In early May, the NBA playoffs entered the second round.
The Celtics swept the Charlotte Hornets 3-0, giving them a full five days of rest. Their Eastern Conference Semifinals opponent is the Toronto Raptors, who just battled the Detroit Pistons to a grueling five-game series in the first round.
In the first two games at Boston's home court, the Celtics encountered no real resistance and easily took a 2-0 lead.
On May 8th, the third game of the series will be held at the Toronto Air Canada Centre.
As Lin Qi sat down in the visiting team's executive box, nearly 20,000 Canada fans in the arena erupted in deafening cheers. But they weren't chanting the names of any superstars; instead, they were chanting the names of Antonio Davis, Alvin Williams, and Jerome Williams, nicknamed " Junkyard Dog."
Meanwhile, Vince Carter, the arena's nominal star player, was sitting at the very end of the bench, dressed in a dark suit, with a complicated expression.
" The Toronto media has gone completely mad." Assistant Margaret placed several copies of the day's Canada newspapers on the coffee table in front of Lin Qi.
The headlines on the front page were filled with jarringly provocative language.
Hard work triumphed over talent! We're still winning without Vince!
"The Triumph of the Tough Guy: This is Why We Need Blue-Collar Workers, Not Softies in Suit!"
Lin Qi picked up the newspaper and glanced at it, a complex sigh flashing in his eyes.
He gently placed the newspaper back on the table, his gaze falling on Vince Carter, who was dressed in a suit, on the sidelines.
On March 22, Vince Carter, who had been suffering from jumper's knee (patellar tendinitis) in his left knee, announced that he would undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season. At that time, the Raptors were on a losing streak and ranked eleventh in the Eastern Conference, and everyone thought they were finished.
But after losing their star player, the remaining Raptors players, with their relentless defense and almost brutal hustle, miraculously made it into the playoffs, winning 12 of their last 14 regular season games and even eliminating the Pistons in the first round.
This sparked a firestorm in North America sports, reminding people of " Patrick Ewing Theory " (teams often perform better when their superstars are absent).
How could these media outlets portray a star player who underwent surgery to protect his career as a deserter?
The basketball culture of this era hasn't kept pace with sports medicine, still retaining the distorted romanticization of "playing with injuries" from the 1980s and 90s. They reminisce about Willie Redd dragging his broken leg onto the court, and Isaiah Thomas scoring 25 points in a single quarter with his ankle swollen like a bun. In their value system, as long as you can stand, you should go on the court and bleed. They don't care whether it will ruin an athlete's future.
Lin Qi looked at the Raptors' blue-collar players warming up on the court, his eyes filled with pure admiration.
"I like players like Antonio and ' Junkyard Dog,' I really admire their fighting spirit. Every championship team needs these blue-collar players who fight for every ball, like our Ben and Ron," Lin Qi said softly. "I can understand the desire of these hard-working guys to prove themselves, and I can also understand the helplessness of Vince Carter sitting on the sidelines protecting his body."
"But..." Lin Qi changed his tone, "Understanding is one thing, winning or losing in competitive sports is another. To replace the tactical value of star players with the hard work of blue-collar workers is a naive illusion. And in this league, the only way to show the utmost respect for this tough-guy spirit is to defeat them mercilessly with strength!"
"Beep..."
The referee blew his whistle, and the game began.
Back at home, the Raptors immediately unleashed their signature weapon: raw physicality. Antonio Davis battled fiercely with Ben Wallace in the paint, while Alvin Williams relentlessly clung to Gary Payton like glue.
They tried to drag the game into a muddy, low-scoring war of attrition. The fans in the stadium cheered wildly with every physical contact.
However, only six minutes into the first quarter, Rick Carlisle made a gesture from the sidelines.
During a dead ball situation, four players stood up from Boston's bench: Chauncey Billups Billups, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, and Gerald Wallace.
Pierce, Gary Payton, and Hill, all key players, were substituted for rest. Garnett then led four young forwards and guards on the court.
A murmur rippled through the Toronto media section. They thought Boston was being too arrogant, daring to bring in most of their reserves in the first quarter.
