Frank. Vogel has been very irritated lately, and although he is only acting head coach, his work during this period has still allowed him to experience the huge difference between an assistant coach and a head coach.

In addition to training the team every day, I also have to work hard with my colleagues to study the opponent's information and make the most detailed preparations. Have a tactical meeting, lay out the tactics for the game, and then just wait for the game to come.

These preliminary preparations were troublesome enough, but in the game, Vogel was also not easy.

In the past, when Henson was around, Vogel didn't feel the pressure during the game. Even for a period of time when Henson was "teaching", Vogel felt that his workload had not increased much.

After all, as long as Henson is around, Vogel doesn't have to worry about anything.

But now that he's lost Henson completely, Vogel finds himself more responsible and responsible. Now no one is going to stand up and rotate players for him, no one is going to make decisive decisions for him, and no one is going to give him a reassuring smile in the most anxious moments of the game.

Vogel always thinks about everything he can think of before a game and then makes arrangements in advance. But when the game started, he found that he would still slowly lose control of the game. In terms of controlling the situation and commanding on the spot, he considered himself to be a long way behind Henson.

The loss to the Mavericks in the last game is the best example of this. Clever Rick. Carlisle didn't have an easy time dealing with Vogel.

Although in terms of lineup configuration, the Mavericks are not as good as the Pacers. But in the arrangement of some key tactics, Carlisle ate the Pacers to death.

When the team was in trouble, Vogel couldn't make too timely decisions on the offensive end. As for Becky. Harmon, although she is very capable, is not good enough to wrestle with Carlisle, the champion coach.

As a result, in the final regular season game before the All-Star weekend, the Mavericks allowed the defending champion Pacers to score just 73 points.

With 73 points from the game, this kind of score would never have been possible when Henson was in charge. And the 73 points are also the Pacers' new low in a single game this season.

The high load and difficult work is only one of them, and there are many more troubles that Vogel faces.

For example, Leonard's terrible injury, which is known as a "once in 40 years". For example, the unkind media questions after each game. For example, the pressure of 72 wins......

With the same roster configuration, Henson can get 72 wins, and you Vogel has lost 9 games in half a season. Naturally, journalists would have seized on this and lashed out at Vogel.

All of these made Vogel a little overwhelmed. So don't look at the current Pacers are still the first in the East, don't look at the 42-9 record, it seems to be very good.

But in just half a season, Vogel has already realized that Frank Frank was once a good student. A phrase that Raiden said.

"Don't be an NBA head coach because it's not a job that people do!"

Thankfully, Vogel was able to make a little transition through All-Star Weekend during this hectic schedule. He wanted to relax this weekend, and maybe visit Henson to make himself stronger.

But before All-Star Weekend began, Larry. Bird, however, delivered exciting news to the players and coaching staff in the dressing room.

"Henson. Joe is coming back! ”

"What!?" As soon as he heard the news, Vogel stood up with excitement. He knows very well that there is only one person who can be the head coach of the Pacers, and that person is Henson. Joe!

"The boss is coming back!? When!? Immediately afterward, the players were overjoyed.

Although they have enjoyed working with Vogel, Henson's influence has been deeply rooted in the bone marrow of every player. Henson, even if he doesn't say anything, just standing on the sidelines can put the players at ease.

Vogel, on the other hand, does not have this kind of courage. He's a good coach, but that's about it. What about Henson? He's more than just a coach. To exaggerate, he's the soul of this team!

"After the All-Star break, Coach Henson will coach his first game after his return. And this afternoon, we'll be holding a press conference in the media reception room to announce Henson's return! ”

Looking at the expectant eyes of the group, Bird smiled with satisfaction. Sure enough, as long as Henson can come back, everything will be back on track!

※※※

"How's it going?" Bird turned his head and asked Henson, who was dressed in a black Armani suit.

At this point, Henson looked very energetic, almost the same as he had been before he was hospitalized. After three months, watching him put on the Armani suit again, the whole person seems to have become a lot more professional.

"I'm going to suffocate, Bird."

