the rest, only noise

Chapter 559 The Magician's Wave of Atmosphere
1988/5/30

Whether the structure of the league will change, whether a new era will come, depends on tonight's game.

West, the magician was not able to defend his throne.

Although his royal influence is limited to the west, this influence has continued since its birth in 1980.When the scepter finally disappeared, fans found out they weren't ready to say goodbye.

Jordan's Trail Blazers eliminated Magic's Lakers 4-1, and now the Celtics face the same situation.

They dominated the league for four years, which was a serious drain on themselves.

Whether Bird's back injury will interfere with his Game [-] return will determine the final direction of the series.

When Louie and his players arrived in Boston, reporters and fans were not at all friendly.

There was anger in their eyes, and Louie could understand what they were thinking.

"Coach Lu, are you guys still going to play in an unethical way?" a tabloid reporter asked.

Louis responded sharply: "Whether our game violated professional ethics, history has its own judgment. As for you, I am sure that you just asked a question that violated professional ethics. It seems that the reporters in the Boston area are indeed different from other places. The reporters in New York are at most just spreading rumors. Most of the time, they behave as if they lack IQ, while the reporters in Boston are all 'geniuses' who catch the wind, have dark positions, and take things out of context."

Louie snapped back sharply.

He was like a hedgehog, relentlessly attacking the Boston reporters who once thought of him as a baby.

Louie's relationship with Boston, and the shifting stance of local reporters, is undoubtedly one of the most dramatic in the history of professional basketball.

Some say he's like a reverse Babe Ruth.

Ruth issued the holy baby curse because he was abandoned by the Red Sox and regarded as a traitor by Boston fans; Louie changed the city's perception of him little by little from the day he left Boston.

At noon, the TV news said that Bird felt good about himself and would definitely come back tonight.

Inside the Knicks, Louie is trying his best to prevent Dell Ellis' comeback application.

"Coach, I'm recovered enough to play."

Ellis repeatedly begged Louis to put him on the big list.

Louis shook his head and said, "Unless you have the team doctor or the hospital's test results as a guarantee, otherwise, don't even think about it!"

Ellis said excitedly: "The team needs me, and I also want to play. You can't ban me from playing in the most important game of the season!"

"Why are you yelling?" Louie yelled, "If you're not injured, do you think I don't want you to play?"

"I can play with an injury...it's not a big deal at all, everyone is like this, why can't we?" Ellis said matter-of-factly.

What he said made Louis grind his teeth in anger.

What kind of world is this?Decades later, the NBA has become a garbage league in which the entire team uses public opinion to force players to come back. Now, a person from the future has the most advanced ideas and knows that playing with injuries is the biggest bad habit in professional sports, but every time he wants to pursue his ideas, he always makes players unhappy.

Last time it was McHale, this time it was Ellis.

If I remember correctly, the opponents are all Celtics.

"Coach, my injury is not that bad, at least not as bad as Larry's. If I don't feel well, I'll let you know."

"You are in this situation, what can you do on the field?" Louis said heartily, "It's not that I don't believe you, but the current you are very likely to hold everyone back."

Ellis said bluntly: "I don't deny this, but since the start of the Eastern Conference Finals, I have been the team's second-leading scorer. As long as I stand on the outside, the Celtics will be nervous. As long as I have the ball in my hand, they will let the person closest to me defend. They dare not let me be open."

"Coach, even if I can't score, I'm the best bait!"

What made Louie sad was that he wanted very much to exercise his coaching powers and force Ellis to truce.

But reason tells him that Bird will definitely come back in Game [-], and the Celtics will play a thrilling game with unprecedented intensity because they want to defend their throne.

Facing such a strong enemy, they need a shooter with a big heart on the outside.

Hornacek is better at shooting corner three-pointers, Miller is not enough to fight, and needs to be experienced... Ellis is the only candidate.

If he doesn't play, the Knicks will have huge hidden dangers at the second position.

"Coach!" Ellis said firmly, "I don't want to escape. Coach, without you, I would not be where I am today. This is the closest we are to the championship. Give me a chance, Coach, I owe you this."

Louis sighed: "Dell, what you have given me in return has far exceeded what I have given you."

