Like Auerbach back then, Louis lit up his cigar not to humiliate his opponent.

If what Auerbach said was true and he smoked cigars in games where he was sure to win because he was bored, then Louis felt that this was what he should do.

This cigar is not only a memory of Auerbach, but also a return to the old times.

Starting today, the Celtics will once again be among the top contenders.

Just when Louis was thinking about it, suddenly, a person walked in front of him. He was obviously not a Celtics player, nor a Suns player, nor an on-site staff member.

This is a person who should not appear in front of Louis.

He had a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to Louis.

Looking at him, Louis seemed to see his younger self.

Before Louis could speak, the other party said: "Hello, coach."

※※※

When Louis returned to reality from that absurd world, he still couldn't believe everything that had happened to him before.

Is it a dream?

No, that was not a dream.

That team was real, that game was real, but why didn't he remember the result of that game? But he remembered the players of the team he led.

A super-enhanced version of Ralph Sampson;

A super small forward with no solution for offense and defense—maybe an enhanced version of Benj?

A magician more powerful than a magician;

The two-meter Curry who flies in the sky and escapes from the ground is also the toughest player Louis has ever seen;

And, the swingman who looks very similar to his younger self and has the nickname "Wish"...

Although these five people have different strengths and weaknesses, no matter who comes into this world, they can write their own legend in the professional basketball world.

Louis couldn't believe that people like that existed in the world.

But, they do exist, and he did coach a team composed of these five people.

They easily defeated the Dream Team (noise version), the strongest team in history coached by Louis himself, in that different dimension that transcended time and space.

The process and results of coaching this team was a long story, but at this time Louis had forgotten most of it.

He woke up at home, the day after the finals.

For some reason, Louis felt like a long time had passed.

He couldn't remember what happened last night, he only remembered that Wu Xia was elected FMVP.

Then the hype for the Celtics, who were, after all, the only black-less team to win an NBA championship in fifty years, became feverish.

Countless interviews, countless articles, and countless praises have fallen on the Celtics.

The media wants to know how long this team can dominate the NBA.

And Louis is awake.

He would not be so naive as to think that he could hold the No Black Team for a long time now that public opinion is favorable to him.

No matter what, Wuhei is a very sensitive point.

When you know that you have this problem, if you don't correct it in time during the offseason, and if others question it again, it will be difficult to explain.

Even if the past can be evaded for a while, as long as the social atmosphere changes, all politically incorrect things will be sinful no matter how high-sounding the reasons are.

Now that the title of "the last championship coach of the black-free team" has been obtained, Louis has no nostalgia for it.

On the eve of the 2007 NBA draft, Louis sent David Lee away from the Hornets in exchange for the seventh pick.

As a result, the Celtics will have two lottery picks in the 2007 draft.

In addition to the seventh pick, they also own the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round pick.

The 76ers had a bad year this year. This was a year of overall decline for O'Neal. In addition, the attendance rate could not be guaranteed, and the team's talent was not enough. They were always in the lottery during the regular season, and finally gave the Celtics the fifth pick.

.

The fifth pick plus the seventh pick, in other big draft years, or in other more normal draft years, would be enough for Louis to select several good prospects.

But the weird thing about the 2007 draft was that there was a lot of hype before the draft, but few of them became great talents afterwards.

It is undeniable that the 2007 draft brought a large number of high-quality mid-level players to the league, but it was definitely not what people originally expected from it.

Putting aside Durant, who is destined to be the second pick, the only players worthy of lottery selection in this draft are Horford and Noah.

What Louis is interested in is Horford.

Although the partnership between Yao Yueban and Gasol is wonderful, it is impossible for the latter to maintain a light weight and play power forward for the former.

Gasol will have to gain weight sooner or later, and his playing habits are also biased toward center, which is something that cannot be changed.

Therefore, Louis needs to make plans early.

The Clippers hold this year's No. 3 pick.

