The afternoon after returning to Milan from Venice, the noise in the training hall had just subsided.
On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle sat alone on a bench, a thick notebook spread across his lap, a pen between his fingers, his brow furrowed as he stared at the empty half of the field.
Lin Qi walked over with two bottles of soda and handed one of them to Rick Carlisle.
"Still reviewing the Boston Pick-and-Roll?" Lin Qi pulled over a folding chair and sat down.
Rick Carlisle took the water, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and sighed, "Lin, the deeper the drills go, the more uncertain I feel. It's not that the tactics are bad, it's just that they're too good."
How so?
"There are no real secrets in the NBA." Rick Carlisle closed his notebook, his expression serious. "The scouting system is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Team video analysts are breaking down games into slices every day. If we use the Boston Pick-and-Roll frequently in the preseason or early regular season, within two weeks, Pat Riley, Popovich, and Larry Bird Brown will have a clear understanding of the basic structure of this tactic."
Rick Carlisle tapped his fingers lightly on the notebook cover and continued, "The logic behind this tactic isn't actually that complicated. The core lies in that unexpected back screen. Once the opponent anticipates the intention and makes counter-arrangements on the defensive end—such as aggressively pushing past on the perimeter, switching early on the weak side to delay the shot, or even blocking the cut—its effectiveness will be greatly reduced. What's worse, what if other teams also learn this move and use it against us?"
In this era of rapidly evolving tactical concepts, any innovation that is even slightly ahead of its time will be imitated and countered by the entire league in a very short period of time. As a top-tier head coach, Rick Carlisle's sense of crisis in anticipating such a crisis is understandable.
"So, how do you plan to hide it?" Lin Qi asked Rick Carlisle with a smile.
A glint of wisdom flashed in Rick Carlisle's eyes as he turned to a page in his notebook, on which several complex running routes were already drawn.
"Hidden within the forest." Rick Carlisle pointed to the formation on the whiteboard. "We can't let the opponent immediately figure out that we're going to run the Boston Pick-and-Roll. We need to give it a generic, undetectable look... the horns formation."
Lin Qi raised an eyebrow slightly, signaling him to continue.
"In a typical half-court set, we spread out, with both big men simultaneously moving to their elbows, forming a standard horns formation." Rick Carlisle quickly sketched on a piece of paper with a pencil. "Based on the horns formation, modern basketball can generate so many variations. We can run a traditional double screen on the strong side of the horns, we can run a high post handoff, or we can have Dwyane ( Wade ) cut through the middle to break through."
Rick Carlisle stated confidently, "For the vast majority of possessions in every game, we use the standard 'horns' offense to wear down our opponents. Only in crucial moments, or when the opponent's defensive focus falters, do our two interior players, positioned in the elbow area, suddenly move up to set the main screen, while the other cuts in to complete the back screen, seamlessly transitioning from the 'horns' offense to the Boston Pick-and-Roll!"
"This way, the opponent is always in a state of guessing on the defensive end. They dare not anticipate the switch in advance, because if they guess wrong, our regular horn-out shot can kill them directly. As long as the Boston Pick-and-Roll is hidden in the shadow of regular tactics, even if the opponent wants to target it, it will be difficult for them to make the right defensive communication in the blink of an eye."
After listening to Rick Carlisle's idea, Lin Qi nodded approvingly.
Adding an extra layer of disguise to the tactics certainly aligns with Rick Carlisle's consistently meticulous coaching style.
But looking at Rick Carlisle, who seemed somewhat relieved, Lin Qi had a deeper, more nuanced judgment in his mind, though he didn't reveal it fully.
Rick Carlisle worries about tactics being stolen or copied because coaches' thinking is often limited to the tactical level. But in Lin Qi's eyes, a team builder, tactics are never the ultimate barrier to victory.
Staffing is the key.
Even if Boston were to reveal this tactic right now and teach it to every team, so that every head coach in the league could copy it every day, which team could truly replicate its power?
This tactic places extremely demanding requirements on the core engine.
First, there's the ball handler. They need to possess the historic first-step speed of Dwyane Wade, able to tear apart the defense the instant a screen is set, forcing the opponent's defensive focus into the paint and creating chaos in defensive communication. There are very few guards in the league who can do this.
Secondly, there's the big man cutting to the basket. Big Ben relies mainly on defense and toughness in this system, but the one who can truly push this tactic to its extreme in the future is Tyson Chandler Chandler sitting on the sidelines. At 2.16 meters tall, he possesses historically top-tier jumping ability and vertical range. In the coming years, Chandler's terrifying ability to cut to the basket and finish will likely propel him to the top of the league in shooting percentage and finishing efficiency. His aerial threat will put any aging center in a difficult position.
The most lethal blow was delivered by the one who used the cover.
Players who execute back screens and then pop out in the opposite direction need to be physically strong enough to accurately screen tall opposing centers while running. They also need to have top-notch spacing attributes, able to pop out to the three-point line and make open long-range shots, or directly act as the playmaker in the high post.
Looking across the entire league today, how many players can perfectly fulfill this role?
In the Boston locker room, Lin Qi had three players on his roster: Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, and Mehmet Okur. He could even have Chris Paul Pierce step up, and if Ron Artest could make his three-point shooting more consistent, his strength would provide excellent screens.
How can other teams copy this?
The San Antonio Spurs had Tim Duncan set a back screen, and Kwame Brown was the one rolling to the basket?
Or did the Los Angeles Lakers have O'Neal screen for his teammates, then pop out to the three-point line to wait for the ball?
Even if they copy the tactics, the inherent gap in hardware configuration will make their imitation a clumsy attempt that ends up looking like a poor imitation. The Boston Celtics' true moat is not the tactics themselves, but the lineup that Lin Qi has personally built over many years.
"Your idea is spot on, Rick." Lin Qi snapped out of his reverie, patted Rick Carlisle on the shoulder, and offered his support, following his line of thinking. "The Horns are a brilliant disguise. In the upcoming preseason and scrimmage games, stick to your plan. Focus on running the Horns' standard variations and keep the Boston Pick-and-Roll a closely guarded secret weapon."
With his boss's full approval, Rick Carlisle's tense expression finally relaxed, and he nodded emphatically. "Understood. Tomorrow's exhibition match against Olympia Milan will be the first time I get these guys used to this style of play on the field."
"Go ahead and try." Lin Qi stood up and straightened his coat. "In Europe, this testing ground, you can make mistakes, and you can adjust things as you please."
Watching Lin Qi leave the arena, Rick Carlisle reopened his notebook, the worry in his eyes vanishing, replaced by a fervent focus on tactical analysis.
As Lin Qi walked out of the stadium, he looked at the setting sun over Milan with a calm expression.
Opponents might be able to steal a few tactics, but they can't steal the group of talented players on the field.