Recaps

Andrei Kirilenko’s game-changing defense against Toronto earned him a starting role after Lin Qi suspended Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson indefinitely for their fight. At practice, Artest deliberately knocked Kirilenko down, but Kirilenko calmly returned to the drill as Lin Qi watched.

• After Rasheed Wallace was ejected against Toronto, Rick Carlisle sent Andrei Kirilenko into the game, where he blocked Vince Carter and disrupted the Raptors’ offense with four blocks and three steals.
• The Celtics won, and Kevin Garnett gave Kirilenko a rare fist bump for his performance.
• Rick Carlisle asked Lin Qi to promote Kirilenko to starting small forward, and Lin Qi decided to suspend Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson indefinitely while stripping them of their starting spots and core-rotation roles.
• At practice, Carlisle announced Kirilenko’s promotion and assigned Artest and Jackson shuttle runs as punishment.
• During a drill, Artest deliberately slammed into Kirilenko and knocked him down, but Kirilenko got up and calmly asked Carlisle whether they should run the play again.

Lin Qi confronted Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson with evidence that their defense and poor shooting made them unsuitable for Boston’s starting lineup, then set conditions for ending their suspensions. The two began training together and faced a long road back to the court through improved shooting and psychological intervention.

• Lin Qi showed Artest and Jackson statistics linking their defensive workload to poor offensive performance and explained how their lack of shooting hurt the team’s spacing.
• Lin Qi ordered Jackson to make 300 corner threes after exhausting defensive and strength work, while Artest had to limit himself to spot-up threes and transition chances.
• Lin Qi required both players to attend psychological intervention with Dr. George Mumford every Tuesday and Thursday and said they could return only after he cleared them.
• Jackson began shooting corner threes, and Artest asked him for balls so he could train rather than remain suspended.

Raja Bell earned a larger role by using relentless defense to frustrate Ray Allen while scoring efficiently from three-point range. Watching Bell exposed the threat to their careers, Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest set aside their hostility and began working together.

• With Paul Pierce in foul trouble, Rick Carlisle called Raja Bell into the game to guard Ray Allen.
• Bell disrupted Allen with relentless physical coverage, helped force a missed shot, and later scored a corner three.
• Bell played 28 minutes, held Allen to a miserable second half, and scored 11 points on 3-for-4 three-point shooting.
• Watching Bell's performance on television, Jackson and Artest recognized that they could lose their places if they did not change.
• Artest advised Jackson on his shooting and passed him the ball, and the two began practicing together without fighting.

Lin Qi watched Dwyane Wade play for Marquette and decided the overlooked guard was worth pursuing despite scouts’ concerns about his background, shot, and punishing style. After Marquette’s win, Lin Qi ordered his scouting director to arrange a private dinner with Wade and his family.

• Lin Qi reviewed Dwyane Wade’s scouting and background reports while watching Marquette face Fordham in Milwaukee.
• Wade drove through Fordham’s defense, scored through contact, and sprang up after a hard fall, drawing concern from the scouting director about his knees.
• Marquette won 79–55, extending its season-opening streak to seven victories.
• Lin Qi told the scouting director to arrange a private dinner with Wade and his family, despite concerns about NCAA rules.

Lin Qi secretly met with Dwyane Wade and his pregnant fiancée, Siohvaughn, to warn him about a possible knee injury and urge him to get examined. Wade resisted taking money over NCAA rules, but Siohvaughn accepted it, and Lin Qi left after telling Wade not to wait until he was crippled to act.

• Lin Qi welcomed Wade and his pregnant fiancée, Siohvaughn, to a discreet dinner in Milwaukee.
• Wade recognized Lin Qi as the owner of the Boston Celtics and panicked that their meeting could violate NCAA rules, but Lin Qi reassured him that it was secret.
• Lin Qi praised Wade's potential as a Boston starter, then warned that his knee showed signs of injury from the strain of his explosive play and recent weight gain.
• Lin Qi offered Wade ten thousand dollars and a private medical contact so he could get a comprehensive examination and an MRI of his knee.
• Wade refused the money as a potential NCAA bribe, but Siohvaughn accepted it, arguing that their family could not afford for him to risk his health without medical care.
• Lin Qi left, telling Wade to get examined and not wait until he was crippled to discover he had gained nothing.

Lin Qi arranged for a specialist to exaggerate Dwyane Wade’s knee injury so Wade would stop playing and avoid further damage. He gave Wade $20,000 and urged him to skip the season, enter the 2002 NBA Draft, and return with him to Boston the following summer.

