Louis sat there, watching the monster he indirectly created celebrate the away victory.

Even for them, winning at the Knicks' home court is not easy.

Bird knew what they were doing, they were crushing the Knicks' morale.

They made Louis doubt himself and his team for the first time.

Can they really beat the Celtics?

Louis stood up like a zombie, and Jones was still waiting for him to shake hands.

"You're still a little bit behind, Lu." He said with a smile.

Score, 107 to 99.

It seems that the difference is only 8 points, but the difference is more than just these 8 points.

Bird scored 27 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in a single game. His role is far greater than the data.

Sampson had 26 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists. His performance was as exaggerated as his statistics.

For the Knicks, both the internal and external cores are unsatisfactory.

Wilson was beaten by Bird and only scored 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, with a shooting percentage of 41%. Ewing's efficiency was normal, with 18 points and 14 rebounds, which was not much lost to Sampson. However, judging from the scene, Sampson

Win too much.

The Knicks' top scorer was Dale Ellis with 21 points.

Dr. J is a perfect example. If the outcome of the game cannot be determined by the strongest player on the team at the critical moment, the team will most likely perish.

Louis shook hands and didn't want to say anything.

In front of reporters, Louis lost his usual calm demeanor.

Commenting on this game, he said concisely and concisely: "Bird and Sampson played better."

Louis is very angry. The biggest limitation as a coach is that even if he makes no mistakes in the game and the tactical plan is perfect, his team will still lose.

It is difficult to grasp the psychology of players, and more experienced teams will often use psychological warfare to defeat young teams.

That's what Bird did to Wilson.

The locker room was lifeless, no one spoke.

Some people are waiting for Louis' thunderous wrath, some are thinking about how the series will continue, some are painfully isolating their teammates, and some are already convinced that they can't beat the Celtics.

"Don't act like it's over, we haven't lost yet." Louis' voice was deep, and he didn't get angry.

Because the time has not come yet, he wants to get angry, but not now.

This is when morale is at its lowest, and stabbing everyone in the chest won't solve the problem.

"Go back and have a good rest." Louis found the only player in the locker room who didn't look depressed, "Dale, you come to the press conference with me."

On the way, Ellis didn't say anything, and Louis didn't look for words either.

In the media interview room, a group of reporters were waiting to make things difficult for Louis.

Especially the media from New England, they can't wait to see if Louis' mouth is still so tough.

"LittleLu, after this game, do you still think the Knicks have a chance to win?"

Louis' expression remained unchanged: "Since we are not out yet, of course we have a chance to win."

"You have nothing to do with Larry and Ralph, so what else are you going to do to win?"

"I don't know," Louis said, "but we'll find a way."

Ellis, who always keeps the media at a distance, was the most active and enthusiastic person in the Knicks tonight.

"I'm very happy. This game shows that the Celtics really regard us as their opponents." Ellis showed rare optimism. "This defeat allowed them to regain their home court advantage. For us,

It just means the series is back on the starting line."

These words are usually said by Louis, but he is really not in the mood to be official now.

From this point of view, letting Ellis attend the press conference was the best thing he did tonight.

After bidding farewell to the media, Louis asked Ellis: "Do you really think the series is back on the starting line?"

"Yes, coach." Ellis asked, "Don't you think so?"

"I do think so, but I'm not as optimistic as you." Louis said helplessly, "Bird completely destroyed Benj on the court, and Patrick is not Sampson's opponent."

"It's going to be okay, Coach."

"Whether it's Benj or Patrick," Ellis said. "A few years ago, the Knicks were nothing. No one could believe that we would be a rival to the Celtics in a few years. We have reached this point.

As expected by many people, the rest are gifts, we just need to do our best."

It’s hard to imagine that Louis was comforted and encouraged by the most autistic person in the Knicks.

What would happen if he traded Ellis? Since the Eastern Conference Finals, he has been the Knicks' most reliable shooter, ranking second on the team in points per game, second only to Wilson.

