In early November 1996, the new season kicked off.
FleetCenter Arena was packed to capacity. Twenty thousand Celtics fans filled the stands to capacity, and the two rows of championship banners hanging high above swayed slightly under the spotlights.
This is the first official appearance of the new Boston team in the regular season after Lin Qi spent the entire summer making crazy trades and completely dismantling the team.
The stands were filled with skepticism and scrutiny. Dozens of veteran Boston reporters in the media section had already sharpened their pencils, and the backup press releases in front of them were mostly headlines like "The Data Manager's Crazy Experiment: A Crushing Defeat in the First Game." In the eyes of these veteran sports media outlets, trading away a star player like Radja, who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, in exchange for a bunch of aging, injured players and a skinny white point guard was simply an incomprehensible act of self-destruction.
Lin Qi, dressed in a sharp dark suit, sat on the president's bench. Next to him, assistant coach Tom Thibodeau was nervously pressing the timer in his hand.
"Relax, Tom," Lin Qi said calmly, his hands in his pockets.
Tonight's visiting team in Boston is the Charlotte Hornets, a Eastern Conference- table Eastern Conference team known for their tough playing style.
In the visiting team's locker room before the game, Hornets head coach Dave Cowens was gesturing wildly at the whiteboard. In his eyes, Boston's hastily assembled young team lacked cohesion, and their offense was bound to fall into chaos. As long as the Hornets could maintain their proud positional counter-attacking style, escaping unscathed from the FleetCenter would not be difficult.
However, just three minutes into the game, Cowens ' smile froze on his face.
The Hornets ' offense was paralyzed.
Hornets ' star guard Rice cut into the paint using a screen. He has scored over 20 points for several consecutive seasons, proving his scoring ability is not to be underestimated. At this moment, he made a signature stop-and-go move, creating half a body space before heading straight for the paint. Rice anticipated that after Radja left, Boston's paint area should be a smooth road.
But as soon as he raised his hand, the light in front of him was completely blocked.
The 2.18-meter- African Mountain, Dikembe Mutombo, had already moved into position. He didn't jump blindly, but simply hoisted himself up vertically with one hand, his thick arm like a concrete wall erected in front of the basket.
"Smack!!"
The basketball was slammed hard against the backboard by Mutombo, the loud thud echoing throughout the arena through the loudspeakers. Rice was still in shock after landing when Mutombo looked down at him, slowly raising his right index finger and swaying it from side to side with his distinctive Congo accent.
Don't cause trouble on my turf!
The FleetCenter Arena was instantly ignited by that block, and the fans, who had been holding back all summer, erupted in a tsunami of cheers.
But this is just the beginning; the real show is yet to come.
The Hornets quickly changed tactics. Cowens yelled wildly from the sidelines, signaling to use high pick-and-rolls to draw Mutombo out of the paint and create mismatch opportunities.
However, at the moment the pick-and-roll was set, it wasn't the slow center who rushed in front of the ball handler, but Kevin Garnett.
At 20 years old, Garnett displayed terrifying dynamic talent. His 2.11-meter frame lowered his center of gravity like a guard, and his two long, black arms spread out like a giant spider, casting shadows over the Hornets ' perimeter ball handler. The opponent's two consecutive probing steps and changes of direction failed to break through the lateral movement range of Garnett's quick legs.
With their strong drives to the perimeter failing, the Hornets attempted to break through the defense with off-ball movement. However, Eddie Jones was like an unyielding piece of chewing gum, constantly using his forearm to block Glen Rice's side. His long arms continuously disrupted passing lanes, making the Hornets ' ball movement on the perimeter extremely sluggish.
Whenever the Hornets manage to squeeze into the paint area using their physical strength, they are always met by Mutombo guarding the last barrier.
"Keep the outside game tight, sweep through the middle, and block the baseline." Lin Qi, sitting on the bench, had a deep look in his eyes. This was the three-tiered, interconnected defensive system that he and Thibodeau had been planning all summer, piecing together using advanced data models.
The first quarter ended with the scoreboard frozen at 13-18.
The visiting Hornets scored only 13 points in a full 12 minutes. Every offensive possession they had ended in a hasty contested shot or a forced turnover.
In the media section, the reporters who had been expecting to see Lin Qi make a fool of himself looked at each other, their pencils hesitant to fall.
However, the Celtics ' own offense confirmed the outside world's expectations... it was indeed as sluggish as an old machine without oil.
Sam Cassell is still figuring out his new teammates' off-ball movement habits; Garnett showed offensive desire, but due to insufficient core strength, he missed three shots in a row in half-court sets; and Mutombo at center is a complete black hole on offense, offering almost no independent offensive capabilities unless fed the ball.
The first team's attack was shaky, but they possessed a defense that could afford to squander those mistakes. You couldn't score, and the opponent was locked down even tighter. The two teams engaged in an extremely fierce physical battle on the field.
"Lin, even just watching these twenty-odd minutes of Dikembe's contract is worth it." Thibodeau, seeing the Hornets' star center's dejected expression, couldn't help but point to his playbook. "With him standing there, the whole team's defense is guaranteed to be solid."
Lin Qi nodded slightly, a scene flashing through his mind of how he had snatched this African Mountain right under the Hawks' noses that summer. The promise made then had translated into real dominance on the court tonight.
As the game entered the second half, it was time for Lin Qi's most deeply hidden offensive nuclear weapon to be unleashed.
The second lineup rotation saw Mark Price, Chris Mullin, Michael Finley, P.J. Brown, and Bo Outlaw take to the floor as a group.