"What? Tie too tight? ”

"No, I just feel like going back to this kind of place, facing something like this, I can feel like I'm really alive! It's nice to be at home and have someone to take care of, but I don't yearn for that kind of life at all. I hadn't touched anything related to basketball for a few months, and I felt like I had lost air, and I was about to suffocate. ”

Yes, if it weren't for his body and the woman he loved, how would he be willing to give up basketball?

"You guy...... Don't get too excited, your heart," Bird stretched out his fingers and rubbed Henson's chest, "but it's not too exciting. ”

"Don't worry, Bird, I'm in measure. It's almost time, right? I can already hear the cacophony of voices in the media reception room. Henson looked at his watch, and it was four o'clock in the afternoon.

"Almost, let's go."

Bird nodded, pushed the door open with Henson, and walked into the media reception room. The noise suddenly flooded into Henson's ears, but instead of feeling irritated, he closed his eyes and felt the sound rush through the ear canal to his brain, stimulating his body to secrete a lot of adrenaline!

It's this familiar feeling, after three months, he's back!

Seeing Henson appear in the media reception room, the audience suddenly flashed in flames! You know, this is the first time Henson has appeared in public in the three months since Henson was hospitalized!

Outwardly, Henson is no different from before. He's still in good spirits, still smiling like nothing. He's still the young "godfather", and he's still the one who's like Mike. The men of Corleone.

But in terms of body shape, Henson did lose some weight. After all, Henson needed a lot of nutrients to nourish his heart during this time, so although he didn't work, he still lost weight.

Although he has been away from basketball for three months, Henson has not felt any strangeness since he returned. He leaned back in his chair, then spread his hands, "Ask!" ”

"Coach Henson, have you fully recovered?" Since today's press conference was held at the Bankers' Living Arena, Indianapolis was dominated by local media. Their questions are usually not too acute.

'It's not 100 per cent yet, but it's enough for the next games.'

"Coach Henson, what do you think about Leonard's injury?"

"I'm not a doctor, the only thing I can do is be patient."

"The Heat claim they're going to regain first place in the East, do you think ......"

"No way, there's only one No. 1 in the East, and that's the Pacers." Before the reporter could finish asking, Henson began to answer. Bird smiled, it seems that Henson is really in good shape.

"Coach Henson, at the beginning of the season, the expectation for the Pacers was 72 wins, or 72 wins. And now, the Pacers have lost nine games. It can be said that there is no hope of reaching 70 wins. What do you think is the problem? It's Frank. Is there something wrong with Vogel's coaching, or is it the result of the team's declining strength? ”

Finally, a reporter from New York asked a relatively sharp question. It seems that this reporter did not intend to give Henson a step down. Because whether he answers that Vogel has a problem or a player has a problem, it hurts one of the parties.

Henson looked at the reporter in front of him with interest, he didn't expect that he had only been gone for three months, and some people had already forgotten how the dead word was written.

"We're only halfway through the season, so why do you say we're hopeless with 70+ wins?" Henson didn't answer, but asked a tough rhetorical question!

"But now the Pacers have lost nine games, and Leonard is out indefinitely. In such a situation, you wouldn't be ridiculous enough to think that the Pacers could still get 70+ wins. ”

"Guys like you are either stupid or bad! My team, do I have the final say or do you have the final say? You say you can't win if you can't win? I said we still have hope of winning 70+ games, we just have hope! I'm coaching this team, not you! You can question me, but you'll have to wait until the end of the season to question me! No, maybe you didn't have a chance to question me at all. Because at the end of the season, we'll be in the playoffs with 70+ wins! ”

Henson took a deep breath, and if he hadn't felt his heartbeat speed up a bit, he would probably continue to scold. Today, he is gentle enough.

Seeing that the New York reporters below were so stunned that he couldn't reply, Bird almost wanted to applaud.

You thought heart disease and three months of vanishing made Henson. Joe turned into a docile, obedient, and non-threatening white rabbit?

That's a big mistake!

Bastards, always jerks. Hungry wolf, never tamed!

Henson. Joe is back, and the corn yellow terror will spread in the alliance again!