a shrunken version of Sabonis, who can't shoot long-range.

"Don't be impatient, use your brain defensively!" Louie shouted, "Pay attention to the pockets!"

Louis didn't intentionally not say some tactical instructions when making arrangements on the spot, because the opponent didn't know what he was referring to when he said it, and it would make the opponent hesitate when attacking.

The Celtics pass the ball to Walton.

Bird cut inside again, but AC still couldn't catch up.

Stevens immediately switched with him, and he came after him further out, AC scrambling to rotate in front of John Long.

Walton passed the ball to Long before then.

Lang rushed to score the ball again before the defense arrived.

The ball returned to Angie's hands, and the Celtics failed in the first round of tactics, with less than 8 seconds left in the attack time.

"The defense in this round is incredible!" Zhao Yuanzheng said in surprise, "Their opponent is the defending champion!"

Angie didn't dare to take the risk of shooting a three-pointer, because if the three-pointer is not scored, there will be a long rebound. If the long rebound is taken by the Knicks, it will be an opportunity to counterattack.

Stockton's ability to push back, the Celtics have already come to a conclusion.

He is definitely not to be underestimated.

Angie chose to break through, and judging from the results, it was a worse decision.

Ewing judged that he would choose to break through, and even predicted where he would stop, so he lay in ambush, attacked suddenly, and gave Angie a volleyball cap.

The blocked ball allowed Stevens to catch up and pass it to Stockton.

Stockton pushed the counterattack, with Stevens behind him and Ewing on the left who participated in the fast break.His actions made the opponent suspect that he was going to give Ewing an alley-oop, and he couldn't help but shift his weight to Ewing's side.

In the end, Stockton scored an easy layup.

42 is better than 42
"This group of young people played really well!" Zhao Yuanzheng really didn't expect to be able to stalemate with the Celtics' lineup with the highest offensive limit.

Louis smiled and said, "Don't be too happy."

Ralph Sampson's three-pointer at the top of the arc calmed down the Knicks off the court.

45 is better than 42
Sampson, who is 25 years old and 9 months old, is increasingly feeling like a big boss in the Celtics.

He is a little more than half a year older than Thomas, and Bird is 4 years old, but on the whole, he is the person who has the greatest influence on the Celtics.Because he not only has an output of 24 points per game, but also has a DPOY-level defense.

A non-pie-eating DPOY insider with an average of 24 points per game, if you give him more possessions, can't he become the scoring leader and the best defensive player of the year like Olajuwon in 94-95?

And this potential of invisible upper limit is the most terrifying.

Bird does his best every game, and Sampson seldom does his best, not because he doesn't want to, but because he doesn't need it.

The Celtics' opponents always fell down before Sampson could exert his strength.

Although the Celtics also often lose to weaker teams, there has never been a second team other than the Lakers to force Bird and Sampson to their full strength.

Considering how terrible the upper limit of these two people's full strength is, and then think about the thin presence in the Celtics and the often marginalized Isaiah Thomas, if he also exerts his full strength, what kind of scene it would be.

Louis didn't dare to be careless. Before the game was over and the Knicks won, he couldn't let go of his mind.

Fortunately, the players on the field were not intimidated. In the next round when Sampson hit a three-pointer, Oakley also completed an Empty Lob tactic under the command of Stockton.

Stockton's airside lob is much more sophisticated than Weber's, which has something to do with who he cooperates with.Stockton on the weak side directs Ewing on the strong side to screen for Oakley.

First, the Celtics did not expect the inside to cover the inside. Second, Ewing's screen quality is too high.

The Celtics seem to be doing it on purpose. The Knicks play tactics, and they also play tactics.

Walton's off-ball screen once again denied Bird a chance.

On the high post on the right, Bird caught the ball and made a jumper.

47 is better than 44
"It seems that AC really can't keep up." Louis shook his head.

Tomjanovich asked, "Substitution?"

"Yeah." Louis looked at the people off the field, Wilkins and Campbell were all biued by Bird one by one, and now an ascetic man like Iceman was blushed by him, who else could he turn to?

At this moment, Louis saw how Stevens used his body and entanglement ability to make John Long disappear on the field.

The basic configuration to defend against players like Bird must be long hands and long feet + physical monsters + glue defense.

Looking at it this way, Stevens is really the only Knicks who currently meet the requirements.

"Tony," Louie called to Campbell, "you go and replace AC, and then, tell Alex that he's going to guard Bird from now on."

The Knicks failed to make a tactic this time, the cooperation was seen through by Wharton, and the pass was wrong.

But the Celtics' counterattack also failed, and the Knicks made a timely tactical foul.

It just so happened that Louis was about to make a substitution, and AC Green was replaced.

Stevens was called for a defensive foul on his first possession against Bird for being too aggressive.

"Don't touch me with your dirty hands!" cried Byrd.

Louie watched the excitement and was not afraid of big troubles, and shouted: "Alex, keep touching him, do you know how to touch him? You can touch him as you usually touch your girlfriend later. Larry is my closest friend. You have to let him experience the fun of the game!"

"QNMD!" Byrd cursed from afar.

Stevens' defense still lacks a lot of skills, but the effect he brings is also obvious. It is difficult for Bird to find opportunities by running around.But the Celtics have other ways to score, and Bird is just a point.

The inside cooperation between Wharton and Sampson made Louis sigh.

Walton raised the ball with both hands, and Sampson actually played a clumsy back run at the free throw line, treating Oakley as if he had cerebral palsy, and it succeeded.

Oakley was shaken away by him, and Sampson caught the ball in the middle and smashed the dunk with both hands.

49 is better than 44
The Celtics' defensive IQ is gradually being reflected. The Knicks have used tactics several times, and they can find a way to break it.

All offenses leading to the end of the inside are likely to be blocked by Sampson.

This round, Stockton wanted to use the same anti-run tactic to help Stevens score.

As a result, Sampson noticed him, jumped up and gave him a peg board cap.

Walton picks up the ball and throws a fantastic long pass from the God Hand of the 70s to the God Hand owner of the 80s.

Bird catches the ball with one hand, and then points from behind, and the ball holding time may be less than 0.5 seconds.

The stuffy, fetid, religiously fervent gardens are staging even better basketball games than Show Time in Los Angeles.

The two pass masters of the 70s and 80s teamed up to present a beautiful combination, followed by a layup by Danny Ainge.

51 is better than 44
"Let's Go Cel-tics!!!"

Everyone roared and shouted "Let's Go Celtics". The efforts of Bird and Sampson allowed the Celtics to seize the initiative in an instant and widen the point difference to 7 points.

Louie went to the tech table and asked for a timeout.

If it is 1 minute later, the difference of 7 points may become 10 points, 12 points, or even 15 points.

1 minute late, the loser may be the whole game, and the Celtics who are going crazy must be stopped.

(End of this chapter)