Chapter 142: Young people's problems

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In the world of competitive sports, victory is the foundation of all good things. If you put aside victory to talk about every character and every game, no matter how gorgeous the decoration is, there is always a bit of sorrow. As an old-school strong team that has not tasted consecutive victories for many years, the Celtics have won nine consecutive victories after defeating the Mavericks. The last time they won such a season start, they all need to go back to the distant 1972-1973 season. Then, they started ten consecutive victories that year, and finally won the best record in team history of 68 wins and 14 losses in the regular season.
If the previous few victories still make many people feel that there is a certain element of luck, then the defeat of the Mavericks at home will not only make the Celtics the only undefeated team in the league so far, but also make the Celtics The youth army drew the attention of the national basketball community, and made the name of Fox Leon appear on the news pages of major media. Even the local Boston media, who had not dealt much with Leon before, began to appreciate Leon's full preparation and strategy in this game.
But even the 68 wins in the regular season did not guarantee that the Celtics won the NBA championship that year. For the Celtics 30 years later, they still have a long way to go. So on the second day after the game, Leon still got up early as usual, prepared the basic information for the day at home, and then drove for more than an hour to the training hall. When he came to the training hall, he felt that he would be as usual, seeing a few young guys already sweating on the field, he would come forward to chat with everyone, give some pointers and exchanges, and wait until the whole team is gathered. , Start a day of practice.
But after Leon came to the training hall today, he discovered that Michael Reid was alone on the court practicing three-pointers. Joe Johnson is not there, Dalembert is not, even Arenas is not there. The Celtics’ most diligent young people rarely came to the training hall to practice early. Leon looked at the arena with some gaps and felt very uncomfortable.
"Where are the others?" Leon asked Reid. Reid shook his head first, but then he said again: "After the game ended yesterday, Antoine asked everyone to go to the bar for a drink. Samuel and Joe, and I were there. Then I went first. I'm gone. I still have some headaches when I get up in the morning, but I still came to train. In fact, I just arrived." Leon looked at Reid. There was only a slight sweat on his body, and it seemed that he had just warmed up.
"Did Gilbert go?" Leon asked. Reid shook his head again and said: "No, he didn't go. But he seems to be attending an event. I don't know the specifics. The game is over. Afterwards, many reporters surrounded him, and then he left."
What Reid said was a bit sour. In the eye-catching battle last night, Reid didn't have any impressive performance except for the opening three-pointer. He only scored 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. In the confrontation with Michael Finley, he fell into a disadvantage, not the opponent of the old fox. And the Celtics offered a double point guard style, which made Arenas and Cole shine. Reid can only sit on the bench as a spectator.
This may be the reason why Reid had to endure the headache of drunkenness and came to train early the next morning. The competition within the Celtics is still quite fierce, and Reid’s starting or main position may not necessarily be so. He needs to find a better balance between offense and defense.
Leon only nodded his head after learning about these situations. He has always been open-minded towards players' off-court life, as long as they perform their duties in training and games. I think Dennis Rodman was so fond of playing and gambling, but during his two years in Boston. He hardly delayed his training, and he tried his best every night.
But not everyone is Dennis Rodman. When the time came to 9:30, the Celtics players really gathered. Normally all the staff are almost ready at nine o'clock. In the pre-training meeting, Leon’s face was not very good, but he still finished today’s training plan. Before the official training began, he took all the players to watch the video of yesterday’s game, took a 15-minute tactics lesson, and then Organize the team to start formal training.
When Dave Covens brought the inside players for confrontation training, Leon pulled Arenas aside and asked: "I don't care about your private lives, but you didn't come to train early this morning. Last season This has never happened once. Tell me what happened, if I can know."
Arenas hesitated. Leon did never ask about the players' private lives. Even for young players who are prone to make mistakes, Leon gave freedom and respect like adults. But when he pressed his throat to ask about the situation, Arenas felt like he was back in college and was controlled by his coach after school. After thinking about it, he replied: "I was interviewed by a few reporters last night, and then went together. I ate something. Okay, I ate the lobster and drank some wine. Later, the owner of a sweatshirt specialty store in Boston approached me and wanted me to take a few photos to make a small advertisement for their store..."
"Maybe one day more people will invite you to dinner and parties, and there will also be a sneaker company who will give you a big contract for sneakers instead of taking a few photos for a small ad. But you have to remember to achieve all of this. What is the basis of this? If you forget, then you have nothing." Leon reminded Arenas.
