Recaps

As the NBA lockout approached, Doc Rivers and Lin Qi gave the Celtics individualized training and health plans, insisting the team stay prepared and pursue only a championship. The players accepted the challenge with laughter, while the league’s arenas faced closure in four days.

• Doc Rivers distributed customized folders and videotapes, explaining that the lockout rules made them suggestions rather than mandatory orders.
• Gary Payton challenged the team physician’s ankle and conditioning instructions, then signed the acknowledgment form.
• Kevin Garnett listened to Rivers’s personal training advice on a Walkman, while Paul Pierce and Rashard Lewis reviewed their own tailored plans.
• Rivers warned the players not to waste the lockout, and Lin Qi reminded them of their playoff sweep by the New York Knicks and declared the championship their only goal.
• Rivers revealed a blank tape he planned to use to record the team’s mistakes, prompting Payton, Harper, Garnett, and Dikembe Mutombo to laugh together.
• The Celtics faced the July 1 lockout, when NBA arenas would close.

The NBA lockout began after owners reacted to soaring player salaries, with Kevin Garnett’s publicly touted $126 million asking price helping push them toward a new maximum-salary rule. Garnett’s agent, Eric Fleisher, had delayed negotiations in pursuit of a bigger deal, but the new limits left Garnett able to sign for at most $71 million over six years.

• David Stern announced the start of the NBA lockout on July 1, 1998, cutting off public communication between teams and players.
• Eric Fleisher used the media to promote a $126 million demand for Kevin Garnett, while Paul Gaston refused to approve the Celtics’ proposed deal.
• Fleisher expected Garnett to become a free agent and receive an even larger offer, but his demands alarmed owners and helped prompt them to reopen collective bargaining.
• The owners’ draft agreement introduced maximum salaries based on players’ years of service, limiting players with six or fewer years to 25% of the salary cap.
• The new maximum-salary formula capped Garnett’s potential contract at $71 million over six years, $55 million below Fleisher’s public demand.

After the lockout erased Kevin Garnett’s expected $126 million deal, Andrew Miller helped him see that Eric Fleisher had put his own prestige ahead of Garnett’s interests. Garnett fired Fleisher and chose Miller as his agent, while Lin Qi saw the decision as an opening to secure Garnett’s future with the Celtics.

• Fleisher focused on the owners’ negotiations and the loss of his reputation, leaving Garnett without reassurance about the money he had lost.
• Andrew Miller visited Garnett, spent several days with him, and explained how Fleisher’s gamble had risked Garnett’s financial security without asking his consent.
• Garnett remembered Lin Qi’s question about whether those around him wanted to use or protect his talent, then called Fleisher and dismissed him.
• Garnett appointed Andrew Miller as his agent because he trusted him as a brother rather than a professional looking to exploit him.
• Lin Qi read the news of Garnett’s decision and recognized an opportunity to keep the Celtics’ cornerstone with the team, then resolved to calm Garnett’s anxiety.

Lin Qi reassured Andrew Miller that the Celtics would offer Kevin Garnett the longest, highest max contract allowed and build the team around him. During the lockout, Miller arranged lucrative opportunities for Garnett with Lin Qi’s backing, strengthening Garnett’s trust in Boston as the Celtics quietly prepared for the future.

• Lin Qi called Andrew Miller and promised the Celtics would offer Kevin Garnett a six-year, $71 million max contract when play resumed.
• Miller told Lin Qi that Garnett had resented Boston after the previous management delayed his contract, and Lin Qi explained that Paul Gaston had been in charge then.
• Lin Qi asked Miller to tell Garnett that Boston’s doors were open and that the team would treat him as its future.
• During the lockout, Miller arranged a Hollywood cameo and a streetwear endorsement for Garnett through Lin Qi’s network.
• Garnett earned money and gained national exposure during the lockout, while Miller helped him feel that Boston genuinely saw him as its franchise cornerstone.

