Late Night on December 4, 2000, at Lin Qi's home.
The study lights were dimly lit, and the television on the wall was playing Los Angeles Lakers game footage on a loop. Several half-empty whiskey glasses sat on the coffee table, and the ashtray was full of cigarette ash.
Rick Carlisle, Tim Grgurich, David Blatt, and Dwane Casey sat on a leather sofa, each with a different expression.
Lin Qi leaned back in the armchair, pressed a button on the remote control in his hand, and the screen froze on the Lakers ' victory over the Trail Blazers.
"19-game winning streak." Lin Qi raised his glass, the rim reflecting a soft glow. " The Boston media is practically worshipping us. But in my eyes, the Christmas Day game at Staples in three weeks will be the real test of this season."
Grgurich frowned and put down his glass.
"This is a tough nut to crack." Grgurich's tone was calm, but carried the caution typical of an old-school coach. " The Lakers are currently 16-3. Jerry West is gone, and from Lakers to the locker room, no one can counter Phil Jackson anymore. Kidd, Odom, Marion —they were all players he personally picked."
He paused, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "What's even more crucial is that the talent ceiling of this lineup is too high. Kidd is a top point guard in the league, capable of passing, driving, and defending. Odom has the size of a power forward, able to handle the ball and pass, Marion is excellent at off-ball finishing and defense. Add to that O'Neal, a dominant center..."
"But they've only been playing together for a few months." Casey interrupted him, sitting up straight on the sofa and picking up the scouting report in his hand.
" Old Ge, you're idolizing Phil too much." Casey spoke quickly, his eyes gleaming with youthful defiance. "Look at those three games they lost: Mavericks, Sacramento Kings, and Spurs. What was the problem?"
He opened the report, "On November 15th, we lost to the Mavericks. In the last three minutes of the fourth quarter, Kidd had the ball, and O'Neal called for it in the low post, but Kidd hesitated and chose to pass to Odom, resulting in Odom missing his mid-range shot. On November 22nd, we lost to the Sacramento Kings. In a crucial moment, O'Neal had already positioned himself in the low post, but Kidd's pass was a fraction too slow and was intercepted by Divac."
Casey slammed the report on the coffee table, "It's a matter of chemistry. Kidd and O'Neal haven't yet developed that almost instinctive bond."
Blatt had been listening in silence, then he put down his notebook.
" Kidd thrived with the Suns because Suns system gave him ample space and playing time," Blatt continued. "But with the Lakers, he has to adapt to the multi-pronged offense of the Triangle Offense and learn to choose between O'Neal's low-post offense and opportunities created by others. This requires a lot of game experience."
"Furthermore, Kidd's shooting is a problem." Blatt flipped through his notebook, which was filled with data. "So far this season, Kidd's three-point shooting percentage is only 31%, and his mid-range shooting percentage is 38%. This means that if the opponent leaves him open to shoot, his threat level will be greatly reduced."
" David is right." Rick Carlisle, who had been silent until now, looked up and adjusted his glasses. " Kidd's ability is undeniable, but his chemistry with O'Neal is still developing. With the Suns, Kidd was the absolute core, and all the plays revolved around him. But with the Lakers, he has to learn to feed O'Neal the ball and adapt to the rhythm of the Triangle Offense."
Rick Carlisle traced lines on his notebook with his finger. " O'Neal's low-post offense requires precise timing. Pass the ball too early, and he won't be in position yet. Pass it too late, and the double team will be in place. This kind of understanding can't be compensated for by talent alone."
"And there's an even bigger problem." Rick Carlisle looked up at Lin Qi, "In this lineup, who's going to make the clutch plays?"
A brief silence fell over the study.
" Kidd is good," Grgurich said. "He actually played quite well in some key games."
"But he's not a natural finisher," Rick Carlisle shook his head. " Kidd's instinct is to orchestrate, to make his teammates better. Of course, he can take matters into his own hands when pushed, but that's not his most comfortable style of play. And once you give him space to shoot, his impact diminishes."
"Where's O'Neal?" Casey asked.
"His stamina drops in the fourth quarter, and his free throws are a weakness once he gets fouled," Rick Carlisle said.
" Odom?"
"He's unpredictable; sometimes he can sink the game-winning shot, and sometimes he can airball it."
Marion?
"He's a great finisher, but someone has to create opportunities for him. He's not the type who can create his own shot and score one-on-one."
Rick Carlisle slammed his clipboard on the table. "No matter how terrifying their talent, this Lakers lacks a cold-blooded killer who can ignore defense and take over everything in crucial moments. Kobe and O'Neal were sworn enemies, but Kobe was that kind of killer. Now that Kobe is gone, the Lakers will hesitate in life-or-death situations."
