Recaps

Lin Qi persuaded Rome power broker Claudio Totti to promote the “5+5 Plan,” which would loosen Italian league restrictions to allow five foreign starters while reserving five roster spots for Italian youth. Totti agreed to lobby politicians and wealthy investors, leaving Lin Qi with a powerful ally for pushing the plan.

• Claudio Totti told Lin Qi that the South American players’ passports would be ready the following week.
• Lin Qi proposed making Italy Europe’s second basketball powerhouse by allowing five foreign players and reserving five roster spots for Italian youth.
• Lin Qi promised that a stronger league would bring visitors, sponsorships, broadcast revenue, and lucrative contracts for Totti’s arena and commercial developments.
• Lin Qi offered to build a top American-style training base to help persuade conservative politicians that the plan would develop Italian players.
• Claudio Totti agreed to host a reception and convince Rome’s council members that rejecting the plan would cost the city money and harm Italian basketball.

Lin Qi sought a way around Baskonia’s costly contract claim over Luis Scola and recruited Belgrade lawyer Miško Ražnatović to challenge it. Miško accepted the case and promised to find a legal loophole within three days.

• Maurizio Gherardini told Lin Qi that Baskonia demanded three million dollars to release Luis Scola and that a conventional lawsuit could take a year and a half.
• Lin Qi refused to pay Josean Querejeta, warning that doing so would invite European clubs to exploit his teams’ contracts.
• Lin Qi called Dino Radja, who recommended Belgrade lawyer Miško Ražnatović as an expert in basketball contracts.
• Lin Qi and Gherardini traveled to Belgrade, where Lin Qi asked Miško to challenge Scola’s contract and arrange legal notarizations for Argentine players seeking European Union passports.
• Miško reviewed the Baskonia contract, accepted Lin Qi’s offer of a litigation budget ten times larger than his current case, and asked for three days.

Lin Qi recruited Miško Ražnatović to build a youth academy in Belgrade after resolving Scola's transfer problem. Miško proposed buying Avala Ada, and Lin Qi revealed he intended to build a basketball empire with a path to the Europe Champions League.

• Miško told Lin Qi that Scola's buyout would cost at most four hundred thousand dollars and that FIBA clearance would take three or four weeks.
• Miško described the overlooked young talents in the Balkans and explained that he ran a small agency to help them.
• Lin Qi paid Miško ten thousand dollars, then offered to fund a youth academy and put Miško in charge of it.
• Miško warned that Red Star and Partizan carried major debts and political complications, then proposed buying Avala Ada, a club with clean books.
• Lin Qi approved the Avala Ada purchase and said he wanted a prestigious route to the Europe Champions League, declaring that he intended to have it all.

Lin Qi persuaded Miško Ražnatović to help him acquire Red Star and build a basketball empire through a holding group that would also include Avala Ada and BeoBasket. Miško accepted the offer and pledged to establish the group, setting their plan to take control of Belgrade basketball in motion.

• Miško recommended acquiring Red Star rather than Partizan, citing Red Star's debts and the influence of its fan organization, Delije.
• Miško proposed making Red Star the public powerhouse while developing young players separately through Avala Ada.
• Lin Qi offered to place Red Star, Avala Ada, and Miško's BeoBasket under a Cyprus-registered holding group, with Miško as its chairman and nominal owner holding five percent.
• Lin Qi explained that Miško would gain control and status while contracts and Lin Qi's capital protected the partnership.
• Miško accepted Lin Qi's offer and promised that Belgrade's business registry would soon recognize the new sports group.

Lin Qi planned to found the European Basketball Association (EBA) by recruiting Europe’s top clubs and guaranteeing them annual cash payments in exchange for the league’s broadcasting and commercial rights. He prepared to risk $21 million on the first season, betting that the new competition could attract broadcasters and become profitable.

• Gherardini explained that the split between ULEB and FIBA and the clubs’ dependence on wealthy owners had left European basketball financially unstable.
• Lin Qi proposed forming EBA with distressed clubs, oligarch-backed teams, and member-owned clubs such as Real Madrid and Barça.
• Lin Qi offered founding clubs $1 million in upfront annual payments in exchange for EBA control of their league broadcasting and commercial rights.
• Lin Qi explained that his four already-purchased clubs would be founding members, reducing his effective annual guarantee outlay from $13 million to $9 million.
• Gherardini warned that broadcasters would likely offer only a small first-season guarantee or advertising revenue, leaving Lin Qi to cover most of the costs.
• Lin Qi committed to a $21 million first-year investment for guarantees, operations, promotion, and arena upgrades, hoping to build a league that would become self-sustaining.