• A specialist warned Wade that continued play could cause a severe meniscus tear and ordered him to stop basketball and begin months of rehabilitation.
• After Wade left the examination room, Lin Qi revealed that he had paid the specialist to exaggerate the risks and requested an official report recommending an indefinite suspension from play.
• Lin Qi gave Wade $20,000 in cash to support Siohvaughn, their coming child, and their household expenses.
• Lin Qi told Wade to show the report to Coach Crean, refuse cortisone shots, and stop playing to focus on his family and recovery.
• Lin Qi told Wade to forget his junior season and declare for the 2002 NBA Draft, explaining that accepting the money made him ineligible under NCAA rules.
• Wade accepted the money, and Lin Qi promised to bring him back to Boston the following summer.

On December 15, Lin Qi confronted Beth Finneran about her six-month pregnancy and asked whether they should marry. Beth agreed to consider his proposal while assessing his readiness to be a father, and Lin Qi ended the evening by asking to listen to their child’s heartbeat.

• Lin Qi met Beth at a French restaurant in Boston and confirmed that he was the father of her child.
• Beth explained that she had chosen to keep the baby and could raise him alone, but would cut Lin Qi out of their lives if he relinquished custody.
• Lin Qi asked Beth to marry him, and she said she would consider it while judging whether he could be a father.
• After dinner, Lin Qi helped Beth with her coat and clarified that he wanted to listen to the child’s heartbeat, not take her home for sex.

Rick Carlisle studied the Lakers’ strengths and Boston’s depleted defensive lineup as he prepared for the Christmas game. He chose not to use Boston’s suspended forwards, instead planning to exploit the Lakers’ age with fast breaks and three-point shooting.

• Carlisle and Dwane Casey worried that Raja Bell lacked the size and experience to defend Michael Jordan, while helping on Jordan would open chances for Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Charles Barkley, and Shaquille O’Neal.
• Frank Vogel reported that the Lakers excelled at scoring against double-teams, and Carlisle rejected Casey’s plan to double Jordan.
• Carlisle refused to ask Lin Qi to release Boston’s suspended forwards, deciding to save those players and face the Lakers with the current lineup.
• Carlisle planned to keep O’Neal occupied inside with Ben Wallace, space the floor, and use fast breaks and three-point shots to exploit the Lakers’ age.
• Carlisle ordered Raja Bell to study Jordan’s film and hound him relentlessly through the Christmas game.

At George Mumford’s clinic, Lin Qi learned that Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson had learned to control their anger but refused to lift their suspensions yet. He planned for them to watch the Celtics face the Lakers on Christmas Day so they would understand how their behavior affected their teammates.

• Lin Qi watched Artest and Jackson meditate, and Artest managed to control his anger when Jackson provoked him.
• Mumford explained that, unlike Dennis Rodman, Artest and Jackson relied on violence as a survival instinct, and that he had taught them to redirect their anger into focus.
• Mumford offered Lin Qi the players’ psychological clearance reports and asked him to end their suspensions.
• Lin Qi refused, saying the Celtics’ Christmas Day game against the Lakers would test the roster and show Artest and Jackson how their suspensions burdened their teammates.
• Lin Qi told Mumford to keep the reports in his drawer until the players developed a sense of responsibility toward the team.

The Celtics endured four bruising games while Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson watched from the sidelines during their suspensions. After seeing Raja Bell bleed and return to defend against the Pacers, Artest and Jackson began to regret their absence ahead of Boston’s Christmas matchup with the Lakers.

• From December 16 to December 23, the Celtics went 3-1 against the Knicks, Heat, Pacers, and Pistons while Garnett and Pierce adapted to relentless double-teams.
• Raja Bell repeatedly battled through hard screens while Rick Carlisle kept him on opposing stars.
• Artest and Jackson initially expected Boston’s defense to collapse without them, but watching their teammates suffer changed their attitude.
• Against the Pacers, Bell was bloodied by a screen, refused medical attention, and returned to guard the ball handler.
• Artest admitted that he wished he had been on the court to protect Bell and ease the pressure on Garnett and Pierce, while Jackson sat in silence.

On Christmas Eve, Lin Qi and Beth shared an intimate evening, but Lin Qi’s excitement over a tall relative’s genetics led him to plan their unborn child’s basketball future. Beth stormed off to the bedroom, leaving Lin Qi on the couch still imagining a seven-foot unicorn player.

