In April 1997, the Eastern Conference playoffs officially began.
The Boston Celtics returned to the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, facing the Washington Bullets in the first round.
The discussion should have focused on whether this 57-win Celtics Boston Celtics could maintain their regular season dominance, given their formidable presence: Mutombo's defensive anchor in the paint, Sam Cassell's clutch performance in the final five minutes, and a star-studded bench led by Price and Mullin.
However, overnight, the spotlight of the entire American media turned to another fateful showdown.
Chris Webber and Kevin Garnett.
The top scholar (状元) paired with the third-ranked scholar (探花).
The most dazzling inside player in college basketball, an anomaly for someone who skipped a grade in high school to enter the league.
Overnight, all the preview shows had almost identical titles: "The Battle for the All-Around Power Forward," "Two the Answer to the Future Power Forward," and "The New Era of the Power Forward: Who is the Ultimate the Answer for the Future?"
In the 1997 NBA, the underlying logic of the power forward position was undergoing a dramatic upheaval. Old-school coaches viewed the power forward position as having a singular and brutal role: positioning, battling, rebounding, and sharing the physical burden with the center in the meat grinder-like paint.
In the tradition of this era, power forwards don't need to dribble like guards, don't need to play from the high post, and don't need to grab a defensive rebound and then go coast-to-coast for a fast break. But Webber and Garnett were both outliers who broke with tradition.
But ironically, both of them were trendsetters who disrupted tradition. They were simply on opposite sides of the same coin.
As the key figure of the " Fab Five," Chris Webber entered the league with the highest level of attention in the nation. In those years, the viewership of their NCAA NBA Finals soared to a terrifying level that even the NBA NBA Finals paled in comparison.
Standing at 2.08 meters tall, he is a true offensive kaleidoscope, perfectly blending the classic toughness of the 90s with modern all-around skills that transcend time. The young Webber is essentially still a classic rim-crushing monster, his broad, steel frame, excellent jumping ability, and explosive power supporting his top-tier dominance, averaging 20.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He can deliver a powerful dunk at any time and dismantle opponents in the low post with his Dream Shake. But beneath this traditional foundation lies the nerve of a modern all-rounder, possessing the vision of a top point guard, averaging an unusually high 4.6 assists per game for a center, and his first step facing the basket is as quick as a forward's.
What's even more troubling for the Boston management is that this isn't just Webber's show. In the Bullets' bizarre yet devastating frontcourt lineup, Webber's college friend Juwan Howard (19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game), nominally playing small forward, is using his 2.06-meter frame and solid mid-range back-to-the-basket game to relentlessly dominate the traditional small forward position across the league. Behind these two beasts stands the legend of New York streetball—Rod Strickland. This point guard, averaging 17.2 points and 8.9 assists per game, is using his unparalleled driving rhythm to transform this young Washington team into one of the most exhilarating bomber squads in the nation.
If Webber represented the pinnacle of "academic all-rounder," then Garnett was the most thorough rebel against the rules of this era.
In contrast to the illustrious resume of Webber, Garnett was a skinny, intruder who skipped directly from high school. Old-school commentators didn't even know how to define him: if you called him an inside player, he was always facing the basket with the ball; if you called him an outside player, he could take off from the weak side in an instant and swat the ball into the third row of the stands.
Under Lin Qi's system, Garnett transformed into a sweeping net covering the entire court on the defensive end; on the offensive end, Adelman pushed him into the position of "high post playmaker," using his straight-arm mid-range shot and cuts to the basket to tear apart the defense.
Two game-changing geniuses met in the first round, sending the entire North America media into a frenzy. Those self-proclaimed basketball experts couldn't wait to start favoring one over the other. " Kevin Garnett is special, his defensive coverage is unparalleled. But in terms of offensive completeness, Webber can now use his mature physique and skills to teach this skinny Boston player a profound lesson. Boston can win the series, but Garnett might not be able to win this matchup."
This glaring media bias was brought into the Celtics ' video room by Lin Qi just before the playoffs began.
"Snap."
Lin Qi slammed a freshly printed ESPN playoff preview onto his tactical desk. The bold, gleaming headline screamed, "Will Webber teach Garnett a lesson?"
The video recording room was deathly silent.
Garnett stared at the headline, and the usually talkative Garnett, who never stopped chattering, fell into an unusual silence.
Sam Cassell abandoned his usual glibness, his brow furrowed. Mutombo crossed his arms, casting a large shadow over the table. Head coach Adelman calmly watched Garnett; he knew the young man was waiting for an outlet.
In a suffocating silence, Lin Qi calmly walked to the whiteboard. On the whiteboard, the Washington Bullets' chilling starting lineup was already written.
Lin Qi picked up a black Mark and, with everyone watching, wrote two names on the whiteboard.
Small Forward: Juwan Howard (19.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game).
Power Forward: Chris Webber (20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game).
"These two players are averaging close to 40 points per game; they are their absolute core."
Lin Qi casually tossed his pen into the groove of the tactical board, turned around, and leaned on the long table with both hands, his gaze sweeping over Adelman, Sam Cassell, and Mutombo in turn.
"The media believes that Washington's unbalanced frontcourt, which blurs positional boundaries, can break down Boston's defense because there are currently no defensive resources in the entire league that can simultaneously match up with their positions."
At this point, Lin Qi's gaze finally fell on the thin figure with long arms and legs huddled in the corner.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Qi calmly walked to the tactics table and pressed down on the ESPN Playoff Preview with one hand.
"Tear..."
The harsh sound of tearing paper echoed in the deathly silent room. Lin Qi expressionlessly tore off the front page with Webber's picture, then coldly tossed the paper next to Garnett's shoes.
The scraps of paper fluttered and fell in front of Garnett's eyes.
Lin Qi turned and walked towards the door, placing his hand on the doorknob and pushing it open a crack. He turned his head and, using the dim light streaming in from the corridor, took one last look at the young scholar who had been clenching his teeth the whole time.
"Let them see just how wrong their judgment is."
"Bang."
The door closed.