This season, it almost ended.
On July 1, 1998, labor negotiations broke down, and the union officially announced its shutdown. The employers wanted to forcefully lower the wage cap, while the workers refused to budge. The two sides spent a full six months at the negotiating table, breaking down and then resuming negotiations, until they finally managed to sign an agreement on December 23, 1998.
That was two days before Christmas.
The season started abruptly on January 2nd and ended on May 5th. The originally planned 82 regular season games were drastically cut down to 50.
There was no All-Star Weekend as a buffer, nor preseason games to warm up. At the league's command, players had to L'Équipe within ten days, complete joint training, and then be thrown directly into high-intensity, real competition.
In this extremely compressed schedule, from the very first day of the competition, players faced endless back-to-back games, and even the inhumane "three games in three days". The high-pressure density of four to five games a week has become the norm for all teams.
The entire season was like a heavy truck with its brakes removed. It was forced to start when no one was ready, and then it lurched and rolled to the finish line, pushing everyone to their physical limits.
By late June, the confetti at the New Garden had already been cleaned up.
Lin Qi sat in his office, with all the season's statistics laid out on his desk, and the championship trophy in the cabinet.
They won, that's one thing. But this team has to play 82 games next season, and they need to know what was real in those 50 games and what was just an illusion created by the shortened season.
He turned to the first page.
Regular season record: 39 wins and 11 losses (first in the league).
Offensive efficiency: 96.9 points per game
Defensive efficiency: 84.5 points allowed per game (first in the league).
Net point differential: +12.4 points (first in the league).
He stared at the two numbers together for a long time.
The Spurs allow an average of 84.7 points per game.
Boston conceded 0.2 fewer points than the Spurs.
Then he turned to the next page.
Gary Payton (No. 20), PG, 30 years old
Averages: 21.2 points / 8.9 assists / 4.3 rebounds / 2.3 steals per game
Field goal percentage: 48.2% for field goals / 34.2% for three-pointers / 71.8% for free throws
Honors: All-NBA First Team / NBA All-Defensive First Team / NBA Finals MVP
Gary Payton has been in Boston for two years.
He's been the best player on the team for the past two years, but the team isn't good enough.
This season, the team finally deserved him, and he finally received the long-awaited trophy.
[ Eddie Jones (No. 7) SG, 27 years old]
Averages: 13.8 points / 4.0 rebounds / 2.6 assists / 2.0 steals per game
Field goal percentage: 46.1% for field goals / 37.8% for three-pointers / 81.5% for free throws
Honors: NBA All-Defensive Second Team
The most easily overlooked person on this team.
Eddie Jones probably only gets about a third of the screen time he deserves.
In the NBA Finals against the Spurs, he was assigned defensive duties in every game, and he made not a single mistake.
That's enough.
Chris Paul Pierce (No. 34), SF, 21 years old
Averages: 14.4 points / 4.8 rebounds / 1.5 assists per game
Field goal percentage: 44.1% for field goals / 35.8% for three-pointers / 79.6% for free throws
Honors: All-Rookie First Team
21 years old, rookie season, 14.4 points.
Looking at the numbers, Lin Qi remembered that before the thirteenth game of the season, he was still a substitute. Then Doc Rivers pushed him into the starting lineup, and he never came off the bench again.
In several crucial games, with two minutes left in the fourth quarter and the score close, Gary Payton dribbled across half-court, passed the ball directly to Pierce, and then spread out. The entire New Garden were watching him. He pushed his way in, leaned back, and shot—the ball went in. Not every shot went in, but those that did carried an aura of "this is my turn to shoot."
[ Kevin Garnett (No. 5) PF, 23 years old]
Averages: 21.4 points / 11.4 rebounds / 3.2 assists / 2.4 blocks per game
Field goal percentage: 49.7% for field goals / 34.6% for three-pointers / 76.3% for free throws
Honors: All-NBA Second Team / NBA All-Defensive First Team
His three-point shooting percentage is 34.6%, compared to 31.2% last season.
This is the result of him staying behind to practice after his daily training session.
