Recaps

After Robert Parish’s Achilles rupture ended his playing career, Lin Qi kept him with the Celtics as a big-man development consultant and assessed the roster’s injuries and playoff weaknesses. The offseason began with a development plan for Kevin Garnett and a clear list of needs for the team to address.

• Lin Qi offered Robert Parish a senior consultant role mentoring the Celtics’ young big men, and Parish accepted while demanding real authority.
• Lin Qi reviewed Dino Radja’s worsening knee injury, Sam Cassell’s muscle strain, Jones’s bruised shoulder, and Kevin Garnett’s signs of mental fatigue.
• Lin Qi, Adelman, Thibodeau, and the staff identified perimeter shooting, interior toughness, and Garnett’s strength as weaknesses exposed by the Chicago Bulls series.
• Lin Qi assigned Garnett to train with Parish on defense and boxing out, develop his low-post and midrange scoring, and continue improving his shot.
• Lin Qi ended the meeting, officially beginning Boston’s offseason.

Lin Qi held tryouts for Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojaković, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, seeing each as a potential answer to a weakness exposed by the Bulls. The next morning, three prospects’ camps canceled or postponed their plans, leaving Lin Qi to face sudden uncertainty over his draft targets.

• Lin Qi watched Kobe Bryant score against Michael Finley and recognized him as a potential source of tough-shot creation, despite concerns about managing his scoring instincts.
• Peja Stojaković displayed exceptional three-point range, while Lin Qi identified him as a way to counter defenses doubling Kevin Garnett.
• Steve Nash impressed the coaches with his anticipation and passing, and Lin Qi saw him as a point guard who could direct the offense.
• Jermaine O’Neal showed striking shot-blocking athleticism, and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas displayed imposing size and a soft midrange shot despite medical concerns about his ankles.
• Lin Qi listed the five prospects beside the team’s needs, then learned that Kobe’s second tryout was canceled, Peja’s trip was postponed, and Jermaine was recovering from physical discomfort.

Lin Qi traded Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson to the Charlotte Hornets for the thirteenth pick, beating the Lakers’ attempt to acquire it. He left the Celtics’ intended draft choice undisclosed and warned that anything could happen before draft night.

• Lin Qi told Adelman and Thibodeau he planned to trade Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson for Charlotte’s thirteenth pick.
• Lin Qi persuaded Hornets general manager Bob to accept the Celtics’ offer over the Lakers’ proposed trade for Vlade Divac.
• The Hornets signed the deal, and Bob called Jerry West to tell him the thirteenth pick was no longer available.
• Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson accepted their trades and shared brief farewells with Lin Qi.
• Lin Qi marked the thirteenth pick on the whiteboard but refused to tell Adelman whom he planned to draft.

As the 1996 NBA Draft unfolded, Lin Qi watched from Boston, knowing the prospects’ futures while the commentators doubted them. The Lakers traded Cedric Ceballos for the eighth pick and used it to select Kobe Bryant, setting Lin Qi’s anticipated plan in motion.

• Lin Qi watched the draft from his Boston office as Rick Adelman and the Celtics staff worried over the uncertain prospects.
• The Philadelphia 76ers selected Allen Iverson first, followed by Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, and Loren Wright.
• Lin Qi reflected that the draft’s picks had already diverged from the history he remembered, including Antoine Walker going to Dallas rather than Boston.
• The Lakers acquired the eighth pick from the Nets by trading Cedric Ceballos, shocking commentators and fans.
• David Stern announced that the Lakers selected Kobe Bryant from Lower Merion High School.

As Jerry West dismantled the Lakers’ lineup to draft Kobe Bryant, Peja, and Jermaine O’Neal, Lin Qi explained that West was building around Kobe and clearing salary cap space to pursue Shaquille O’Neal. When Charlotte called in a panic after losing its chance to draft Kobe, Lin Qi named a player for the Hornets, and they selected Steve Nash.

