the rest, only noise

Chapter 209 The ultimate winner's dictation (482)

The dictation of the ultimate winner in chapter 2

"I'm not one to advocate violence."

Louie's words made the reporter want to laugh, but he couldn't.

"However, I have to admit that basketball is a very intense sport. Emotions are uncontrollable. They always get out of control."

"Coach Lu, don't you think the Celtics lose control of their emotions a little too much?"

"I disagree with your statement."

Although Louie criticized Guy Williams' mindless provocations in private, he still excused him in public: "If you have watched the game carefully, you should know that my players are often the ones who fight back after being beaten."

Louis is good at harnessing the power of the media.

The support and opposition of public opinion have their value.

Sometimes, public opinion can help him motivate players, and sometimes, public opinion can also make him win people's hearts.

Guy Williams is a player who has no impression on him. He believes that this person was just a small role in the 80s. He may have played as a substitute for many years, and he may fade out of the league after playing for a year or two.

Since the opponent is playing under him, he has the responsibility to lead him on the right path.

If he strays, adjust him back.

If he doesn't have a chance, try to give him a chance.

Louie wants every player under him to develop well, which is also the responsibility of the coach.

He returned to the locker room from the scene, emphasizing that he did not want to see any conflict tonight.

"Seattle is not our competitor. They are not even in the Eastern Conference. I don't want anyone to be unhappy because of this. If anyone makes trouble for me in the second half, don't blame me for being dirty, and don't think I'm done with scolding. Whether it's the main force or the substitute, especially you, Bill, whoever dares to cause trouble tonight, I will never let him go!"

Louis' intimidation had a good effect.

The game in the third quarter was harmonious, and the Celtics continued to expand their lead.

Isaiah Thomas' several heads-ups during the period caused many Seattle fans to defect.

His fingertip dribble, the killer change of direction with two slaps under his crotch, and his comprehensive means of shooting at will without looking at the position after entering the three-point line all made him the protagonist of the third quarter.

He scored 32 points in three quarters and left work early.

Louis patted his ass and encouraged: "After seeing your performance tonight, I want to treat you to dinner."

Thomas gave him a bewildered look.

Is it necessary to treat guests to dinner after a good game?Is it that simple?
Of course, Louis thought it was not that simple.

Just can't say yet.

"Since you are silent, I will take it as if you accepted my invitation, and remember to walk with me after the game." Louis directly helped Thomas make a decision.

This was a new thing, and Thomas wanted to know what kind of medicine Louis was selling, so he really agreed by default.

The fourth quarter was reduced to training time for both sides.

It is impossible for the Supersonics to come back, and Wilkens didn't want to waste the physical strength of the main players, so he simply replaced everyone with substitutes.

This was exactly what Louis wanted.

Louie replaced John Paxson, Karl, Williams, Maxwell and Scott Weidman with a small lineup of five.

Because the Celtics lead by 30 points, even if this lineup has obvious disadvantages on the surface, there is no need to worry.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the Sonics chased to 17 points, which ended the game with a decent point difference.

After the game, Louis and Wilkens both recognized each other's coaching ability.

Wilkens’ evaluation of Lui is in stark contrast to other coaches: “Little Lu is an experienced coach. He is good at calculation and knows every opponent. I lag behind him in every arrangement tonight. Moreover, he is not as impolite as the outside world says. When his players do something wrong on the field, he replaces them immediately and asks him to come and apologize at the end of the first half.”

"I believe that many people have a wrong impression of him because of some reports that do not match the facts. For me, he is not only a good coach, but also a good person."

Good man, it's been a long time since Louie heard someone say that about him.

Instead of returning to the hotel on the team bus after the game, he and Isiah Thomas took a taxi to a nearby restaurant.

The restaurant that Louis chose was not a high-end restaurant.

It is impossible for a high-end restaurant to open until now.

The name of the store is "Slade's".

A prominent sign "Owned by: Bill Russell" was posted on the door of the store.

Using his own name as an advertisement has the meaning of Zhou Xingchi making a movie later.

"Bill Russell's store?" Thomas asked.

"Don't ask me what you know." What Louis wants to know is whether the food in this restaurant is as bad as Stephen Chow's movies after 2010.

