Recaps

Lin Qi laid out a three-hundred-million-dollar plan to build a European basketball network through small-team acquisitions, a Paris training and commercial complex, and suburban real estate investments. He then told Gherardini to arrange a trip to Athens so he could personally approach Greece’s powerful basketball owners.

• Lin Qi and Gherardini discussed buying overlooked Italian and French second-division teams to develop prospects, scout talent, and conceal their wider operations.
• Lin Qi proposed buying a Paris club, renaming it the Paris Celtics, and building a high-standard training base in the northern suburbs.
• Lin Qi privately planned to replicate the sports-and-commercial complex model near major European cities and estimated total costs of roughly three hundred million dollars.
• Lin Qi instructed Gherardini to begin carrying out the acquisitions and construction plans step by step.
• Lin Qi asked Gherardini to arrange a trip to Athens so he could meet the owners of Panathinaikos and Olympiacos despite Gherardini’s doubts they would sell.

Lin Qi met Pavlos Giannakopoulos in Athens and proposed a partnership between the Boston Celtics and Panathinaikos, using a symbolic stake to bypass NBA restrictions. Pavlos accepted the deal, leaving the two clubs set to cooperate on training, tactics, and exhibition games.

• Pavlos Giannakopoulos greeted Lin Qi warily and accused him of coming to poach a Panathinaikos player.
• Lin Qi praised Panathinaikos and explained that Pavlos wanted to build a European super league capable of rivaling the NBA.
• Lin Qi proposed Celtics-Panathinaikos exhibitions and joint offseason training camps, but Pavlos doubted the NBA would approve them.
• Lin Qi offered to buy a ten percent, non-voting stake in Panathinaikos to establish a legal affiliation between the clubs and enable their cooperation.
• Lin Qi offered access to the Celtics' training systems, tactics, and analytics, and Pavlos accepted the partnership.

Lin Qi persuaded David Stern to approve a European exhibition tour for the Celtics, funded by European clubs, and then secured support for making the tours a regular NBA globalization program. The chapter ended with Stern signing the agreements under strict financial-compliance rules.

• Stern questioned Lin Qi’s proposal for a European training camp and exhibition game, especially its five million dollars in appearance fees for Celtics players.
• Lin Qi argued that sending Garnett, Gary Payton, and Pierce to Europe would strengthen the NBA’s market position without costing the league or Boston money.
• Stern approved the European event after Lin Qi explained that European clubs would cover expenses, player fees, and injury insurance.
• Lin Qi proposed an annual European Tour, and Stern agreed to encourage other NBA teams to seek European partnerships if European clubs alone funded all costs.
• Stern signed the memorandum and warned that any compliance violation could cost the Celtics their first-round picks for five years.

Lin Qi finalized the Celtics’ roster for the 1999–2000 season and reviewed the league’s payroll rankings. Boston had the league’s third-highest payroll, but its finances remained within safe limits.

• Lin Qi reviewed the completed roster, including the main squad and players developing overseas, and decided against further sweeping changes.
• Lin Qi permanently deleted the roster document after confirming it was correct.
• Lin Qi opened the updated payroll spreadsheet and saw that the Celtics ranked third in league payroll at $63.06 million.
• Lin Qi noted that the new salary rules had not yet brought harsh luxury-tax penalties and that Boston’s payroll remained financially manageable.

Lin Qi revealed that the team was traveling to Europe for exhibition games and training, with generous pay and perks, and introduced Mark Price as a player development coach. He also worked out a flexible consultant role for Dominique Wilkins, leaving the team’s European trip as an eagerly anticipated celebration.

• Lin Qi told the players that their approved trip would take them to Milan, Greece, and other European cities for exhibition games and joint training, with about $350,000 in net income for each person.
• Lin Qi promised top accommodations and meals and offered to reimburse players for bringing their families, prompting the team to celebrate.
• Lin Qi introduced Mark Price as a player development coach, and Price joked that he had returned from retirement to earn formula money for his son.
• Dominique Wilkins told Lin Qi that he planned to retire as a Hawk and join Atlanta’s front office but also wanted to help Boston.
• Lin Qi offered Wilkins a flexible special consultant position, and Wilkins accepted so he could work with both teams and pursue commentary.