Lin Qi and Gherardini developed a plan to attract top European basketball clubs to EBA with large guarantees and championship prizes, while allowing them to compete in other leagues. After arriving in Milan, Lin Qi began working on the plan’s financial framework.

• Lin Qi proposed a $1 million annual guarantee and prizes of up to $5 million to attract elite clubs, accepting that EBA could lose $15 million to $20 million in its first year.
• Lin Qi explained that EBA would initially use nonexclusive agreements, letting clubs keep playing in domestic leagues, ULEB, and FIBA competitions as long as schedules allowed.
• Lin Qi and Gherardini reasoned that EBA’s prize money and midweek schedule would encourage clubs to prioritize EBA over time and help attract stronger broadcasting contracts.
• Lin Qi told Gherardini to prepare the EBA Founding Memorandum as they arrived at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport.
• After landing at Milan Malpensa Airport, Lin Qi rejected Gherardini’s suggestion to rest and began working on EBA’s financial framework.

Lin Qi mapped out the EBA League’s finances, planning to acquire six European clubs and secure partnerships with six more through arena investments. His projections left a $331 million cash cushion after five years, but he realized his plan still lacked one item.

• Lin Qi calculated his businesses’ annual net cash flow at about $80 million and projected $3.2 billion in cash at the start of 2001.
• Lin Qi budgeted about $169 million to assume debts, buy stakes, and fund operations for six financially troubled clubs.
• Lin Qi planned to partner with Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Barça, Fenerbahçe, and Maccabi Tel Aviv by building arenas and securing commercial rights.
• Lin Qi allocated $170 million for acquisitions and $3.1 billion for arenas, aiming to bring all thirteen founding teams into the EBA League.
• Lin Qi warned that Celtics payroll growth could strain cash flow, then realized his projections were missing one item.

Lin Qi revised his European acquisition plan after calculating the clubs’ potential future losses, then designed a dual-company structure separating the EBA League’s club and event operations from arena ownership. He instructed Gherardini to have the legal team prepare the structure, leaving the league plan ready for the next stage.

• Lin Qi calculated that continued losses could require an additional $68 million in 2004–2005 and added a three-year performance clause requiring management replacement if the teams failed to break even.
• Lin Qi proposed separating club and event operations from arena investment and management to reduce antitrust concerns and isolate the businesses’ finances and risks.
• Lin Qi reasoned that the real estate company could lease venues to outside events, pay dividends to him, and potentially pursue a future REIT listing.
• Lin Qi called Gherardini and ordered the legal team to draft the dual-company structure, using the Netherlands and Luxembourg as incorporation jurisdictions.

Lin Qi announced that the Celtics would play thirteen European clubs in August, offering large bonuses and demanding that the team compete without holding back. He also helped Rick Carlisle and David Blatt prepare to use a motion offense, leaving Carlisle nervous but ready to test the system on tour.

• Lin Qi told the Celtics players they would play thirteen games across Europe, with a $500,000 base allowance and bonuses for wins.
• Lin Qi explained that Garnett, Gary Payton, Türkoğlu, Wang Zhizhi, and Grant Hill would not join the tour, leaving eleven players to travel.
• Lin Qi rejected Chauncey Billups's suggestion that the Celtics let opponents save face and urged the team to dominate their European rivals.
• Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle to shift from controlling every play to guiding players through the motion offense, while David Blatt explained how players should read and react to defenses.
• Carlisle accepted that the players would need to develop instinctive decisions and admitted he felt nervous about giving them more control.
• Lin Qi reassured Carlisle that the European games would be a testing ground for the system, and Carlisle and Blatt prepared to work on it during the month.

In August 2000, Lin Qi and the Celtics traveled to Milan for a highly publicized game against Olympia Milan, where their first back-to-back championship team drew a sold-out crowd. After the team practiced its motion offense and prepared for the hostile arena, the opening tip began the game.

• Lin Qi boarded a charter plane with the Celtics as they left Boston for Europe.
• Hundreds of Italian fans welcomed the team in Milan, where Lin Qi said all twelve thousand tickets for The Forum had sold out.
• Lin Qi briefed the players on Olympia Milan and warned Artest to keep his fists to himself.
• Rick Carlisle and David Blatt led the Celtics through motion-offense drills, and Carlisle admitted he might have needed to loosen his coaching reins sooner.
• Rick Carlisle rallied the Celtics in the locker room, and Pierce led the team onto the court as the referee tossed up the opening tip.

