Leon's post-game speech didn't attract much interest from the media, not only because Maddie also said it, but also because for Leon, such words are not enough news. So much happened to him in the second half of the season that people began to strip away the good but mediocre impression of him before, and slowly put on the label of a big-mouthed, bad boy. Moreover, the Celtics did show an overwhelming advantage in the game, and all the guys who favored the 76ers were slapped in the face.

However, Leon's words undoubtedly angered the 76ers' players and angered Iverson, who said in an interview that the series is not over and that it is too early to do so. The whole 76ers team is also holding their breath to give the Celtics and Leon a little color in Game 5. Before the start of the fifth game, Danny Angie found Leon, and the two had a drink together at the beer hall in the North End. Angie came to Leon to discuss next season's contract, Leon signed a short-term contract this season, and based on the current Celtics' record and performance, giving Leon a long-term contract is not a problem.

It was just an informal private exchange, and Angie referred to Leon's post-game remarks, saying, "You're talking nonsense after the game again, and there's no good in saying big things like that before the series is over." You have to think that anything can happen in the NBA. ”

Leon was stunned and responded, "If I don't say something like that, what do those reporters do to write news and make a living?" ”

Angie snorted and said, "You weren't like this Fox before, you stayed in Boston for three years, and the changes in the past six months are not small. ”

Leon has indeed changed a lot since becoming the head coach, especially in the second half of the season, which has almost undergone a qualitative change under great pressure. The guy who used to be silent about his work seemed to have become a lot more arrogant, and both his appearance and demeanor and his speech and behavior became more and more revealing of the wild energy of an old Celtic.

Leon glanced at Anji and said, "Isn't this exactly what you want?" He said, "You should know about my past, but I am such a person." ”

Angie couldn't figure out what Leon meant, and only Auerbach knew the details of Leon in the entire Celtic, and Angie only knew a little bit about it. All he knew was that Leon had indeed been at MCI, and that the scars on his body weren't fake.

"Either way, you're getting more and more like a Celtic, you know, Trent Alexander-Arnold has put a lot of effort into you. If Larry knew all this, he would have gone crazy. Angie said that he was trying to win over Leon emotionally, because in the conversation he had just seen, Leon didn't seem to have the kind of idea of dedicating his entire basketball career to Boston.

Leon took a sip of his beer and said, "Angey, I love this team, I love Celtic, I love Trent Alexander-Arnold even more, and I will do my best to win a championship for the team." So, everything I did, including my changes, was for the championship, for success, not because I became a true Celtic. ”

Leon's words caused the two to fall into a long silence, and finally Leon said: "Don't worry about the contract, I won't leave here until I get the championship, unless you kick me out." Also, don't talk to me about contract stuff until we win this series. If, I mean if, we were overturned by the 76ers, I wouldn't have the face to stay in Boston again. ”

Angie stopped talking, he knew that Leon was a stubborn man who did what he said, and he had the demeanor of Sigfred in this regard.

"Okay, you're talking a lot, you have to win the fifth game, or you're not going to leave Boston, you're going to be laughed at forever......

Angie reminded Leon that if you say big things in the NBA, if you say it, it will be a legend, and if you fail to fulfill it, it will be the object of ridicule by the media and fans for the next ten or twenty years, and you will be pulled out to parade through the streets when necessary.

Leon knew the risks, but he was adamant: "We're going to get rid of the 76ers in Game 5, and we're not going to delay it until Game 6 to give them a chance anyway." “

A day later, on April 30, the Celtics' home game against the 76ers was really dark. The 76ers were not willing to be eliminated like this, especially Allen Iverson, who gave his best in the game, and he only rested for three minutes of 48 minutes of playing time. Larry Brown also seems to have to pin his hopes on Iverson, giving him unlimited right to fire and shoot whenever he thinks he has the chance.

In the first four games, Brown has found that the gap between the Celtics and the 76ers is a gap in hard power, and after a season of running-in, training and pre-playoff rotation, the Celtics are in surprisingly good shape. The 76ers and Brown have entered a period of burnout together, and Brown's overly strict and old-fashioned coaching philosophy is increasingly incompatible with Iverson's unruly style, which exploded in the final stage of the fifth round.

Iverson fought hard for a while, but the Celtics always suppressed the 76ers and maintained a lead of about five points. With a minute to go and the Celtics still leading by six points, Iverson threw himself into the crowd to make a foul despite his physical pain to salvage points for the 76ers, only to turn back Paul Pierce with a cold-blooded three-pointer from the outside that reduced his efforts to ashes.

Amid the cheers of more than 20,000 fans at the North Shore Garden Arena, Fox Leon raised his arms and celebrated his team's victory in advance. Iverson was still making his final effort, forcing a three-pointer on offense, but that wasn't his strong point. Michael Reed got the backcourt rebound, calmly put it in his arms, or Iverson, rushed over and fouled directly.

It was Iverson's sixth foul and he was sent off. He didn't say anything more to the referee, didn't complain, didn't be unwilling, didn't argue, didn't struggle, he just left silently with his head down. At this time, Leon lowered his arms, he looked at Iverson as he passed by, and stretched out his left fist. Iverson seemed to subconsciously touch Leon with his left fist, the two did not make eye contact, there was no dialogue, they were not even familiar with each other, they did not know each other, they did not speak much.

It's just that Leon feels that such a fighter, when he fails, deserves respect because he only lost the game, but he didn't lose the basketball.

Conversely, when Iverson passed his own bench and Larry Brown passed, the two men did not communicate at all, Brown did not comfort Iverson, and Iverson did not look at Brown. Brown just continued to stubbornly watch the game with his head held high, and with less than 20 seconds left before the end of the game, the Celtics led by seven points and it was all over.

Iverson returned to the bench with his head bowed, his name chanted by fans who also respected his opponent, the superstar who once exhausted his talent and shone brightly in NBA history.

When the buzzer sounded at the end of the match, the crowd erupted in cheers, and Leon felt relieved that his wild words had come true, and he could really start thinking about his opponent for the next round. This round of the game was actually unexpectedly easy, everyone thought that the Celtics would have a tough battle with Philadelphia, and it was likely that the seventh game would be the winner, but unexpectedly, 4:1, the Celtics cleanly ended the 76ers.

On the other side, the Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic, which was thought to be a one-sided matchup, was extremely dramatic. First, the Magic unexpectedly won the first game, and then after losing the second game as expected, the Magic who returned to their home court exploded, winning two games in a row, turning the score into 3:1, and the Pistons faced the situation of being eliminated and being blackened eight.

This was something that no one expected, and after the fourth game, the Magic's star McGrady said something similar to Leon's, and he was also thinking about the opponent in the next round. But their next round opponent is not the Boston Celtics, because they don't have a next round.

The enraged Detroit Pistons, led by Big Ben Wallace, swept the Magic at home in Game 5, squeezing Maddie to 8-of-20 for just 19 points, and in Game 6 on the Magic's home court, Chauncey Billups slashed 40 points to snuff out the Magic's hopes of advancing to Orlando.

By Game 7, the series had completely reversed, and it was again in Detroit, and the Pistons didn't give the Magic any chance, and they led from the first quarter, crushing the Magic all the way to the end of the game, and Billups scored another 37 points.

In this way, Billups, who scored high points in two crucial games, finally helped the team complete an incredible 1-3 comeback, and then he will face his old club in the semifinals, which drafted him in the NBA, and finally abandoned him again.

And Maddie's phrase "consider the next round of opponents" has become a lingering nightmare for him in the future. (To be continued.) )