When Larry Bird got off the plane with the players and arrived at Boston Airport, he could feel the cool breeze blowing in the night and the people curled their necks. It's already May, and Boston on the Atlantic coast is still a bit cold at night. Byrd put on the woolen jacket he carried with him, followed the team into the VIP passage, and got on the bus that stopped at the door to wait for the four days. Hotel of residence.

Sitting on the bus and looking at the night outside the window, the sweet past ten years ago is still vivid, this magical and crazy city, Larry Bird is back again, but with an enemy's attitude, leading from The bad boys of Indiana challenge the Celtics' hegemony that is gradually being established this season. Like the Detroit Pistons 17 years ago, they have now gone home to wait for new opportunities next year.

After arriving at the hotel, the young man at the door took the initiative to take the luggage to Bird. Not every player who went to the away game could enjoy such a treatment, especially in Boston. The hotel is not big, located in the north area, clean and tidy. In the elevator, the players saw the black and white poster of the Celtics winning the championship in 1981. Larry Bird is in the center of the poster. Tens of thousands of fans crowded the Boston Square Garden Arena, surrounded by Bird, and Bird had a face. The calmness.

"How does it feel to win the championship?" Jermaine O'Neal, who was standing next to Bird, asked. Obviously, this is a hotel with a deep basketball atmosphere. It is estimated that you will see a lot of things related to Larry Bird. s things.

"I don't know, I think you should ask yourself." Bird said lightly, as calm as he was on the poster.

When I got off the elevator and went to the corridor, the corridor was full of things related to the Boston Celtics, posters, photos, and autographs. It seemed that the owner of this hotel was a crazy Celtic fan, so he would decorate it in the hotel. So many things related to the Celtics.

Looking at all the familiar things, Bird didn’t stay at all. He found his room, asked the young man to place the things, gave some tips, and then told the head coach O’Brien that he was going to rest and he would train tomorrow. Please make arrangements for the matter. After talking about Bird, he closed the door.

"Actually, he doesn't need to come... If it were me, I wouldn't come." Artest saw Bird's appearance and couldn't help but said to Stephen Jackson.

"No, it's me and I will definitely come. There is nothing more exciting than this. Hey I said Reggie, what would you think if you were to return to Indiana like this in the future?" Jackson asked Reggie Miller.

"I don't know how to be a coach, and neither will the general manager!" Miller also entered his room after speaking.

This is not the first time Bird came to Boston as an enemy. After he left here to become the head coach of the Pacers, he will bring the team to this place at least twice a year. It's just that it was the regular season, and it came and passed, and this is the first time in the playoffs.

Of course, Bird is no longer the coach of the Pacers. As the general manager of the team, he does not necessarily have to come to Boston, but he chose to come over because of his open heart and sincerity. He just wants to take the walk. The player defeated the Celtics, defeated the team for which he played for a lifetime, won the glorious honor, and finally eliminated him.

Bird is very vengeful.

I entered the room and lay on the bed for a while, not feeling sleepy, it was still a bit early. The phone on the side lights up. It is a text message from Danny Angie, inviting him to have dinner together to eat Boston Lobster.

Bird hesitated for a moment, but still replied and refused. Even if he didn't fight directly on the court, he didn't want to get too close with the opponent's manager before the series began.

Reminiscing about things like the past, after defeating the opponent, you can come over pretensely while drinking and comforting a few words, but you are so happy to die. Anyway, Bird felt that if he wanted to defeat the Celtics, he must first return to Indiana and then return to Boston. He does not believe that the Celtics have the ability to sweep the Pacers, especially the Pacers have experienced the hellish tempering of the semifinals, and the 2:3 fall behind. Byrd knows that the Pacers have been reborn and become different from the regular season The same team.

From the moment Jermaine O’Neal asked that sentence in the elevator, Bird could perceive that this walker began to reveal a sense of confidence from top to bottom, a kind of expectation of the championship and the extreme of his own strength. Great recognition.

Although the Pacers failed to beat the Celtics in the regular season, the playoffs and the regular season are completely different. The regular season is integrated, and the playoffs are often accompanied by growth. A championship-level team is often in blood. Complete the final evolution in a playoff match with fire. The Eastern Conference semifinals were a springboard, pushing the Pacers closer to the throne.

Thinking back to the summer operations, Bird still admired his decision to take Steven Jackson and replace Brad Miller, if it weren’t for Steven Jackson’s suppression of the Pistons’ backcourt in the last two games of the semifinals, and With the life-saving firepower provided by the offensive end, the Pacers may have fallen in front of the Pistons.

Thinking of tomorrow's game, Bird is even more difficult to fall asleep. If it was a player, he would have fallen asleep, and he would sleep soundly as a coach. After becoming a manager, he would always suffer from insomnia during the night before the game.

Since he couldn't sleep, Bird got up from the bed, took out his phone, thought for a long time, and sent a text message to Angie, "Did Arnold come to Boston, his phone?"

Five minutes later, Angie's reply came, and he sent Bird a phone number, which appeared to be a hotel phone. After hesitating for a while, Bird still dialed the phone.

After ringing five times, the phone went through, and Auerbach's hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone, which seemed a little sleepy.

"I'm Larry."

There was silence for a second or two, and Auerbach’s voice came from the other end of the phone. This time it was a lot cooler, and said: "You are lost, Larry...and your Pacers."

"Can't we talk about something else?" Bird said helplessly.

"What to talk about? Is it suitable for retelling the old at this time? I don't think that after thoroughly defeating the opponent, the retelling should be comforted by chatting and comforting each other."

Bird didn’t know what to say, so he briefly chatted with Auerbach, and finally he said: "I hope you are healthy, but I advise you not to go to the scene to watch the game."

As a result, Auerbach did not respond with angrily furious response on the other end of the phone. On the contrary, Auerbach's voice was steady and powerful. He said, "Larry, do you remember Bill Fitch."

Fitch was Larry Bird's first coach in the NBA, and he took the Celtics to the championship in his second year. Fitch is Bird’s career mentor and has always been Bird’s ideal team coach, but in the end he left Kyle because of disagreements with the team, especially conflict with Auerbach. Special man, in the end Auerbach’s old subordinate Kc Jones became the coach of the team~lightnovelpub.net~ Of course, your question is funny. "

"I know you remember him, and I also know that you think he is the best coach for the Celtics, although he is a thousand-defeat coach. But let me tell you, the current Celtics are just like that Bill Fitch The Celtics led are like selfless, united, and strong. I think you can understand what I mean. Even now, the Boston Celtics are stronger than you and I can imagine. I don’t know how. Let me describe them. So, I want to tell you, if you lose the series, don’t be too disappointed. In my heart, you will always be the best, child."

"Thank you, Arnold, I am not a child anymore." Byrd finished speaking, hung up the phone.

He regrets making this call. Auerbach’s remarks hit him. If he is still a player, tomorrow he will come on the court and score 50 points to prove to Auerbach that he is wrong. But now, he can't, he can only put hope on the group of boys under him.

The Celtics in 1981 may not be the strongest Celtics in Bird’s time, but Bird can remember the taste of that time. In 1981, the vision and selfless dedication without a crown were better than the perfect team in 1986. Be more sincere and enthusiastic. Can a walker manage this emotion? (To be continued.)