The Celtics crushed Olympia Milan 111-82 as Lin Qi used the game to negotiate Milan’s support for a new arena and announce the EBA. Olympia Milan formally joined the league as its first founding member, and Lin Qi turned his attention to Rome.

• Ben Wallace won the opening tip, and Rasheed Wallace hit a three as the Celtics began dominating Olympia Milan.
• The Celtics built a 29-point lead, with Paul Pierce scoring 34 points and Ben Wallace recording 14 rebounds and five blocks.
• Lin Qi told Milan mayor Gabriele Albertini he would fund a new arena, and Albertini promised to fast-track the project through City Hall.
• Kirilenko hit a corner three at the buzzer as the Celtics defeated Olympia Milan 111-82.
• Maurizio Gherardini announced the EBA’s October 2001 launch, and Tony Cappellari declared Olympia Milan its first founding member.
• Lin Qi read reports on players at the Sydney Olympics and said his next stop was Rome.

The Celtics won all 13 games on their European tour as Gherardini secured 13 major clubs as founding members of the EBA. Lin Qi declined to attend the signing ceremony, leaving Gherardini to preside over the historic event in Milan.

• The Celtics defeated Virtus Rome 106-79, and Virtus Rome announced it had joined the EBA.
• Gherardini offered Real Madrid's president, Florentino Pérez, the construction contract for the EBA's Madrid supercomplex, and Real Madrid joined after losing 102-88 to the Celtics.
• The Celtics beat Barcelona, Panathinaikos, Olympiacos, Fenerbahçe, Efes, and CSKA Moscow as those clubs joined the EBA, followed by Belgrade Red Star, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich.
• The Celtics completed their 24-day European tour with 13 wins, no losses, and an average winning margin of 20.7 points, while Gherardini returned to Milan with 13 signed memoranda.
• Lin Qi told Gherardini he would skip the signing ceremony and instructed him to preside over it in Milan.

Maurizio Gherardini launched the EBA in Milan, while Lin Qi kept his role as the league’s financial backer concealed. After returning to Boston, Lin Qi prepared to shift his focus to the Celtics’ upcoming 2000–2001 season.

• Lin Qi encouraged Maurizio Gherardini before the EBA launch, then watched the ceremony from afar.
• Gherardini announced the EBA in Milan, and presidents of thirteen founding clubs signed its charter.
• At a press conference, Gherardini denied that Lin Qi controlled the league and described Europe Sports Real Estate as an independent fund.
• Florentino Pérez secured a meeting with the fund’s legal representative to discuss the Madrid arena construction contract.
• Aboard his flight to Boston, Lin Qi reviewed the EBA’s financing plan, which relied on $2.8 billion in loans alongside an initial $900 million investment.
• Lin Qi arrived in Boston to cheering Celtics fans and headed home, intending to focus on the coming season.

Lin Qi imposed strict nightclub curfews on the Celtics to protect the players from off-court trouble, but Pierce and several teammates resisted. After ignoring Rasheed Wallace’s warnings, five players began secretly visiting Buzz Club and grew bolder when nothing went wrong.

• Lin Qi announced fines and possible suspension for Celtics players who broke his nightclub curfew, while Garnett, Gary Payton, and Rasheed Wallace supported the rule.
• Pierce, Artest, Türkoğlu, and other players showed resistance, and Rasheed urged Pierce and Artest to heed Lin Qi’s warning about off-court dangers.
• Lin Qi explained to Pierce that Len Bias’s death and the risks of being a famous player motivated the ban, but Pierce insisted he could handle himself.
• At Rasheed Wallace’s team party, Artest invited Pierce, Türkoğlu, Redd, and Billups to Buzz Club, and they went despite Rasheed’s warning.
• Pierce, Artest, Türkoğlu, Redd, and Billups secretly visited nightclubs twice more without incident and became emboldened.

After the players returned to Buzz Club, a fight broke out and Chris Paul was stabbed repeatedly. Artest called Lin Qi and told him that Chris Paul was dead, leaving the team facing the aftermath of the killing.

• Pierce, Artest, Billups, Türkoğlu, and Redd went to Buzz Club again despite the team rules, and Billups left early because he felt uneasy.
• Pierce argued with a drunk man who accused him of pursuing his sister, and the man's companions joined the ensuing fight.
• The attackers stabbed Pierce and Artest with a folding knife, while Türkoğlu warned them that the attackers were armed.
• Artest subdued the knife-wielding attacker and rushed to Pierce, whose wounds were bleeding heavily.
• Pierce collapsed and died as Artest tried to stop the bleeding, then Artest called Lin Qi and said Chris Paul had been stabbed to death.

