Inside the Olympia Milan, the echoes of basketballs hitting the wooden floor and the sharp sounds of sneakers rubbing against the floor mingled together.
"Stop! Stop! Start over!"
Rick Carlisle blew his whistle and strode to the top of the three-point line. The young coach, known for his meticulousness, was now covered in sweat, slapping his whiteboard repeatedly.
" Kevin, your back screen timing was off! You were a second too slow!" Rick Carlisle pointed to the free-throw line, his tone stern. "The instant Dwyane starts his run after the screen, you must immediately position yourself horizontally, firmly blocking the opposing center's retreat path! Don't hesitate, don't look at the ball, focus on the opposing center!"
Garnett, hands on his knees, panting heavily, clapped his hands and roared, "My fault! I was too slow at the start! Dwyane, get the ball back, let's run the play again!"
"And you, Big Ben." Rick Carlisle turned to Ben Wallace, "Your intention to cut in after your screen was too obvious. Watch your timing, don't reveal your intentions prematurely."
Big Ben nodded silently, wiped the sweat from his face with his thick arm, and walked back to his position at the top of the key to set a screen. For someone as omnipresent on the defensive end as he is, the complex teamwork on the offensive end that requires precision down to fractions of a second does indeed take time to develop into muscle memory.
"On your marks! Let's do it one more time!"
With Rick Carlisle's command, Boston's new starting lineup was in action once again.
Wade lowered his center of gravity at the top of the key, and Big Ben set a screen. The moment Wade accelerated with his shoulder down, Garnett quickly cut in from the weak-side free-throw line, accurately blocking behind the practice center who was guarding Big Ben. Big Ben then cut to the basket, while Garnett quickly bounced back to the top of the key.
This time, the center of the practice squad collided with Garnett, and Big Ben received a brilliant bounce pass from Wade under the basket, soared up, and completed a powerful two-handed dunk that made the rim vibrate.
"Beautiful! That's the rhythm!" Rick Carlisle pumped his fist, his eyes gleaming with undisguised fervor. He turned and yelled at the two corners, " Chris Paul, Raja, you two patiently position yourselves in the corners and at the 45-degree angle. The moment the weak-side defender dares to take a step into the paint, the moment Dwyane's pass arrives, immediately slam that damn three-pointer into the basket! In this system, there are no spectators!"
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor of the stadium, Lin Qi held a cup of black coffee and looked down at everything.
Watching Rick Carlisle frantically fine-tune every gear of this new tactic on the field like a mad watchmaker, Lin Qi's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Rick Carlisle's tactical execution is beyond question. Big Ben developed a mid-range shot with a 35% shooting percentage last season, which gives him a certain ability to punish when left open on the perimeter. Coupled with his defensive coverage and toughness, this lineup of Wade, Raja Bell, Chris Paul Pierce, Garnett, and Big Ben has become the team's most defensively solid and forgiving starting point.
But in Lin Qi's mind, as the tactics on the court unfolded, he began to deduce the power of the " Boston Pick-and-Roll " under different personnel combinations.
"The threat posed by Big Ben's surrender isn't enough..."
Lin Qi took a sip of his slightly bitter coffee and his gaze fell on Tyson Chandler Chandler, who was sitting on the floor by the court drinking water.
Tyson Chandler Chandler possesses exceptional athleticism and the ability to finish inside. Replacing Big Ben Wallace with Chandler to form a lineup of Wade, Raja Bell, Pierce, Garnett, and Chandler would actually be the optimal solution for playing against the Boston Pick-and-Roll. Chandler has a wide alley-oop range in the paint, and combined with Garnett's consistent three-point shooting, they would completely tear apart the opponent's defense on both the roll and the perimeter.
Lin Qi's gaze continued to move across the bench, gliding over Rasheed Wallace, who was chewing gum with a relaxed expression.
What if it were Wade, Raja Bell, Pierce, Garnett, or Rasheed Wallace?