• Jerry West traded away Ceballos for the eighth pick and drafted high schooler Kobe Bryant, prompting widespread outrage.
• The Lakers traded Nick Van Exel for the tenth pick and selected Peja, whom Lin Qi recognized as a future floor-spacing shooter developing in Europe.
• West traded Elden Campbell and other assets for the eleventh pick, then drafted high schooler Jermaine O’Neal; Lin Qi said West was clearing the way to sign Shaquille O’Neal.
• Charlotte’s general manager called Lin Qi after Jerry West drafted Kobe, and Lin Qi gave him a name for the Hornets’ pick.
• Charlotte selected Steve Nash from Santa Clara University.

As Boston’s draft choices drew ridicule and other teams called hoping to buy its players, Lin Qi traded Dino Radja and the twenty-first pick to Denver for Jalen Rose and two future first-round picks, then sent David Wesley to Seattle for two second-rounders. He used a late pick to secure Ben Wallace and ended the night wary of revealing his targets to rival teams.

• Television commentators mocked Boston for trading Willie Anderson and Magic Johnson to draft Steve Nash, while Lin Qi dismissed their criticism and refused calls seeking Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Dino Radja, and other Celtics.
• After Cleveland refused to trade its twentieth pick, Lin Qi used Denver’s concern over Dikembe Mutombo’s contract dispute to negotiate a deal centered on Dino Radja.
• Denver agreed to send Jalen Rose, a protected 1997 first-round pick, and a protected 1999 first-round pick for Radja and Boston’s twenty-first pick, and Lin Qi accepted.
• Lin Qi traded David Wesley to Seattle for a late 1996 second-round pick and a 1998 second-round pick.
• Boston selected Ben Wallace with the late second-round pick, and Lin Qi resolved not to work out future draft targets.

Lin Qi used a rumor about Steve Smith to pressure the Hawks into prioritizing his contract over Dikembe Mutombo’s, then flew to Denver to recruit Mutombo directly. He offered a five-year, $50 million deal with incentives based on defensive impact, and left Mutombo considering a role and security the Hawks had not offered.

• Lin Qi planted a rumor that Boston would offer Steve Smith a long-term contract, forcing the Hawks to focus on re-signing Smith before Mutombo.
• Lin Qi cleared Boston’s surplus contracts and prepared the cap space and roster spot needed to sign an elite big man.
• Lin Qi flew to Denver and offered Mutombo a five-year, $50 million contract with a player option in its final year.
• Lin Qi told Mutombo he would be the cornerstone of Boston’s defense rather than a role player, and presented an incentive clause based on opponents’ shooting and the team’s defensive rating.
• Mutombo showed interest in Lin Qi’s proposal, while Falk recognized that its defensive-impact bonus could remain attainable even as Mutombo aged.

Lin Qi persuaded Dikembe Mutombo to join Boston by showing how the city’s medical resources could help him build a children’s hospital in Congo, then signed him to a five-year, $50 million contract. With Mutombo alongside Kevin Garnett, Lin Qi established Boston’s defensive foundation and turned his attention toward a coming storm in Phoenix.

• Lin Qi told Mutombo that Boston needed him as the defensive centerpiece beside Kevin Garnett and connected the city’s medical institutions to Mutombo’s dream of building a hospital in Congo.
• Mutombo rejected waiting for the market and told Falk that he would go to Boston when the signing window opened.
• Boston submitted a five-year, $50 million contract for Mutombo, stunning the league and leaving Atlanta without him.
• Atlanta’s general manager realized Lin Qi had used pursuit of Steve Smith as a smokescreen to disrupt the Hawks’ negotiations.
• Denver general manager Bernie Bickerstaff regretted trading Boston a future first-round pick for Dino Radja while trying to prepare for Mutombo’s departure.
• Lin Qi added Mutombo beside Garnett on Boston’s tactics board and looked west toward Phoenix, anticipating an August storm.