At the Celtics’ European training camp in Milan, Paul Pierce and Dejan Bodiroga traded moves and defensive insights in a competitive one-on-one session. Afterward, Andrei Kirilenko worked on his shooting with Mark Price’s guidance while Lin Qi watched, pleased with the camp’s cooperative atmosphere.

• Dejan Bodiroga used his signature fake push-and-pull move to score against Paul Pierce, then explained how rhythm and wrist control made it effective.
• Paul Pierce adjusted by reading Bodiroga’s hips and footwork, but Bodiroga used a shot fake and pivot to slip past him for a reverse layup.
• Pierce demonstrated how he used shoulder contact to read a defender’s balance and create space for a fadeaway, and the two exchanged insights.
• After the other players left, Andrei Kirilenko continued his extra three-point shooting practice, as required by Lin Qi.
• Mark Price corrected Kirilenko’s shooting form, and Kirilenko’s next shots went through the net more consistently.
• Lin Qi watched from the stands and was pleased to see the players sharing skills and helping one another improve.

In Athens, Paul Pierce struggled against the Greek team’s physical defense and hostile crowd before adapting with a move Dejan Bodiroga had taught him. He scored over three defenders, earning Lin Qi’s confidence that he could become Boston’s centerpiece.

• Paul Pierce was knocked down by the Greek center, and Dominique Wilkins explained that FIBA allowed zone defense and lenient physical play.
• Greek fans threw a banana near Pierce and aimed laser beams at his face, while Lin Qi stopped Ron Artest from charging into the stands.
• Pierce calmed himself, then used a crossover to get past his first defender and drove toward the paint.
• Pierce used Dejan Bodiroga’s Whip move to evade the Greek power forward’s help defense.
• Pierce absorbed the center’s contact and made a hanging fadeaway, then taunted him as he retreated.
• Dominique Wilkins praised Pierce’s blend of styles, and Lin Qi declared that Pierce was the centerpiece he wanted.

At Olympia Milan, Sergio Scariolo and Igor Kokoškov taught Kevin Garnett to use his mobility and height from the high post to draw double-teams and find open teammates. Garnett embraced the new role and demanded another chance to practice it as Lin Qi watched from the stands.

• Kevin Garnett scored a smooth turnaround jumper, but Sergio Scariolo criticized the possession for failing to disrupt the defense.
• Igor Kokoškov explained that Garnett’s fadeaway let defenders stay with Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups, and urged him to face up at the elbow instead.
• Garnett drove into the paint after a drive fake, drawing a three-man trap and spotting Pierce, Billups, and Ben Wallace open.
• Garnett passed over the defenders to Pierce, who made an open three, and Kokoškov explained how Garnett could become the team’s tactical hub.
• Garnett demanded the ball at the elbow for another repetition while Lin Qi watched from the stands.

Lin Qi put Paul Pierce through an extreme ball-handling and finishing drill against four defensive groups, testing his skills as fatigue and pressure mounted. Pierce survived the final challenge from Ron Artest, while Lin Qi made the starting small forward spot an incentive; the Celtics’ tougher tactical training was still ahead.

• Lin Qi set up a nonstop, high-contact drill requiring Pierce to get a shot off within eight seconds against four groups of defenders.
• Bruce Bowen pressured Pierce into a 2-for-5 start and a shot-clock violation over five possessions.
• Raja Bell and Stephen Jackson trapped Pierce in tight spaces, forcing repeated turnovers and limiting him to one basket.
• Eddie Jones stole the ball once and forced rushed shots before Pierce saved the ball and beat the buzzer with a one-handed finish.
• Lin Qi promised Ron Artest the starting small forward spot if he held Pierce scoreless, and Pierce answered Artest’s pressure with a difficult banked basket on the final possession.
• Lin Qi approved of Pierce’s performance as the team prepared to begin further drills against traps and different defensive systems.

