"Good night, good spring, this is Boston, I'm Dick Stockton, and I'm bringing you the final game of the 2003-2004 NBA regular season at the North Shore Garden Arena, where the Boston Celtics play the Detroit Pistons at home. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 InfoToday is April 17th, the last game day of the regular season, and we have this strong conversation. The Detroit Pistons had an impressive season finish, holding opponents under 70 points in five consecutive games, and their steely defensive prowess was unmatched. ”

On the evening of April 17, on the sidelines of the North Shore Garden Arena, T-NT's commentator Dick Stockton, who is probably the most famous TV voice in NBA history, became the game's Play-by-Play commentator. Compared to his peak in the past, his hair is noticeably thinner and more wrinkled, but he still looks in good spirits.

He will be joined by a guest commentator who is Celtic legend Bill Russell. The founder of the First Empire of the Celts is here today to watch and explain the final battle of the Celts.

"Whoever will be with me tonight will be Bill Russell, hello Bill, tell us what you think of the two teams at the moment, especially the Pistons' recent shocking performances."

After retiring from football, Bill Russell worked as a commentator in ABC and CBS, and retired from the commentary world when he got older, but he was occasionally invited to participate in the commentary work of some important games, especially important games for the Celtics, such as last year's Finals.

In response to Stockton's question, Russell said in a slow but powerful voice: "The Detroit Pistons are doing their best collective defense, and I can feel that the Pistons players are enjoying it. A lot of times players will sloppy on defense, just waiting to play when they attack with the ball, but the Pistons are different, they don't seem to like to attack, but wait for the opponent to attack. ”

Russell's description is interesting and apt, and it also resonates with Stockton, and the two begin to talk about the change of defensive tactics in the seventies and eighties, the iron blood of the nineties, and agree that the current Detroit Pistons have the style of the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Detroit Bad Boys.

"This deal for Rashid Wallace acted as a catalyst for a radical change." Stockton concluded.

At the mention of the Celtics, Russell hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I think they're good...... But, uh, but I must admit, I can't see them completely. You know I've been following NBA games, a lot of games I've watched, I've been comparing. Now the quality of this Celtic team is unquestionable, they have won 65 games and are already a historic team. However, I don't think they really showed what they were capable of. ”

Russell used three buts in one paragraph, expecting the Celtic with a little apprehension.

Hopefully, the Celtics do look to be the best Celtics since 1986, leading the league in the regular season and leaving the Los Angeles Lakers behind in the middle of the season.

Worryingly, the Celtics' style of play since the All-Star break is worrying, and their head coach Fox Leon is constantly switching lineups and experimenting with various tactics, which can't help but be dazzling. And before the trade deadline, he participated in the three-way trade between the Hawks and the Pistons, sent Daniels, and let the Pistons get Wallace, which was also criticized by many people, believing that this was to create their biggest opponent.

Not only that, Garnett's conflict with Daniels in training was also revealed soon after the trade, and many people believe that this is because the Celtics traded Daniels, a powerless rookie, in exchange for Garnett's favor in order to appease Garnett, a big man in a good team atmosphere.

In short, the Celtics are still winning after the trade, but the media and public opinion are constantly creating negative news about the Celtics, as if they are all just an illusion, an illusion of talent piled up under the overall weakness of the East.

That's why Russell showed a hint of worry, and he didn't know whether the Celts were icebergs floating on the sea or plastic foam in the baths.

"Okay, the game is about to start, let's see the final matchup of the regular season, which will most likely be a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals......"

………………

The game was about to start, and Leon sat on the sidelines with his fingers flicked, a little nervous and a little relaxed in his heart. The nervousness is because this game is very important for the team's confidence, and the final game of the regular season against the full Pistons is quite under the pressure of outside public opinion. Many media outlets have even pointed out that this match could decide the situation between the two sides in the playoffs.

Leon certainly knows that this is complete nonsense, the playoffs and the regular season are two different planes, and even if they do, the two teams will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals, and no one will know what they will grow up to be.

The relaxation is because the long regular season is finally coming to an end, and since the end of the All-Star break, the rest of the game is simply an ordeal for the entire Celtics. Especially for players like Pierce, Reed, and Arenas who have been through the Finals, they can't wait to start the playoffs, start making it to the Finals in one go, and get back what they lost.

This mentality made it difficult for Leon to manage, and he spent a lot of effort to maintain the competitive mentality of the players through lineup and tactical adjustments, trying to eliminate the impact of Daniels' departure and create a cheerful but uplifting atmosphere. It's more tiring than having Leon recite pi, and now days like this are finally over. And the Detroit Pistons, the darlings of the recent basketball media, defensive monsters, iron-blooded bands, and steel machines, will be the sacrifice of Leon before the playoffs!

The game started with P.J. Brown and Ben Wallace jumping the ball, and Wallace's bounce gave him the lead, the Detroit Pistons' first offense.

Billups got the ball and began organizing the Pistons' first positional battle.

The Pistons' positional attack was as lackluster as ever, but with Rashid Wallace, their original monotonous attack strategy undoubtedly had more options and routines.

Double Wallace stepped forward for a double pick-and-roll, Billups burst in rhythmically from the right, and then PJ Brown stepped forward to delay, he let go of Ben Wallace, and Hamilton roamed on the left side looking for an opportunity. Ben Wallace was smart to cut inside, but Billups didn't risk passing, and he could feel that Wallace was being targeted.

Rashid cut outside, trying to find an opportunity outside the three-point line, but Garnett didn't follow Rashid and settled on the horns, and Billups felt a little wrong. As an experienced point guard who has improved qualitatively this season, Billups is keenly aware that the Celtics' defense has hidden killer opportunities, and they are not defending the current Pistons players' positions and tactics, but the tactics and opportunities that the Pistons may run out of after a few seconds.

The thought only flashed through Billups' mind, and he chose to shoot himself, 21 feet from the basket at 45 degrees, stepped back and threw a long shot, the ball flew out in a straight but powerful arc, and the ball hit hollow.

Strong core strength and upper body strength gave Billups a stable strong shooting ability, and the Pistons led 2:0.

Then it was the Pistons' turn to defend, and that was their forte. However, Arenas didn't give the Pistons a chance to show their strong overall defense, and directly through a block with Garnett, forced a shot from outside the three-point line, and the ball went in. One strong shot on each side, 3:2, the Celtics lead by one point.

"You're not going to score again in the first quarter." After hitting a three-pointer, Arenas turned to Billups and said.

"Really? Wait and see. Billups smiled and pouted.

"It's not me who said it, it's what our coach said, you can only score one goal in the first quarter, it's already on the line." (To be continued.) )