In early May, the breeze along West Lake in Hangzhou already carried a touch of the warmth unique to the Jiangnan.
Lin Qi sat on the tranquil terrace of a teahouse, a cup of freshly brewed pre-Qingming Longjing tea in his hand. After concluding negotiations in Beijing and his inspection tour of Fujian, he did not rush back to the United States but chose to stay in China, officially beginning this legitimate "long vacation."
On the tea table sat a heavy IBM laptop, its screen playing a replay of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, which had just ended a few hours earlier.
The first round of the playoffs has concluded in the past week.
The Western Conference Los Angeles Lakers swept the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 without much suspense. Although the Trail Blazers managed to win one game thanks to home-court advantage, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal's devastating interior play, along with key performances from Kidd and Jordan, sealed the series' fate. The Spurs also easily defeated the Utah Jazz 4-1. The Mavericks and Seattle SuperSonics also won their respective matches, advancing to the next round.
In the Eastern Conference, besides the seven-game battle between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers, the other two matchups were equally dominant. The New Jersey Nets easily eliminated the New Orleans Hornets 4-1. The twin Twin Towers of Yao Ming and Brand in the paint, coupled with Kirilenko's extensive help defense, showed New Jersey's confidence as a contender for the Eastern Conference championship. The Orlando Magic, led by O'Neal Jr. and Gilbert Arenas, also effortlessly sent the Detroit Pistons home.
As for the Philadelphia 76ers, Allen Iverson, like a bloodied gladiator, dragged his body riddled with injuries and pulled the team into the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 41-point performance in Game 7, bringing them to the Boston Celtics.
Lin Qi looked at the 1.83-meter-tall, unruly Philadelphia number 3 on the screen and calmly took a sip of tea.
Lynch holds Lin Qi Iverson in high regard, a sentiment shared by many fans. He is a tragic product of this era, embodying the most classical heroism, obsessed with one-on-one play, ignoring physical limits, and forever attempting to single-handedly challenge the entire world.
However, an individual's physical strength is ultimately limited, and individual heroism is very easy to be countered when faced with abundant defensive resources.
The video feed cut to the start of the game. Rick Carlisle's tactical intentions were clear: Philadelphia averaged only 88 points per game, Iverson was responsible for almost all of their offensive plays, finishing plays, and free throws. If you could shut down Iverson, Philadelphia would crumble on their own.
The more than 20,000 Boston fans in the arena roared deafeningly, and the entire stadium was filled with a suffocatingly enthusiastic atmosphere.
When Allen Iverson stepped onto the court in his oversized white number 3 jersey and signature arm sleeves, he keenly sensed that tonight was different.
The Boston players across from him weren't looking at him like he was an opponent, but rather like he was looking at meat on a chopping board.
On the screen, the referee tossed the ball high into the air, and the semi-final officially began.
In Philadelphia's first offensive possession, Iverson had just received the inbound pass and before he could even make his usual crossover, Ron Artest was already right there on the baseline.
Artest spread his arms wide, using his muscular frame to block Iverson's path. Every physical Crash between the two caused Iverson's dribbling rhythm to pause slightly. Just getting the ball across half-court took a full ten seconds of the play time.
When Iverson tried to call a pick-and-roll to get past Artest, Chauncey Billups Billups, who switched onto him, immediately gave him a legal physical delay with his shoulder.
This was a rotation system specifically designed for superstars. In this era, no team possessed such a luxurious perimeter defensive lineup as Boston. Artest, Billups, Chris Paul Pierce, plus Raja Bell and Gerald Wallace on the bench, took turns on the court, peeling away Iverson's energy layer by layer, like an onion.
The match footage perfectly confirmed Lin Qi's judgment.
When Iverson, battling through suffocating perimeter defense, finally stumbled into the paint, attempting to finish with his signature reverse layup, he was met with an interior barrier erected by Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace.
"Smack!"
In the footage, Ben Wallace's large hand ruthlessly slammed Iverson's high layup against the backboard. Garnett grabbed the rebound and made a long pass to the frontcourt, where Pierce easily scored two points on a fast break.
In the first quarter, the Philadelphia 76ers only managed a paltry 14 points.
As the game progressed, Philadelphia's role players, under Boston's pressure, lost even the courage to force shots, and all possessions ultimately returned to Iverson. Boston's rotation defense surged wave after wave. Just when Iverson thought he could finally catch his breath, Raja Bell's aggressive, tenacious defense came crashing down on him again. Even rookie Dwyane Wade displayed keen lateral pressure on the defensive end.
This didn't even resemble a basketball game; it was more like a public execution.
At halftime, the electronic scoreboard showed a score that was no surprise: 54 to 31.
Boston led by a full 23 points.
The video zoomed in on Iverson. He was bent over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. His arm sleeves were soaked with sweat, and veins bulged on his forehead. On the Boston bench opposite him, Garnett was celebrating with Pierce by bumping chests, Artest was interacting with fans on the sidelines. None of the players showed any signs of fatigue.
Lin Qi closed the laptop screen.
This series is no longer in doubt. The Philadelphia 76ers, a team that relies on an extreme single star, are destined to suffer a crushing defeat against Boston's defensive system.
Lakers, Spurs, Nets, Magic – the real test will come in the conference finals or even the NBA Finals.
Lin Qi picked up the cup of Longjing tea, which was at the perfect temperature, and looked past the wooden railing of the tea room towards the shimmering surface of West Lake.
With several months remaining before David Stern's suspension is lifted, he decided to temporarily put the North America playoffs behind him and enjoy this rare East Asia trip.