Lin Qi calculated in his mind. The advantage of Rasheed and Garnett as a pairing lies in their immense deceptiveness. Both of them possess the ability to pop out from three-point range, as well as the ability to finish on the dunk and the skill to isolate and score. When the two of them are simultaneously setting screens and back screens in the middle, it is difficult for the opponent to predict who will roll to the basket and who will pop out. The defense will face more difficult choices and can easily leave a fatal opening in a moment of hesitation.
Finally, Lin Qi's gaze settled on Mehmet Okur, who was practicing long-range shots on the other half of the court.
If the center were replaced with Okur, forming a five-man lineup of Wade, Raja Bell, Pierce, Garnett, and Okur, that would maximize Wade's offensive impact on drives. Okur's shooting range extends directly to the three-point line. When he and Garnett simultaneously draw the opposing interior players out of the paint, once the Boston Pick-and-Roll is initiated, the paint will be wide open for Wade.
These four lineups, derived from the " Boston Pick-and-Roll," represent maximizing defense, best tactical fit, strong deception, and maximum spacing, respectively, and are sufficient to deal with the vast majority of defensive strategies in the league.
Lin Qi put down his coffee cup and gently pressed his palm against the cold glass window.
All he needs to do now is open the door, walk down the stairs, and tell Rick Carlisle the logic behind these four lineup combinations, and the team's integration process in training camp will be much faster.
But he stopped in his tracks.
Watching the head coach on the field, shouting himself hoarse over a single screen detail, Lin Qi engaged in a deep self-reflection.
Was Rick Carlisle a bad coach in Boston? Absolutely not. He personally led the team to two of their four consecutive O'Brien Trophy as head coach. But even so, he was never able to establish the same level of authority in the locker room as Pat Riley.
There are two reasons. First, Boston had already won a championship before he took over the team, and core players like Chris Paul and Kevin carried the pride of veteran players. The second reason lies precisely with Lin Qi himself.
As the owner, Lin Qi's involvement in the team is too deep. From his decisive actions in the draft to his swift moves in the trade market, and then to personally setting up a scheme to subdue Artest like last night, his influence has almost overshadowed the head coach's.
Lin Qi suddenly realized that coaching under a powerful, knowledgeable owner like himself, who could control the entire situation at any time, was actually a very difficult thing. The players were used to bypassing the coaching staff and looking directly up to the management when they encountered real problems.
If he were to open that door now and shove the Answer to the derivative lineup directly into Rick Carlisle's hands, then Rick Carlisle would truly become nothing more than a "senior assistant coach" holding the tactics board for the boss.
Lin Qi is a very controlling person, but he understands the art of balancing management in a dynasty team. Complete non-interference is impossible; he must be responsible for the team's strategic direction and disciplinary red lines. However, if he doesn't delegate authority appropriately and doesn't give Rick Carlisle the space to build genuine authority as head coach, the locker room problems will never be fundamentally eliminated.
The optimal strategy for a dynasty leader is to empower coaches to establish their authority on the field while maintaining control over key decisions.
After all, Lin Qi didn't want to see Rick Carlisle become the next Pat Riley.
Therefore, Rick Carlisle must use his tactical instincts to personally "discover" the brilliance of Chandler, Rasheed, and Okur in this tactic during the upcoming training camp and preseason games.
When Rick Carlisle encounters offensive resistance in a game and proactively changes tactics, bringing in Chandler to attack the basket or Rasheed to enrich the tactical variations, and thus winning the game, the proud veterans in the locker room will truly be convinced of his abilities. The players will realize that this coach has an outstanding ability to solve problems on the spot, and will therefore willingly execute his tactics.
This is the virtuous cycle that Lin Qi wanted.
Off the court, Rick Carlisle blew his whistle again, and Garnett shouted for his teammates to get back on defense, escalating the intensity of the tactical drill once more.
Lin Qi withdrew his gaze, finished the last sip of his coffee, turned and left the floor-to-ceiling window, handing over this tactical laboratory full of variables and sparks entirely to the head coach on the field.