Indianapolis looks old and old at sunset, a city that flourished in the fifties of the last century and began to fall into irretrievable decline in the 1970s, like most of the old industrial cities in the Midlands. Surrounded by grey-and-black skyscrapers, the Conceco Arena in the heart of the city is a building with a red brick façade and large blocks of clear glass, which has a retro flavor compared to the new arenas with a modern atmosphere.

This wasn't the first time Fox Leon had played here, he still remembered coming to Indiana three years ago as a scout for the team, and seeing the arena thinking it was an old arena that had been in use since the seventies, and then he learned that Conceco had just been built in 1999 and was a brand new arena that had just been put into use.

Many reporters have been waiting here for a long time in the passage to get off the bus and into the locker room, and there is no doubt that this is an eye-catching game, as the Indiana Pacers currently have the highest record in the East, while the Boston Celtics have slipped from second to fourth in the East due to the fluctuating results at the end of January. But in terms of rankings, if the playoffs start at this time, the two teams are likely to meet in the brutal semifinals, so naturally there is a lot of attention.

"I heard that the Celtic bus was late last night and the hotel was not very good, will that affect the team's form?" A reporter caught Leon in the passage and asked questions, it seems that the delay of the Celtic bus yesterday has been known to many people, and these pervasive reporters must have eyeliner in the hotel.

León replied as he walked briskly to the dressing room: "Yes, we were hindered by bad weather, but it didn't affect the rest of the players, and they will have a good performance tonight. Leon was reluctant to linger with reporters for too long, as he would have to attend a pre-match press conference to be "interrogated" by reporters.

With an hour to go before the start of the game, Leon was packing his things in the locker room. He went to the press conference hall to participate in the interview, which he used to hate, running here to ask reporters some strange tricky questions when the game was about to start, and he preferred to spend time in the dressing room with the players, talk about the tactics of the evening game, and get to know the players' condition.

Thankfully, Indiana's reporters, like the state's farmers, didn't ask embarrassing and difficult questions, just about the Celtics' injuries, team form and some tactical hiccups, and Leon quickly dealt with it and prepared to leave the media room and go back to the locker room to prepare for the game. That's when he saw the Pacers' coaching staff walk in through the entrance to the media room. Leading the way is the Pacers' head coach, Isiah Thomas.

The superstar, who once played for the Detroit Pistons, is now playing for the Pacers, who used to be rivals in the same district, and his immediate boss is Larry Bird, who once rivaled him on the court.

And then Leon felt as if he didn't belong in the circle yet, and Isiah Thomas saw the Celtics coaching staff ready to leave. He warmly shook hands with Celtics assistant coach Dick Hart, an old acquaintance who had his first job in the NBA as an assistant coach for the Pistons, when Thomas was still a fledgling rookie. It was from Dick Hart that Thomas learned what it means to defend.

Thomas then shook hands and hugged Cowens, a sign of respect for the former celebrity, while Leon was left to the side. Thomas always had his trademark smile on his face, revealing snow-white teeth, but his smile and gaze did not turn towards Leon for a moment. Dick Hart felt a little embarrassed. He glanced at what Leon wanted to say between the two, but Thomas had already stepped onto the podium of the press conference, and Leon had taken a step out of the media room.

"Don't worry about Leon, he did it on purpose, don't get angry......" Hart explained as he followed Leon on the way back to the locker room.

"I know, I know, don't worry, I don't have any extra thoughts, the only thing I have on my mind right now is to knock his team up and down during the game." Leon turned around and patted Hart's arm with his hand, and said with a determined gaze.

……………………

At seven o'clock in mountain time, the Celtics vs. Pacers game at Conseco Arena officially began, and the arena was sparsely pulled twenty minutes ago, and it was full at seven o'clock, Indiana is a famous sports state in the United States, this central state dominated by agriculture and heavy industry, and the people love those exciting and fierce sports, so whether it is high-confrontation football, fast and fierce basketball or dangerous and exciting racing, it is the favorite of Indiana people.

Leon stood on the sidelines, grim-looking, he knew it was going to be a tough battle, the Pacers were outstanding, they started to get a new generation since the 2000 Finals defeat, getting Jermaine O'Neal in the summer of '00 was the first step in the team's revival, and then the Pacers took Jamal Tinsley in the '01 draft. Before the trade market closed in the '02 season, Jalen Rose, Richardson, Best and others were traded from the Bulls for Ron Artest and Brady Miller, and the team was greatly strengthened.

Finally this season, with the sudden regression of the 76ers and the Bucks, the Pacers began to enter the first group in the East along with the Celtics and Pistons, and they are so young, except for the old fossil of Reggie Miller, the main players are all under the age of 30, and the starters are all under the age of 26, and they are on the rise of their careers, and their future is bright.

In the recent game between the two teams in the North Shore Gardens, Jermaine O'Neal scored 33 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in Boston, and even PJ Brown couldn't stop O'Neal from taking what he wanted inside. Before the start of this game, Leon was full of thoughts about how to contain O'Neal Jr.'s play, and he didn't want PJ Brown to face O'Neal Jr. directly, if so, Walker had to play against Brad Miller, who was not a point he could give up casually.

