Recaps

Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers battled through a tense fourth quarter after Boston took a six-point lead, but neither team could score a winner in regulation. With the game tied 86-86, Game 7 of the NBA Finals went to overtime.

• With the Lakers tiring late in the third quarter, Paul Pierce hit a three-pointer and Kevin Garnett dunked in transition as Boston built a 71-65 lead.
• Phil Jackson opened the fourth quarter with Derek Fisher and Marion in the lineup, and the Lakers answered with a 7-0 run to take a 72-71 lead.
• Paul Pierce scored a floater to put Boston back in front, and Jordan kept the Lakers alive with midrange shots and free throws as the teams traded baskets.
• With 39 seconds left and the score tied 86-86, Garnett missed a long two-pointer, and O'Neal grabbed the rebound for the Lakers.
• Jordan missed a fadeaway with six seconds remaining, but O'Neal secured the offensive rebound before Ben Wallace chopped the ball from his hands.
• As the final buzzer sounded, the score remained 86-86, sending Game 7 of the NBA Finals into overtime.

The Lakers defeated the Celtics 106-105 in double overtime after Dwyane Wade missed a potential game-winning shot, and the teams met at center court after the grueling Game 7. Watching the Lakers celebrate, Lin Qi anticipated the end of his suspension and vowed to return next season.

• Artest fouled out early in overtime, and Jordan led the Lakers' offense while Wade became Boston's main option.
• The teams traded baskets and intentional fouls, but the score remained tied at 101 and forced a second overtime.
• With Boston trailing 106-105, Wade took the final shot over O'Neal, but the ball bounced off the rim as the buzzer sounded.
• Garnett and Pierce comforted Wade, and the exhausted players from both teams gathered at center court to exchange congratulations.
• Jordan encouraged Wade, and Boston left the court as the Lakers began their championship celebration.
• Lin Qi turned off the television at home and said he would return next season when his suspension ended.

After the Lakers won the 2003 Finals, Shaquille O'Neal received the FMVP despite controversy over Michael Jordan's decisive performance in Game 7. Jordan accepted the result graciously, announced that his era had ended, and Phil Jackson later explained how both players had mattered to the Lakers' victory.

• David Stern announced that Shaquille O'Neal had won the 2003 Finals FMVP, prompting boos and confusion among fans who believed Michael Jordan deserved it.
• Doug Collins argued that Jordan had saved the Lakers in Game 7's fourth quarter and overtimes, while Mike Breen reported that O'Neal had won the vote six ballots to five.
• O'Neal praised Jordan's clutch scoring and said half the trophy belonged to him, while Jordan said he had only wanted a championship ring to close his career.
• Jordan praised O'Neal and the next generation of players, then declared that he could leave the game in good hands and go home in peace.
• At the press conference, Phil Jackson called O'Neal the star of the Lakers' system and Jordan the comet who had rescued them when their plays failed.

Margaret completed a review of the Boston Celtics’ 2002-2003 season, when they finished first in the East and reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The report ended by looking ahead to Lin Qi’s return from suspension in August and an eventful summer for Boston.

• Margaret placed the season review report on Lin Qi’s desk while he was away from the office.
• The report summarized the Celtics’ 62-win season and highlighted the performances of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, and the rest of the roster.
• Boston swept the Miami Heat, defeated the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, then lost the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
• The report listed the season’s awards, including Tim Duncan as MVP and Ben Wallace as Defensive Player of the Year.
• Margaret closed the report and noted that Lin Qi would return in August, when interesting things would happen during the summer.

The Lakers struggled against Panathinaikos under FIBA rules and lost the opening game of their best-of-three series in Athens. Watching from Boston, Lin Qi saw the event’s worldwide broadcast and sponsorship revenue, and its boost to EBA’s standing, as a major victory regardless of the series outcome.