Miller is too young, and Hornacek is the biggest threat in the left and right corners, but in this series, the Knicks are not yet luxurious enough to let him go to the corners to smoke and wait for the ball.

Therefore, if Louis trades Ellis, the Knicks are likely to lose a reliable shooter on the outside, which is the biggest benefit to the Celtics, who have the league's No. 1 center.

Sampson can sweep the paint to his heart's content.

I made the right decision after all...

Louis thought to himself.

By the third game of the series, the Knicks had basically no trump card.

The two teams have been entangled for two years, and their lineups are generally stable and they know the basics.

The only change is defense.

After the G3 defeat, Louis reviewed the situation afterwards and felt that he was a bit led by the Celtics.

The Knicks built their team on defense, but later in order to face the Celtics' offense, they kept switching lineups, subconsciously ignoring the Knicks' biggest reliance.

Defense.

Now, with the Knicks' morale at rock bottom, Louis isn't sure what will happen if he incites them to go all-out defense now.

No, "beating chicken blood" is the last resort in every sense. It is the struggle when the Guizhou donkey is at the end of his skills. It must not be done now.

One day after the game, the league announced that Ralph Sampson was elected the most valuable player of the 1987-88 regular season.

There is no suspense. Bird's age and back injury are here, and the Celtics are bound to make a handover.

Sampson is at his peak and is a versatile offensive and defensive center. He is the most suitable candidate.

Being elected as the MVP this year can be regarded as a signal. Perhaps starting next season, Sampson will replace Bird and become the league's number one player.

But he still needs to prove himself.

Defeating the Knicks and leading the team to the Finals to win five consecutive championships is the best way to prove yourself.

The Celtics coaching staff noticed Sampson's high morale, so on May 24, the night of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Jones made an unprecedented move to substitute Isiah Thomas.

They started with Ainge, Weidman, Bird, Laimbeer, and Sampson.

Throughout the game, they mainly used the No. 3 system, with Sampson playing alone at the free throw line and in the low post, while the others opened up the four lines.

Standard one star.

Louis tried all methods. Ewing defended alone and was blown away. During the double-team attack, Sampson passed the ball to his teammates to shoot three-pointers. Sometimes, he didn't even need to pass the ball and was sure to hit hard with the ball. He changed defense, but still couldn't.

use.

The whole game, he was trying to figure out how to deal with Sampson.

His players worked hard, but Sampson was invincible. Anyone he played had a matchup advantage. In order to restrict him, the Celtics put several bottles of poison on the outside. He had to selectively drink one of them to be able to do it.

Use a double attack to limit Sampson's rampage.

Louis chose Weidman, who had the lowest three-point shooting percentage.

It turned out that this decision was wrong, and the Celtics opened the score at halftime.

In the second half, Louis tried to use a 5-OUT lineup to chase points, leaving Ewing and McHale off the court. As a result, the defense was blown away and he only recovered a few points symbolically.

In the fourth quarter, Sampson used pick-and-rolls in two consecutive rounds and made three-pointers.

The suspense of the game was eliminated from that moment on.

The morale of the main players has completely disappeared. They are like deflated rubber balls that don't know how to resist.

Louis finally couldn't stand it anymore. He angrily replaced the main players. In the last four minutes when the victory was determined, Hornacek, Cooper, Rodman, Stevens and Salley were the main players. The whole game was tight.

Forced until the end of the game.

Normal tactics and strategies have lost their effect. The Celtics' victory comes from hard power. If they want to win, they must use physical confrontation and defense to suppress it.

But he couldn't see any blood in the starting players.

When the Knicks' substitutes went on a 12-4 run in the last four minutes, allowing the Knicks to end the game with dignity at 101-112, Louis roared at Ewing, McHale, and Wilson: "You better remember

This game! This is your shame. At home, faced with the bullying of those bastards in Boston, you did not resist and allowed them to dominate this game. In the end, even the substitutes showed more fighting spirit than you! I don’t
To be continued...