Since we're exploring new tactics, paying tuition is inevitable.
For the next month or so, the Celtics ' coaching staff turned the regular season into a major rotation test.
In this system, the division of labor is extremely clear. David Blatt is responsible for adjusting the offense, Tom Thibodeau is in charge of building the defensive system. As for head coach Doc Rivers? He spends most of his time standing on the sidelines, arms crossed, brows furrowed in deep thought... No one knows exactly what he's thinking, but just his presence gives many people the impression of being unfathomable.
The content of the game on the field is often baffling.
Sometimes, Blatt would put Wang Zhizhi and Brad Miller on the court at the same time. The two big men, both with three-point range and the ability to facilitate, would pass the ball back and forth at the top of the key, trying to stretch the opponent's defensive formation. However, this lineup was extremely slow to retreat on defense, and once they missed a shot, the opponent would push them onto the fast break.
Sometimes, in order to test the defensive flexibility of his rotation and Mutombo's defensive value, Thibodeau would make decisions that sent the home fans' blood pressure soaring... such as benching the four-time Defensive Player of the Year for three whole quarters, watching helplessly as the opponent wreaked havoc in the paint. Meanwhile, Doc Rivers on the sidelines would still be there, frowning and deep in thought with his arms crossed.
Midway through a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, three of the Celtics ' five players on the court were combinations that had never played together for more than five minutes in an official game. The fans on the sidelines exchanged bewildered glances, and the commentators in the broadcast booth shook their heads, asking, "What is the Celtics ' coaching staff doing? Are they blindly making substitutions?"
This approach of treating the regular season as an experiment quickly brought about visible costs.
December, Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis.
The Celtics entered the fourth quarter with a twelve-point lead. Normally, the starters would clock out and the whole team would go back to the hotel for a hot shower. However, due to the insistence of Blatt and Thibodeau, early in the fourth quarter, a makeshift lineup appeared on the court, one that had only run the plays a few times in practice.
The situation on the court spiraled out of control instantly. On offense, Blatt's demand for spacing turned into a disaster, with passing lanes clashing and two players cutting to the same side simultaneously after a pick-and-roll. On defense, Thibodeau's switch-everything defense turned into a display of player lapses.
The Pacers ' seasoned Reggie Miller sensed danger. Rick Smits dominated inside, and Jalen Rose repeatedly tore apart the Celtics' porous perimeter defense.
The point difference went from twelve points to eight points, then three points, until they were overtaken.
Doc Rivers called a timeout, his hoarse voice calming the players, telling them, "Stay calm, don't panic." Back on the court, the plays still wouldn't go smoothly. The Pacers went on a suffocating 20-0 run, and the Celtics collapsed in the quarter.
After the game, Doc Rivers was cornered by Boston beat reporters in the player tunnel.
" Doc, can you explain the rotation in the fourth quarter? Why didn't you bring back the starters at the last minute?" The reporter's microphone was practically shoved in his face.
Doc Rivers frowned, cleared his throat, and took all the criticism upon himself. "We're trying some different combinations. The regular season is long, and we need to know where this team's limits are. Losing is my responsibility, but we'll be fine."
The interview sparked a media frenzy in Boston the following day.
The Boston Globe's headline was blunt. "What's wrong with the Celtics? Doc Rivers' baffling rotations lead to the team's ugliest collapse of the season." Sports radio's fan lines were flooded with calls, with angry fans accusing the coaching staff of jeopardizing their wins.
This is Doc Rivers' greatest value to the team. Although he is not a tactical genius, he can manage the locker room and shield the negative emotions brought about by Blatt and Thibodeau's radical experiments, as well as the pressure from the media, from his broad shoulders. The players are willing to play for him, so even if they lose badly on the court, no one blames each other in the locker room.
Lin Qi, at the eye of the storm, remained oblivious to the commotion around him.
In Lin Qi's office, the whiteboard on the wall was densely covered with advanced data on various lineups: offensive and defensive net rating, round usage rate, true hit rate, and points allowed per 100 rounds. Here, the wins and losses of one or two regular season games were just data samples.
"The media is saying some really harsh things, and the fans are getting impatient." Assistant coach Frank Vogel walked in with a newspaper.
"Let them be." Lin Qi stared at the data on the whiteboard without turning his head. "Tell Doc to keep the locker room under control. Tell David and Tom not to stop the experiment until they are satisfied."
The painful period lasted into January.
Until late one Late Night.
In the team's video room, young data analyst Frank Vogel and several assistant coaches had their eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. Countless game clips and statistics were constantly being overturned and reorganized. Finally, amidst the chaotic trial and error, the Answer emerged.
"Found it!"
Frank Vogel, sporting huge dark circles under his eyes, excitedly pushed open Lin Qi's office door and slammed a thick report on the table. Pointing to a line of data, his voice even trembled slightly. "Lin, we've calculated it. In all the rotations we've tested, this combination has a commanding lead in net points per 100 possessions! Defensively, it covers the entire area inside the three-point line, and offensively, the spacing is ridiculously good!"