• Jordan, O'Neal, and Kidd arrived in Athens and found Panathinaikos’s arena decked out in green shamrocks.
• The Lakers struggled with FIBA rules, including the crowded paint, aggressive defense, and legal rim protection.
• Panathinaikos used three-point shooting and zone defense to beat the Lakers in the opening game.
• Lin Qi watched the replay from Boston and revealed that he owned Panathinaikos as well as the Celtics.
• Lin Qi calculated that EBA’s broadcast and sponsorship deals had already earned far more than the Lakers’ appearance fee.
• Jordan and O'Neal fought harder in Game 2, while Lin Qi concluded that either series outcome would strengthen EBA and expand his European business.

As the 2003 NBA draft approached, Panathinaikos revealed that Darko Miličić and Michael Pietrus had signed long-term contracts, sending NBA teams scrambling to revise their plans. Lin Qi watched as Margaret and Rick Carlisle traded Boston’s picks for the eighth and thirteenth selections, positioning the Celtics to draft his preferred Kansas players.

• The Lakers defeated Panathinaikos 2-1 in Athens, while the EBA’s success made European clubs more attractive to young players.
• Panathinaikos announced that Darko Miličić and Michael Pietrus had signed multiyear guaranteed contracts, causing NBA executives to remove them from their draft plans.
• A TNT reporter said the Detroit Pistons had abandoned their plans to draft Miličić and would likely choose Carmelo Anthony with the second pick.
• Margaret and Rick Carlisle bundled Boston’s four first-round picks and its second-round pick to acquire the eighth and thirteenth selections.
• Lin Qi watched the news from his home and recognized that the new picks could land Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison, the Kansas players he wanted for Boston.
• Lin Qi waited in his study for David Stern to announce the draft selections.

At the 2003 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics unexpectedly used their eighth and thirteenth picks on Darko Miličić and Michael Pietrus, who were signed to Panathinaikos. Lin Qi realized his staff had drafted them to stash overseas and expected him to handle their buyouts, leaving him to recognize that his own actions had created the situation.

• David Stern announced LeBron James as the first pick, Carmelo Anthony as the second, and Chris Bosh and Chris Kaman as the next selections.
• Lin Qi watched the draft and hoped Boston would take Kirk Hinrich, but the Celtics selected Darko Miličić with the eighth pick.
• The Washington Wizards drafted Kirk Hinrich, and the Memphis Grizzlies selected Nick Collison before trading him to Seattle, leaving Lin Qi’s preferred targets unavailable.
• Boston used its thirteenth pick on Michael Pietrus, prompting Lin Qi to curse when he recognized Pietrus was also under contract with his Greek team.
• Lin Qi reasoned that Boston’s crowded roster led Margaret, Ainge, and Rick Carlisle to draft and stash the players overseas, expecting him to resolve their buyouts later.
• Lin Qi concluded that his own influence and decisions had caused the Celtics’ draft strategy, then blamed his temper on the wine.

As the 2003 free-agent market opened, suspended Boston Celtics executive Lin Qi watched contenders fight for Jason Kidd, Jermaine O'Neal, and Gary Payton while the Lakers dynasty collapsed. He feared that San Antonio or Miami could build a team strong enough to challenge Boston, and awaited the end of his suspension in August.

• Lin Qi realized David Stern's suspension had kept him out of the crucial July free-agency period.
• Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Mitch Richmond, Patrick Ewing, and other veterans retired, while Phil Jackson resigned and Jason Kidd entered free agency after the Lakers rejected his contract demand.
• Gary Payton became an unrestricted free agent after the SuperSonics withdrew their promised extension following his serious playoff injuries.
• The Spurs, Jazz, Nuggets, and Heat emerged with major cap space and pursued top free agents, with the Spurs and Heat offering Kidd six years and $92.2 million.
• Tim Duncan opted out of his Spurs contract but announced he intended to re-sign, potentially freeing San Antonio additional cap space to pursue Kidd or O'Neal.
• Lin Qi concluded that the Spurs or Heat could become major threats to Boston, and looked ahead to his suspension ending in August.