At 23 years old, he has virtually no blind spots on offense. He can post up, face up, turn around and shoot, and follow up on fast breaks. He can even observe the weak side like a guard when facilitating from the high post.
In the NBA Finals, he and his teammates combined to severely limit Tim Duncan, who averaged only 18.3 points per game with a field goal percentage of just 42.5%.
(PS: In the real-life 1998-99 season playoffs, in the first round series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves team, Tim Duncan averaged 18.8 points and had a field goal percentage of 42.8%.)
[ Dikembe Mutombo (No. 55) C, 33 years old]
Averages: 9.2 points / 12.8 rebounds / 3.3 blocks per game
Field goal percentage: 51.8% / Free throw percentage: 65.2%
Honors: Defensive Player of the Year / NBA All-Defensive First Team
Free throw percentage of 65.2% is the worst number on this table, and it has always been.
He's not the Mutombo he was two years ago. We need to start calculating how many minutes he'll play per game next season.
Lin Qi turned the page.
Other players:
Chauncey Billups Billups (No. 4), PG, 22 years old. Averages: 7.6 points / 5.0 assists. Field goal percentage: 41.3% / 35.6% / 82.1% FT.
After enduring two seasons of criticism alongside Gary Payton, he's learned a thing or two. He's starting to understand when to take the ball and attack himself, and when to pass to a teammate—his biggest problem in the past. His 7.6 points per game isn't impressive, but his 5.0 assists per game are respectable for a backup point guard.
Ben Wallace (No. 13), Center, 24 years old. Averages: 4.1 points / 6.2 rebounds. Field goal percentage: 58.3% / Free throw percentage: 50.1%.
Wallace's hidden injury problems have been completely resolved.
But a 50.1% free throw percentage is still a very poor number.
His technique isn't inherently flawed; it's that his fundamental shooting motion is wrong. Trying to practice this on your own will only make it worse; you need someone to teach you professionally.
Next to this line, Lin Qi wrote two words: Looking for someone.
Wallace hasn't reached his full potential yet, but the free-throw line is a hurdle. He only gets two free throw attempts per game now, which doesn't matter. As his role becomes more significant, opponents will start studying him, fouling him to send him to the free-throw line, forcing him to put up the worst numbers and drag the team down in the most crucial moments of the game.
By then, it will be too late to find someone.
Playoffs:
They defeated the New York Knicks 3-0 in the first round.
They defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 in the second round.
The Eastern Conference Finals team defeated the Indiana Pacers 4-1.
They defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-2 in the NBA Finals.
Annual Awards:
Regular season MVP: Carl Malone ( Utah Jazz )
NBA Finals MVP: Gary Payton ( Boston Celtics )
Defensive Player of the Year: Dikembe Mutombo ( Boston Celtics )
Rookie of the Year: Vince Carter ( Toronto Raptors )
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich ( San Antonio Spurs )
All-NBA Team First Team: Gary Payton, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Carl Malone, Alonzo Mourning
All-NBA Team Second Team: Jason Kidd, Tim Hardaway, Grant Hill, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal
All-NBA Team Third Team: John Stockton, Kobe Brian, Antonio McDyess, Chris Webber, Hakeem Olajuwon Olajuwon
NBA All-Defensive First Team: Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Carl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Dikembe Mutombo, Scottie Pippen
(The 1998-99 All-Defensive Team had six players on the First Team because of a tie for votes.)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team: Mookie Blaylock, Eddie Jones, Tim Duncan, P.J. Brown, Alonzo Mourning
All-Rookie First Team: Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Matt Harpring, Chris Paul Pierce, Jason Williams
Lin Qi closed the file and leaned back in his chair for a while.
39 wins and 11 losses.
Overall champion.
Some people outside are saying that this championship was discounted, and that it's marked with an asterisk.
He doesn't intend to refute anyone.
He was thinking about next year.
Lin Qi got up, walked to the window, and looked at the streets of Boston for a while.
Summer has just begun.
The draft is next week.
He has things to do.