But soon, the Raptors players and the fans in the arena experienced what true despair was.
The Raptors' so-called "tough guy" style, which they pride themselves on, was like hitting a thicker bulletproof plate against the Celtics ' lineup!
Jerome Williams, nicknamed " Junkyard Dog," attempted to overpower Artest on the wing. The two collided heavily, but Artest remained firmly planted, not even taking a step back. Under the intense physical contact, the basketball in Jerome's hands flew out of bounds.
Want to outlast your opponent in terms of toughness and stamina? The Celtics ' twelve-man rotation is specifically designed to wear down their opponents' stamina.
The Celtics ' second unit not only tirelessly pushed the fast break throughout the game, but also demonstrated excellent tactical awareness when forced into half-court sets. Since Garnett began partnering with Big Ben in the paint, he has often faced relentless double-teams in the low post. After a season of honing his skills, Garnett's passing choices when dealing with double teams and his ability to break through isolation defenses have evolved to an excellent level.
Not only Garnett, but Pierce's ease in handling double Raptors' prized help defense system virtually useless. Whether playing fast or grinding out half-court sets, the Celtics could easily find weaknesses in their opponents.
The Raptors ' blue-collar players were already exhausted after their hard-fought first-round series against the Pistons, and now Boston has dragged them into a war of attrition that is disadvantageous to them.
Midway through the second quarter, the Raptors' most fatal weakness was fully exposed: when their stamina waned and their defensive intensity was insufficient to contain their opponents, who would score?
Without a superstar like Vince Carter who could leap high in desperate situations and slam the ball into the basket over two or three defenders, the Raptors ' offense, under the Celtics ' constant switching defense, missed all 14 of their field goal attempts, scoring only 1 point from free throws in 8 and a half minutes.
On the court, Antonio Davis, panting heavily, clutched his knees, sweat dripping onto the floor. Their "coreless team basketball," which they had been so proud of during the regular season, was utterly vulnerable against this team with its incredible depth.
Vince Carter, dressed in a suit and sitting on the sidelines, watched his teammates being unilaterally crushed by Boston's relentless attacks, a hint of indescribable sorrow flashing in his eyes.
As the cheers in the arena gradually subsided, he knew that the city's fairytale of "we're better off without Vince " had been ruthlessly shattered tonight by the Boston Celtics. This was the limit of a blue-collar worker's potential.
The fourth quarter became garbage time. The Celtics won 112-78, a 34-point victory on the road, taking a 3-0 lead in the series and securing match point.
At the post-match press conference, the Toronto media looked grim.
"Coach Rick Carlisle, Chris Paul Pierce only played 24 minutes tonight, Garnett played 26 minutes, and seven players on your bench have played more than 15 minutes." A Toronto reporter stood up and questioned sharply, "This is the Eastern Conference Semifinals! Are you using this frequent substitutions to humiliate the Raptors' never-give-up fighting spirit?"
Faced with this provocative question, Rick Carlisle, sitting on the stage, straightened his suit and remained expressionless.
"I have great respect for the Raptors' resilience," Rick Carlisle said calmly into the microphone, but with a carefully crafted facade. "But I'm also a realist. If bringing in the bench players can widen the gap, why not give my starters a little more rest?"
Rick Carlisle paused for a moment, then added casually, "We just want to conserve some energy for the more intense Eastern Conference Finals."
This statement caused an uproar among the Toronto media present. Various reports criticizing Boston for being "arrogant" were already forming in the minds of the reporters.
Meanwhile, on a flight from Boston to Los Angeles, Lin Qi was looking at the transcript of the press conference sent by his assistant and closed his laptop with satisfaction.
Tomorrow, newspapers across America will be scathingly criticizing Boston's arrogance. Meanwhile, Phil Jackson, sitting in his Los Angeles office, seeing these statistics showing his key players only played a little over twenty minutes, will be absolutely convinced: Boston's long rotation is purely because their Eastern Conference opponents are too weak, leading to garbage time early.
They had no idea that this brutal elimination against the Raptors was just a real tactical drill by Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle to prepare for dealing with those Los Angeles veterans in the future.