NBA free agency reshaped the league as Jason Kidd and Karl Malone joined the Spurs, while the Celtics made no roster moves during Lin Qi’s suspension. Lin Qi watched the calendar and prepared for his suspension to end on August 1.

• Doc Rivers and the Magic re-signed Jermaine O'Neal Jr. to a seven-year, $126 million contract.
• Jason Kidd chose the Spurs after Gregg Popovich spoke with him and Tim Duncan, signing a six-year, $92.2 million deal.
• Karl Malone joined San Antonio on a veteran-minimum contract, strengthening the Spurs alongside Tim Duncan and Kidd.
• Pat Riley pursued Lamar Odom with a six-year, $63 million Heat offer, but the Lakers matched it to keep Odom.
• The Nuggets signed Gilbert Arenas and Michael Olowokandi, while the Nets re-signed Elton Brand and extended Andre Miller.
• Lin Qi ignored criticism of the inactive Celtics and waited for his suspension to end on August 1.

Lin Qi returned to the Celtics after his suspension was lifted and assessed their offseason roster problems. Convinced Boston needed Gary Payton and Dikembe Mutombo to challenge San Antonio, he ordered meetings with both veterans and announced major roster changes.

• Lin Qi returned to his office, where Margaret welcomed him back and gave him reports on offseason moves.
• Lin Qi learned that Robert Horry had signed with the Spurs and reviewed how the Heat acquired and waived Dikembe Mutombo.
• Lin Qi recognized that trading Gary Payton had damaged the Celtics' system and saw that Payton remained unsigned after a difficult free-agent market.
• Lin Qi concluded that the Celtics needed Payton and Mutombo but would have to cut core rotation players to make room.
• Lin Qi told Margaret to arrange meetings with Payton and Mutombo and ordered Rick Carlisle to bring player evaluations for a major roster overhaul.

Lin Qi brought Gary Payton back to Boston through a sign-and-trade, but Seattle demanded Chauncey Billups in return. After Rick Sund assembled two first-round picks, the Celtics traded Billups and two veterans for Payton and the picks, and Payton decided to leave Seattle for good.

• Lin Qi visited Gary Payton in Seattle and offered him a five-year, $20 million contract after Payton said he could still play and wanted to return to Boston.
• Lin Qi proposed sending Rod Strickland, Mark Jackson, Tayshaun Prince, and Mehmet Okur to Seattle, but Rick Sund demanded Chauncey Billups instead.
• Lin Qi refused Sund’s initial demand and said Seattle would need to add two first-round picks for Billups.
• Rick Sund traded Sam Cassell to Miami for its 2007 first-round pick and second-round picks, then sent Vladimir Radmanović and those second-round picks to the Lakers for their 2005 first-round pick.
• Lin Qi and Rick Sund finalized a sign-and-trade in which Boston sent Chauncey Billups, Rod Strickland, and Mark Jackson to Seattle for Gary Payton and the Lakers’ 2005 and Heat’s 2007 first-round picks.
• Gary Payton told Aaron Goodwin to put his Seattle mansion up for sale because he no longer felt attached to the city.

After trading Chauncey Billups, Lin Qi sought to shore up Boston’s depleted backcourt and undersized center rotation. He offered Tyronn Lue a role as a defensive backup and persuaded Dikembe Mutombo to return to Boston on a two-year veteran-minimum contract.

• Boston’s trade for Gary Payton was approved, leaving the Celtics without Billups, Rod Strickland, and Mark Jackson while Payton recovered from injuries.
• Lin Qi identified Tyronn Lue as a fit for Boston’s backup guard role and instructed the legal department to offer him a guaranteed three-year contract worth $1.5 million annually.
• Lin Qi met Dikembe Mutombo and reminded him of his promise to return to Boston after his Dallas contract.
• Lin Qi offered Mutombo a two-year veteran-minimum contract, limited playing time in the paint, and a role mentoring Tyson Chandler.
• Mutombo accepted Lin Qi’s offer and vowed to protect Boston’s paint.