After Paul Pierce was stabbed eleven times in a nightclub attack, Lin Qi waited through emergency surgery and learned that Pierce had survived, though he remained in a coma and faced a critical recovery period. Lin Qi arranged the team’s public response and legal efforts, reassured Pierce’s parents, and headed out to face the waiting media.

• Lin Qi rushed to Tufts New England Medical Center after Artest called to say Paul Pierce had been stabbed and was near death.
• Lin Qi confronted Artest and the others at the hospital, while Rasheed Wallace explained what had happened and the Celtics players gathered outside the operating room.
• Dr. Wilson reported that Pierce had suffered eleven stab wounds, but surgery had stabilized him; Pierce was transferred to the ICU for close monitoring.
• Lin Qi ordered the players to rest, sent Artest, Türkoğlu, and Redd to give statements to police with Rasheed, and promised Pierce he would handle everything.
• Lin Qi instructed the Celtics’ public relations director to issue a limited statement and told the team’s legal counsel to pursue attempted-murder charges against the attackers.
• Pierce’s parents arrived, and Lin Qi assured them that the Celtics would support the family before leaving to meet the media outside.

After Paul Pierce was stabbed, Lin Qi directed the Celtics to protect him from victim-blaming and focus on bringing his attackers to justice. He left the press conference to return to the hospital, rejecting questions about the team’s season and title defense.

• Bob Ryan reported that Paul Pierce had been stabbed eleven times, and news crews gathered outside Tufts Hospital as the Celtics prepared to respond.
• Mark Sullivan advised the team to present Pierce as an innocent victim and decline comment on nightclub rules, and Lin Qi approved the plan.
• Boston fans gathered at TD Garden to pray for Pierce and leave messages of support.
• At the press conference, Lin Qi announced that Pierce was temporarily out of immediate danger and that the Celtics had retained a legal team to pursue the attackers.
• Lin Qi rebuked reporters who questioned Pierce’s presence at a nightclub and rejected claims that the team’s management had caused the attack.
• Lin Qi dismissed questions about defending the title, ended the press conference, and left for the hospital.

Paul Pierce struggled with the physical and psychological aftermath of being stabbed, but Lin Qi arranged medical supervision and therapy as he returned to training. At the Celtics’ final training-camp scrimmage, Pierce faced contact again and scored through a foul, showing he could keep playing despite his fear.

• Three days after being stabbed eleven times, Paul Pierce left the hospital and told reporters he would return.
• As Celtics training camp opened, Garnett told Artest and the team to stop dwelling on what might have happened and focus on winning until Pierce came back.
• Lin Qi found Pierce secretly shooting through the night and persuaded him to train under medical supervision and attend therapy with Artest.
• During rehabilitation, Pierce recoiled and fell in his first contact drill, but repeatedly got back up and demanded another collision.
• Rick Carlisle announced that Pierce would rejoin the team, and Pierce returned to practice on October 26.
• After Garnett and Rasheed Wallace challenged him, Pierce drove into contact, scored through a foul, and was helped up by Garnett and Artest.

On November 1, 2000, Paul Pierce wrestled with his fear of returning after surviving a stabbing, while Lin Qi and the Celtics rallied around him at the championship ring ceremony. After Gary Payton gave Pierce the team captaincy, Pierce thanked Ron Artest and vowed to fight for Boston.

• Lin Qi called Paul Pierce after Pierce admitted he was unsure he could face the crowd, and Lin reassured him that he did not need to prove anything.
• Pierce returned to the Celtics' locker room, where Garnett, Payton, and the other players welcomed him back and he embraced Artest.
• Lin Qi presented the Celtics with their championship rings, and Pierce accepted his ring to a thunderous chant from the fans.
• Gary Payton handed Pierce the microphone and declared that the captaincy belonged to him, drawing loud cheers from the arena.
• Pierce spoke about nearly dying and thanked Lin Qi, the team, and Artest before promising to fight for Boston.

Paul Pierce overcame his fear of being trapped by the Pistons, turning their double-teams into opportunities and leading the Celtics to a 103-83 victory. After the game, he saluted Lin Qi and pointed toward the eighteenth championship banner.

