When Frank Vogel felt like he was the last person in the building besides the security guards, he decided to leave, and it was late at night when he walked out of the video editing room. This will be his last overtime day of the season, as the Celtics' 00-01 season came to an end with a playoff loss. They were 1:3 in the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, and they reluctantly left after tasting the playoffs after five years.

Vogel looked at the moon in the sky, which was hidden in a thick cloud with the occasional glow, just like the Celtics this season are starting to see a glimmer of light.

Vogel finished the video analysis of the Celtics' final game of the season in the editing room, they faced the Bucks at home, and after falling behind 0-2, the Celtics returned to Boston in the third game to give Boston fans a long-awaited playoff victory, and if they win the fourth game, they have a chance to go to Milwaukee to do a miracle.

"Phew, just a little bit, a little bit, if only I could have prevented Ray Allen's breakaway, the last shot wouldn't have been in Rodman's hands...... There was a problem with the last attack, the position was wrong, it was completely messed up, it was not right from the start of the serve, Blunte's covering position was wrong, Anderson's movement was also wrong, it was all a problem......" Vogel recalled the details of the final moments of the game, and he found a lot of problems through the video, but standing on the side of the court, he admitted that his own head was also confused at that time.

The Celtics and Bucks battled until the last minute, with the Bucks leading by one point with 27 seconds left in the game and possession of the ball, Ray Allen broke through to the basket with a pick-and-roll in the final moments, and faced Mark Blunt's defensive high-board throw-up to stretch the gap to three points, forcing the Celtells to shoot three-pointers in the final four seconds.

And O'Brien's final tactics were not successful, he originally wanted Pierce to catch the ball and shoot three points directly, but under the Bucks' tight defense, the last person to receive the ball turned out to be Dennis Rodman, Rodman had to force a three-point shot at the top of the arc, and the miracle did not happen, Rodman's three points did not even touch the basket, the ball fell into the hands of the Bucks player, and the game was over.

Vogel watched the video of this last offense and defense repeatedly in the editing room, and he knew that although the final point difference was only three points, this offense and defense were the epitome of the strength of the Celtics this season, and they have done better than before, but they are still far from the word "powerful".

Vogel walked to the second floor while thinking, only to find that there was still an office with the lights on, and it seemed that there were still people who had not left, and Vogel did not know who it would be so late.

He walked over to the office, which Vogel knew was Miss Polis's office, and that an administrator like Miss Polis was going home early from work and couldn't work overtime.

Vogel walked to the office door, and through the hidden office door, a guy in a white shirt was scribbling on a whiteboard, walking around with his sleeves rolled up, occasionally holding his cheeks in meditation. Vogel could tell from his hair that this was Leon, and he still had that unruly long hair.

"Fawkes, don't leave yet." Vogel knocked on the office door and said to Leon.

Leon didn't look back, he hooked his finger at Vogel, meaning to let him in.

Vogel felt angry, but after almost a year of being a colleague together, he knew that Leon had such a personality, and he always forgot some etiquette when he was obsessed with work, and why not himself?

Vogel walked into the office and saw six tactical maps drawn on the whiteboard in front of Leon, and he stared at it carefully for a while before realizing that this was the last two offensive and defensive maps of the Celtics and Bucks game tonight. Vogel was familiar with Leon's memory, and he knew that this guy sometimes didn't need to watch the video at all, and he could draw a complete picture of the tactical moves of the two sides on the tactical board just by recalling.

"Do you have any comments, Frank? The last time we defended and attacked, I felt like we were a microcosm of the whole season, always a little bit, a breath off. Leon said, looking at the whiteboard with his arms crossed.

During the year he worked at the Celtics, Leon's temperament changed, the fierce and violent aura of the original boxer weakened a lot, and the scars on his face slowly faded, his face became more handsome, and he began to have a calm and elegant gentlemanly temperament.

But his hair was out of step with his whole body, and Auerbach repeatedly reminded him that it was best to cut his hair, telling him that this was not the kind of long flowing hair that was not popular in European football. But Leon was disobedient to the bishop in this matter, and was always reluctant to cut his hair short, and the reason he was reluctant was only because Khamenes liked the way he had long hair.

