New York, Fifth Avenue, Olympic Tower.
On the top floor of the NBA headquarters building, league commissioner David Stern's office boasts a stunning panoramic view of Manhattan. But at this moment, this diminutive Jewish man, who holds the highest authority in the basketball world, has no interest in appreciating the scenery outside his window.
On his desk lay the financial and ratings summary report for the just-concluded 1998-99 season (the shortened season), the dismal figures on which made him frown.
Knock knock.
There was a knock on the office door, and the secretary opened it. "Mr. Stern, Lin Qi from Boston has arrived."
"Let him in." Stern took off his reading glasses, rubbed his temples, and put on his signature shrewd smile.
Lin Qi walked into the office carrying his conspicuous black leather briefcase and sat down familiarly on the leather sofa opposite Stern.
"Lin, I heard you've been living the high life in Europe? Touring the Europe with the Boston roster, you've really made a splash." Stern leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers, and teased with a smile, "What, the Greece sunshine and the Aegean Sea couldn't keep you for long?"
" The Europe sun is indeed lovely, David," Lin Qi said, placing his briefcase on the large mahogany desk. "But I rushed back to show you something. A little 'souvenir' from Athens."
Unzipped his jacket, and Lin Qi clearly separated the stack of Europe newspapers he had shown the players in the locker room, along with the latest Europe headlines from the day after the game, and pushed them in front of Stern.
"This pile on the left is the evaluation from mainstream Europe media before our last game," Lin Qi pointed.
Stern picked up a photocopy of the top-left copy of * Milan Sports Gazette *, which thoughtfully included an English translation. "Brainless track and field... dull American-style one-on-one... brute force relying on muscle to overpower opponents..."
Stern's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. As the person in charge who had been dedicated to taking the NBA global, especially to the Europe market, this assessment clearly stung his most sensitive nerve.
"Outdated stereotypes." Stern scoffed and put down his newspaper.
"Indeed. But they have reason to write that, because they think our current matches are just that ugly." Lin Qi casually pushed the stack of newspapers on his right over. "Take a look at this pile on the right too. This is the same media outlet's headline the day after we won the match the ' Europe way'."
Stern picked up the newspaper.
Sports Daily: Boston has brought a team from the future!
L'Équipe: A tactical and strategic massacre, the United States have redefined team basketball.
Stern quickly flipped through the newspapers, his gaze shifting from initial indifference to sharpening. Having navigated the business world for many years, he instantly sensed the immense value behind it.
"You put on the kind of game Europe most want to see in Athens." Stern looked up and gave Lin Qi a deep look. "And the ratings?"
"It broke a ten-year record for local Greece sports channels." Lin Qi laughed. " Spain and France broadcasters even contacted my team overnight, wanting to buy the broadcasting rights for the Celtics' regular season next season."
Stern didn't speak, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. He knew that Lin Qi hadn't flown all this way just to show off his victories in a few warm-up matches.
"So, Lin, what exactly are you trying to say?" Stern leaned back in his chair, his gaze piercing.
"I want to say, David, our league is in trouble." Lin Qi's smile faded, he leaned forward, and looked directly at the league commissioner. "We just went through a disastrous lockout season. Without Michael Jordan, look at what the league is like now? All season, the scores of each team were outrageously low, with games scoring sixty or seventy points being commonplace."
Lin Qi pointed to the summary report on Stern's desk, "What do viewers see when they turn on the TV? A bunch of muscular hunks who couldn't control their eating during the offseason and ended up with bloated bodies! A point guard dribbling the ball across half-court, then four players spreading out, watching two 260-pound giants wrestle like idiots in the paint for twenty seconds, barely managing to miss a shot!"
These words were like a sharp knife, precisely piercing Stern's heart.
The shortened 1999 NBA season truly saw its entertainment value plummet. Rough defensive shoving, endless physical battles in the paint, and inefficient one-on-one plays by star players made the game fragmented.
"This is the disastrous consequence of our current 'illegal defense' rules," Lin Qi bluntly pointed out the crux of the problem.
"To encourage star players to play one-on-one, the league strictly prohibits zone defense, forcing everyone to play man-to-man. At the same time, to limit superstars, it allows defenders to use aggressive hand contact and physical play. This means that perimeter players can only rely on physical drives when they get the ball, and the entire league is using muscle and rough one-on-one play to solve problems."
" David, take a look at these Europe media reviews." Lin Qi pointed to the newspaper on the table. "The trend in world basketball is spacing, ball movement, and teamwork. If we continue to cling to the style of play from the last century, the NBA will inevitably fall behind the world. Your dream of the Europe market and global reach will be forever shut out because the league's games are just too unwatchable."
A long silence fell over the office. The only sound was the soft hum of the central air conditioning.
David Stern looked at Lin Qi quietly, a complex light flickering in his eyes behind his glasses. After a long while, the nearly sixty-year-old president suddenly laughed, the sound echoing in the empty office.
"You're too dangerous, Lin." Stern shook his head, his eyes showing admiration. "You always use 'the bigger picture of the league' as a pretext to pave the way for your Boston team. Do you think I don't know what you're plotting?"
Stern sighed, took a document from the drawer, and pushed it in front of Lin Qi.
"Do you think you're the only one in the entire New York headquarters who saw the problem, Lynn?" Stern looked at Lin Qi's slightly surprised expression and revealed a sly smile.
Lin Qi glanced down and saw that the document's cover read, "Preliminary Proposal on Optimizing Game Pace and Modifying Defensive Rules," signed by Stu Jackson, Executive Vice President of the league, and Jerry Colangelo, owner of the Phoenix Suns.
" Jerry ( Colangelo ) submitted this report to the competition committee last month," Stern tapped the document with his fingers. "He was also fed up with the low-scoring wrestling matches and proposed fully opening up zone defense and strictly limiting hand movements on the perimeter."
"Then why isn't there any word of it?" Lin Qi asked.
"The resistance is too great." Stern frowned. "You have to understand, there's a large number of old-school coaches and big men in the league who rely on these old rules. The opposition from within the coaches' union and Players Association is deafening. They believe that eliminating illegal defense and limiting physical contact will make the NBA 'weak and vulnerable.' So, although this matter is being discussed, it has been shelved and hasn't been treated as a top priority."
Stern paused for a moment, then his gaze returned to the Europe newspapers that Lin Qi had brought.
"But today, you've provided me with excellent 'ammunition.'" Stern picked up the photocopy of L'Équipe, his eyes sharpening. "Old-school coaches care about their jobs and the so-called 'tough guy tradition,' but I care about whether the NBA pie can grow bigger and bigger, and whether the broadcasting rights can be sold worldwide!"
The iron-fisted CEO put his reading glasses back on, his tone revealing an unquestionable decisiveness.
"Your reason is convincing enough. 'To align the NBA with global standards, to expand into the Europe and global markets'... Ha, as long as you add this 'righteous cause,' the protests of those old fogies are nothing. Other owners will agree when their interests are at stake."
Stern closed the file, looked up at Lin Qi: "I'll immediately restart the competition committee's internal meeting and dump these Europe newspapers and ratings data on their desks. Lynch..."
Stern reached out and shook hands firmly with Lin Qi.
"The gears of change in the NBA have officially begun to accelerate from today."