Lin Qi filled Boston's last roster spot after failing to sign Udonis Haslem, while also acquiring the rights to Kyle Korver and Matt Bonner and arranging for them to develop in Europe. Brian Scalabrine completed the Celtics' fifteen-man roster for the 2003-04 season.

• Udonis Haslem chose Pat Riley's Miami Heat over Boston, where he had a better chance at playing time.
• Lin Qi arranged with Mark Roberts to buy Kyle Korver's signing rights from the Nets for $250,000.
• Lin Qi bought Matt Bonner's signing rights from the Raptors for a little over $200,000.
• Olympia Milan signed Korver and Bonner to one-year EuroLeague contracts so they could develop without taking Boston roster spots.
• Lin Qi offered Brian Scalabrine a fully guaranteed two-year, $1.7 million extension, giving him Boston's final roster spot.

Lin Qi unveiled the Celtics' new $95 million Auerbach Training and Medical Center, featuring advanced practice, recovery, and player amenities. The players enthusiastically headed to choose their lockers as the new season approached.

• Paul Pierce and Tyronn Lue discussed Kobe's legal troubles and the turmoil facing the Chicago Bulls on the bus to the facility.
• Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle welcomed the players to the Auerbach Training and Medical Center and demonstrated its motion-capture system.
• Lin Qi showed the players the recreation area, dining room, and theater, explaining that they could use the center even when practice was not scheduled.
• Lin Qi introduced the cryotherapy chamber, underwater rehabilitation treadmill, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber; Gary Payton became hopeful about his recovery, and Kevin Garnett claimed the oxygen chamber for post-practice use.
• Lin Qi described the facility's support for players and their families, then sent the excited players to choose their lockers.

Lin Qi confirmed Dwyane Wade’s choice of No. 4 after learning Wade refused to wear retired No. 3 without earning the honor. He signed off on Boston’s completed 2003-04 roster as the overseas training camp approached.

• Lin Qi noticed Dwyane Wade had chosen No. 4 instead of his college number, No. 3, and went to ask him about it.
• Lin Qi offered to help Wade obtain Dennis Johnson’s permission to wear Boston’s retired No. 3.
• Wade declined, saying he had not yet earned the number and would use No. 4 as a fresh start.
• Lin Qi approved Wade’s decision and signed the jersey confirmation sheet, completing Boston’s fifteen-man roster.
• Lin Qi watched staff prepare the new-season posters as Boston’s overseas training camp neared.

Lin Qi learned from Beth Finneran that Kobe Bryant faced a strong criminal case in Colorado, with preserved evidence and a complainant whose family understood the law. Beth predicted the family could use legal delays to keep the case hanging over Kobe and the Chicago Bulls, and Lin concluded Chicago would struggle next season.

• Lin Qi read a newspaper story about Kobe Bryant leaving the Eagle County courthouse, and Beth explained the backlash over Mark Cuban’s comments about the case.
• Beth told Lin that the complainant was a sixteen-year-old legislator’s daughter with a strong community reputation and a family stake in the hotel where the incident occurred.
• Beth explained that hotel security had preserved key evidence and that Kobe had first denied sexual contact before admitting it and claiming it was consensual.
• Beth predicted that the defense would exploit media pressure, but the complainant’s family could use lawful trial delays to keep the case pending for years.
• Lin realized that the case could haunt Kobe’s career and the Chicago Bulls, and he said Chicago would have a difficult season ahead.

Lin Qi spoke with David Stern about the league’s response to the Colorado case involving Kobe Bryant. He advised Stern not to suspend Kobe and to keep protests off NBA broadcasts, leaving Stern prepared to follow his strategy as Lin Qi got ready to travel to Europe.