During the NBA lockout, Lin Qi traveled to Livorno to watch Brad Miller, an undrafted big man playing in Italy, and decided Miller’s passing and shooting made him a valuable prospect. After the game, Lin Qi approached Miller and praised his skills, leaving Miller asking which team Lin Qi represented.

• Lin Qi went to Livorno during the lockout to scout Brad Miller, whom NBA teams had passed over in the 1998 draft.
• Lin Qi watched Miller struggle with his mobility but showcase high-post passing and midrange shooting in a warm-up game.
• Lin Qi followed Miller into the gym’s passageway and praised his passing and talent.
• Miller said NBA general managers did not want him, and Lin Qi told him they were blind.
• Miller asked Lin Qi which team he scouted for.

Lin Qi secretly promised Brad Miller a guaranteed four-year contract after the lockout, gave him $50,000, and urged him to skip the World Championship and prepare for the NBA season. Miller agreed to turn down USA Basketball, while Lin Qi left without revealing his identity or leaving evidence of their meeting.

• Lin Qi told Brad Miller that his team would offer him a guaranteed four-year contract once free agency reopened.
• Lin Qi advised Miller to lose weight, build strength, and improve his conditioning.
• Lin Qi told Miller to claim a serious knee injury and refuse USA Basketball's invitation to play in Greece.
• Lin Qi gave Miller a $50,000 bearer check to cover his expenses while he trained.
• Miller accepted Lin Qi's offer and promised to turn down the roster spot, and Lin Qi departed without leaving his name or any written record.

After reviewing the Celtics’ finances, Lin Qi discovered that a deal Paul Gaston had made gave Delaware North the arena’s most lucrative revenue streams. He sought to buy the FleetCenter, and as the NBA lockout drained the arena’s income, Delaware North opened negotiations, but Lin Qi told his team to wait.

• Lin Qi examined the Celtics’ accounts and traced their poor finances to the FleetCenter contract, which left arena concessions, luxury suites, advertising, and other revenue to Delaware North.
• Lin Qi decided to buy the arena, but Jeremy Jacobs rejected his offer and declared the FleetCenter was not for sale.
• As the 1998 NBA lockout halted games, the FleetCenter lost business and Delaware North struggled to cover its operating costs.
• In late September, Delaware North contacted the Celtics to discuss partial ownership and redistribution of future revenue.
• Lin Qi told his negotiating team to wait rather than respond eagerly to Delaware North’s offer.

Lin Qi waited for the lockout to weaken Jeremy Jacobs and bought the FleetCenter Arena for $170 million as negotiations between players and owners collapsed. After the lockout ended and Michael Jordan retired, Lin Qi prepared the Celtics for a new era of competition.

• At the Sheraton Hotel, Patrick Ewing and other players complained about their financial hardships during the lockout, and Abe Pollin suggested they sell their mansions and cars.
• Michael Jordan confronted Pollin, told the owners to sell their teams if they could not make money, and helped bring the negotiations to a bitter end.
• Lin Qi laughed at Jordan’s remark and continued pursuing the FleetCenter Arena as Jacobs’s losses mounted; Jacobs signed the $170 million buyout contract.
• In January 1999, the owners and players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, ending the lockout and setting a shortened 50-game season.
• Michael Jordan announced his second retirement at a press conference in Chicago, ushering in the post-Jordan era.
• Lin Qi surveyed the rival teams preparing to compete and anticipated Kevin Garnett’s contract registration and Miller’s return from Europe.

After the NBA lockout ended, the league’s general managers saw the Boston Celtics’ formidable fifteen-man roster and recognized its depth and defensive strength. Lin Qi had assembled a team equipped for both physical half-court battles and offenses built around spacing, leaving the league to face Boston when the season began.