Lin Qi traded for Chris Mullin, believing the veteran’s shooting, off-ball movement, and defensive instincts would complete Boston’s system alongside Mutombo, Garnett, and Nash. Mullin accepted his new role, while Lin Qi turned his attention toward Phoenix and the approaching August trade storm.

• Lin Qi rejected concerns about Mullin’s age and injuries, using his 60.3% true shooting percentage to argue that he remained an elite floor spacer.
• Lin Qi persuaded the Warriors general manager to trade Mullin for Tracy Murray, Wesley Person, and a heavily protected future first-round pick.
• Mullin arrived in Boston, where Lin Qi explained how he would use off-ball cuts around Mutombo’s screens and help funnel opponents into Boston’s defense.
• Mullin welcomed Lin Qi’s plan and asked when he could begin training.
• Lin Qi studied the lineup on his tactical board and looked toward Phoenix, anticipating that a major gale would begin in August.

After Houston’s sweep by Seattle, the Rockets gambled their remaining assets to acquire Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson, while Lin Qi brokered a three-team trade that sent Robert Horry to Boston. The Celtics added Horry to a championship-contending lineup, while Houston was left with a powerful but fragile roster.

• After the Rockets were swept by Seattle, Carroll Dawson and Jerry Colangelo negotiated a deal for Barkley, but Phoenix demanded young players and a point guard.
• Dawson offered Houston’s movable players, draft picks, and cash for Barkley and Kevin Johnson, but Colangelo still wanted a young rebuilding prospect.
• Lin Qi offered Jalen Rose to Phoenix and arranged for Robert Horry to go to Boston, then persuaded Dawson to trade Horry as Houston’s final asset.
• The three-team trade sent Barkley and Johnson to Houston, Rose and other players and picks to Phoenix, and Horry to Boston.
• Rudy Tomjanovich worried that Houston’s aging starting lineup had no reliable bench, while Lin Qi added Horry to Boston’s starting five.

Lin Qi and Rick Adelman persuaded Mark Price to join Boston by offering him a system built around his pick-and-roll skills and a chance to prove himself again. Price signed a three-year contract, and Lin Qi looked ahead to challenging the Bulls while Price mentored rookie Steve Nash.

• Lin Qi identified Mark Price as a target, valuing both his potential impact on the team and his future as a shooting coach.
• Lin Qi brought Rick Adelman into the negotiations, and Adelman called Price to describe how his skills would fit alongside Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash.
• Adelman reignited Price’s desire to play, and Price agreed to come to Boston and show Nash what a short point guard could do.
• Boston signed Price to a three-year, ten-million-dollar contract and gave away Eric Snow to clear cap space.
• Lin Qi planned for Price to prove himself and mentor Nash as Boston prepared to challenge the Chicago Bulls.

Lin Qi finalized the Boston Celtics' 1996-1997 roster and envisioned how its defensive players would work together. He believed the transformed team had earned the right to challenge the Chicago Bulls.

• Lin Qi finalized the roster after signing Bowen to a four-year minimum contract.
• Lin Qi assessed the strengths and roles of the starting lineup, second unit, and specialist rotation.
• Lin Qi pictured Eddie Jones and Bowen pressuring opposing perimeter players while Garnett helped defend across the court.
• Lin Qi imagined Mutombo and the other big men protecting the paint behind the perimeter defense.
• Lin Qi declared that the Celtics had transformed and were ready to test themselves against the Chicago Bulls.

In September 1996, Lin Qi reviewed the growth and cash needs of his streetwear brand and basketball data company, then devised Hoop as an online community to connect them. He ordered Dean Oliver to expand the player database and register a large collection of domain names as Lin Qi prepared for training camp to begin.