Lin Qi took the report and glanced at the rankings. He didn't show much surprise, but a satisfied smile finally appeared on his lips.
Just as he guessed.
From the very first day of this massive rotation experiment, Lin Qi knew exactly what the ultimate perfect the Answer was. But he couldn't just issue orders and force things that were ahead of their time onto the coaching staff. To get this group of people, limited by the constraints of their era, to willingly play the right kind of basketball, he had to be patient, pay his dues, and let the team figure it out themselves.
Now, they've finally found it themselves.
Lin Qi closed the report and tossed it onto the table. He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up a black Mark.
Without any hesitation, he wrote down the names of five people heavily.
Point guard, Gary Payton.
Shooting guard, Eddie Jones.
Small forward, Chris Paul Pierce.
Power forward, Kevin Garnett.
Center forward, Rasheed Wallace.
Finally, he pressed down hard at the highest point of his pen.
Rasheed plays center forward.
This will be the Celtics ' decisive lineup, and also the lineup that will play the most besides the starters.
This was a decision that went against the traditional basketball logic of the league at the time. Rasheed was a hot-tempered power forward who hated nothing more than battling with heavy centers like O'Neal and Mourning in the paint. He had complained more than once that such low-post physical battles would leave him sore all over and even affect his shooting touch. Making him play center sounded like he was going to ruin him, and he was a hundred times unwilling to do so.
But the videos and data reveal the true logic of basketball; facts speak louder than words.
On the defensive end, Thibodeau's system perfectly circumvented Rasheed's weaknesses. He didn't need to battle with those heavy centers in the low post for the entire game; his defensive task was greatly simplified: establish a solid base and use his consistently underestimated lower body strength to withstand the first wave of attacks from opponents' back-to-the-basket moves. To complete this tactical loop, the team had already prepared a contingency plan, specifically tailoring a muscle-building program for Rasheed, a set of intensive training programs targeting lower body and core strength.
The rest is all up to Garnett.
Garnett is the most terrifying sweeping power forward in league history. When Rasheed was holding his ground in the low post, Garnett would act like a giant net, quickly collapsing from the weak side to help defend. Rasheed would be responsible for guarding, while Garnett would be responsible for blocking shots and disrupting play. The defensive coverage and mobility of these two were enough to stifle any attempt to force their way into the paint.
On the offensive end, Blatt's desired ultimate spacing was completely realized in this lineup.
When Gary Payton and Garnett run a pick-and-roll at the top of the key, Rasheed will stand outside the three-point line. This is a position that can tear apart any traditional defensive system.
The opposing center faced a dead end: follow Rasheed out to defend him? That would leave the paint completely open, allowing Garnett to cut to the basket unimpeded, and Pierce and Gary Payton to drive like they were on a busy street. Don't follow him out? Rasheed's wide-open three-pointers would be like daggers, piercing the opponent's chest time and time again.
After finalizing the lineup, Lin Qi spoke with Rasheed privately.
"Lin, I heard you guys plan to have me play center long-term?" Rasheed leaned against the doorframe, looking reluctant. "You know how much I hate wrestling with those big-butt centers in the low post."
"I know." Lin Qi pushed a pre-edited tactical videotape in front of him. "On defense, Garnett will help you sweep; you just need to hold off the first hit, you don't have to fight tooth and nail. More importantly, on offense... Rasheed, do you know what those heavy centers hate most?"
"What?"
"You dragged him outside the three-point line, and he ran back and forth like an idiot." Lin Qi stared at him.
Rasheed paused for a moment. As an inside player, he knew all too well the helplessness and anger a traditional center felt when far from the basket. A slow grin spread across his face, revealing his signature smile.
"That's interesting." Rasheed raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I'll do it. But if we run into O'Neal, you'd better let someone else play."
Two days later at the Celtics' training facility.
The tactical board was pushed to the center of the court, with only a few large words written on it, " Rasheed plays center."
Garnett stood in front of the tactical board, staring at the words, then turned to Rasheed with a wild and warlike smile, "Ready to kick their asses, brother?"
"To be honest," Rasheed chuckled, stretching his shoulders, "The thought of those seven-footers being forced to come out to the three-point line to guard me makes me impatient to see their faces contort in frustration."
Gary Payton patted the basketball, Pierce tightened his shoelaces beside him, and Eddie Jones had already made two clean swishes from mid-range. Not far away on the sidelines, Doc Rivers, as usual, crossed his arms, while David Blatt and Tom Thibodeau held clipboards and were exchanging heated words.
I've paid my tuition and weathered the growing pains.
Now, the Boston Celtics have finally found their most lethal roster and are ready to bring some intensity to the entire league.