In late January, the Boston Celtics had a record of 30 wins and 14 losses.
The competition in the Eastern Conference was fierce at the time. Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls led the standings with a record of 33 wins and 13 losses, while the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat were tied for second place with 29 wins and 15 losses.
The media began hyping up the " Boston Celtics' resurgence," but head coach Rick Pitino knew in his heart that their second-place position in the Eastern Conference could be lost at any moment. What troubled him more than the record was that the internal conflicts within the Celtics were about to become uncontrollable.
Inside the training facility, the team was clearly divided into two factions.
On one side was Gary Payton, whose defensive actions were aggressive and filled with profanity, but whose physicality was extremely high. On the other side were Pitino's protégés, who strictly followed the coach's instructions.
Two completely different playing styles and philosophies, neither of them looks down on the other.
On the morning of the match, the blinds in the general manager's office were tightly closed.
Instead of attending the management meeting, Lin Qi took two game videotapes and went straight into the tactics analysis room.
Click.
The door was pushed open. Gary Payton strolled in, chewing gum, followed by freshman Chauncey Billups Billups.
Gary Payton glanced at the label on the table that read "Glen Rice," and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, President Lin, you're personally handing out homework today? Tonight I'm guarding Bogues, and you want me to study Rice?"
Lin Qi adjusted the video recorder without even looking up.
Gary Payton's smirk vanished. He did have a habit of studying video recordings, but he hadn't expected Lin Qi to have such a thorough understanding of this detail.
Lin Qi looked at the uneasy Billups: "Let's watch together."
After saying that, he slapped the remote control into Gary Payton's hand and leaned against the door frame.
"Old fox."
Gary Payton cursed, sat down in the leather chair, and pressed play.
The TV screen lit up. On the screen, last year's All-Star MVP Glen Rice used a screen to cut inside, received the ball, jumped, and hit a three-pointer.
"Smack!"
Gary Payton pressed pause and, without turning around, asked Billups, "What did you figure out?"
"Uh... he's incredibly fast when he uses screens, the defenders can't catch him at all." Billups' forehead was beaded with sweat.
Gary Payton rolled his eyes, pointed at the screen, and said, "Duh, everyone in the league knows he's fast. Look at his feet! Before this bastard even uses the screen, his toes are already pointing and his center of gravity is off. To defend a shooter of this caliber, you can't just keep your eyes on the ball. The correct way is... before he gets into position after the screen, you preemptively bump him with your chest, blocking his path to receive the ball, forcing him to distort his movement before receiving it, understand?"
The scene shifts to Hornets ' Anthony Mason receiving the ball in the low post with his back to the basket.
Gary Payton paused again, and sneered, "This fat guy with all that brute force..."
Lin Qi smiled at the doorway.
Lin Qi casually closed the door behind them. Before he'd gone far, Gary Payton's furious roar echoed down the hallway, "Go back! Go back to those last two rounds! You did the same thing in the last game... If I see you leaving your man open like that again, I'll personally give you a sparring session tomorrow!!"
Lin Qi's lips curled slightly. Gary Payton had a terrible temper, but when it came to mentoring newcomers, he was truly unreserved.
However, the situation became mired in a quagmire that evening at the Boston FleetCenter Arena.
The Charlotte Hornets played extremely solidly. Anthony Mason steadily built up his position in the low post, using his size to slowly break down the Celtics ' defense. Whenever the Celtics double-teamed him, he could use his passing vision to pass the ball to Glen Rice, who was open on the weak side.
A three-pointer from the outside, swish, dunk.
Coach Pitino was frantically directing from the sidelines, demanding a full-court press. But the more aggressively the Celtics pressed, the more steadily the Hornets ' seasoned veterans advanced their offense.
"Beep--!"
At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics trailed by 7 points.
Back on the bench, Pitino's face was ashen. He loosened his tie and yelled, "Look at your rotation defense! How many open shots you've left! Start the fourth quarter with the double-team in the frontcourt, use your speed to wear down Mason!"
"We can't keep attacking Mason from both sides like this."
Gary Payton ripped the towel off his neck and sneered, "That fat guy's passing is more cunning than anyone else's. The moment you double-team him, Glen Rice just stands on the perimeter practicing open shots."
Pitino's eye twitched slightly. "So what do you want to do? Gary, you're the coach now?"
"Have Dikembe ( Mutombo ) guard the basket, Kevin, stop running around the court all night." Gary Payton pointed to a panting Garnett, "If he keeps playing like this, he won't even have the energy to get back on defense in the fourth quarter."
Garnett, neck stiff, shouted, " Gary, I can still run!"
"Shut up." Gary Payton's eyes were icy.
Pitino was thoroughly enraged. As a renowned coach with a college background, he would not tolerate any challenge to his authority. He avoided eye contact with Gary Payton and flipped over the tactics board to call on him directly.
" Tony Delk, you replace Gary. Once you come on, strictly follow the second plan."
The entire bench fell silent.
Everyone knew in their hearts that this was definitely not a normal rotation, but rather Pitino publicly punishing his star player.
The fourth quarter began, and for the first five minutes, Delk controlled the ball.
The young defender worked exceptionally hard, keeping a close eye on Pitino's gestures with every advance, and his tactical runs were perfectly executed.
However, the Hornets on the other side weren't buying it at all.
These veterans, who have been in the league for many years, saw through the Celtics' rigid tactical routine in just two rounds.
The more thoroughly the Delk play is executed, the easier it is for the Hornets to defend.
"Whoosh!"
Glen Rice hit another three-pointer after a routine screen, instantly widening the gap to 12 points.
A cacophony of boos began to erupt from the vast stands of the stadium.
The team is committing slow suicide in an extremely "correct" yet completely ineffective way.
"Beep--!"
Pitino finally couldn't hold back any longer and angrily requested a pause.
Gary Payton sat at the very end of the bench, staring blankly at the scoreboard.
Garnett, clutching his jersey, walked straight up to Gary Payton, gritting his teeth. " Gary, it's time for you to get on the court. If that old man still wants to win, he needs to put you in now!"
The two key players stared at each other in silence.
Ultimately, faced with a 12-point deficit and boos from the entire arena, Pitino conceded.
He gritted his teeth, picked up his paintbrush, and said in a hoarse voice, " Gary, replace Tony. But remember this: once you're on the court, you must play according to the tactics!"
Gary Payton paused in his undressing, then slowly straightened up. "Which one, Coach?"
Pitino forced out a sentence through gritted teeth. "The correct way."
Gary Payton sneered, slammed his training uniform onto the back of the chair, and strode toward the scorer's table.