Arenas just nodded perfunctorily, and ran back to the court to continue training without any response. It seemed that he didn't care about Leon's warning.
Arenas has not really tasted the taste of money and reputation. Although he has won a contract worth millions, he still uses the money to improve the lives of himself and his father. To his biological mother. In addition, he is just a relatively ordinary player. There are his fans in Boston, but his jersey sales are far less than Walker and Pierce. Sometimes people can recognize him when walking on the street-not many. .
Now, after a good performance at the beginning of the season, he is starting to win some attention, with the Celtics, and last night's game really made him famous. In the last quarter, he scored 17 points, as well as the three-pointer that killed the game. After the game, reporters flocked to interviews and rushed to hand over business cards. Let Arenas feel a little airy.
Arenas is certainly not the kind of person who is easy to be proud and complacent, his self-discipline and tenacity are not lost to any player of the Celtics. But after all, he is still young. After all, he has only entered the NBA for more than a year. After all, he has not escaped from the young and frivolous years. Leon remembered the scene after picking Arenas in the draft, and thought that maybe this kid would not be able to move forward without pressure and persecution.
But Leon soon discovered that the real problem with the team was not Arenas, but someone else.
One day later, Boston ushered in another opponent. It is also their hard work in recent seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers completed a deal in the summer to send away the hero Mutombo who reached the Finals in 2001, and get Nets center Todd McCulloch and power forward Van Horn to strengthen the team. The offensive power of the team has gotten rid of the lack of offensive power of the team in the past few seasons, and the situation of relying too much on Allen Iverson.
It's just that the team's state after the start of the season is still normal. The record of five wins and four losses is barely located in the middle of the Eastern Conference. Before the game, everyone is optimistic that the Celtics can make another victory at home and score ten consecutive victories. This will also tie the Celtics' best start to the season since the 1973 season. However, Larry Brown’s team is unwilling to be easily married. Arenas, who was still very powerful in the last game, was lost in Eric Snow’s defense and Allen Iverson’s offense. He stubbornly made 15 shots. As a result, only 4 goals were hit, and 3 of the three-pointers were 0.
Even without Mutombo guarding the inside, the defense designed by Larry Brown can still strangle the Celtics who have no inside attack points. Their layered and oppressive outside defense is against the two who need to move the ball quickly. For the Celtics, this fast attack was a fatal obstacle. The Celtics' offensive front without an inside attack point was too flat and there was no sense of three-dimensionality at all. The only one who played well was Paul Pierce, who used breakthroughs and mid-range to help the team bite the score.
But Iverson in 2003 is still unstoppable when necessary. The Celtics died in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer from Iverson and a mid-range jumper from a counterattack, 91:88. Pierce's three-pointer at the last minute did not save the home team. Leon and his team finally suffered their first defeat of the season.
The dressing room after the game no longer had the joy of last night, and Leon looked at the gray and defeated atmosphere in the dressing room and didn't know what to say. Only then did he realize that how to overcome failure is a more serious and important issue than defeating an opponent. He is as sad as the players, but he still has to cheer up, explain to the players the shortcomings of the team in the game, and ask everyone to arrive at the airport on time tomorrow. In the morning, they will fly to Milwaukee. They are waiting for the Bucks. challenge.
When he left the arena, UU reading www.uukanshu.com was almost ten o’clock in the evening. Leon went to the garage and drove his car home as usual, but he saw Joe Johnson at the exit of the garage passage, and Together with Antoine Walker and a few of Walker's friends, they got on an extended white Lincoln, which seemed to be another night.
Walker has not been like this for a day or two. After getting the ten million-dollar contract, he took over 30 relatives and friends to Boston and started a luxurious life. In his opinion, he spent all his money anyway. Endless. Unlike some sloppy boys who only know how to spend, Walker still understands where his wealth comes from, so he trains and competes very seriously and hard.
Johnson somehow got close to Walker recently. Leon felt a little puzzled. This young man from Little Rock has always worked hard, but his performance on the field has been really mediocre recently. Pierce's fiery state has given him no chance to play. Leon found Johnson on the plane the next day and sat down beside him and asked: "Your life seems to be richer recently. How do you feel about the nightclubs in Boston? Have you ever been to a casino before? You can go next time. Give me my name and maybe the casino will give you some money."
Leon tried to make his tone lighter, but Johnson's expression was very solemn. He was silent for a while before saying: "After all, I am about to leave here. I have to learn more about this city before I leave." (To be continued. .)