"It's not enough!" Ellis was so determined that he couldn't be stopped, "Coach, I've made up my mind."

Instead of anticipating when your next vacation will be, test an unforeseen possibility.

The string in Louis' heart broke apart.

He lost his principles for the first time: "Well, you can play tonight, but I have the final say on the playing time. If you feel any discomfort, please notify me immediately. If I see that you have problems with your feet, I will replace you immediately. This matter is not negotiable!"

"Yes, coach."

Alice left excitedly.

Louie struggled even more, and it was certain that McHale would scold him behind his back.

Why can Ellis become a hero who fights with injuries, but he can't?Obvious eccentricity!

This world makes Louis very puzzled. What kind of culture can make players feel that playing with injuries is a heroic act?
Don't they know that once the injury intensifies, the hero becomes a bear?

Since the 70s, there have been too many players who have ruined their futures after being forced to play with injuries!
Bill Walton, Bernard King, Andrew Toney…

They all have one thing in common, that is, because the team needs it, they choose to play with pain.Walton seems to be the smartest one. Every time he has to finish the painkiller before playing, in the end this also ruined his future.

Louis could not understand this kind of culture.

Although he admires this spirit, he doesn't want it to appear in his team.

He admits that Bird playing with injury will bring unimaginable motivation to his teammates, but if this is to gamble on the health of the best player in history for the rest of his career, it is not worth it at all.

To put it bluntly, compared with Bird's health, the end of consecutive championships is a fart?

KC Jones will never be able to think like Louie.

Because they stand on different levels.

Of course, KC is also worried about Bird's legacy, or shortening his career because of it.However, if this is Bird's own decision, then he has no reason to interfere.

He came from a tougher era, and he agreed that players fought for honor, even if it cost healthy values.

In the afternoon, the Knicks practiced briefly, mainly to prepare for the evening game.

tiebreaker night
Boston fans entered the Garden early.

Because they came too early, the fans who had nothing to do could only drink and cheer themselves up.

If you drink too much alcohol, you will get emotional easily.

When you get emotional, you can do anything stupid.

Today is the hottest day in May, and in an old gym that doesn't even have air conditioning, the sweltering heat reeks of alcohol, sweat, and body odor.

When the three smells are combined, they evolve into a breath that is difficult to describe in words.

"Why can't these bastards change to a better arena?" Louis scolded, "How can this kind of ghost place be worthy of a fucking quadruple champion?!"

Tomjanovich smiled bitterly: "Instead of expecting them to change the arena, you might as well ask them to redecorate this place and make some better ventilation."

"Damn it, I have the money to renovate, why not change the stadium? If I were Larry, I wouldn't work for these bastards!"

When Bird appeared in the crowd, Louie's "If I were Larry" seemed ridiculous.

See how Byrd adapts to this harsh environment, as if he was born for it.

Bird shot and warmed up as if his injuries had healed.

At this time, a heavyweight audience appeared in the front row of the garden.

The Lakers star "Tragedy" Johnson, who was eliminated by the Trail Blazers six days ago, actually came to the garden scene.

"Maggie, who are you here to support today?" Louie asked.

The magician said in principle: "It's very simple, I will support whoever votes for me, you know. Such a good position is not available to ordinary people, so I will support Larry and them to win tonight."

"Well, you bastard with thick eyebrows and big eyes! I gave you a front-court ticket? Are you a beggar? After being bullied by the Celtics for so many years, you don't want to see them lose once?"

Louis inadvertently said what a magician would dream of seeing.

"Of course I want to!"

"Then support us, I promise you will get what you want tonight!"

"That can't be done! If I support you guys, Larry won't vote for me next time. Be a man with principles."

"You have only come here to watch a game in ten fucking years, what principles do you want?"

Louis tried his best, but it's a pity that the magician is obsessed with ghosts, and he is determined to cheer for the Celtics.

Later, Louie felt that he might have mistaken the magician.

As someone who has lost five years in a row in the Finals.

How could he be willing to cheer for the Celtics as someone who accepts his nickname as "The Tragic Master"?

There is only one answer, that is, he hopes to bring some bad luck to the Celtics through his own bad luck, so as to help the Knicks, a young dragon slayer, to slay the dragon smoothly.

Well, the magician this wave stands in the atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)