The Whip of the God of Basketball

Leon's post-game remarks did not arouse much interest from the media, not only because Tracy McGrady also said it, but also because for Leon, such words are no longer enough to make news. So many things happened to him in the second half of the season that people began to peel off their previous good but mediocre impression of him, and slowly labeled him as a big-mouthed, bad boy. Moreover, the Celtics did show an overwhelming advantage in the game, and all the guys who were optimistic about the 76ers were slapped in the face.

However, Leon's words undoubtedly angered the 76ers players and Iverson. Iverson said in the interview that the series is not over yet and everything is too early. The entire 76ers team was holding their breath and wanted to give the Celtics and Leon some color in the fifth game. Before Game 5, Danny Ainge tracked down Leon and the two had a drink together at a North Side beer hall. Anji came to Leon to discuss the contract issue for next season. Leon signed a short contract this season, and according to the current record and performance of the Celtics, giving Leon a long contract is not a problem.

This was just an informal private exchange. Angie mentioned Leon's remarks after the game. He said: "You are talking nonsense after the game again. There is no benefit in saying such big words before the series is over. You have to consider that anything can happen in the NBA."

Leon smacked his lips and responded: "If I don't say this, how can those reporters write news to make a living?"

Angie snorted and said, "You were not like this Fox before. You have stayed in Boston for three years, and you have changed a lot in the past six months."

Leon has indeed changed a lot since he became the head coach, especially in the second half of the season, he almost underwent a qualitative change under tremendous pressure. The guy who used to be silent about things seems to have become a lot more arrogant. Whether it is appearance, behavior or speech and behavior, he is increasingly showing the wild energy of the old Celtics.

Leon glanced sideways at Anji and said to himself, "Isn't this exactly what you want?" He said, "You should know about my past. In fact, this is the kind of person I am."

Angie couldn't figure out what Leon meant. Among the entire Celtics, only Auerbach knew the details of Leon, and Angie only knew a little bit about it. He only knew that Leon did have the experience of being in MCI, and the scars on his body were not fake.

"No matter what you look like, you are becoming more and more like a Celtic. You have to know that Arnold has put a lot of effort into you. If Larry knew all this, he would definitely go crazy." Ainge said, He was using his emotions to win over Leon, because in the conversation just now, he discovered that Leon didn't seem to have the idea of ​​dedicating his entire basketball career to Boston.

Leon took a sip of beer and said: "Angie, I love this team, I love the Celtics, and I love Arnold even more. I will try my best to win the championship for the team. So, what I did Everything, including my changes, was all about championships and success, not because I became a true Celtic."

Leon's words caused the two of them to fall into a long silence. Finally, Leon said: "Don't worry about the contract. I will not leave here until I win the championship, unless you kick me away. Also, after we win this Don't talk to me about contract-related matters again before the first round of the series. If, and I mean if, we are overturned by the 76ers, I will never have the face to stay in Boston."

Angie stopped talking now. He knew that Leon was a stubborn person who did what he said. In this regard, he was quite like Siegfried.

"Okay, you're talking big words, so you must win the fifth game, otherwise you won't just leave Boston, but you will always be a laughing stock...

"Angie reminded Leon that if you talk big in the NBA, you will become a legend if you succeed. If you fail to deliver, you will be the object of ridicule by the media and fans in the next ten or twenty years, and they will drag you out to parade when necessary.

Leon knew the risks involved, but he still said firmly: "We will kill the 76ers in the fifth game. In any case, we will not delay it until the sixth game to give them a chance."

One day later, on April 30, the Celtics played against the 76ers at home, and it turned out to be a blinding game. The 76ers were never willing to be eliminated so easily, especially Allen Iverson. He tried his best in the game. He only rested for three minutes in the 48-minute game. It seems that Larry Brown can only place his hope on Iverson, giving him unlimited firing rights. As long as he thinks there is a chance to shoot, he can shoot.