Lin Qi introduced motion offense as a way for the Celtics to make their championship offense less predictable, and the coaches turned its principles into four rules for practice. After several collisions and misreads, the players executed a coordinated sequence that ended with Eddie Jones hitting a three, though the system still needed refinement.

• Lin Qi explained to David Blatt, Sergio Scariolo, Igor Kokoškov, and Doc Rivers that the Celtics needed reactive offensive choices instead of relying on fixed routes and isolation.
• Blatt, Kokoškov, and the other coaches helped define four rules for spacing, quick decisions, backdoor cuts, filling open spots, and attacking switches or double-teams.
• Blatt taught the four rules to the starting lineup, but the first attempts broke down as players collided and missed reads.
• On the seventh restart, Garnett's early roll drew a double-team, Wallace screened for Pierce and then moved to the corner, and Pierce passed to Eddie Jones for a made three.
• Scariolo called for a different defensive coverage to test the players' reads, while Lin Qi judged that the drill had begun to produce the tactical system he wanted.

Lin Qi motivated the Celtics to answer European criticism by using the motion offense, and they defeated the Europe Team 108-82 in Athens. While the players began a week of vacation, Lin Qi left for New York to discuss something with David Stern.

• Lin Qi showed the Celtics European press clippings criticizing their one-on-one play and urged them to use the motion offense against the Europe Team.
• The Celtics used crisp passing and cutting to break the Europe Team’s zone and build a commanding lead.
• Garnett delivered a behind-the-head pass that led to an Eddie Jones dunk, and the Greek crowd fell silent before applauding the team play.
• The Celtics won their final European tour game 108-82, and Lin Qi asked an assistant to book him a flight.
• Doc Rivers announced a week of vacation for the players, while Lin Qi said he was heading to New York to meet with David Stern.

Lin Qi used the Celtics’ success in Athens and European media coverage to urge David Stern to change the NBA’s defensive rules and improve its game. Stern revealed that a proposal to allow zone defense and restrict hand-checking already existed, and promised to accelerate its review.

• David Stern examined poor ratings and financial reports from the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season when Lin Qi arrived at NBA headquarters.
• Lin Qi showed Stern European newspapers that had mocked American basketball before the Celtics’ Athens game and praised the team’s play afterward.
• Lin Qi reported that the Celtics’ game broke a Greek sports channel’s ratings record and drew interest from broadcasters in Spain and France.
• Lin Qi argued that restrictive illegal-defense rules and physical perimeter defense had produced low-scoring, unattractive games that threatened the NBA’s global ambitions.
• David Stern showed Lin Qi a proposal from Stu Jackson and Jerry Colangelo to allow zone defense and limit hand contact, explaining that resistance had stalled it.
• David Stern decided to reconvene the competition committee and use the European coverage and ratings as support for changing the rules.

Lin Qi helped force the NBA to abolish illegal defense and allow zone defense, but the league added a defensive three-second rule that threatened the Celtics’ reliance on Dikembe Mutombo in the paint. With the season opener only days away, Lin Qi prepared to adapt rather than back down.

• Lin Qi funded a public campaign to pressure NBA owners into changing defensive rules before the 1999-2000 season.
• The league approved a resolution abolishing illegal defense, permitting zone defense, and strictly enforcing hand contact against perimeter defenders.
• Igor Kokoškov found a supplementary rule requiring defenders without an assignment to leave the paint after three seconds.
• Lin Qi recognized that the rule could undermine Dikembe Mutombo’s rim protection and expose the Celtics’ basket during defensive rotations.
• Lin Qi concluded that David Stern had used the reform to balance the league and vowed to find a way around the new restriction with the opener approaching.