• In mid-January 1999, the lockout ended, and league general managers reacted with alarm to the Celtics’ roster.
• Boston’s starting lineup paired Gary Payton and Eddie Jones’s tough perimeter defense with Kevin Garnett’s versatile offense, Robert Horry’s shooting, and Dikembe Mutombo’s rim protection.
• Chauncey Billups, Ron Harper, Paul Pierce, P.J. Brown, and Ben Wallace gave Boston a deep second unit built for steady play and physical defense.
• Lin Qi stocked the specialist rotation with Bruce Bowen, Rashard Lewis, Bo Outlaw, and Brad Miller, while Dominique Wilkins provided veteran experience.
• By late January, Lin Qi had built a Celtics roster capable of handling both physical battles and spacing-based tactics as the new season approached.

In the shortened 1999 season, Lin Qi laid down strict workload and safety rules to keep Boston's deep roster healthy for the playoffs, challenging the coaching staff's reliance on short rotations. The players accepted the plan, and Lin Qi sent them back to training with the championship as their sole objective.

• Lin Qi presented medical reports and red, yellow, and black player folders to Doc Rivers and Tom Thibodeau, ordering them to expand the rotation and protect players from overwork.
• Lin Qi placed Dikembe Mutombo, Ron Harper, and Dominique Wilkins on the red list, while assigning workload limits and a redesigned free-throw plan for Ben Wallace.
• Lin Qi set recovery rules for Robert Horry and Chauncey Billups and imposed security precautions for Paul Pierce and Rashard Lewis because of off-court risks.
• Gary Payton objected to his yellow designation, persuaded Lin Qi to mark him green, and accepted the responsibility of leading the younger players when veterans rested.
• Mutombo challenged his red-list status but agreed after Lin Qi stressed the need to preserve him for the playoffs; Harper and Wallace also accepted their plans.
• Lin Qi rallied the team around its championship objective and dismissed the players to training.

The Boston Celtics opened the 1998–99 season against the New York Knicks, relying on superior conditioning and defense despite both teams’ rusty offense. Paul Pierce came off the bench and widened Boston’s lead with a composed jumper, a steal, and a transition three, forcing Jeff Van Gundy to bring his starters back early.

• Lin Qi watched from a suite as Boston’s record-setting opening-night crowd filled New Garden Arena.
• The Celtics’ starters used sharper conditioning and defensive rotations to take a 23–18 first-quarter lead over the Knicks.
• Gary Payton pressured Charlie Ward and disrupted the Knicks’ offense with tight defense and relentless trash talk.
• Paul Pierce scored a contested midrange jumper, intercepted a pass, and hit a transition three to open the second quarter.
• Jeff Van Gundy responded to Pierce’s run by sending Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and the other Knicks starters back onto the court early.

The Celtics weathered the Knicks’ physical comeback and pulled away behind strong defense and clutch plays from Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce. Boston defeated New York 94-78, giving Doc Rivers a major early victory as Pierce earned the crowd’s recognition.

• Paul Pierce scored and created chances against the Knicks, while P.J. Brown converted Pierce’s pass to help Boston maintain its lead.
• Gary Payton returned late in the second quarter, and Kevin Garnett’s drive set up Eddie Jones for a corner three that made the halftime score 46-39.
• The Knicks used physical play to cut Boston’s lead to two points, but Payton rejected Doc Rivers’s timeout and helped Garnett find Eddie Jones for a key three.
• Boston’s defense shut down New York in the fourth quarter, with Robert Horry drawing an offensive foul, Kevin Garnett blocking a shot, and Dikembe Mutombo swatting Patrick Ewing’s hook.
• Paul Pierce drew a foul and made both free throws as Boston widened its lead, then the Celtics beat the Knicks 94-78.

After Lin Qi rested Dikembe Mutombo and Ron Harper against Philadelphia, Doc Rivers challenged Boston’s young players to prove their critics wrong. The Celtics defeated Allen Iverson’s 76ers 104–97, vindicating their depleted lineup.