• Mark Wahlberg reported that streetwear orders exceeded $1.6 million in delivered sales and $3 million in unshipped orders, while factory advances strained cash flow.
• Dean Oliver reported that the New England Sports Data Company had contracts with fourteen NBA teams and other clients, totaling about $2.9 million in annual value.
• Lin Qi ordered Dean Oliver to begin collecting data on high school and college players across the country.
• Lin Qi planned Hoop, a free basketball community that would attract fans and direct traffic to the streetwear brand and the data company's paid services.
• Lin Qi gave Dean Oliver a list of web addresses and instructed him to register them and buy other available domains in the company's name.
• Lin Qi watched people wearing the company's hoodies in Boston and noted that training camp would start the next day.

The Celtics' starters overwhelmed Mark Price's second unit in the first quarter of an intrasquad scrimmage. Lin Qi believed Price had spotted weaknesses in their defense and would exploit them in the next quarter.

• Adelman began a regulation intrasquad scrimmage, with Sam Cassell's starters facing Mark Price's second unit for the open point guard spot.
• Mutombo won the opening tip, and Cassell used physical pressure and trash talk against Price, who held his ground and forced him to pass.
• Price set up Michael Finley for a drive, but Mutombo blocked Finley's shot and Garnett turned the rebound into an alley-oop dunk for Eddie Jones.
• The starters' defense built a 14-2 lead and held a double-digit advantage at the end of the first quarter, while Cassell taunted Price.
• Thibodeau judged Cassell likely to keep his starting job, but Lin Qi noticed Price had studied gaps left when Garnett hedged away from the basket and predicted Price would exploit them.

Mark Price led the second unit back from a twelve-point deficit and briefly put it ahead, but Sam Cassell and the starters won the scrimmage by two. Coach Adelman decided to use Cassell to lead the starters and Price to run the second unit as the season approached.

• Price used screens and precise passing to spark the second unit's offense, helping Chris Mullin, P.J. Brown, and Finley score.
• The second unit took a one-point lead late in the third quarter, prompting Cassell to intensify his attack against Price.
• Garnett disrupted Price's pass in the final minutes, and Cassell scored a crucial floater as the starters secured a two-point victory.
• Cassell and Price acknowledged each other's skill while insisting their competition for the starting spot was not settled.
• Adelman told Lin Qi he would use Cassell to lead the starters and Price to direct the second unit.

After Mark Price challenged Steve Nash to one-on-one, he exposed the rookie’s reliance on speed and began teaching him the pick-and-roll. Kevin Garnett, Ben Wallace, and Bo Outlaw joined the late-night practice, and Price began coaching them as well while Lin Qi watched from the entrance.

• Mark Price stopped Steve Nash’s drives and beat him with a textbook jump shot, then told him to rely less on speed and asked him to learn the pick-and-roll.
• Price brought Ben Wallace over to help demonstrate screens, while Kevin Garnett and Bo Outlaw joined the practice.
• Price coached Nash through the pick-and-roll for more than half an hour as Nash repeatedly searched for the right opening.
• Price interrupted practice to correct Bo Outlaw’s shooting form, and Outlaw made a shot after Price adjusted his hands.
• Garnett asked Price for help creating room to shoot, and Price began teaching him how to use his back to read a defender.
• Lin Qi watched the players learn under Price’s guidance, then quietly left the gym.

After Dino Radja's departure, Kevin Garnett struggled with the pressure to become Boston's first frontcourt option, but advice from Sam Mitchell helped him embrace the role. By the end of practice, Garnett had begun scoring confidently and promised Lin Qi he would carry the team.

• Kevin Garnett hesitated to attack P.J. Brown in practice, and the starters fell behind as the second unit went on a 9-2 run.
• Sam Mitchell told Garnett that his teammates trusted him to score and urged him to take responsibility for each possession.
• Lin Qi asked Mitchell to keep pushing Garnett to shoot, explaining that the team’s defense could withstand missed shots while Garnett learned to lead.
• Garnett attacked Brown with a turning midrange jumper in a later scrimmage, then passed out of a double-team to Horry for a three-pointer.
• Garnett thanked Lin Qi for putting the team in his hands and said he would carry it from then on.