• Lin Qi promised Beth that they would take a vacation at Lake Como after he settled matters in Milan.
• David Stern privately called Lin Qi and warned him not to comment publicly on the Colorado case or risk provoking Kobe’s fans.
• Stern told Lin Qi that sponsors were threatening to suspend contracts and some NBA owners wanted Kobe suspended under the morals clause.
• Lin Qi argued that suspending Kobe before a verdict would treat him as guilty and might drive him to play in Europe, costing the NBA a major star and market share.
• Lin Qi advised Stern to instruct broadcasters to avoid showing protesters and keep their cameras on the game.
• Stern thanked Lin Qi for the advice and wished him well on his trip to Europe.

Lin Qi devised a plan to use independent sponsorship committees at Puma and Converse to increase Celtics players’ off-court income without violating NBA rules. He considered signing Kobe Bryant to Olympia Milan, but concluded that Kobe’s bail restrictions would prevent him from legally leaving the United States.

• Lin Qi reviewed NBA precedents and concluded that endorsement deals could supplement players’ income as long as their official salaries matched their market value.
• Lin Qi decided to establish independent sponsorship committees at Puma and Converse, creating procedural separation from his decisions as a team owner.
• Lin Qi considered offering Kobe Bryant a lucrative contract with Olympia Milan to boost the EBA’s profile and challenge the NBA’s global reach.
• Lin Qi realized that Kobe’s bail conditions could restrict his travel and that fleeing the United States would make him a fugitive, so he abandoned the idea.

Lin Qi laid out a five-year plan to develop four EBA seed teams with distinct playing styles and build them into challengers for NBA champions. He left Maurizio with firm conditions for talks with FIBA: EBA would consider cooperation, but not surrender its commercial sovereignty, scheduling independence, or control of club assets.

• Lin Qi reviewed the first-week scrimmage report and concluded that EBA's young players needed time and focused development to match Boston's physicality.
• Lin Qi assigned Panathinaikos, Olympia Milan, Virtus Rome, and Royal Madrid distinct rosters and tactical identities, including hard-nosed defense, motion offense, run-and-gun, and pick-and-roll basketball.
• Lin Qi set a 2006–2008 development window and aimed for at least one seed team to challenge the NBA champions in the World Series within five years.
• Maurizio reflected on EBA's growth, rising broadcast value, and growing influence as FIBA began exploring cooperation with the league.
• Lin Qi told Maurizio that EBA would remain open to FIBA talks but would demand cash or commercial rights for access to its players and would not compromise its core autonomy.

Lin Qi reviewed two raw Asian basketball prospects, Chaolu and Shamalage, and ordered their legal adoption and relocation to Boston for long-term development. He also directed Maurizio to openly offer Kobe Bryant a lucrative opportunity with Olympia Milan and the EBA as the scandal around him intensified, then headed to inspect the arena.

• Lin Qi examined scouting reports on fifteen-year-olds Chaolu and Shamalage, whose exceptional physical abilities had drawn the network’s attention.
• Lin Qi rejected a short European training camp and ordered Maurizio to begin formal international adoption procedures so the boys could come to Boston under his care.
• Lin Qi asked Maurizio to contact Rob Pelinka officially on behalf of the EBA League about bringing Kobe Bryant to Europe.
• Lin Qi instructed Maurizio to offer Kobe a top-tier Olympia Milan salary and a possible global lifetime endorsement deal from Puma if his American team and sponsors abandoned him.
• Lin Qi headed to inspect the arena after hearing that Artest and Barbosa had argued during a scrimmage.

Lin Qi and Beth argued over whether their sons should attend his planned international academy or traditional elite schools, revealing their different ideas about the boys’ futures. Lin set the disagreement aside and told Beth he missed her, softening the call.