In the first four games, Brown has discovered that the gap between the Celtics and the 76ers is a gap in physical strength. After a season of running-in, training and resting before the playoffs, the Celtics' In amazing condition. The 76ers and Brown have entered a period of fatigue in their cooperation. Brown's overly strict and old-fashioned coaching philosophy is increasingly incompatible with Iverson's unruly style. This broke out in the final stage of the fifth stop.

Iverson worked hard for a while, but the Celtics always suppressed the 76ers and maintained a lead of about 5 points. With one minute left before the end of the game, the Celtics still led by 6 points. Regardless of his physical pain, Iverson threw himself into the crowd and drew a foul to get the score back for the 76ers. As a result, Paul - Pierce turned his efforts into ashes with a cold-blooded three-pointer from the outside.

Amid the cheers of more than 20,000 fans at the North Shore Garden Arena, Fox-Leon raised his arms high to celebrate the team's victory in advance. And Iverson was still making his final efforts. He forced a three-pointer in the offense, but this was not his strength. Michael Reed got a backcourt rebound and calmly collected it in his arms. It was Iverson who rushed over and fouled directly.

This was Iverson's sixth foul and he was ejected. He didn't say much to the referee, didn't complain, didn't give in, didn't argue, didn't struggle, he just lowered his head and left silently. At this time, Leon lowered his arms. He looked at Iverson passing by and stretched out his left fist. Iverson seemed to subconsciously touch Leon with his left fist. There was no eye contact or dialogue between the two. They were not even familiar with each other, did not know each other, and had not spoken much.

It’s just that Leon feels that such a warrior should be respected when he fails, because he only lost the game, but he did not lose basketball.

On the contrary, when Iverson passed by his own bench and passed Larry Brown, the two people also had no communication. Brown did not comfort Iverson, and Iverson did not look at Brown. Brown just continued to watch the game on the court with his head held high stubbornly. With less than 20 seconds left before the end of the game, the Celtics led by 7 points, and everything was over.

And Iverson returned to the bench with his head lowered, and fans kept shouting his name behind him. They also respected this opponent, this superstar who once exhausted his talents to shine brightly in NBA history.

When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, the audience burst into enthusiastic cheers. Leon felt relieved. His wild words had come true, and he could really start thinking about his opponents in the next round. This round of the game was actually surprisingly easy. Everyone thought that the Celtics would have a tough battle with Philadelphia, and the winner would probably be decided in Game 7. Unexpectedly, the Celtics won 4:1. The 76ers were killed cleanly.

On another venue, what was thought to be a one-sided showdown between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic turned out to be extremely dramatic. First, the Magic unexpectedly won the first game, and then after losing the second game as expected, the Magic exploded back at home, winning two games in a row, turning the score into 3:1, and the Pistons were facing elimination. And the situation of being hacked.

This was something no one expected. After the fourth game, Magic star McGrady said something similar to Leon. He was also thinking about his opponents in the next round. But their opponent in the next round is not the Boston Celtics, because they have no next round.

The enraged Detroit Pistons, led by Big Ben Wallace, swept the Magic at home in Game 5, suppressing Tracy McGrady to 8 of 20 and scoring only 19 points. In Game 6 at the Magic's home court, Chauncey Belu Puth scored 40 points, killing the Magic's hopes of advancing in Orlando.

By Game 7, the situation of the series had been completely reversed. They were fighting in Detroit again. The Pistons did not give the Magic any chance. They took the lead from the first quarter and crushed the Magic all the way until the end of the game. Billups slashed again. Scored 37 points.

In this way, Billups, who scored consecutive high points in the two crucial games, finally helped the team complete an incredible comeback from a 1:3 deficit. Next, he will face his old club in the semifinals. He once chose He entered the NBA and finally abandoned his Boston Celtics.

And McGrady's words of "think about the next round of opponents" became a nightmare that he would never get rid of in the future.