Price stood at the top of the key with the ball. With his knees wrapped in white bandages, the 32-year-old veteran no longer relied on speed. P.J. Brown moved up to set a high screen, and facing a double-team from the Hornets' perimeter, Price looked to the left but flicked his wrist to the right, sending the ball precisely through the ribs of both defenders.
On the weak side corner, Chris Mullin, the " God's Left Hand," had already created space. He received the ball, jumped, and his golden buzz cut remained motionless under the lights, his signature cold-blooded arc slicing through the sky.
"Whoosh!"
In the very next possession, Price used a change of pace while on the move to deliver a lob pass over the defense, and Michael Finley drove into the paint from the side, soaring into the air to complete a spectacular one-handed dunk that ignited the entire arena.
Flowing like clouds and water, like mercury spilling onto the ground.
The Boston fans in the stands were completely dumbfounded... This reserve lineup, composed of injured players and workhorses, had somehow outpaced the starting first team in terms of spacing and passing fluidity. The previously close score was completely widened by an 11-2 run by the second unit in just four minutes.
Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, his fingertips lightly tapping his knees.
Other teams bring in substitutes to give the starters a break and get through garbage time; his highly intelligent, space-efficient bench system is designed to strike when the opponent lets their guard down.
In the fourth quarter, the starting lineup returned to the court. Sam Cassell used his signature swagger and post-up game to control the tempo of the game in the final five minutes.
The final buzzer sounded, 74-86.
The Boston Celtics won their season opener.
The score wasn't exactly flattering, but the moment the statistics were displayed, the reporters in the media section who had been waiting to see a blunder all sat up straight.
The Hornets scored only 74 points, shooting a mere 36% from the field and committing 18 turnovers. They also had 10 shots blocked in the paint.
Hornets ' star player Glen Rice struggled tonight, shooting 6-for-19 and scoring only 17 points against a combination of Eddie Jones and Robert Horry. The former top scorer barely got a comfortable touch all night.
Power forward Anthony Mason had 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, which looked well-rounded. However, every time he pushed the ball up the court with his back to the basket, he had to face the side interference from Garnett's long arms and the preemptive positioning of Mutombo in the paint by his excellent defensive instincts.
The diminutive point guard Bogues only managed 4 points and 6 assists, along with 5 turnovers. He still had his speed, but every time he tried to penetrate the paint, he was met with delays from Sam Cassell and Eddie, while Mutombo was camping out in the paint.
On the other hand, while the Celtics' statistics may not be flashy, they are highly functional.
Sam Cassell scored 16 points, 7 assists, and 2 steals. In the final five minutes, he made two consecutive back-to-the-basket shots, taking control of the game's tempo.
Eddie Jones had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, and he spent the entire game defensively harassing Glen Rice.
Robert Horry only had 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, but every time he disrupted the passing lanes in advance, he brought the Hornets ' offense to a standstill.
Kevin Garnett recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. His shooting percentage was average, and he committed quite a few turnovers, but his long arms, which could cover both the high post and the baseline, significantly expanded the team's defensive rotation radius.
Tonight, the player who set the standard for the team's defense was Dikembe Mutombo.
8 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks.
Looking at the stats alone, he's just an average role player on offense. But anyone who's watched the games knows that every time the Hornets' drives into the paint ended in failure, it was because of his immense presence in the paint.
The second unit performed as expected tonight. Mark Price had 9 points and 8 assists without a single turnover; Chris Mullin made 2 of 4 three-pointers for 9 points; Michael Finley scored 8 points, including a powerful dunk in the third quarter that forced Hornets timeout.
The starters are responsible for locking down the opponent, while the substitutes are responsible for using tactical space to widen the score gap.
The Celtics used to rely on one or two core players to carry the team, but now Celtics finally have two completely different rotation systems.
"Take off those smiles."
In the locker room after the game, the young players were still excitedly high-fiving each other when head coach Adelman slammed his tactical board onto the bench with a loud thud.
"Tonight's win is all thanks to Dikembe cleaning up the mess." Adelman surveyed the locker room, his voice low. "Look at the starting lineup's positional play. Sam Cassell, how many times did you stop the ball in the low post? Kevin, why do you habitually backtrack when facing double teams?"
"We can't expect to lock down our opponents to 70 points every game. If we don't move the ball smarter, we won't even get past half-court next time we face the Chicago Bulls or the Heat."
The locker room fell silent. Garnett and Sam Cassell exchanged a glance and silently lowered their heads to untie their shoelaces.
Lin Qi stood at the locker room door, listening to Adelman's instructions, without going in to disturb him. Defense was the minimum requirement for this new team to survive at this point, but if they wanted to challenge the 72-win Chicago Bulls, Boston's offense had to keep up.
However, the defense tonight met expectations, and even exceeded them.
The following morning, several mainstream Boston media outlets that had prepared satirical articles pulled their pages overnight, and the headlines that had appeared in the most prominent positions at newsstands completely changed their tune.
Boston's No-Fly Zone: The African Mountain and His Finger-Wag Privilege Shock the Alliance
Lin Qi's New Lineup: They May Not Be Good at Offense Yet, But They Can Make Opponents Desperate
In the general manager's office, Lin Qi washed his face and calmly closed the Boston Globe in his hand.
The regular season has only just begun. This team will only truly take shape once Garnett develops his low-post game and Price fully establishes the tactical chemistry of the second unit.
Lin Qi opened the window and looked towards the western sky.
"One game at a time."