• Lin Qi and six-months-pregnant Beth spent a quiet Christmas Eve together in his Boston apartment before becoming intimate.
• Beth warned Lin Qi that they could not risk being intimate again before the baby was born.
• Beth mentioned that a distant uncle on her father’s side had been seven feet tall.
• Lin Qi speculated about the baby inheriting the family’s height and began imagining a basketball career for the child.
• Beth angrily ordered Lin Qi to sleep on the couch and locked herself in the bedroom.
• Lin Qi mused that a seven-footer could be developed into a unicorn rather than a center.

On Christmas morning, Lin Qi and the Celtics faced a nationally watched showdown against the Lakers, with Michael Jordan daring Boston to stop him from claiming a four-peat. Coach Rick Carlisle cleared the tactical board and ordered the Celtics to run relentlessly, leaving the team poised to attack.

• Lin Qi woke on the sofa after being locked out of the bedroom and found a blanket and warm milk left for him.
• Sports coverage and headlines framed the Celtics-Lakers game as a historic clash, while Shaquille O'Neal vowed to make Boston cry.
• Michael Jordan challenged the Celtics to get past him before they could win a fourth straight title.
• Lin Qi found suspended Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson furious that they could only watch from courtside.
• Rick Carlisle played a comic song, erased the team's set plays, and ordered the Celtics to push the pace and run.

The Boston Celtics used relentless substitutions and fast breaks to keep pace with the Los Angeles Lakers’ dominant half-court offense and took a 68-67 lead into halftime. Lin Qi watched the exhausted Lakers leave the court and anticipated that the Celtics would strike in the second half.

• Michael Jordan scored the opening basket, but Gary Payton pushed a fast break that ended with Paul Pierce making a corner three-pointer.
• The Lakers scored through Shaquille O'Neal inside and Jordan’s midrange shots, while Rick Carlisle rotated fresh Celtics players to keep the score close.
• Andrei Kirilenko, Gerald Wallace, and Wang Zhizhi helped Boston run repeated fast breaks and draw the Lakers’ defenders away from the paint.
• Jordan and O'Neal showed signs of exhaustion as the Celtics preserved a 68-67 lead at halftime.
• Lin Qi watched the Lakers head off the court and expected the Celtics to attack in the second half.

Boston beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-101 in a Christmas showdown, with Gerald Wallace's relentless fast breaks overwhelming the Lakers in the second half. Lin Qi watched the victory from a suite and considered how Boston's running game might fare against the heavier contact of the playoffs.

• The Lakers used fouls and physical defense to slow Boston, while Jordan's post-up scoring kept the lead within three points.
• Garnett grabbed a rebound and launched a long pass to Gerald Wallace, who sprinted downcourt and dunked over Marion.
• Big Ben inbounded quickly after Jordan scored, and Billups sent Gerald another long pass; Gerald dunked through Barkley's challenge for an and-one.
• Garnett stole a Lakers post entry and sent Gerald racing for another one-handed dunk as the Lakers' veterans fell behind.
• Boston won 111-101, with Jordan scoring 32 points, Garnett adding 18 points and 16 rebounds, and Gerald finishing with 21 points.
• Lin Qi watched Garnett celebrate and reflected on the limits of Boston's fast-break strategy in the playoffs before saying, "See you in June."

After Gerald Wallace’s Christmas Day breakout, the Miami Heat exposed his weaknesses by forcing him into half-court offense and leaving him open to shoot. Wallace struggled with his new shooting mechanics and transition control, leaving him on the bench facing the rookie wall.

• Boston’s media celebrated Wallace’s Christmas Day performance, while league coaches studied his game and advised teams to stop his fast breaks and leave him open.
• The Heat left Wallace open in the corner, and he missed two set shots before hesitating on a third pass.
• On a fast break, Wallace lost control of his dribble and crashed into a defender who had established position, drawing an offensive foul.
• Rick Carlisle substituted Wallace, and he sat beneath a towel while Lin Qi and Chip Engelland discussed his conflicting muscle memory and need to develop skills beyond athleticism.
• Lin Qi concluded that Wallace had hit the rookie wall because he could not slow down in transition or make open outside shots.

After Ronnie Lester showed Wade the lasting damage caused by playing through a knee injury, Wade and Coach Crean agreed on strict precautions for the rest of the season. Wade returned Lin Qi’s money but confirmed that he would enter the 2002 draft after the season, and Lin Qi accepted his decision.