• Boston’s media and fans criticized the Celtics after Mutombo and Harper were ruled out for the back-to-back game.
• Doc Rivers told the young players, including Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Rashard Lewis, and Brad Miller, to answer the doubters on the court.
• Allen Iverson scored 19 first-half points as Philadelphia exploited Boston’s defense.
• Boston’s youngsters tightened their defense after halftime, while Brad Miller’s passing helped unsettle Philadelphia.
• Billups and Pierce forced Iverson into a missed shot late in the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett’s rebound led to Rashard Lewis’s decisive three-pointer.
• The Celtics won 104–97, with Pierce scoring 22 points, Billups recording eight assists, and Miller adding seven assists.

Lin Qi introduced mandatory biweekly physical assessments to protect the Celtics through the grueling season, despite resistance from some players. During Ben Wallace’s examination, the medical team found abnormal readings in his right wrist and continued testing it.

• After Boston beat Philadelphia with rested players, Lin Qi defended his plan to preserve the team’s health for the playoffs.
• The Celtics posted a notice requiring all first-team players to undergo comprehensive physical assessments every two weeks, prompting complaints from Gary Payton and support from P.J. Brown.
• Ben Wallace silently reacted with unease to the new mandatory assessments.
• During his checkup, Ben Wallace’s grip strength was strong, but he admitted his right wrist sometimes became sore after games and weight training.
• The team physician found subtle abnormal patterns in Ben Wallace’s wrist tests and examined the wrist for an hour.

After the team physician discovered an early-stage nerve problem in Ben Wallace’s right wrist, Lin Qi warned him that ignoring it could permanently damage his fine motor control. Lin Qi arranged a rehabilitation plan, and Ben began working on his free throws under medical and coaching supervision.

• The head team physician told Lin Qi that Ben Wallace had early-stage inflammation and nerve compression in his right wrist.
• Lin Qi recognized that the hidden injury could explain Ben’s poor free throws and might cause permanent nerve damage if untreated.
• Lin Qi told Ben about the wrist problem and explained how it could affect his shooting and future career.
• Lin Qi arranged daily wrist rehabilitation, a custom brace, nerve therapy, and adjustments to Ben’s shooting technique.
• Ben began staying after practice to repeat stationary free throws while wearing the brace and following the assistant shooting coach’s instructions.

Paul Pierce’s breakout performances led the Celtics to make him their starting small forward, while Robert Horry willingly moved to the bench to preserve his role as a clutch finisher. Horry sealed the first game after the change with a decisive three-pointer, showing Pierce what mattered most in Boston.

• Paul Pierce scored 28 points against the Charlotte Hornets, and Doc Rivers praised his offense as already being at an All-Star level.
• Robert Horry told Doc Rivers he wanted to give up his starting spot so Pierce could start alongside the veterans and develop faster.
• Lin Qi approved the lineup change, putting Pierce in the starting lineup and planning to use Horry in crucial moments.
• Pierce made his first start and helped Boston build a lead, while Horry watched from the bench and encouraged him.
• Doc Rivers put Horry in late after the opponents cut the lead to two, and Horry hit the decisive corner three after Kevin Garnett drew a double-team.
• Pierce recognized the value of Horry’s composure under pressure, and Lin Qi saw the Celtics’ playoff rotation take shape.

Lin Qi overhauled the Celtics’ arena business by selling luxury suites as elite memberships and partnering the team with a streetwear brand, turning the FleetCenter into a major source of revenue. After the new ventures succeeded, he planned to use the resulting cash flow to sustain the team’s competitive dominance.

• Lin Qi demanded that the executives abandon their conservative approach and repackage the arena’s sixty-two luxury suites as exclusive memberships at double the price.
• Lin Qi made a streetwear brand an official Celtics partner and defended the collaboration as an expression of Boston’s toughness and local culture.
• The luxury suites sold out, the streetwear collaboration became a hit, and sponsors and broadcasters offered the Celtics more lucrative deals.
• The CFO told Lin Qi that one month of additional commercial profit had exceeded the team’s entire quarterly revenue under Gaston.
• Lin Qi reflected that commercial wealth would fund a stronger roster and help keep veterans in Boston, then left through the players’ tunnel.

