The Whip of the God of Basketball

On the last day of October, the weather was very stuffy. The local meteorological station in Boston warned that a heavy rain would come from New England. This might be the last heavy rain after autumn. The fans who went to the North Shore Garden Arena at night brought their rain gear in advance. Although many people drove or took the convenient subway, a sudden rainstorm was enough to make people drown in a short time.

Leon arrived at the arena at five o'clock. He arrived in the locker room and pasted tactical notes on the coach's tactical board. He faced the eastern team in two consecutive games at the beginning of the season, and Leon was under great pressure. Most people still don't know how deep the Nets have made major personnel changes. Only Leon, who is unpredictable, knows that this Nets is a finals-level team. If his memory is correct, it will be difficult for the Nets to meet opponents in the weak Eastern Conference.

Last season, the Nets only achieved an embarrassing record of 25 wins and 57 losses, ranking last in the Eastern Conference. Although Stephen Marbury averaged 24 points and 8 assists per game, he could not bring the team victory. It contributed to the most shocking deal in the league this summer. Marbury and Jason Kidd exchanged clubs for two super point guards.

For Jason Kidd, Leon was very impressed. This player is extremely skilled, but his temper is also extremely bad. The reasons for appearing in the headlines are probably because of conflicts with teammates, quarrels with coaches, or beating girlfriends. Danny-Angie has complained to Leon more than once. Kidd's style on the court and off the court are basically two people. His experience of singing against the coach can be traced back to his freshman year in college.

But Leon is not a fan who only knows gossip. Before the game, he has watched Kidd's preseason games in the Suns and the Nets this season. He has a deep understanding of Kidd's ability to sort out offense. He may own the entire league. The best first pass, which is crucial to a team's attack initiation. Whether it is a fast break or a positional offense, with such a point guard, the Nets' offense will be upgraded to a higher level.

Of course, Leon is more concerned about the changes in the Nets' style of play. Many media predict that the Nets will gain a strong fast break ability. Leon also agrees with this, but he pays more attention to the Nets' defense. The data analysis shows that Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles have excellent abilities on the defensive end. Especially Martin, although he is only a sophomore, he entered the NBA after graduating from his senior year and has solid defensive utilitarianism. Leon has believed that Martin will be the best defensive power forward in the Eastern Conference since the draft in 2000.

"Pay attention to the transfer of outside balls. The Nets' oppressive defense may make it difficult for us to adapt... Mistakes must be controlled. The ability of the Nets to catch mistakes and grab points will be unbearable..." Leon wrote these as A note with detailed attention is posted on the whiteboard, hoping that O'Brien can pay attention to it, or the players themselves will be alerted when they see it.

The old Hart came to the arena after Leon, he saw the note posted by Leon, nodded in approval, although Hart was the defensive coach invited by O'Brien, but he also admired Leon, he felt This young man has a special savvy in basketball. From these notes, it can be seen that some seemingly commonplace reminders are actually very targeted. Hart also picked up a note and asked: "What does this mean? If you don't make a shot, give the ball to Pierce."

Leon looked at the sticky note and replied: "I think Pierce's singles is the most reliable scoring method for the team now. Van Horn will probably be defending him. Pierce will have a chance to play him. But other points... It will be difficult for us, but if there are fewer turnovers and three points, I think we will have a chance."

After hearing Leon's words, Old Hart had a weird expression on his face. He frowned and said to Leon: "You guy, what do you mean we have a chance? Are the Nets necessarily better than us? Their last year The record is really pitiful, I think our chances of winning this game will be better. We are boys with strong morale."

Leon smiled and did not explain. He continued to focus on the post-it notes. As time passed, the start of the game was getting closer and closer. After the players changed their clothes and warmed up on the field, they returned to the locker room to start. The final pre-match mobilization. O'Brien put on a brand new dark gray suit, wearing a dark red tie, combed his hair meticulously, and explained the basics to the players before the game.