As the Celtics prepare for the season opener, Lin Qi uses a violent practice clash between Paul Pierce and Ron Artest to push Pierce into adapting to more physical defense. He makes the starting small forward spot a prize in a daily defensive drill, leaving Artest determined to shut Pierce down.

• During a scrimmage, Ron Artest fouled Paul Pierce hard, and Pierce charged at him before teammates pulled them apart.
• Lin Qi stopped the fight by revealing that cameras were recording the team and warning Pierce and Artest that the footage could become public.
• Lin Qi told Doc Rivers that he had brought Artest in to pressure Pierce and prepare him for the rougher defenses he would face in the playoffs.
• Lin Qi ordered David Blatt to make a ball-handler drill part of daily practice and offered the starting small forward spot to whoever could shut Pierce down.
• Artest accepted Lin Qi's challenge to shadow Pierce within basketball rules, while Doc Rivers worried that the competition would damage team chemistry.

Lin Qi imposed individualized ketogenic and Mediterranean diets on the Celtics and persuaded Rasheed Wallace to lead the second unit by promising him freedom and no media duties. He assigned Wang Zhizhi and Brad Miller to develop as floor-spacing bigs, then told them that only one of them would remain on the team.

• Lin Qi enforced strict, individualized diet plans, and Rasheed Wallace protested his carbohydrate-free meal until Lin Qi explained the plan and its benefits.
• Lin Qi asked Rasheed why he had accepted a bench role in Portland, and Rasheed said winning mattered more than starting or his public image.
• Lin Qi offered Rasheed the role of centerpiece of Boston's second unit, citing Celtics history and promising to shield him from postgame media; Rasheed accepted.
• Lin Qi directed Wang Zhizhi and Brad Miller to practice three-point shooting with Mark Price and build strength for contact.
• Lin Qi told Wang Zhizhi and Brad Miller that their overlapping roles meant the Celtics would keep only one of them, urging them to compete against each other.

The Celtics opened their title-defense season against the Knicks under the new defensive rules, and their coordinated offense and defense gave them control of the game. The Knicks briefly closed the gap, but the Celtics’ teamwork restored their momentum as the contest continued.

• The Celtics received their championship rings and raised their 1998-1999 Champions banner before joining together to shout “Ubuntu.”
• Charlie Ward and Sprewell were called for hand-contact fouls under the new rules, prompting Jeff Van Gundy to switch the Knicks to a two-three zone.
• The Celtics used Kevin Garnett at the high post to set up a Mutombo dunk, a Garnett jumper, and a Pierce three-pointer.
• The Knicks attacked through Patrick Ewing’s screens and cut into the Celtics’ lead with three consecutive scores.
• The Celtics adjusted their defense, forced a missed Sprewell floater, and turned Mutombo’s rebound into a Pierce fast-break dunk.

The Celtics overwhelmed the Knicks in their season opener, winning 112-81 as their depth and fast breaks broke the game open. With the victory secured, Wang Zhizhi entered late and made a jumper, while the Celtics celebrated their first win.

• Artest disrupted the Knicks' backup point guard, then finished a fast-break dunk after Rasheed Wallace intercepted a pass and Billups assisted.
• The Celtics' second unit exploited mismatches and scored from all over the floor, building a 58-46 halftime lead despite the Knicks' rough play.
• The Knicks briefly cut the deficit with a full-court press, but Garnett's outlet pass set up an Eddie Jones alley-oop and the Celtics ended the third quarter ahead 88-65.
• Pierce's three gave Boston a 32-point lead, prompting the arena to play Gino Vannelli's victory song as Garnett, Artest, and the bench danced.
• Rivers sent Wang Zhizhi into the game, and Wang made a high-post jumper after a dribble handoff with Artest.
• The Celtics beat the Knicks 112-81, then celebrated in the locker room as Rivers reminded them it was only the first game.

Lin Qi confronted the Celtics’ players with a Los Angeles Times attack on their championship and negotiated rules for the documentary crew filming practice. Gary Payton accepted the cameras, and the chapter ended with the team’s chaotic motion-offense scrimmage captured on film.