Blatt nodded. "And there's another issue, which is the stability of the tactical system. The Triangle Offense requires players to have a high basketball IQ; they need to be able to read the defense on the court and make the right decisions. Kidd, Odom, and Marion all have this ability, but they need time to build that chemistry."
"Three months of adjustment is far from enough for the Triangle Offense," Blatt said.
Lin Qi listened to the four coaches' analysis without saying a word. He stood up, walked to the big screen, and tapped on the Lakers players on the screen.
"You've analyzed the Lakers ' tactics and techniques, but you've overlooked something more important." Lin Qi turned around, his finger holding a cigarette gesturing towards the group, "Psychology."
Lin Qi pulled over the whiteboard, picked up Mark, and wrote two words heavily, "Inner Demons" and "High-Stakes Gambling".
"We beat them in last season's NBA Finals. Shaq is a vengeful man; he's been dreaming of tearing us apart. And this summer, the Lakers ' internal power struggle was known throughout the country. West was ousted, Zen Master seized power, and they traded Kobe for this luxurious roster. How did the Los Angeles media evaluate this?"
"A radical gamble," Casey blurted out.
"Exactly." Lin Qi exhaled a smoke ring, the smoke billowing in the cold light. "So, the Lakers right now are like a suppressed volcano. They desperately want to prove themselves... to prove that trading Kobe was the right thing to do, to prove that their basketball philosophy is right, to prove that they can crush the defending champions."
Lin Qi glanced around at his coaching staff, his eyes becoming extremely aggressive. "If we lose in Los Angeles, it'll just be a regular season game where the Lakers have gelled. But what if the Lakers lose?"
The four teaching assistants' eyes lit up instantly.
" The Zen Master's gamble failed," Rick Carlisle said, stroking his chin.
"They'd say Kidd isn't a good fit for the Lakers," Casey added.
"They'll say trading Kobe was a mistake." Grgurich understood.
"They'd say this lineup only looks good on paper," Blatt added.
Lin Qi drew a large circle on the whiteboard, enclosing the "gamble" within it. "Therefore, the pressure of the Christmas Day game doesn't rest on us, the two-time champions. The Lakers are going into the game carrying the doubts of the entire Los Angeles. And the extreme pressure to prove themselves can distort movements and stiffen the system!"
He walked back to the sofa and downed the whiskey in his glass in one gulp.
"Over the next three weeks, we have a few things to do. First, we need to refine our offensive system, perfecting our transitions between fast breaks and half-court sets. We need to create problems for the Lakers in terms of tempo, making it difficult for them to keep up with our changes."
"Second, targeted defense." Lin Qi looked at Rick Carlisle and Blatt. " Rick, David, you two work together to study the playing style of Kidd and O'Neal. Their teamwork isn't mature yet; there are definitely weaknesses in their passing timing and movement routes. We need to find these weaknesses and then exploit them in the game."
"Understood." Rick Carlisle and Blatt nodded simultaneously.
" Dwane, you're in charge of refining the defensive details." Lin Qi looked at Casey.
"I will refine the details of my defense," Casey said.
" Old Ge," Lin Qi, turning to Grgurich one last time, "You're in charge of covering everything. Keep an eye on the training intensity, the players' mental state, and make sure we haven't overlooked anything. Your experience is this team's most valuable asset."
Grgurich was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I will."
Lin Qi stood up and raised his glass.
The four coaches stood up and raised their glasses.
"Go tell those lads in the locker room that we beat the Lakers to win the championship, that we're born with a psychological advantage. Go to Los Angeles, right on their turf, and let them remember the fear of being dominated by us."
The five wine glasses clinked together loudly.
1:30 AM.
After the coaches left, Lin Qi sat alone in his study, continuing to study the Lakers ' game footage.
His phone vibrated.
It was a message from Margaret: "Boss, just finished dealing with the pre-game arrangements for the Christmas Day game. Staples tickets are already being resold for three times the usual price, and ESPN and TNT are both requesting pre-game interviews. Do you need me to arrange that?"
Lin Qi replied, "I've cancelled everything. I won't be giving any interviews before the match."
A few seconds later, Margaret messaged again. "Understood. Also, the team's PR department needs to prepare a post-game response plan. How will the media interpret it if we lose?"
Lin Qi thought for a moment and replied, "A loss is a loss. Tell the PR department to prepare a statement template: The Lakers are a top team, the Christmas Day game is just another regular season game, our goal is the championship. Keep a low profile and don't over-interpret it."
"Received. What if we win?"
"Let the media write what they want if we win," Lin Qi replied. "We don't need to say anything more; let the results speak for themselves."
"Understood. Boss, get some rest. There's a management meeting at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Good."
Lin Qi put down his phone and turned off the TV.
The clock on the wall pointed to two in the morning.
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the Boston nightscape.
Three weeks later, the Christmas battle begins.
This will be a preview of the NBA Finals.