In early June, the Los Angeles Lakers stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Boston.
In the conference room, a projector was playing a recording of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic.
Jason Kidd, sitting in the corner, frowned more and more. As one of the league's top point guards, he had been watching Boston's playoff tapes repeatedly over the past few days. What he saw was completely different from the " Boston dominating weaker teams" touted by the media.
" Phil," Kidd couldn't help but speak, his voice echoing in the quiet room, " Boston's bench... isn't there for garbage time. I watched all their rotation players' defensive positioning and rotations. When players like Artest and Billups came on, the intensity of the game didn't decrease; it actually increased. Their twelve-man rotation is incredibly disciplined."
Kidd took a deep breath and voiced his concerns. "I don't think they've encountered any real challenges in the Eastern Conference; they're using their opponents for practice. This long rotation is designed to drag the game into a war of attrition."
The meeting room fell silent for a moment. Everyone turned to look at the head coach.
Phil Jackson sat in the front coach's chair, showing no sign of offense. He pressed the timeout button and looked at Kidd gently. This " Zen Master " certainly wasn't ignorant of Boston's tactics; he simply had his own unique pride and basketball philosophy.
" Jason, your observation is very insightful. Rick Carlisle has indeed built a team with excellent defensive discipline." Phil Jackson's tone was calm, exuding a seasoned confidence. "But tactics and rotations are ultimately just containers for talent. We don't need to pay too much attention to what our opponents are doing, much less change our own rhythm because of it."
Phil stood up and pointed to the key figures in the conference room.
"Look at the people sitting in this room. We have the most dominant center on the planet ( Shaq ), the greatest shooting guard in history ( Michael ), and you, Jason, you're the best point guard in the league."
Phil Jackson's coaching philosophy was on full display at this moment. "Why does Boston have to run the whole court? Because they can't handle Shaq or stop Michael in half-court sets. When we play to our strengths, we're unstoppable."
"As long as we dominate the Triangle Offense in the half-court and put the ball in the basket, their transition offense won't be able to get going," Phil concluded. "In the defensive intensity of the NBA Finals, the game will ultimately come down to the star players' ability to break down defenses. What we need to do is utilize our strengths and play to our strengths."
Jordan chewed his gum and nodded in agreement. Barkley rubbed his knee, which was wrapped in an ice pack, and grinned, "What do those young guys in the Eastern Conference know about defense? I'll show that Boston named Wallace what real low-post punishment is."
The atmosphere in the meeting room became relaxed and confident again. The Lakers had just gone through a seven-game battle in the Western Conference, and they felt they were the biggest winners. Phil was right; in terms of star power, they certainly overwhelmed Boston.
But Kidd still had a lingering worry in his heart.
He's the brains of this team; he knows that talent and dominance can indeed win games, but...
By the fourth quarter, do these 38-year-old veterans really have enough stamina?
At the same time, in the Celtics ' president's office.
Lin Qi was watching the television screen, which was showing ESPN's primetime sports discussion program.
Several prominent basketball commentators are arguing fiercely about whether the Los Angeles Lakers received special treatment from the referees.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers' dramatic comeback victory against the Sacramento Kings in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals two weeks ago, fueled by an astonishing number of free throws, the controversy surrounding "biased refereeing" and "tip-of-the-knee calls" has ignited a frenzy in the American basketball community.
At that time, the Kings led the Lakers 3-2 in the series, and winning Game 6 would secure their place in the NBA Finals. In Game 6, the Los Angeles Lakers had a remarkable 27 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter alone, and a total of 40 free throw attempts for the entire game, while the Kings only managed 25.
This is blatantly unfair.
The reason all of this could escalate so rapidly was inseparable from Lin Qi's instigation.
Lin Qi knew all too well where Rick Carlisle's "12-man long rotation" was vulnerable. The constant high-pressure defense and relentless physical contact were most vulnerable to biased referee calls. If Big Ben and Artest were called for two minor fouls in the first quarter of the NBA Finals, Boston's advantage would be rendered meaningless.
To prevent such underhanded tactics, Lin Qi began spending money like crazy starting the night after Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
He used his vast financial resources and media connections to not only provide massive public relations fees to major sports columnists and broadcasters, but also directly leverage the network of the official data company he founded.
Over the course of those two weeks, Lin Qi pushed the media to hype a brand new concept – "real-time heatmap of refereeing standards".
Amid this media storm, a barrage of comparative charts based on official data flooded the eyes of fans across the United States: Under the same intensity of contact in the paint, Los Angeles Lakers were three times more likely to get free throws than Kings centers. And on the perimeter, Lakers veteran guards received immediate calls for even the slightest contact.
On the eve of the NBA Finals, the controversy hadn't subsided; instead, it had escalated into the biggest sports-related social event in the United States. On various basketball forums, fans were glued to their screens, ready to scrutinize the officiating of NBA Finals 1. On television, hosts directly pressured the league, stating, "We will be recording data simultaneously throughout the NBA Finals, and fans across the country will be monitoring the foul distribution probability in real time."
This is called an open strategy.
New York, NBA headquarters building.
President David Stern stared at the thick stack of media reports on "officiating fairness" on his desk, his face turning ashen.
As the league commissioner, he certainly has the desire to create stars, and he did tacitly approve to some extent of the referees protecting the Lakers ' veterans in the Western Conference Finals. But now, Lin Qi has put this matter in the spotlight by spending money like crazy and exposing data for two weeks.
David Stern understands better than anyone the importance of the league's credibility. Tens of millions of fans across the US are scrutinizing the NBA Finals referees with the data provided by Lin Qi, as if they were using a magnifying glass. If the referees dare to blatantly call "superstar calls" against the Lakers or "tip-of-the-knee calls" against Boston's defense, the NBA's reputation will be completely ruined.
Stern reluctantly picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the number of the head of the referee committee.
"Listen up, maintain strict consistency in the officiating NBA Finals!" Stern sternly ordered over the phone. "Whether it's Michael Jordan on the court or Boston bench player, no whistles for normal physical contact! Apply the fairest possible standards! Don't give the media any ammunition!"
Meanwhile, in his Boston office, Lin Qi listened to the heated discussion on television and then turned off the screen with satisfaction.
"Boss, all the broadcasters have added 'real-time free throw data comparison' to their broadcast systems for tomorrow night," assistant Margaret reported as she walked in.
"Well done." Lin Qi stood up and straightened his suit.
Phil Jackson of the Los Angeles Lakers believed that by leveraging the strengths of their star players, they could disregard Boston's tactics. His logic held true from a basketball perspective.
But Lin Qi used the most sophisticated off-court tactics to forcefully pull these Los Angeles veterans back into the fairest basketball competition.
In this arena where there are no "superstar whistles" to protect the team and referees dare not interfere at will, Boston's carefully prepared twelve-man long rotation plan can finally be implemented without any scruples.
Everything is ready; the real NBA Finals is about to begin tomorrow night.