Vogel looked at the tactical board drawn by Leon, in fact, he feels the same as Leon, many times there is only a thin line between strength and weakness, this season's Celtics have also won strong teams like the Lakers, 76ers, and Trail Blazers, O'Brien's new tactics have activated the team's defense, Pierce's encounter has made him more mature, Walker is still at the peak of his form, Dennis Rodman unexpectedly became the bench leader, Michael Reed's play exceeded the expectations of many commentators, Narrowly lost to Mike Miller in the Rookie of the Year selection.

But in the playoffs, this completely different battlefield, the slight gap between the Celtics and the strong team was infinitely widened, until the fourth game of the "win-or-go-home" moment, the defense leaked, the offense was blind, and the gap was completely different.

"We had a problem with our tactics and we shouldn't have wrapped Kassel at the last minute, or we didn't pack it too early and ignored Ray Allen, who slipped the bottom line...... Then in the offense, Blunt's positioning, Pierce's lap and Anderson's running were all problematic, and it was supposed to be a double screen, but Rodman ran in the wrong position...... And here, there are two details......" Vogel pointed to the whiteboard and analyzed it seriously.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's not a tactical problem, it's not a tactical problem, it's not a tactical problem, I've thought about it for a long time, it's not a tactical problem, Frank. I don't think we should limit our thinking to tactics. Leon interrupted Vogel's analysis, and then said to Vogel.

"Then tell me, why? Because the fans at the scene were not enthusiastic enough? Vogel replied with a slight sarcasm, feeling very uncomfortable with Leon's rough attitude, but after saying that, he felt that his response was weak and vulnerable. He always had that feeling in front of Leon.

Leon picked up the whiteboard eraser and wiped off all the tactical maps on it, leaving nothing behind, then put on his coat and prepared to leave, and as he left, he said to Vogel, "Because of faith, faith." ”

After saying that, Leon patted Vogel on the shoulder and left the office.

"Remember to close the door! And the lights! Vogel was standing in his office and heard Leon shouting outside, he should have walked away at this time.

"Slut ......"

……………………

When Leon drove back to his residence, it was already early in the morning, and he was still living in the apartment that the team had rented for him, and when he returned home, the small apartment was cleaned and everything was in order.

Although he didn't spend much time here for most of the year, he had to run all over the United States because of his work, especially during the period from the end of '00 to the start of the NCAA in March '01, when he was either on the plane or on the way to catch a plane.

It wasn't until the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs that Leon had time to stay in Boston, and even then, he was often flown from Boston to Los Angeles by a phone call from Vojnarowski just to watch a normal challenge game — for the sake of the damn development league build.

Now back at home, he can finally take a break, the season is over, and a new season is about to begin, and before the Finals are over, the June draft will be the battlefield for teams that have been eliminated.

Leon had just laid down and took out his phone to make a call to Holmenez, only to remember that Holmenes must have fallen asleep now, and he decided to accompany her to the movies tomorrow, and it was a rare time for the two of them to see each other every day in Boston.

But as soon as Leon lay down, the phone rang, and when he looked at the caller ID, it was a New Jersey phone, and it must have been Voynarowski.

“Shit！” Leon not only scolded, Wojnarowski is such a workaholic who works day and night, when he has any news, he will always call Leon regardless of time and occasion, this is his principle - time is the life of information.

"Say, if you let me go to Los Angeles to watch some challenge again, I'll punch you the next time I see you." Leon yelled at the phone as he answered the phone.

"Texas, go to Texas tomorrow afternoon, Austin! There's a nice guy, not a genius, but absolutely awesome, and you'd better go for it. I'm not thinking about the Development League right now, I'm thinking about you Celtics, go boy, I'll be waiting for you there, I'm going to Houston! After saying that, Vojnarowski hung up the phone, without greetings or verbosity.

Throwing away the phone, Leon let himself fall limply on the bed, wondering when his life as a flying scout would come to an end.

Only two minutes later, the phone remembered again, and Leon, who had just been a little sleepy, almost threw his phone out of the window, but this time he saw the most familiar number and immediately pressed it.

"Arnold?" It's Auerbach.

"Yes, Leon. I'm sorry to bother you so late, it's rare that I haven't slept so late, but I really have something to tell you right away. Listen up boy, you're not a scout for the Celtics from now on, and in two weeks, the team will announce that you've been promoted to assistant coach. You have two weeks to get ready, all the preparations, and then come to Washington and see me once in a few days. ”

"Okay Arnold."

"Well, rest, goodbye."