• Lin Qi read a Los Angeles Times column that mocked his team-building approach and claimed Boston’s title had depended on the lockout.
• Ron Artest played to the newly arrived documentary cameras, while Gary Payton rebuked him and complained when a cameraman moved too close.
• Payton asked Lin Qi for veto power over the documentary’s final cut, and Lin Qi instead proposed a filming charter with privacy limits and fact-checking rights.
• Lin Qi showed the players the newspaper attack, and Payton agreed to let the crew film so long as it showed the team resolving conflicts as well as having them.
• During the resumed scrimmage, Artest and Paul Pierce battled for position, Rasheed Wallace’s pass to a double-teamed Kevin Garnett became a turnover, and Payton pointed out that the camera had captured the mistake.

The Boston Celtics’ 12-game winning streak faced its toughest test against the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, where their dynamic offense faltered against Jerry Sloan’s defense. Boston simplified its attack, rallied to win 94-91, and extended its streak to 13, while Lin Qi left the team with questions for the next film session.

• The Jazz disrupted Boston’s offense early, and Robert Horry’s three-pointer helped Utah take a 28-20 first-quarter lead as Pierce and Artest collided on a cut.
• Gary Payton argued with Pierce, Artest, and Garnett before scoring a buzzer-beating fadeaway in the second quarter to spark Boston.
• The Celtics simplified their offense around the Gary Payton-Garnett pick-and-roll and tied the game at 88 late in the fourth quarter when Garnett dunked over Horry.
• Artest and Malone fought for a loose ball, and Boston won the jump ball before Gary Payton made two free throws and Stockton missed a hurried three.
• Boston beat Utah 94-91 to extend its winning streak to 13, and Lin Qi called the victory ugly and said the team would discuss it in film session.

After the Celtics struggled against Utah, Doc Rivers and David Blatt established a “Red” safety-valve call for stalled offenses, assigning Gary Payton, Chris Pierce, and Kevin Garnett clear roles. The team used the new contingency offense to win in Portland and Seattle, while Lin Qi began building a Boston sports science and data complex to strengthen the team off the court.

• Doc Rivers and David Blatt reviewed three failed possessions and identified confusion, hesitation, and Gary Payton's late isolation as problems in the Celtics' offense.
• Gary Payton argued that the team needed a direct fallback when its motion offense broke down, and Lin Qi asked whether the players could receive a contingency plan.
• Blatt proposed the “Red” call, and Rivers assigned Payton to control the tempo, Pierce to space the wing, and Garnett to screen and read the defense.
• The Celtics used their motion offense and safety-valve system to secure wins in Portland and Seattle before returning to the East Coast.
• Lin Qi approved a sixty-million-dollar first phase for the Boston Sports Science and Data Park, including recovery, motion-capture, data-analysis, and player-sleep facilities.

After Boston’s eighteen-game winning streak ended, Lin Qi turned the loss into a chance to address playoff weaknesses. Rasheed Wallace refined his shot selection, Paul Pierce improved his quick decisions against pressure, and the team’s new shooting wager left Rasheed and Ben Wallace doing extra work together.

• Lin Qi told the Celtics to move past the streak and focus on finding and fixing problems before the playoffs.
• Rasheed Wallace used his improved three-point shooting to strengthen Boston’s second unit, while Paul Pierce began practicing with Dominique Wilkins, Gary Payton, and Garnett to improve his decisions against defenders and double-teams.
• Pierce simplified his offense, began forcing defensive reactions in fewer dribbles, and reduced costly turnovers as his assists rose.
• Lin Qi suggested a daily three-point wager, and Doc Rivers made the losing pair stay after practice for extra shuttle runs and shooting.
• Rasheed Wallace partnered with Ben Wallace, but Ben’s poor three-point shooting repeatedly left them last and forced them to stay late for extra work.

