June 4th, New York, New Manhattan, Olympic Tower.
In the NBA headquarters building's president's office, David Stern was adjusting his glasses, flipping through a newly released national television ratings report.
The data on the report was impressive. The decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings set a new viewership record in nearly five years. But accompanying this high viewership was a mountain of media clippings on the table about "controversial referee calls".
Adam Silver, head of NBA Entertainment, walked in through the door, holding a local Boston newspaper.
" David, there's been some activity in Boston." Silver placed the newspaper on Stern's desk. " Lin Qi held a press conference last night, specifically emphasizing the preferential treatment the Lakers received from the officiating. Now all the major broadcasters are following up, and the officiating comparisons for Game 1 of the NBA Finals tomorrow will appear on the live broadcast."
Stern glanced at the headline in the newspaper, but instead of flying into a rage as Silver had expected, he leaned back in his leather chair and let out a calm chuckle.
" Lin Qi is a shrewd businessman. He's using this method to warn the referee committee not to use the same tactics they used in the Western Conference Finals against Boston." Stern took off his reading glasses and rubbed his temples. "He thinks the league will continue to favor the Lakers in the NBA Finals, so he's revealing his trump card early."
"Could he be wrong?" Silver asked tentatively. "After all, the combination of Michael and Shaq is the guarantee of box office success for the NBA Finals, something we've been eagerly anticipating. If the Kings advance, the ratings definitely won't reach our current expectations."
"That's the logic of the Western Conference Finals, Adam."
Stern stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling streets of Manhattan. As a top business leader who propelled the NBA onto the global stage, Stern had a plan in his mind that was clearer than anyone else's.
"In the Western Conference, we need big cities like Los Angeles, we need legends like Michael Jordan to attract attention, so the league allows for a certain degree of bias on some scales. But now, the Lakers have made it to the NBA Finals. We've achieved our goal."
Stern turned around, looked at Silver, and his tone became incredibly rational and insightful.
" The NBA Finals are between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. This is the most historically significant Lakers-Celtics rivalry in league history. Whichever team ultimately lifts the O'Brien Trophy on this stage will be a huge commercial and narrative victory for the league."
Silver listened attentively.
"If the Lakers win," Stern said, holding up one finger, "That's Hollywood's favorite legendary script. 39-year-old Michael Jordan winning his seventh championship ring, proving he's still the God of Basketball. Shaq O'Neal establishing his dominance, Charles Barkley fulfilling his dream before retirement. These stories of veterans aging but never giving up will boost our merchandise sales and overseas broadcasting fees even further."
"What if Boston wins?" Silver asked.
"That would be even more perfect." Stern raised a second finger, his eyes gleaming with businessman's shrewdness. "If Boston wins the championship, it will be a four-peat dynasty in the new century. The league needs a new dynasty to fill the void left by the Chicago Bulls."
Stern walked to his desk, placing his hands on the surface. "More importantly, it's about player legacy. Grant Hill entered the league with the title of ' Jordan's successor,' was plagued by injuries, and then reborn in Boston. If he could personally defeat the real Michael Jordan on the NBA Finals stage, this 'god-slaying and legacy' narrative would drive fans across America crazy. Add to that Kevin Garnett and Gary Payton finally overcoming the biggest mental block of their careers, and it's practically a textbook sports story."
Silver suddenly realized. "Therefore, we don't need to favor either side in the NBA Finals. Because no matter who wins, the league's interests will be maximized."
"That's right. Interfering with the officiating at this point would not only backfire, but also, as Lin Qi warned, destroy the league's credibility." Stern made the final decision. "Call the referee committee. Tell them that the officiating in the NBA Finals must be absolutely fair. Don't look at jersey names, don't look at seniority, give the game back to the players."
At this point, Stern paused for a moment and added the most crucial business objective.
"The only thing the league would like to see is for this series to go as long as possible. A Game 7 is the outcome that broadcasters and sponsors really want to see. Tell the referees that what we want is intense competition and suspense; don't let any game lose its suspense too early."
At the same time, at the Boston training facility.
Rick Carlisle had just finished his final tactical drill before the game and walked into Lin Qi's office.
"Boss, although you've put pressure on the league with your free throw statistics, I'm still a little worried." Rick Carlisle took a sip of water, his expression serious. " David Stern is a typical businessman. If he's trying to boost ratings by instructing the referees to balance things out on the losing team and artificially lengthening the series, our rotation rhythm might be disrupted."
Lin Qi sat behind his desk, looking at the ticketing data on his computer screen, and calmly shook his head.
" Rick, Stern is indeed a businessman, so we need to understand him using a businessman's logic."
Lin Qi looked up and gave the same assessment as Stern, who was far away in New York.
" Stern is probably sitting in his office chuckling right now. Because no matter whether the Lakers win or we win, he can get a good price. Jordan fulfilling his dream, or Hill completing the legacy and establishing a four-peat dynasty, these are narratives the league would love to see. So, he definitely won't allow the referees to be so blatantly biased like they did in the Western Conference Finals."
Lin Qi stood up and walked to the tactics board.
"But as the league commissioner, the most advantageous thing for him to do is to hope that this series goes to seven games. The referees won't make biased calls, but they will control the ups and downs of the game, making each game seem very close. As long as the game is suspenseful, broadcasting fees will keep flowing into the league's pockets."
Rick Carlisle nodded. "Understood. What adjustments do we need to make?"
"No adjustments needed." Lin Qi looked at Rick Carlisle, his eyes filled with absolute certainty. " Stern wants a seven-game series to make money, and our goal is to destroy all suspense as much as possible. As long as our long runs can widen the score gap as much as possible, even if the referees want to help control the score difference, they can't do anything about it. They won't have much room to maneuver."
Lin Qi patted Rick Carlisle on the shoulder.
"Get ready for tomorrow's first game. What we need to do is play well and allow anything to happen."