The Celtics rested four veterans against the Spurs, while Lin Qi sent Kevin Garnett and a depleted lineup into the Alamodome to test them against Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The game stayed close as Garnett and Ben Wallace battled the Spurs’ twin towers.

• Lin Qi told Doc Rivers to rest four veterans and have Kevin Garnett lead the Celtics against San Antonio, both to test Garnett and to keep Boston’s tactics concealed.
• The Celtics started Chauncey Billups, Eddie Jones, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ben Wallace against the Spurs’ lineup led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
• Garnett traded playful taunts with Sean Elliott and Duncan before the opening tip, but Duncan calmly wished him good luck.
• Duncan scored over Garnett with a simple post move, and Garnett answered with a high-post jumper to tie the game.
• Ben Wallace struggled with David Robinson’s height and offensive rebounds but held his ground, then caught Garnett’s pass and dunked as the teams traded blows in a close game.

The Boston Celtics nearly beat the San Antonio Spurs but lost 102-101 after Paul Pierce missed a potential game-winner. Kevin Garnett left the matchup determined to face Tim Duncan again in the playoffs, while Lin Qi watched from Boston and considered the Spurs a major obstacle to a championship.

• Garnett struggled against the Spurs' coordinated defense from Duncan and David Robinson as Boston went into halftime trailing by two.
• Garnett and Duncan traded baskets in the second half, and Eddie Jones gave Boston a 101-100 lead with a midrange jumper in the final minute.
• Duncan scored over Garnett to put the Spurs ahead 102-101, and Doc Rivers called timeout with eight seconds remaining.
• Pierce got an open look at the right elbow but altered his shot to avoid Robinson's block and missed as the buzzer sounded.
• Garnett finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds, exchanged words with Duncan, and silently vowed to meet him in the playoffs.
• Lin Qi watched the replay in Boston and reflected that the Celtics would eventually have to overcome the Spurs, while the Lakers stood in their path to the Finals.

The Celtics faced the Lakers in their final season at the Great Western Forum, where Lin Qi saw Jerry West’s talented young starters backed by a dangerously thin bench. The Lakers’ starters surged ahead early, but Paul Pierce answered Peja Stojaković’s hot shooting, leaving Los Angeles ahead 28-22 after the first quarter.

• Lin Qi assessed the Lakers’ young starting lineup and shallow bench, noting how losing Tom Gugliotta had forced O'Neal Jr. into the starting role.
• Shaquille O'Neal opened the game by overpowering Dikembe Mutombo and scoring with a one-handed dunk over Kevin Garnett’s help defense.
• Kobe Bryant beat Eddie Jones with a fadeaway, then Peja Stojaković hit two early three-pointers to force a Celtics timeout.
• Paul Pierce demanded the ball, scored a contested midrange basket against Peja, drew a foul, and made the free throw.
• The Lakers finished the first quarter leading the Celtics 28-22.

The Celtics overcame the Lakers’ young lineup with physical defense and better execution, winning 101-89 despite strong performances from O’Neal, Kobe, and Peja. After the game, Jerry West recognized that his assembled young players had enormous potential, while Lin Qi anticipated how dangerous they would become under Phil Jackson next year.

• The Lakers’ bench unit stretched their lead, but O’Neal picked up his third foul and Eric Montross struggled after entering the game.
• Gary Payton and Garnett helped the Celtics take a 52-49 halftime lead as Pierce and the second unit built momentum.
• The Lakers briefly moved ahead in the third quarter, but their players’ competing one-on-one efforts and poor coordination undermined their offense.
• The Celtics’ physical defense made it difficult for O’Neal, Kobe, and Peja to score, while Pierce kept attacking and earned Horry’s confidence as a starter.
• Horry hit a corner three late in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics closed out a 101-89 victory.
• Jerry West recognized that the Lakers’ young players had great potential but blamed the loss on the team’s structure, while Lin Qi expected Phil Jackson’s triangle offense to transform them next year.