• The Pistons repeatedly double-teamed Pierce, triggering memories of his stabbing and causing early turnovers as Detroit took advantage.
• During a timeout, Lin Qi encouraged Pierce to trust his preparation and rely on his teammates, and Pierce regained his composure.
• Pierce broke through the next trap with a reverse pivot and passed to Ben Wallace for a dunk, then hit a three-pointer to put Boston ahead 45-44.
• Pierce attacked a double-team in the third quarter, scored through contact, and completed an and-one as he overcame his fear.
• The Celtics beat the Pistons 103-83, with Pierce finishing with 26 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
• After the game, Pierce saluted Lin Qi and pointed to the eighteenth championship banner, and Lin Qi answered with a thumbs-up.

Rick Carlisle explained a new defensive rotation system to the Celtics after their two opening wins exposed serious defensive problems. The team began a full-court scrimmage to practice the system while Grant Hill watched and took notes from his wheelchair.

• Ben Wallace worked on his free throws before Kevin Garnett encouraged him, and the Celtics players gathered for morning practice as Grant Hill studied game footage from his wheelchair.
• Lin Qi urged Hill to be patient with his rehabilitation and reminded him that his teammates were waiting for him.
• Rick Carlisle criticized the Celtics for allowing 95 points against the Knicks and 108 against the 76ers, then explained how Ben Wallace's role changed the defense built around Garnett.
• Carlisle laid out five rotation principles covering pressure on the ball handler, rim protection, communication, weak-side coverage, and rebounding support.
• Garnett and Ben Wallace agreed to anticipate cross-court ball movement, and Carlisle split the players into two teams for a full-court scrimmage.

Rick Carlisle taught the players to use flexible switching and clear communication in their defensive system, and the scrimmage showed the team improving its rotations. Grant Hill studied the system during recovery and resolved to master it before returning to the court.

• Rick Carlisle explained that defenders should decide whether to fight through screens or call for switches, while the big men communicated and adjusted their assignments.
• Gary Payton called for a switch against Brad Miller's screen, and the defense forced Billups to pass to a contested shot that Big Ben rebounded.
• Payton fought through Rasheed Wallace's screen on the next possession, and Garnett secured the rebound after Rasheed missed a pressured shot.
• The starters and reserves improved their defensive chemistry during an extended scrimmage before Rick Carlisle ended practice at noon.
• Grant Hill reviewed his notes, told the physical therapist he wanted to improve his understanding of the game, and studied the defensive system in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber.

Eddie Jones returned to Boston as a Sacramento Kings player and received an emotional tribute from the Celtics and their fans. After accepting a championship ring and thanking Boston, he prepared to face his former team in purple.

• Boston fans filled the arena to welcome Eddie Jones back, and Eddie admitted to Rashard Lewis that he was nervous about returning as an opponent.
• The Celtics showed a video honoring Eddie’s years with the team and his contributions to their two championships.
• Lin Qi welcomed Eddie home, praised his sacrifices, and presented him with a championship ring engraved with his name and Banner 18.
• Eddie thanked Boston and raised the ring as the Celtics and Kings players applauded him.
• Eddie returned the ring to its box, changed into his Kings uniform, and resolved to prove himself on the court.

The Celtics defeated the Kings 121-110 in an offensive shootout, despite Eddie Jones scoring a career-high 42 points against his former teammates. Lin Qi praised Eddie’s performance and urged the Celtics to keep improving their defense as they pursued a three-peat.

• Pierce asked to guard Eddie Jones, but Lin Qi suggested Chris Paul instead, and Rick Carlisle assigned Chris Paul to him.
• The Celtics and Kings traded baskets throughout the game, with Eddie Jones scoring freely as both teams mounted high-scoring attacks.
• Pierce scored a late three and an and-one layup to help the Celtics secure a 121-110 win, while Divac fouled out.
• After the game, Pierce, Garnett, and Lin Qi praised Eddie Jones, who said he would give everything for Sacramento.
• Adelman and Rick Carlisle discussed their teams’ performances at the press conference, and Lin Qi later told Carlisle to keep developing the Celtics’ defense.

During his fourth month of rehabilitation, Grant Hill endured a lonely routine while watching the Celtics thrive without him. The chapter left him fearing that the team no longer needed him.

• Grant Hill woke in pain and remembered that Lin Qi had insisted on surgery to repair his ankle, requiring an eighteen-month rehabilitation program.
• Hill followed his routine at the Celtics facility, completing hyperbaric oxygen treatment and ankle exercises in the pool.
• Hill watched ESPN report that the Celtics had opened the season undefeated, led by Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Gary Payton, with Rasheed Wallace excelling off the bench.
• The commentators questioned where Hill would fit into Boston's successful lineup and wondered whether Lin Qi's signing him had been unnecessary.
• Hill lost focus during his exercises and concluded that the Celtics did not need him.