The revamped Celtics opened the 1996 season by beating the Charlotte Hornets 86-74, relying on Dikembe Mutombo and a coordinated defense to overcome a sputtering offense. Lin Qi left the team focused on improving its attack as it began its long season.

• Lin Qi and Tom Thibodeau watched the Celtics debut their new roster against the Hornets, whose coach Dave Cowens expected Boston's young team to struggle.
• Dikembe Mutombo blocked Glen Rice at the rim, while Kevin Garnett and Eddie Jones helped shut down the Hornets' perimeter attack; Charlotte scored only 13 points in the first quarter.
• Mark Price, Chris Mullin, Michael Finley, P.J. Brown, and Bo Outlaw led the second unit on an 11-2 run, giving Boston control of the game.
• Sam Cassell helped the starters close out the fourth quarter, and the Celtics won 86-74 after holding the Hornets to 36 percent shooting and forcing 18 turnovers.
• Rick Adelman criticized the starters' half-court execution after the game, and Lin Qi listened without interrupting, recognizing that Boston needed to improve its offense to challenge top teams.
• Boston media replaced their mocking headlines with praise for the team's defense, while Lin Qi looked ahead to Garnett's development and the reserves' growing chemistry.

The Celtics' suffocating defense was tested when Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers visited Boston. Dikembe Mutombo repeatedly blocked Iverson and helped force him away from the paint, while Lin Qi saw his defensive system and the partnership between Mutombo and Garnett taking shape.

• Before the game, Allen Iverson said he intended to score over his Georgetown senior, Dikembe Mutombo, and Mutombo warned that the paint was his territory.
• Iverson used a crossover to get past Sam Cassell and drove toward the basket, but Mutombo blocked his double-clutch layup and wagged a finger at him.
• Iverson kept attacking Boston's interior over the next two quarters, but Mutombo repeatedly blocked his attempts and drove him toward difficult outside shots.
• By the fourth quarter, Iverson hesitated to drive and settled for long-range attempts as the Celtics' defense lowered Philadelphia's shooting percentage in the paint.
• Lin Qi explained to Thibodeau that Mutombo's greatest value was making opponents abandon drives, and he watched Mutombo and Garnett's defensive partnership develop.

The Celtics beat the 76ers 91-79 as Dikembe Mutombo and Kevin Garnett’s defense stifled Allen Iverson’s drives. Lin Qi gave Iverson a hoodie featuring Mutombo’s finger-wag gesture, and Iverson proudly wore it for the cameras after the game.

• The Celtics held Philadelphia to 10-for-32 shooting in the paint, while Iverson finished with 19 points on 7-of-24 shooting and five turnovers.
• Thibodeau pointed out how Garnett’s hedges disrupted Iverson, and Lin Qi recognized the impact of the Celtics’ defensive system.
• Iverson congratulated Mutombo and promised to beat him next time he came to Boston.
• Lin Qi gave Iverson a heavyweight hoodie printed with Mutombo’s signature finger-wag gesture.
• Iverson wore the hoodie in the media corridor, posing defiantly for the photographers despite the loss.

The Celtics faced the championship-caliber Seattle SuperSonics as Lin Qi’s potent reserve lineup and its famed “Price Time” faced their toughest test yet. Boston led 46-43 at halftime, while George Karl prepared to attack Mark Price and Chris Mullin with full-court pressure during the rotation stretches.

• Lin Qi’s Celtics had opened the season 13-3, with Mark Price leading a bench unit that averaged 37.4 points per game and made its rotation stretches known as “Price Time.”
• The Seattle SuperSonics visited Boston, and Gary Payton pressured Sam Cassell while Shawn Kemp overpowered Kevin Garnett in the paint.
• Boston’s starting offense struggled against Seattle’s defense, while Dikembe Mutombo’s rim protection helped the Celtics hold a 46-43 halftime lead.
• George Karl told the SuperSonics to press Price and Mullin full court during Boston’s transition stretches, aiming to wear down the veterans and disrupt their passing.

