The Whip of the God of Basketball

Hearing Arenas' "so-you-are-overpaid", Leon, who was originally serious, couldn't help but smile. This was not a provocation from Arenas to Leon, but a sentence from the Boston Celtics. Famous catchphrase - from Cardinal Auerbach. This eccentric old man likes to squeeze his players the most. After he became the general manager of the Celtics, he searched for talents and used various methods to reduce player expenditures. The initial mobilization of public opinion in the city to suppress salary for rookie Larry Bird is a good example.

In addition, the old man likes to criticize players "so-you-are-overpaid" on various occasions at any time, which makes some players really doubt whether the old red man really pays himself too much. . Of course, after winning the championship in 1984, Bird used this sentence to counterattack the old man beautifully. After the championship interview, Auerbach said modestly, "After all, I didn't score a field goal," and Bird on the side added "so-you-" at the right time. are-overpaid, which made Auerbach himself laugh.

Now Leon likes to yell at players like this from time to time in training, especially Arenas. When he has a bad three-point touch and likes to shoot blindly, Leon will use this sentence to yell at him. Unexpectedly, in Arenas finally got his revenge in the finals.

Leon, who had been standing on the sidelines watching the game nervously, finally returned to his seat, holding his hands on his legs, straightening his body like Phil Jackson was in Zen; on the other hand, Phil Jackson could no longer sit still. In fact, after the finals started, he basically had no time to sit on a stool and watch the game quietly. The disadvantage faced by the Lakers made it impossible for Zen Master to calm down.

And Leon knew that his players were completely in shape. Although the score on the field was only tied, the Celtics had already surpassed the Lakers mentally and state-wise. All he has to do is wait, waiting for the players on the team he trained to show their strength and beat the Lakers hard in Los Angeles.

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On the Lakers side, if there is anyone who doesn't want to give up first, then this person must be Karl Malone. A person who has experienced despair will either collapse when he faces the same despair again, or he will grit his teeth and survive with an extremely strong will.

The situation in the second half of the third quarter was even worse than Game 6 of the 1998 Finals, because Malone felt that his legs were not obeying. On the contrary, the Celtics were getting faster and faster, and their momentum was getting stronger and stronger. . After Arenas' three-pointer equalized the score, the Celtics' three-pointers washed over the Lakers' basket like rain. Malone was really helpless in the face of these three-pointers. He could only look at Pierce and Ali. Nas and two Los Angeles people are devouring the Los Angeles people's dream of winning the championship.

In the second half of the third quarter, the Celtics replaced Kevin Garnett again, and Jackson replaced Malone. Malone could only sit on the bench and watch Garnett's chaos on both ends of the offense and defense. The Lakers still only have two absolute strengths in O'Neal and Kobe to rely on. The point difference widened little by little, 2 points, 3 points, 6 points, 8 points. The Celtics played very steadily. After the three-point frenzy of chasing points, they transitioned smoothly to positional offense. It was obvious that they had gotten rid of the bad state of the first half and returned to their advantage.

Malone asked Walton to hand him two ice packs to apply on his knees. These knees, which had not had any problems for twenty years, suddenly stopped working when he wanted to win a championship the most. In the previous 18 regular seasons, he only missed 8 games, but this year he missed a total of 40 games in the regular season, making up for all the missed games in the past 18 years.

The reason is that his knees really can't bear it anymore, and training as hard as ever can't help him maintain his steel-like body. After all, human power cannot beat time, and aging can be delayed but unavoidable. Malone watched the young Celtics players gallop around the court like birds and animals, while the Lakers, except Kobe, were faltering.

"Coach, I want to try again in the fourth quarter." Malone suddenly said to Phil Jackson. He sat next to Jackson, lowering his head and no longer looking at the situation and score on the court.

Jackson turned to look at Ma Long and nodded slightly. At this time, Jackson could only treat the horse as a living doctor.

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The third quarter was as Leon expected. After the Celtics returned to normal, the Lakers were no match for them. Apart from anything else, the two sides were far behind in terms of physical strength and athletic ability. The Celtics The oldest of the main players is PJ Brown, who is 32 years old this year. The Lakers are mainly composed of veterans over 33 years old, with only Kobe Bryant, a young Peter Pan.

It's not like Jackson has never coached veterans. The Bulls won the championship with the oldest lineup in the league, but their opponent, the Utah Jazz, was the second oldest in the league. So Jackson knows that on the basketball court, experience and athletic ability are often enemies, whether you are there or not. However, there are always some players who can combine the two very well at the right time. Unfortunately, the current Celtics are such a team.

However, he still chose to believe in Malone. Ever since he decided to come here in the summer, Jackson had full trust in him, not only because he was his biggest opponent, but also because he was a trustworthy man.

At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics hit a 37:20 climax in this quarter, going from 10 points behind to 7 points ahead. If it weren't for the Celtics' several open three-pointers in the second half of the third quarter, In the game, the point difference between the two sides has already widened to more than 10 points. So for the Lakers, the 7-point difference is still saved.

The Celtics are indeed very strong, Jackson realized, because until now, he still doesn't know where the bottom of this team is. Fox-Leon has never really shown his trump card, and the Celtics have never really shown their cards. Reveal their murderous weapons. This reminded Jackson of the Bulls in 1996. He understood the situation of that team, that is, "the world is beautiful, basketball is happy, and the championship is mine."

He decided to make a desperate move. Karl Malone returned to the field. Jackson arranged the tactical focus between the third and fourth quarters. He asked Kobedo and Malone to play pick-and-rolls, find a breakthrough from Malone, and then tear apart the Celtics. Man defense.

"Pick-and-roll, use more small coordination, this is our last chance. No one wants to face a 0:3 deficit, no one wants it, because no one can come back, no! Don't think we are exceptions, so there is still one quarter. Time to work hard!" Jackson said in an extremely tough tone, which was obviously a warning to Kobe.

In the third quarter, Kobe still performed well, and he made several difficult goals to extend the team's life, but his inconsistent play style could not beat the Celtics. Whether O'Neal can catch the ball in the fourth quarter and whether he can score free throws will be questions, so Jackson decided to bet on Malone.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Malone, who had regrouped, used a mid-range jumper in the offense to announce that he had not given up yet. This was an 18-foot jumper completed after a pick-and-roll with Kobe, in his favorite position.

But Pierce immediately broke through and succeeded in a layup during the offense. No one on the Lakers could stop Pierce.

Malone's flame was not completely extinguished. When the Lakers counterattacked, he once again completed the pick-and-roll with Kobe. This time he chose to cut inside, then received the ball and rushed inside, causing Brown to foul.

As Malone stood on the free throw line, he thought of his mother, the single woman who drove a forklift, laundry, cooked, and supported eight children by herself. Malone was not a strong child since he was a child. Until he entered the NBA, he would secretly wipe his eyes because of the bad environment in Salt Lake City and the fierce competition in the NBA. When he called home, his mother yelled at him as always. "Don't cry!"

Today, Ma Long is a tough guy. No matter how desperate he is, he will never give up or cry.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Malone hit two free throws, 5 points, and one breath left.