• Lin Qi told Beth about adopting Chaolu and Shamalage and creating Star Path International Academy for gifted orphans.
• Lin Qi said he wanted Ben and Joe to attend the academy, but Beth argued they should follow Boston’s traditional path through elite schools.
• Lin Qi mocked the old-money route and said the boys should be free to pursue basketball or whatever they wanted.
• Beth warned that their lives should not be confined to basketball, and the call fell silent.
• Lin Qi agreed they should wait to see what the boys wanted when they grew up, then told Beth he missed her.

Lin Qi watched Dwyane Wade train in Milan and learned how a missed Finals game-winner had changed Wade’s attitude toward shooting. Carlisle also described how veteran guards Mark Jackson and Rod Strickland had taught Wade, leaving Lin Qi wondering whether Wade could lead the Celtics to a dynasty.

• Lin Qi found Wade practicing pull-up jumpers after the Celtics’ scrimmage against Olympia Milan.
• Carlisle told Lin Qi that Wade had trained obsessively for two months since the NBA Finals ended.
• Carlisle and Engelland explained that Wade had once rejected jump shots, but his missed Finals game-winner convinced him to develop his midrange shot.
• Carlisle described how Mark Jackson taught Wade to control pace and use his size, while Rod Strickland taught him crafty ways to attack defenders.
• Wade made his five hundredth pull-up jumper, and Lin Qi wondered whether he could lead the Celtics to five straight championships.

Lin Qi learned that Rick Carlisle wanted to move Ron Artest to the bench but feared opposition from Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett. Lin Qi took charge of securing the change and planned a private meeting with the team’s leaders, leaving Carlisle free to coach the coming season his way.

• After Wade finished 500 pull-up jumpers, Carlisle asked Lin Qi to speak privately in the tactics room.
• Carlisle explained that Chris Paul and Kevin Garnett protected Ron Artest from discipline, making the trio’s unity an obstacle to his coaching plans.
• Carlisle proposed starting Raja Bell at shooting guard, moving Chris Paul to small forward, and bringing Ron Artest off the bench.
• Lin Qi agreed with the lineup change and said he would handle the locker-room politics instead of asking Carlisle to announce it.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle to invite Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace to a private dinner so they could agree on Ron Artest’s bench role.

Lin Qi persuaded Boston’s leaders to support Rick Carlisle’s plan to move Ron Artest to the second unit and alter the starting lineup. After the players agreed to back the coaching staff, Lin Qi told Carlisle he was developing a new tactic.

• Lin Qi explained that Boston’s offense had stalled in the Finals because Ron Artest’s lack of shooting let opponents crowd the paint.
• Lin Qi announced that Raja Bell would start at shooting guard, Chris Paul would shift to small forward, and Ron Artest would join the second unit.
• Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace promised to help control Ron Artest, while Lin Qi assigned Pierce, Garnett, and the two Wallaces roles in securing the locker room’s support.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett agreed to handle Ron Artest and leave lineup decisions to the coaching staff.
• After the players left, Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle he was working on an entirely new tactic.

Lin Qi explained the Boston Pick-and-Roll to Rick Carlisle, showing how its simultaneous screens could create open scoring chances and launch a renewed motion offense. Carlisle embraced the challenge of developing the tactic, while Lin Qi credited him as the coach who would make it his signature.

• Lin Qi used tableware to demonstrate how Raja Bell, Chris Paul, Kevin Garnett, Big Ben, and Dwyane Wade would space the court for the new lineup.
• Lin Qi described the Boston Pick-and-Roll, in which Big Ben screened for Wade while Garnett back-screened Big Ben’s defender before popping out to the three-point line.
• Carlisle identified the tactic’s timing, switching, and spacing weaknesses, and Lin Qi explained why the lineup’s shooting and driving threats could address them.
• Carlisle expanded the play into a motion offense, with Garnett facilitating from the top, Big Ben screening, and the ball moving toward Raja Bell and Chris Paul on the weak side.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle that the finished tactic would be Carlisle’s masterpiece, and Carlisle vowed to develop it and shock the league next season.