• Ronnie Lester told Wade how his meniscus injury ended his playing career and said Lin Qi had sent him to show Wade the consequences of risking his knee.
• Wade told Coach Crean he wanted to keep playing only with conservative treatment, weekly MRIs, and an immediate stop if his knee showed signs of structural damage.
• Crean agreed to arrange independent weekly MRIs at his own expense and limit Wade’s minutes, telling him to leave the court if anything felt wrong.
• Wade returned Lin Qi’s twenty thousand dollars and explained that he would finish the season under the agreed precautions, then apply for the draft in summer 2002.
• Lin Qi respected Wade’s choice and urged him to attend every MRI and leave the game at the first sign of unusual swelling or locking.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle lifted Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson’s suspensions, reinstating them for Boston’s Texas road trip under strict probation rules. They were assigned to help Grant Hill’s contact rehabilitation, and Artest quietly packed his number 37 jersey for the journey.

• Carlisle explained that the union had forced an end to the players’ twelve-game suspensions before Boston’s demanding Texas road trip.
• Lin Qi and Carlisle told Artest and Jackson their suspensions were lifted, and Carlisle assigned them bench roles sharing minutes at shooting guard and backup small forward.
• Lin Qi warned both players against fighting teammates, opponents, or fans, and Artest insisted he would never attack a fan.
• Lin Qi assigned Artest and Jackson to provide defensive pressure for Grant Hill’s rehabilitation, with Dominique Wilkins guiding their training.
• Artest folded his number 37 road jersey and packed it away while Jackson prepared for the trip, and Artest warned him about the Spurs’ dirty play.

During the Celtics’ Western Conference road trip, former teammates reconnected over dinners while Kevin Garnett reflected on how many familiar players had left Boston. On the flight home, Lin Qi reassured Garnett that former players might return and promised not to trade him.

• On January 9, Ron Artest accepted Bruce Bowen’s wife’s pumpkin pie recipe at dinner with former teammates in San Antonio.
• On the flight to Dallas, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce reflected on teammates who had left and Garnett’s long history in Boston.
• In Dallas, Dikembe Mutombo invited Garnett and the Celtics to dinner, where Steve Nash greeted Lin Qi warmly and the group relaxed together.
• In Houston, Ben Wallace learned that Stephen Jackson and Artest had stayed in their room watching matchup footage to avoid getting sent to the G League.
• On the flight back to Boston, Garnett asked Lin Qi whether former teammates could return and whether Lin Qi would trade him; Lin Qi said there could be a chance for returns and promised Garnett a no-trade clause in his next extension.

At practice, Grant Hill showed that his old injury no longer troubled him, while Ron Artest struggled to balance defense and offense. During Boston's game against Philadelphia, Gerald Wallace hit a corner three after weeks of shooting work, giving the team a promising new offensive option.

• Grant Hill scored over Ron Artest during practice, planting his previously injured foot without pain.
• Dominique Wilkins criticized Artest for exhausting himself on defense and losing his shooting form.
• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle discussed Boston's league-leading record and the difficult Western Conference competition ahead.
• Gerald Wallace made a corner three against the Philadelphia 76ers after keeping his elbow tucked and using a steadier shooting motion.
• Tim Grgurich told Lin Qi that Gerald's improved shot could force Philadelphia to close out and let Gerald attack with his first step.

The 2002 All-Star starters were announced, with four Celtics players earning spots, and Rick Carlisle wrestled with whether to coach the Eastern team. The league later named the reserves, including Gary Payton, while Kobe Bryant replaced the injured Vince Carter in the East starting lineup.

• Ernie Johnson announced Ben Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce as Eastern starters, while Vince Carter and Allen Iverson filled the guard spots.
• Gary Payton complained about being left out, and Ben Wallace reminded him of their fifty-dollar bet over Wallace’s All-Star chances.
• Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle he was certain to coach the Eastern All-Stars, but Carlisle said he wanted to skip the exhibition and planned to call in sick.
• Lin Qi warned Carlisle that repeating last season’s sick excuse could anger the league, so Carlisle agreed to attend and noted he would be ineligible the following year under the Pat Riley Rule.
• The league announced the reserves, selecting Gary Payton for the East, and named Kobe Bryant an Eastern starter after Vince Carter was injured.