The Clippers, who have selected top inside talents in several consecutive drafts, do not need to select Horford to compete with the Bodogs for the ball. What they want most is Durant, but even if the Clippers knock out Donald Sterling

, making the decision without authorization and including 50% of the Clippers shares in the deal, the Spurs may not be able to send the No. 2 pick.

You can't make progress, you can't retreat.

Louis called the Clippers and quoted the price of the fifth pick + Szczerbiak.

The two sides spent several hours and finally decided. The Celtics sent Szczerbiak, the fifth pick, and this year's second-round pick (from the Pacers) to the Clippers in exchange for the opponent's third pick.

In the subsequent 2007 draft, Greg Oden, the inside great known as a combination of Ewing and Robinson, was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Kevin McHale was pleased with the choice: "He's better than Patrick back then."

It is worth mentioning that behind the scenes, Louis strongly suggested that McHale use the No. 1 pick to trade with the Trail Blazers in exchange for Dwight Howard and four first-round picks.

However, McHale did not accept the suggestion.

He couldn't bear the criticism of trading the No. 1 pick, a deal only Louis and Shafir Lewis could do.

As long as it is a transaction made by these two people, even if there is controversy from the outside world, they will wait and see the consequences.

Because they are the only two godfathers currently in service.

Moreover, McHale couldn't see anything strange about Oden.

"We will build a great team around Greg." McHale said in an interview with ABC. "You can teach players skills, tactics, and awareness, but you can't give him a seven-foot height and let him

Running like a deer and jumping like a rabbit, Greg’s absolute genius is one of a kind!”

Seeing this, Louis decided to respect the fate of others, give up his desire to help others, and never said a word to McHale about Oden again.

Then, the Spurs selected Kevin Durant without any suspense.

Durant said something vaguely about not liking to be the second best, but on the surface, he was a sunny boy with a smile and white teeth. He was excited about playing for the Spurs because Popovich was

One of the best coaches in the NBA.

"Maybe second only to Boss Lu and Coach Donovan?" Durant finally added.

Five minutes later, the Celtics selected Al Horford with the No. 3 pick.

As for the No. 7 pick, Louis doesn't plan to draft anyone.

Before the draft started, Louis made rumors that instead of using the No. 7 pick to select a rookie, he would rather use it for a small forward who can shoot and defend.

When the New Jersey Nets made an offer for Shane Battier, they easily beat out Theo Ratliff of the Pistons, Kevin Martin of the Lakers, and Sefolosha of the 76ers.

If you want to set a perfect answer to the question "What should I exchange for the No. 7 pick in 2007?", Louis' answer is Battier.

The two parties concluded the deal.

Louis finally brought Battier, who had been in his heart for many years, back to the team.

Afterwards, the Celtics selected Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol's younger brother, with the 30th pick of the first round.

The Celtics still had a second-round pick, but since the roster was already full, Louis didn't pick another pick and directly sold it for money.

After the draft, the NBA officially enters the offseason.

A month later, critics are still enthusiastically discussing the 2007 Celtics' place in history.

Louis put down his official duties and traveled to Europe with Lorraine.

Lu Wuxia's injury touched the hearts of many Celtics fans. After the finals, he was diagnosed with a high level two sprain of his right ankle.

This incident shocked many people into a cold sweat.

Fortunately, the Celtics successfully won Game 6 of the Finals. Otherwise, if Wish had been allowed to continue with the injury, it might have resulted in an irreparable major injury.

In late July, legendary godfather Lewis Shafir officially announced his retirement.

The day before Shafir retired, he finalized the Gilbert Arenas trade.

The Heat sent Arenas to Chicago in a one-for-one trade in exchange for Paul Pierce, who was unhappy in the Windy City.

The deal was widely viewed as a loss-stopper for the Heat, who still need to address their point guard issues.

Facts have proven that Jason Williams alone cannot activate such a powerful outside firepower group. Without a good commander, no matter how many firepower points they have, they will not be able to exert their maximum power.

Until the last moment, Shafir made a good deal, worthy of his reputation as a godfather.
To be continued...