They are all things that have been mentioned repeatedly. Although O'Brien replaced Pitino, he and Pitino are in the same line tactically, emphasizing tight defense, emphasizing ball transfer and three-pointers. And this season, with the success of Leon and Vogel in data analysis, O'Brien is more particular about some details than Pitino, and he is also very good at encouraging players. Well done for a reason.

It’s just that he turned a blind eye to the sticky notes posted by Leon. He just wrote a few points for attention on the whiteboard, and then walked to the coach’s bench first, and the rest of the players formed a circle to prepare for the entrance ceremony.

Leon doesn't mind O'Brien's neglect. He is only concerned about what kind of sparks the Celtics will have with the Nets in the game, and whether the Nets are as strong as he imagined. Whether the Walters can match it.

…………………

The TD North Shore Garden Arena can accommodate 20,000 spectators, and it was full for the first game of the new season. For the first time, Leon sat on the coach's bench to experience the regular season at North Shore Garden. It was completely different from the preseason game. The loud sounds and noises filled the eardrums. Leon wanted to talk to Vogel beside him, but found that he had to shout, otherwise Vogel would not respond at all.

The game officially started at 7:30 p.m. O'Brien sent out his regular lineup, center Tony Batty, power forward Antoine Walker, small forward Pierce, shooting guard Michael Redd, point guard Steve - Cole. Dennis Rodman continued to be included in the observation list for this game, and veteran Steve Kerr had to start at the starting point guard position. In the last game, he and Arenas shared the playing time equally, but it seems O'Brien was not satisfied with Arenas' overly egoistic court performance.

The Celtics got off to a perfect start in the first quarter. They had outstanding touch. Pierce, Reid and Walker took turns firing from the perimeter. They made five three-pointers in the first quarter, establishing a 9-point advantage in one fell swoop. For a while, the Nets seemed to have difficulty adapting to the Celtics' three-point bombing and the huge sound of the North Shore Garden.

The momentum of the Celtics continued into the second half. After halftime adjustments, the Nets began to exert their strength slowly in the third quarter. The Celtics, who had lost their super touch in the first half, began to fall into an offensive low tide. The defensive strangling trio composed of Kittles, Kidd and Martin destroyed the Celtics' offense time and time again. Steve Kerr, who was still full of energy in the first half, slowed down in the second half. Arenas obviously lacked organizational skills, and the Celtics' offense began to fall into chaos. Their defense also suffered from disadvantages in physical strength, rhythm, and offense. They could no longer achieve the same intensity as in the first half. The Nets' terrible three-line fast break finally showed its power, and the Celtics' defense was torn apart.

The score was reversed in the fourth minute of the third quarter, and then the gap between the two sides gradually widened. The Nets were trapped by the lack of reliable inside attackers, so they once fell into a scoring drought and were caught up by the Celtics a little bit. However, in the fourth quarter, Kidd suddenly fired a three-pointer and continued to rely on pick-and-rolls from the outside. The shot hit, and the Nets' defensive loopholes at the point guard position were exposed. Only then did O'Brien remember the sticky note Leon had posted on the whiteboard, so he made a decisive substitution, taking Eric William Folklore to play without a point guard, and then the offense relied entirely on Paul Pierce's singles, and the other players defended with all their strength . After a summer of hard work, Pierce showed his increasingly superb offensive skills. Van Horn was useless in front of him. He scored eight points in a row in the fourth quarter, helping the Celtics to close the score.

But the Celtics' efforts came to naught in the last three minutes. Their two fatal outside pass errors allowed Kenyon Martin to complete two fast break dunks and roared on the North Shore Garden floor. The Celtics finally lost to the New Jersey Nets at home 91:99, an eight-point disadvantage.

Leon sat on the bench and barely moved throughout the game, just watching O'Brien on the sidelines with a dignified expression and yelling at the players for a while, and finally lost the game. Leon, who returned to the locker room, tore off all the sticky notes on the whiteboard and threw them into the trash can.