Kobe Bryant turned the Eastern All-Star Game into a fierce contest with Michael Jordan, pushing the East to compete instead of treating the game as an exhibition. With six minutes left in the fourth quarter, the East led by two.

• Kobe told Rick Carlisle he wanted to beat Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal, and Allen Iverson agreed to help him win.
• Kobe guarded Jordan tightly on the opening possession, then dunked after Iverson drove and passed to him.
• Kobe kept attacking and hit a three-pointer as the Eastern players let him take the lead; Carlisle began rotating players out.
• After Jordan missed a fast-break attempt, Kobe hit a transition three, prompting Jordan to answer with a forceful post-up score and trash talk.
• Kobe and Jordan continued their duel into the second half, while Garnett scored a jumper and Kobe ordered him to get back on defense.
• Carlisle put Garnett back into the game with six minutes remaining, and the East held a two-point lead.

The Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference in the All-Star Game as Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson dominated the closing minutes, with Jermaine O'Neal Jr. making a decisive defensive play. Kobe won the MVP trophy, and Garnett left convinced he would become a major threat.

• Rick Carlisle substituted Kevin Garnett out for Jermaine O'Neal Jr., who entered the game intent on proving himself against the Lakers' stars.
• Jermaine O'Neal Jr. disrupted Shaquille O'Neal's post-up pass, and Kobe Bryant stole the ball before setting up O'Neal Jr. for a dunk.
• Michael Jordan scored over Kobe, but Kobe answered with a fadeaway jumper to put the Eastern Conference ahead 116-112.
• Allen Iverson scored a double-clutch layup, and Kobe forced Jordan into a bad pass before O'Neal Jr. saved the ball and Kobe finished a fast break with a dunk.
• Jordan conceded defeat to Kobe as the Eastern Conference won 125-118; Kobe scored 31 points, claimed the MVP trophy, and Garnett warned that he would become a problem.

Kobe Bryant won the All-Star MVP in Philadelphia, drawing boos for taking the game seriously and beating local favorite Allen Iverson. At the airport, Rick Carlisle reminded the Boston Celtics that the All-Star break was over and the regular season was about to resume.

• Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, won the All-Star MVP, and raised his trophy defiantly as Philadelphia fans booed him.
• Kobe told a courtside reporter that he had played his game and had not come to make friends.
• Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Michael Jordan criticized or showed weariness with the league's elaborate All-Star entertainment.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett discussed the All-Star Game and the coming playoff race while waiting at Philadelphia International Airport.
• Rick Carlisle handed the Celtics their remaining February schedule and told them to focus on basketball again.

Lin Qi reviewed the Celtics’ rivals and saw that Grant Hill was adapting quickly to a new five-man lineup. He ordered Rick Carlisle to keep the lineup secret until the playoffs, when they planned to use it against Los Angeles.

• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle discussed the crowded Western Conference standings and the Orlando Magic’s strong roster, built partly from former Celtics players.
• Lin Qi reviewed Dwyane Wade’s medical report and saw that strict load management had kept his knees healthy despite limited college playing time.
• Rick Carlisle showed Lin Qi a practice drill in which Gary Payton, Paul Pierce, Grant Hill, Kevin Garnett, and Rasheed Wallace moved the ball effectively against a defensive wing squad.
• Rick Carlisle praised Hill’s basketball IQ and familiarity with the Celtics’ system, while Lin Qi approved of Rasheed Wallace’s strength and the lineup’s versatility.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle to conceal the lineup during the regular season and save it for the playoffs against Los Angeles.

Beth told Lin Qi that Patrick had bought a 49% stake in Jerry Colangelo’s sports group, with an agreement to acquire the remaining shares in 2004. Their plan relied on presenting the deal as a gradual transition while Colangelo’s financial troubles made the eventual takeover inevitable.

• Lin Qi cared for Beth, who was nearing her due date, as she told him Patrick had finalized a major deal with Jerry Colangelo.
• Beth explained that Patrick had acquired a 49% stake, giving Colangelo badly needed cash amid heavy debt and pressure from his investors.
• Beth revealed that Patrick had secured the right to compulsorily buy Colangelo’s remaining shares in 2004 at a pre-agreed valuation.
• Lin Qi and Beth discussed how Patrick would publicly act as a quiet minority shareholder while the agreement positioned him to take control of the Suns.
• Beth said Colangelo’s worsening finances would leave him unable to resist the eventual sale, then grew tired and rested against Lin Qi.