Auerbach has worked with basketball all his life, and as a coach and general manager, he has always believed in one principle: when the authorities are in your favor, make it better.

From the improvisation on the pitch, to the trickery off the pitch, and even the bargaining over the contracts of his own players, Auerbach never gave up the slightest opportunity to exploit his advantages and interests, and his style of action was tough and aggressive, but also helpless.

Rick Pitino, who was sitting next to him, fully realized this at the moment.

The 1999-2000 season, just over his third season at the helm of the Celtics, was still locked out of the playoffs, at the lowest point of his coaching career compared to his ambitions three years earlier. Because the entire Celtics from team operation to player selection, from off-field training to on-field command are all centralized in him Pitino, the glory of revival will belong to him, and the corresponding black cauldron of failure will also be borne by him.

The proud Italian doesn't want his second NBA career to be ruined, and he's already heard that the big boss is going to sell the Celtics, and if the team's sovereignty changes hands, then his failed coach and general manager will be the go-to target.

Auerbach is the last straw he can rely on for the Celtics, and if the team is sold to a new owner, Auerbach, the legend who has accompanied the Celtics for 50 years and single-handedly created the No. 1 club in the NBA, will be brought back to revitalize the façade.

As long as Auerbach agrees, it is not impossible for Rick Pitino to continue to try in the head coach position for another season, and it is a big deal to hand over the power of other positions, and Pitino only hopes that he can still lead the Celtics to the heights expected by people in the title of coach of the team, at least not to think about the embarrassment he is now.

Ironically, three years ago, it was Rick Pitino who made Auerbach resign and leave, and the two had many differences in team management and team tactical philosophy, and Auerbach's upright and stubborn personality and Pitino's proud posture were incompatible, and finally the old Auerbach was easily squeezed out by Pitino, who had high hopes from Bostonians. Feng Shui takes turns, in the NBA, this result determines everything, the championship is the only cruel jungle, and the desperate Pitino can only come back and bow to Auerbach.

However, Auerbach is not a forgiving and forgiving guy, Pitino is careful to get close to Auerbach, but Auerbach is unceremonious, straight to the point that the tactical philosophy and team building ideas pursued by Pitino are inaccessible in the NBA, and said: "If you want to succeed in the Celtics, you must inherit the Celtics tradition and find the team temperament that belongs to the Celtics, instead of using your simple and crude three-point shooting to achieve the same success in the NCAA." I've always said that, firstly, the NBA's three-point line is farther away than the NCAA's, secondly, the closer the ball is to the basket, the easier it is to score, and finally, basketball is not an arithmetic problem of three to two! ”

Auerbach's words were unceremoniously, although Pitino came to reconcile with Auerbach, but as a coach who has been successful in both the NBA and the NCAA, he can't allow the basketball philosophy that he has always believed in and implemented and achieved success to be belittled by others, and he still can't help but argue with Auerbach, especially when Auerbach said "simple and crude three-point tactics", which makes it completely difficult for Pitino to agree.

In both the NCAA and the NBA, Pitino was known for his three-point shooting and full-court pressing, especially the three-point shot, which he caused controversy and success for.

The three-point shot, a new rule introduced into the NBA for 20 years, was considered by a group of coaches such as Pitino to be the key to future basketball tactics, and in 1997 Pitino had an initial dispute with Auerbach on this issue, which eventually caused a big conflict between the two.

"Although my coaching has not been successful, it is undeniable that the three-point shot is being used more and more in the game, and it is undeniable that my three-point strategy is not simple and crude, and we cannot deny the use of this new technology and new tactics because our team is not doing enough in other aspects. I bet that one day the league will be the world of three-point shots. Pitino tried to hold back his anger and lowered his voice in response to Auerbach.

So, Auerbach said, "The three-pointers and full-court pressing that you favor are so simple that even a cleaner can use them, and we can't have a cleaner to be the head coach of the Celtics." ”

When Leon heard this, he guessed that he had another job to do.

…………………

The quarrel between the two did not escalate, from a distance they seemed to be talking at a long time, only Leon, who was sitting nearby and had sharp ears, knew that they were fighting openly and secretly, Pitino hoped to get Auerbach's help but was unwilling to give in completely, and still insisted on the last bit of his dignity; And Auerbach just wants to tear apart this last bit of dignity of Pitino, and make Pitino admit that his knowledge of basketball is only pediatric, and everything must be up to his cardinal.

Until the opening ceremony, the audience gave a standing ovation, Auerbach picked up a basketball and threw it at the children in the team uniforms, the two of them were still reading each other in their mouths, and finally, Auerbach said to Pitino: "I just said that your three-point tactics will even use a cleaner to use them, this is not a metaphor, I can prove to you right now that your tactics are really too simple, so simple that a cleaner can figure it out in an hour." ”

Pitino has long been furious in his heart, since he entered the Celtics three years ago, Auerbach's old stubbornness has been in the way everywhere, until today the Celtics are the only NBA team in the league without a cheerleading team, when Pitino, who won the NCAA championship, naturally squeezed out the dying old Auerbach.

