"Bang!"
In the top-floor office of Madison Square Garden, LeBron James Dolan slammed the crystal ashtray he was holding against the wall, instantly turning the expensive Persian carpet into a mess.
"Who does he think he is?! Submitting his resignation at this crucial moment?! Is he threatening me?!" Dolan paced back and forth in the office like an enraged Chicago Bulls, his roar almost lifting the ceiling.
Standing to the side, General Manager Scott Layden trembled, clutching a thin sheet of paper in his hand.
That was Jeff Van Gundy's resignation letter.
After suffering a humiliating defeat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Van Gundy, who returned to New York with the team, did not go to the training facility to discuss tactics for Game 3. Instead, he placed his resignation letter directly on the management's desk.
Van Gundy had had enough. As an extremely obsessive and proud tactical mastermind, he couldn't tolerate his basketball philosophy being trampled on by an entertainment mogul who only knew how to sell tickets. Since Dolan found his defensive system shameful, he chose to leave with his head held high before the Knicks became a complete laughingstock.
With the playoffs halfway through, the team's head coach suddenly resigned! If this news gets out, the New York Knicks will become the biggest joke in the entire American sports world.
" LeBron James, what do we do now?" Layden swallowed hard. "Tomorrow night is Game 3 of the series, and the tickets for Madison Square Garden are sold out. If the media gets wind of this..."
"Get him out!" Dolan, his face flushed with anger, snatched the resignation letter and tore it to shreds. "Since this bald guy wants to put on airs, then so be it! Immediately issue an official statement to the media and the league— the New York Knicks are officially dismissing Jeff Van Gundy as head coach!"
Dolan sneered, his eyes filled with savage glee. "I don't need a coward like this who betrays the team in crucial moments! Get assistant coach Don Cheney in! I'll show all of New York that we can still play basketball without Jeff Van Gundy!"
In Dolan's view, this was his ruthless approach as a boss, a way to turn the unpleasantness of "voluntary resignation" into the decisiveness of "the boss firing an unqualified employee."
However, he had no idea that his hasty termination notice had released a very valuable asset.
That evening, in a quiet Ireland pub in Manhattan.
Jeff Van Gundy sat at the corner bar, a glass of bourbon on the rocks in front of him. The evening news was playing on the television screen.
The New York Knicks have officially announced that they have terminated the contract of head coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Upon seeing the news, Van Gundy paused slightly, his hand holding the wine glass still, before letting out a self-deprecating laugh.
Ten years of hard work, only to be met with a termination notice that kicked him out.
He felt no anger, only an unprecedented sense of relief. He no longer had to look at Dolan's repulsive face, nor did he have to reluctantly adjust tactics he didn't agree with.
Just then, his phone, which was on the bar, vibrated.
Van Gundy glanced at the caller ID; it was an unlisted Boston number. He paused for a moment, then answered the phone.
Good evening, Jeff. How does the Manhattan skyline feel with bourbon whiskey?
A young, composed, and even slightly mocking voice came from the other end of the phone.
Van Gundy immediately recognized the caller's voice. " Lin Qi? How did you get my private number?"
Lin Qi's calm voice came from the other end of the phone, without any pleasantries, going straight to the point, "I saw the news. LeBron James Dolan is even more foolish than I thought; he personally kicked the league's best defensive coach out of Madison Square Garden."
"Did you come here specifically to mock me?" Van Gundy shook his head self-deprecatingly. "You win. The Knicks are a mess now. You can easily sweep them at Madison Square Garden."
"I didn't call to talk about this."
Lin Qi's voice suddenly became serious.
" Jeff, come to Boston. Join my team."
Van Gundy nearly choked on the whiskey he'd just taken a sip. His eyes widened in disbelief, wondering if he'd had too much to drink. " Lin Qi, are you crazy? Rick Carlisle's doing just fine there, why would you want me to do this?" " Rick Carlisle is, of course, our head coach, no doubt about it," Lin Qi said calmly, offering an irresistible offer. "But I need you, Jeff. I need you to be a senior advisor for the Celtics. The salary won't be low, and you'll work in a stress-free environment where you can enjoy basketball. Come on."
"We don't have many rivals in the Eastern Conference, but that's not enough. The real rivals are the strong teams in the Western Conference. You come to Boston, and you don't need to deal with the media. You just need to sit in the video analysis room and analyze game footage with us to figure out how to beat them."
Van Gundy's grip on his phone tightened slightly.
No longer needing to face unreasonable interference from an inexperienced owner like Dolan, they have ample salary guarantees and a completely pure tactical discussion environment, and can even stand on the highest stage of the NBA Finals to dismantle and limit a dominant center like O'Neal.
For a coach who pours all his energy into a defensive system, this offer is incredibly attractive.
" Lin Qi... you should know that my contract was just terminated, so quickly..." Van Gundy tried to remain calm.
"I don't care what others think, Jeff. I only care about ability." Lin Qi interrupted his concerns. "My private jet will be at the Manhattan airport tomorrow morning."
"Come to Boston," Lin Qi said in a deep voice on the other end of the phone. "Let's go to the NBA Finals together."
As Van Gundy watched the whiskey on the bar ripple with the melting ice, a long-lost, genuine smile finally crept onto his lips, which had been taut for months.
"In that video analysis room," Van Gundy exhaled into the phone, "You'd better get me a high-capacity espresso machine."