They entered the center of the restaurant, where Russell was sitting.

"You guys are finally here." Russell put the menu in front of them. "I specially asked the chef to work overtime today. Order casually. Today you let me watch a wonderful game. I treat you."

Thomas, like other black players, has a strong respect for Russell.

Not only because of his achievements on the field, but also because he has made corresponding contributions to the social status of black people as an active civil rights activist.

"I believe that the restaurant of the ultimate winner must have delicacies like the ultimate winner." Thomas flattered Russell very comfortably.

Louis said helplessly: "Bill, this guy never compliments me."

"Hey hey hey!" Russell said with a ridiculous smile, "This shows that you have to work harder. The respect between players and coaches is mutual."

Without knowing it, Louie said, "I have enough respect for Isiah, any more and he'd be upset."

Thomas gave an ugly grin, and ordered.

Louis didn't know much about black food, so he ordered the same thing as Thomas.

"With vision, this is our restaurant's signature dish." Russell said with a mysterious smile, "Only black people know how to enjoy the delicacy!"

Thomas wanted to skip the formalities and get straight to the point.

He knew that Louis invited him here for dinner—it turned out that Russell treated him—with ulterior motives, but he didn't expect that there was a third party, and this third party was still Russell.

"Bill, are we talking about everything tonight?" Louie asked.

Russell let go: "There's nothing I can't say."

"Then I want to ask a question for Isiah, why didn't you stay in Boston after retiring?" Louis asked, picking up a sensitive topic.

A cold wind seemed to pass over the dining table.

"Actually, I don't want to know that much," Thomas said tactfully.

"It's okay, there's nothing to say about it." Russell was silent for a few seconds, and then laughed horribly. "Hey, it's interesting to say. I left without saying goodbye. Reed arranged for me to retire the jersey. But I didn't let any fans in. Instead, I chose to close the stadium. Only my old teammates came to witness my jersey take off."

Sounds like an unrelated thing.

Louie and Thomas are serious.Louie's earnestness is feigned, he acknowledges Russell's greatness and believes he was in a bad situation, but he really doesn't resonate that much.

He wanted Thomas to face up to his situation.

What he has been thinking about day and night, Russell has not won 13 championships in 11 years, so why can he get it?
The only way he could get something like that was to stand beside Byrd and be his shadow in the light.

"Before I went to Boston, they never won a championship; in the 13 years since I went, they only missed two championships."

"You said, isn't it obvious who is the key factor?"

Russell has now transformed into a media person. He has a mouth to tell stories, and Thomas and Louie can be substituted into it simply by opening his mouth.

Louie simply listened to the story, while Thomas thought of himself.

"But the fans disagreed. We won the championship, but the attendance rate was very low. Even those fans who came to see our game, most of them came for Kuz (Cousy) and Willie (Sharman)."

"After Kurz retired, they said the Celtics were finished, and then we went on to win the championship, and they started giving the credit to Tom and Hondo."

"In order to prove that I was right, some fans made trouble with me and a few other black players outside the court." Russell recalled this past, even laughing, "Our relationship with the fans was really very alienated at that time."

Thomas couldn't help but be thankful he wasn't in that situation.

Although the media focused on Bird, the fans recognized him.

This can be seen from his jerseys to the sales of player cards.

His peripheral popularity is second only to Bird, and if the stars of other teams are added, it is only less than Magician, Dr. J, and Bernard King.

The reason is simple, if the fans don't like him, they won't spend a penny on his surroundings.

"So I always joke that the most loyal Celtics fans are sitting on our bench. No one else can rely on us. We only have ourselves." Russell said nostalgicly.

Louis echoed with a smile: "It's really admirable, I really hope that your friendship in battle can be passed down forever."

Russell heard what Louis meant.

"Do you have internal problems?" Russell couldn't see in the game that it was a team with internal conflicts.

Because he has seen many teams with internal conflicts, and those teams are usually his opponents in the playoffs.

"It can't be considered a problem. Although the friendship of your generation has not been passed down, the media's standard of distinguishing players by skin color has been passed down to this day." Louis said sideways, "I'm not sure if there is any heartless guy on our team who is jealous of Larry because of this."

(End of this chapter)