The Whip of the God of Basketball

"What a beautiful night, beautiful spring, this is Boston, I'm Dick Stockton, and I'm bringing you the final game of the 2003-2004 NBA regular season at the North Shore Garden, the Boston Celtics Against the Detroit Pistons at home. Today is April 17, the last game day of the regular season, and we have this strong conversation. The Detroit Pistons’ performance at the end of the season was shocking. They defeated their opponents in 5 consecutive games. The score was suppressed below 70 points, and the steel-like defensive ability was unparalleled."

On the night of April 17, on the sidelines of the North Shore Garden Arena, T-NT commentator Dick Stockton became the play-by-play commentator for this game. This player may be the most famous player in NBA history. The TV voice is still active in the front line of commentary. Compared with his peak period in the past, his hair is obviously thinner and there are more wrinkles, but he still looks in good spirits.

The commentator who works with him is Celtics legend Bill Russell. The founder of the Celtics' first empire came here specifically to watch and explain the Celtics' final game.

"Joining me tonight to give you a great game will be Bill Russell. Hi Bill, tell us what you think of the two teams at the moment, especially the Pistons' recent shocking performance."

After Bill Russell retired, he worked as a commentator for ABC and CBS. He retired from the commentary industry when he got older, but he was occasionally invited to commentate on some important games, especially important Celtic games. , such as last year’s finals.

Faced with Stockton's problem, Russell said in a slow but powerful voice: "The Detroit Pistons have done their best in collective defense, and I can feel that the Pistons players enjoy it. Many times players will be on defense. It's a hasty thing, just waiting to show off its skills when attacking with the ball, but the Pistons are different, they don't seem to like attacking very much, but wait for the opponent to attack."

Russell's description was interesting and apt, and it also resonated with Stockton. The two began to talk about the changes in defensive tactics in the 1970s and 1980s, and the iron blood of the 1990s. They agreed that the current Detroit Pistons are similar to those of the New York Knicks. The style of Houston, the Miami Heat and the Detroit Bad Boys.

"The Rasheed Wallace trade acted as a catalyst and brought about complete changes." Stockton finally said.

When mentioning the Celtics, Russell hesitated for a few seconds before saying: "I think they are very good...but, uh, but I must admit, I can't fully see them. You know I have been paying attention to NBA games. I will watch many games and compare them. The excellence of this Celtics team is unquestionable. They have won 65 games and are already a leader. A historic team. However, I think they still haven’t really shown their strength.”

Russell used three buts in one paragraph. He had expectations for this Celtic, but also a little worry.

What we are looking forward to is that this Celtics indeed looks like the best Celtics since 1986. They have led the league in regular season record, and they have defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the season. Behind them, their lineup looks flawless.

Worryingly, the Celtics' style of play has been worryingly changeable since the All-Star break. Their head coach Fox Leon has been switching various lineups and experimenting with various tactics, which is dizzying. Moreover, before the trade deadline, he participated in the three-way trade between the Hawks and the Pistons, sending Daniels to the Pistons to get Wallace. Many people also criticized him, thinking that this was creating his biggest opponent.

Not only that, Garnett's conflict with Daniels in training was also quickly disclosed after the trade. Many people believed that this was the Celtics' attempt to appease Garnett, the boss of the team. With the atmosphere in a good mood, Daniels, a powerless rookie, was traded away in exchange for Garnett's favor.

In short, after the transaction, the Celtics continued to win, but the media and public opinion continued to create negative news about the Celtics, as if all of them were just an illusion. With the overall strength of the Eastern Conference weak, they accumulated talent. Illusion.

That's why Russell showed a trace of worry. He didn't know whether the Celtics were icebergs floating on the sea or plastic foam in the bath.

"Okay, the game is about to start. Let's take a look at the final showdown of the regular season. It will most likely be a preview of the Eastern Conference finals..."

………………

The game was about to start. Leon sat on the sidelines and twirled his fingers, feeling a little nervous but also a little relaxed. I am nervous because this game is very important for the team's confidence. In the last game of the regular season against the full Pistons, there is considerable pressure from outside public opinion. Many media even pointed out that this game may determine the situation of the two sides in the playoffs.

Of course Leon knows that this is completely nonsense. The playoffs and the regular season are battles on two different levels, and even if they meet, the two teams will meet in the Eastern Conference finals. What will they grow into by then? People will know.

And relax because the long regular season is finally coming to an end. Since the end of the All-Star Game, the following games have been a torment for the entire Celtics team. Especially for players like Pierce, Reid, and Arenas who have experienced the Finals, they can't wait to start the playoffs, start reaching the Finals in one go, and get back what they lost.

This mentality made it difficult for Leon to handle. He spent a lot of time to maintain the competitive mentality of the players through adjustments to the lineup and tactics, tried his best to eliminate the impact of Daniels' departure, and create a cheerful but upward atmosphere. Atmosphere. This is more tiring than asking Leon to recite pi, and now these days are finally over. The Detroit Pistons, the recent darlings of the basketball media, defensive monsters, iron-blooded team, and steel machines, will become the sacrifice of Leon's flag before the playoffs!

The game started, PJ Brown and Ben Wallace jumped the ball, Wallace's bounce gave him the advantage, the Detroit Pistons' first offense.

Billups got the ball and began to organize the Pistons' first position battle.

The Pistons' positional warfare attack is as lackluster as ever, but with the addition of Rasheed Wallace, their original monotonous offensive strategy undoubtedly has some more options and routines.

Double Wallace stepped forward to do a double pick-and-roll, and Billups rushed in rhythmically from the right. At this time, PJ Brown stepped forward to block, and he let go of Ben Wallace. Hamilton was wandering on the left looking for Chance. Ben Wallace smartly cut inside, but Billups didn't risk the pass. He could sense that Wallace was being targeted.

Rasheed cut outside, trying to find opportunities outside the three-point line, but Garnett did not follow Rasheed, but stayed in the corner. Billups felt something was wrong. As an experienced point guard who has been qualitatively improved this season, Billups is keenly aware that the Celtics' defense has hidden dangers. What they are guarding against is not the positioning and tactics of the current Pistons players, but the Tactics and opportunities that the Pistons might come up with in a few seconds.

This thought just flashed through Billups's mind. He chose to shoot it himself. At a distance of 45 degrees and 21 feet from the basket, he stepped back and shot a long shot. The ball flew out in a straight but powerful arc. Line, the ball hits hollow.

Strong core strength and upper body strength allow Billups to have stable strong shooting ability, and the Pistons lead 2:0.

Next it's the Pistons' turn to defend, which is their strength. But Arenas did not give the Pistons a chance to show off their strong overall defense. He directly passed a pick-and-roll with Garnett and forced a shot from outside the three-point line, and the ball went in. A strong shot on each side, 3:2, the Celtics lead by one point.

"You're not going to score again in the first quarter." After hitting the three-pointer, Arenas turned around and said to Billups.

"Really? We'll see." Billups smiled and curled his lips.

"This is not what I said, it was what our coach said. You can only score one goal in the first quarter. It's already on the line."