The Celtics endured losses and criticism while Lin Qi let the coaching staff experiment with rotations until Frank Vogel’s data identified a dominant lineup. Lin settled on Rasheed Wallace at center alongside Gary Payton, Eddie Jones, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett, and the team prepared to unleash the formation on the league.

• Blatt and Thibodeau tested unusual lineups, and the Celtics blew a twelve-point lead against the Pacers after a 20-0 run.
• Rivers accepted responsibility for the loss as Boston’s media and fans criticized the coaching staff’s rotations.
• Lin Qi told Frank Vogel to keep the experiments going while Vogel and the assistants analyzed lineup data.
• Vogel presented the best-performing combination, and Lin wrote down Gary Payton, Eddie Jones, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace with Rasheed at center.
• Lin explained the lineup’s tactics to Rasheed, who agreed to play center but asked to sit out against O’Neal.
• Garnett, Rasheed, Payton, Pierce, and Eddie Jones gathered at practice as Rivers, Blatt, and Thibodeau prepared to use the new lineup.

Gary Payton returned to Seattle as a Celtics star and received a standing ovation from the fans who had once booed him. In the game, Boston unveiled its closing lineup, and Payton and Rasheed Wallace exploited Seattle’s defense as the SuperSonics’ crowd cheered their former hero.

• Seattle fans welcomed Gary Payton with a tribute video and a standing ovation, and Kevin Garnett promised to feed him the ball.
• The chapter explained how Seattle traded Sam Cassell, Steve Nash, and Michael Finley for Payton, then acquired Ray Allen in a three-team deal that also sent Nash and Finley to Dallas.
• Sam Cassell opened the game with a midrange jumper, but Payton answered with a low-post basket that drew cheers from the Seattle crowd.
• Doc Rivers brought in Rasheed Wallace, completing Boston’s closing lineup of Payton, Eddie Jones, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed.
• Rasheed hit a three-pointer and then dunked after drawing Vin Baker away from the paint, forcing Seattle to adjust its defense.
• Payton drove through Seattle’s defense for an and-one, while KeyArena’s fans cheered the former SuperSonics guard despite his scoring against the home team.

The Celtics dismantled the Seattle SuperSonics with adaptable offense and coordinated defense, winning 121-97 behind Gary Payton’s dominant return to Seattle. After the game, the league’s coaches studied Boston’s tactics as Lin Qi recognized that his team had established a model for basketball under the new rules.

• The Celtics broke Seattle’s 2-3 zone with Garnett’s short roll and Eddie Jones’s cut, then built a 15-4 run with sharp defense and Rasheed’s transition three.
• Garnett blocked Vin Baker at the rim as Boston’s coordinated rotations shut down Seattle’s post attack.
• Payton scored 42 points with 15 assists, five steals, and no turnovers as the Celtics led by 24 and pulled their starters late in the fourth quarter.
• Seattle fans gave Payton a standing ovation, and the Celtics defeated the SuperSonics 121-97.
• Payton joked with Sam Cassell after the game and told reporters Seattle’s open paint had encouraged him to attack.
• Lin Qi read the coverage of the game while league coaches received Boston’s tape and studied its response to the new defensive rules.

On the flight from Seattle to Boston, Lin Qi explained why the team had not approached Chauncey Billups about an extension and outlined a long-term plan to develop him. Chauncey accepted Lin Qi’s offer of a guaranteed six-year, $24 million contract.

• Chauncey asked Lin Qi whether the team saw him as disposable because no one had discussed an extension with him.
• Lin Qi assured Chauncey that he was an important part of Boston’s plans and explained the weaknesses the staff had identified in his game.
• Lin Qi described a development plan that included learning from Ron Harper and Gary Payton and improving Chauncey’s decision-making on pick-and-rolls.
• Lin Qi offered Chauncey the choice of testing free agency or staying in Boston on a six-year, $24 million guaranteed contract with a future path to lead the backcourt.
• Chauncey chose to sign the contract.