Leon thought twice and decided to use the most common way to deal with his opponent's super inside line - let him sit back on the bench and use the outside line to cause damage. Get O'Neal off early for too many fouls.

Just a minute and a half into the game, in the third attack of the Celtics, Paul Pierce and Walker completed a pick-and-roll, Pierce broke through with the ball from the left side, and squeezed in close to O'Neal Jr.'s body, O'Neal Jr. was strong, but Pierce seemed to be stronger, and as a result, the two fell to the ground near the three-second zone.

The referee's whistle seemed to hesitate, so it was only when the players from both sides rolled to the ground to grab the ball that the whistle blew. Because the Celtics were near the Pacers bench in the offensive half of the first half. His vision was blocked by Arenas and Tinsley, so he didn't see the referee's gesture clearly, but judging by the reaction of the fans in the stadium, the result seemed to be not in Celtic's favor.

Sure enough, the broadcast of "Paul Pierce hit man with the ball" came out of the live broadcast, and the fans cheered, and Isiah Thomas, who was standing on the sidelines, showed an imperceptible smile on his face, and then he sat back on the bench, and it seemed that the decision was very satisfactory to him. Paul Pearce tried to argue with the referee. But the referee was indifferent, and tonight's referee was Greg Villard, a seasoned referee with 15 years of experience in blowing penalties, apparently in a confrontation where both sides had action. He opted to be slightly biased towards the home team.

As the Pacers were ready to serve, Villard walked to the midfield, at which point Leon walked to a distance where he could talk to Villard and said loudly, "It's not a good decision." The attacker was blocked, but he fouled! There won't even be a penalty in this ball, it's just a confrontation. Re-serve! ”

Villard glanced at Leon, let go of the whistle and replied, "Everything is under my control!" Then he ignored Leon and continued to play.

Leon didn't answer, he wasn't prepared to yell at the referee at the beginning, that would only cause the referee's disgust or even a technical foul, the game had just begun, and he had to gradually put pressure on the referee.

This isn't the first time Verard has blown a Celtic penalty this season, and in previous games, he had the impression that the Celtic manager was an easy guy to deal with, often standing on the sidelines watching the game without saying a word, occasionally calling a timeout, never yelling at the referee, and never complaining to the referee. So in Verard's opinion, this is a good persimmon, after all, this guy is not a superstar, nor a championship coach, but just a rookie coach who came out of nowhere.

But tonight Verard felt the pressure, as the first quarter of the game unfolded, the physical confrontation between the Celtics and the Pacers became more and more intense, and no matter how Verard blew the penalty, Leon would say a few words in Verard's ear, unlike other coaches who purely complained and vented, Leon's words were full of pertinence and professionalism, and he would tell Verard where there was a problem with his decision, where it could be blown or not, and whether it was a good penalty.

He wanted to comment on Verard's decision like a professional referee, and the key was that Verard felt that what he said seemed to make sense! Finally, in the ninth minute of the first quarter, in the same scene as in the opening game, Paul Pierce once again blocked Antoine Walker, this time he broke through the middle and stuck to Jermaine O'Neal again, this time the two did not fall, but Verard's whistle blew.

"Beep!" Villad stepped forward and made a two-handed gesture to Jermaine O'Neal, "Block the foul, No. 7 Jermaine O'Neal", and Villard reported the foul to the technical desk, in a firm and unquestionable tone. Because before Leon repeatedly said to Verard, "The inside slash is too intense, you need to blow the penalty to control their movements." ”

Maybe Villard won't admit that he has been influenced by a manager, but he did get hints and the confrontation between the two sides was fierce, PJ Brown and Ron Artest were starting to get a little angry, cursing on the pitch, and he needed a few whistles to control the situation on the pitch and prevent the conflict from erupting.

Combined with a previous rebounding foul, Jermaine O'Neal had two fouls in the first quarter, and Thomas had to replace O'Neal at 17-18, with the Celtics trailing the Pacers by one point. Leon's plan to lay down O'Neal finally came to fruition, and O'Neal Jr. had eight points and four rebounds in the first quarter, and his departure undoubtedly cost the Pacers a lot.

Towards the end of the first quarter, Antoine Walker forced Jerry Foster, who came off the bench in the middle, and hit a mid-range step-back jumper to change the score to 26:24, overtaking by two points, and then the Pacers made a service error in the backcourt, Arenas made a steal, took two steps outside the three-point line, and made a three-point shot with a board, 29:24, and the Celtics, who were suppressed by the Pacers for a quarter, suddenly turned over.

"Well done!" When Arenas came off the court, Leon gave him a big hug, Walker also high-fived Leon, Leon didn't even call a timeout in the first quarter, he didn't command the players, he gave the players the freedom to play what they learned in practice before the game.

Dick Hart watched the Celtics' players chatter with Leon about the situation and how they were feeling on the field during the break, and thought to himself, Fox Leon is finally on the road and has a bit of a real head coach look. But this game has just begun, and the Pacers and Isiah Thomas at home will not let the victory slip away easily. (To be continued.) )