On the Celtics’ final night of the regular season, they needed a win over the Hawks to secure the league’s best record. Dominique Wilkins entered the game to steady Boston after Atlanta took the lead, but his first shot missed.

• The Spurs won their season finale, leaving the Celtics needing a victory to finish ahead of them.
• Wilkins told Pierce he would put on a show in his final regular-season game, and Rivers planned to bring him in during the second quarter.
• Boston opened with a 10-3 run and ended the first quarter leading 24-18.
• Atlanta pressured Boston’s reserves into mistakes and went on a 9-0 run to take the lead.
• Rivers sent Wilkins into the game, and Payton set him up in the low post, where Wilkins missed a fadeaway.

Dominique Wilkins helped the Celtics beat the Hawks in the final game of the regular season, securing first place in the league at 39-11. After the arena cheered his performance, Wilkins told Lin Qi he still planned to play in the playoffs, as the Celtics turned their attention to the postseason.

• Wilkins used his veteran footwork to score repeatedly, and he explained to Pierce that experience let his body choose moves instinctively.
• The Celtics regained the lead by halftime, and Pierce set up Wilkins for a fast-break dunk in the third quarter.
• When the Hawks cut the lead to two in the fourth, Wilkins declined to return, and Rivers sent Horry in to help close out the game.
• Payton, Eddie, Pierce, Garnett, and Horry held off the Hawks as Boston won 96-88 and finished the season first at 39-11.
• The crowd chanted Wilkins's name, and he told a reporter he had not retired and would play in the playoffs.
• Wilkins thanked Lin Qi before heading into the tunnel, while Payton reminded the Celtics that the playoffs were the real fight.

The Boston Celtics opened their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks with a hard-fought 90-74 win, answering the previous season’s sweep. The Celtics took game one, with two more wins needed to advance.

• Lin Qi replaced the Celtics’ pregame video with footage of the Knicks’ sweep of Boston the previous year, provoking the home crowd into a roar.
• Gary Payton scored on Charlie Ward after Garnett tipped back his missed opening shot, and the teams traded baskets as the Knicks briefly took the lead.
• Garnett blocked Patrick Ewing’s hook shot while Mutombo defended him, helping the Celtics regain their defensive intensity.
• Pierce made a three-point play late in the third quarter, then Billups set up Eddie Jones for a corner three that gave Boston a 14-point lead.
• After Ewing’s fourth-quarter scoring run, Horry hit a corner three against the Knicks’ press, and Boston won 90-74.

Boston faced a hostile crowd as the Knicks surged to a seven-point first-quarter lead, but Paul Pierce helped cut the deficit to two by halftime. Gary Payton rallied the Celtics to push harder in the second half and sweep New York, leaving the team fired up for the game’s conclusion.

• Doc Rivers warned the Celtics that the Knicks would fight hard at home, and Lin Qi recalled how far the Knicks had gone in the original timeline.
• Lin Qi joked about the Knicks’ chances on the bus, easing the Celtics’ tense mood despite Gary Payton’s criticism.
• The Knicks took a seven-point first-quarter lead at Madison Square Garden as Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston scored and Latrell Sprewell powered in an offensive rebound.
• Paul Pierce scored repeatedly through the second quarter despite the hostile crowd, helping Boston trim New York’s lead to two at halftime.
• Gary Payton told a crude joke in the Celtics’ locker room, then urged the team to beat the Knicks again and sweep them.
• Kevin Garnett led the Celtics in a roar of agreement as the players prepared to return to the court.