Now, for his last chance to make amends, Pitino has left his old suspicions to visit Auerbach, and he can tolerate Auerbach's cynicism about him, but it is difficult to tolerate Auerbach's suspicion of his basketball philosophy, just as he left the Knicks in 1990 because of a disagreement with Bianchi.

"I don't think my tactics are very effective, but it doesn't mean that a cleaner can figure it out. It's true that I haven't achieved as much as I should in the past, and I'm here to get your understanding and support to make the Celtics better, but that doesn't mean you can easily dismiss my basketball ideas. ”

Auerbach applauded, smoked a cigar, moved his mouth slightly, and said, "Come to the office later, I'm going to make a bet with you, if you lose, listen to me, if you win, I'll fully support you." ”

After that, Auerbach walked down the stands to take pictures with the children, leaving Pitino in the stands with a depressed face, and he didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Auerbach's gourd.

……………………

After the opening ceremony, Leon was called by Auerbach to the office at the entrance to the training hall, which is connected to the locker room and is where the team's coaches work. Because it is an old-fashioned gymnasium, the office is small, with only one desk, two stools, and a blackboard.

Pitino took off his suit and was sitting on a stool smoking a cigarette when Auerbach patted Leon on the shoulder and said, "This is our janitor, the guy who doesn't know anything about basketball, who just came out of MCI to do community service with me." Rick, you can spend twenty minutes explaining your tactical ideas to him, drawing a few tactical diagrams, and I'll ask him to repeat them later, and if you can, prove that your tactics are so simple that even a cleaner can figure it out; If not, I'll lose. ”

Pitino looked at Leon, a tall half-breed with a blank face, he had noticed this guy, who had been around him and Auerbach during the opening ceremony, he thought it was a bodyguard, but he didn't expect it to be a glass-wiper.

For Auerbach's child's play-like bet, Pitino would not have agreed in the first place, it was simply an insult to him, explaining tactics to a cleaner, what is this?

However, Auerbach's behavior angered him, he picked up the chalk sharply, tapped the blackboard, glanced at Leon, and said, "Listen, this is the trend of NBA tactics in the next twenty years, my course is $200 an hour, and today I will teach you for free." ”

Fox Leon didn't really want to come in and listen to this guy named Pitino talk about basketball tactics, but just now Auerbach dragged him after the opening ceremony and told him that as long as Leon can help him win the bet against Pitino next, he will find a way to help Leon end his community service early, and even consider helping Leon find a job with the Boston Celtics.

During the two months in prison, Leon has been thinking about what kind of job he should find, as a time-traveler, he can not die to travel to the year 2000, he can neither compete for the world nor invent and create, and this body is not his own, nor can he invest in real estate to buy a house, and the most important thing is that his memory is still lost.

What else is the point of such a crossing?

Leon has even planned to go to a casino in Hamilton that Simmons once mentioned to win some money, sign up for a night school to get a diploma, and start his life all over again.

Now, he sits on a small stool in his basketball gym office and listens to Rick Pitino lecture on his own basketball philosophy and basic tactics.

"When the three-point shot was first introduced, I told my team that we were going to lead the country in three-point shooting! Look at this tactic, it's a double screen, and the starting point of the tactic is the shooting guard who is located on the baseline - you know the shooting guard? Oh my God, I guess he doesn't know what a shooting guard is, shooter? (Shotting-Guard, shot has the meaning of shooting), well, the shooting guard starts from the bottom corner here, arc moves, the center is at point A, the power forward is at point B, double cover, the scoring guard runs to a 45-degree angle, receives the ball and shoots directly three-pointers. ”

Pitino used solid lines, dotted arrows, bars, crosses and circles marked "SG", "PG", and "C" on the blackboard to disguise the offensive tactics of a three-point shot, Leon watched and listened quietly, and suddenly asked, "What if he can't shoot?" ”

Pitino looked at Leon and smiled contemptuously: "Then hand the ball to the referee and say you want to go home." ”

León was indifferent to Pitino's ridicule and said calmly: "Maybe he can consider re-entering from the original line, and if that 'PF' can do a cover, then he can do a second ...... However, that 'C' would be in the way when he was standing there, and he should run away and find a place to stay. ”

Pitino listened to Leon's words and glanced at Auerbach in surprise, meaning "This guy is really a cleaner, you got a basketball team to tease me?" ”

Auerbach shrugged his shoulders and said, "He's really a cleaner, just a smart cleaner." ”