Mark Price led Boston’s second unit through a 9-0 run that broke down Seattle’s reserves and helped the Celtics take control. After the win, George Karl praised Price, while Lin Qi reviewed the lineup’s strong statistics and anticipated using the bench as another weapon during the long season.

• Rick Adelman sent Mark Price, Chris Mullin, Michael Finley, P.J. Brown, and Bo Outlaw onto the court against George Karl’s reserve lineup.
• Price set up Mullin’s three-pointer, scored a midrange jumper, fed P.J. Brown for another basket, and watched Finley finish a forceful drive as Boston compiled a 9-0 run.
• Boston extended its lead to twelve points before the third quarter ended, and George Karl admitted after the game that Price had been the hardest Celtic to defend.
• Lin Qi reviewed a report showing the Price, Mullin, and Finley lineup’s strong ratings and considered the bench system an early weapon for the season.

On the road against Dallas, Sam Cassell used targeted trash talk to provoke Jim Jackson into forcing shots and disrupting the Mavericks' offense. Lin Qi explained that Cassell stayed silent against veteran Derek Harper because provoking him could awaken a dangerous opponent, leaving Thibodeau impressed by Cassell's judgment.

• Cassell needled Jackson with rumors about his car and his conflict with Jason Kidd, provoking him into a missed isolation shot.
• Cassell kept taunting Jackson, who ignored Kidd and forced shots until Dallas's offense stalled and his turnovers increased.
• Dallas's coach benched Jackson and put Derek Harper into the game, where Cassell defended him fiercely but stayed silent.
• Thibodeau asked Lin Qi why Cassell had stopped talking, and Lin Qi explained that Cassell targeted unstable players while avoiding veterans who might be roused by taunts.
• Thibodeau recognized Cassell's selective silence as a sign of his skill at psychological warfare.

The Celtics exploited Jim Jackson and Jason Kidd’s conflict, provoking a fight that got both Mavericks stars ejected and led to an easy Boston win. Afterward, Lin Qi read reports that Dallas was scrambling to trade Kidd and tossed the newspaper aside.

• Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett taunted Jim Jackson until Jackson punched at Cassell, who fell while Garnett backed away and called for the referees.
• Jackson turned on Jason Kidd after seeing him mock the incident, and the two Mavericks stars began fighting at center court.
• The referees gave Cassell and Garnett technical fouls and ejected Jackson and Kidd, leaving Dallas to lose in a rout.
• Cassell and Garnett joked with reporters that they had only discussed Jackson’s car and engine displacement.
• Lin Qi read that the Mavericks were searching for a trade destination for Kidd and threw The Dallas Morning News into the trash.

On December 5, 1996, Lin Qi watched an advance screening of “Good Will Hunting” and reflected on the costly deal that gave Miramax distribution duties while leaving his company the film’s ownership and long-term profits. After discovering that Jerry West had built the Lakers into a formidable team, Lin Qi ordered an urgent review of their games ahead of the Christmas Day showdown.

• Lin Qi attended a private advance screening of “Good Will Hunting” and learned that its audience response had thrilled Miramax’s staff.
• Lin Qi recalled signing a deal that left his company the film’s rights and profits while making him responsible for its publicity and awards-season costs.
• Lin Qi’s assistant delivered current league standings, and Lin Qi noticed that the Lakers had reached fourth place in the Western Conference.
• Lin Qi reviewed how Jerry West had assembled a strong Lakers roster around Shaquille O’Neal, including David Wesley, Tom Gugliotta, and Doug Christie.
• Lin Qi ordered his assistant to reopen FleetCenter and bring him recordings of the Lakers’ games, especially their matchups against the Rockets and the Seattle SuperSonics.