Recaps

Lin Qi rebuilt the Celtics into a playoff team, then reshaped the franchise around Kevin Garnett while launching a basketball analytics company. The arc left Boston entering training camp with a younger roster and salary space reserved for future moves.

• Lin Qi secured control of Boston’s basketball operations by wagering that the Celtics would reach the playoffs and rank among the league’s top ten in home attendance without increasing payroll.
• Lin Qi made a series of draft-night trades that reduced payroll and brought in players including Eddie Jones, Sean Elliott, Sam Cassell, P.J. Brown, and Dominique Wilkins.
• Lin Qi assembled an unconventional roster that beat the Knicks in the season opener, then managed conflicts between Wilkins and Cassell as the Celtics fought through the regular season.
• Lin Qi established clearer roles for Wilkins, Cassell, Radja, and Jones, and Boston finished fifth in the East with a 47–35 record, fulfilling his wager and earning him a five-year contract.
• The Celtics beat Cleveland in the first playoff round but lost a seven-game series to the Knicks, exposing their struggles against size and convincing Lin Qi to pursue Kevin Garnett.
• Lin Qi arranged a three-team trade that sent Dennis Rodman to Chicago and brought Boston draft picks, then used Will Perdue and picks to acquire Detroit’s eighth selection before trading up to the third pick.
• Lin Qi selected Kevin Garnett third and Michael Finley twenty-first, while Dominique Wilkins left for Italy after teaching the young players, and Robert Parish stayed for another season.
• Lin Qi founded an analytics company with Dean Oliver, Jeff Sagarin, John Hollinger, and Sam Hinkie, then signed David Wesley, Sam Mitchell, Tracy Murray, and Bruce Bowen as Boston prepared for training camp with cap space still available.

Lin Qi built a development system around Kevin Garnett as the Celtics adapted to his talent, growing pains, and rivalries. Garnett made a breakthrough against Orlando, then lost his bid to become a starter but began learning to lead the second unit.

• Lin Qi assembled a coaching and training staff for Garnett, including Rick Adelman, Tom Thibodeau, Kevin McHale, Jack Sikma, Chip Engelland, and Pete Newell.
• Garnett struggled against the veterans in practice but adjusted with his speed and footwork, worked on his shooting, and showed early high-post vision in a scrimmage.
• Lin Qi arranged a telephone for Garnett after finding him unable to call his mother and childhood friends from the gym.
• The Celtics opened the season with wins over Milwaukee and New Jersey, while Lin Qi’s analytics highlighted P.J. Brown’s defensive impact and Garnett learned how off-ball play could anchor a team.
• Eddie Jones and Michael Finley’s rivalry threatened the Celtics’ offense, but Thibodeau paired them defensively against Orlando and they began covering for one another.
• Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson exposed Garnett’s inexperience, prompting him to study their strength, technique, and preparation.
• Lin Qi’s plan to use Garnett’s three-point shooting against Orlando worked, and Garnett scored 23 points with 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks in a one-point Celtics win.
• Lin Qi moved Garnett to the second unit and made him its centerpiece, but Garnett’s group lost two scrimmages to the starters as he began learning to direct the offense rather than take every shot.

Lin Qi reshaped the Celtics’ late-game roles and watched Kevin Garnett grow as Boston climbed to fifth in the East and beat Cleveland. The Celtics pushed Chicago to five games before losing the series and Robert Parish to an Achilles rupture, leaving Lin Qi to turn toward free agency and the draft.

• Barkley dominated Garnett in their matchup, then told him not to idolize him or expect guidance, and Garnett vowed to play as if every game were a war.
• Lin Qi and Adelman prepared Boston to face Chicago’s Triangle Offense and switching defense, while Lin Qi recognized that Dennis Rodman had become the Bulls’ defensive centerpiece.
• The Celtics built an early lead against the Bulls, but Chicago rallied behind Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman before Jordan hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway to win the game.
• Lin Qi helped Matt Damon and Ben Affleck secure the rights and funding for their screenplay, bringing Robin Williams and Mark Wahlberg into the project.
• Boston endured a losing streak and late-game failures before Lin Qi assigned Dino Radja the early scoring role and Sam Cassell the late-game decisions, while giving Garnett more freedom to create.
• Garnett improved as a post passer and defender, Boston’s reserves helped the Celtics win, and Garnett hit a game-winning three against Indiana as the team finished fifth in the East.
• The Celtics beat Cleveland 3-1, then lost the first two games of their series against Chicago before Garnett, Radja, Jones, and Finley helped Boston win Game 3.
• Chicago won Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead, but Boston fought through four quarters and two overtimes in Game 5 before Jordan secured a 112-108 Bulls victory and the series.
• Parish ruptured his Achilles in Game 5, and Lin Qi urged the Celtics to work through the summer and hid money in the United Center locker room for them to retrieve after beating Jordan.

Lin Qi rebuilt Boston around Kevin Garnett, Dikembe Mutombo, and a deep, adaptable rotation, then watched the Celtics establish themselves with defense and a productive bench. As the season progressed, he turned toward the rising Lakers and ordered their games studied.

• Lin Qi hired Robert Parish to mentor Garnett, reviewed the roster’s weaknesses, and began Boston’s offseason preparations.
• Lin Qi traded Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson to Charlotte for the thirteenth pick, then arranged for the Hornets to select Steve Nash.
• Lin Qi traded Dino Radja and Boston’s twenty-first pick to Denver for Jalen Rose and future first-round picks, then used a late second-round pick to draft Ben Wallace.
• Lin Qi signed Dikembe Mutombo, traded for Chris Mullin, and helped arrange a three-team deal that sent Robert Horry to Boston.
• Lin Qi signed Mark Price and Bowen, finalized the roster, and watched the Celtics’ new lineup take shape around Garnett, Mutombo, and Nash.
• Price led the second unit in training camp and coached Nash, Wallace, Outlaw, and Garnett, while Lin Qi urged Garnett to take responsibility as a scorer.
• Boston opened the season with wins over Charlotte and Philadelphia, as Mutombo and Garnett anchored the defense and Price’s bench unit earned the name “Price Time.”
• Price’s reserves overwhelmed Seattle’s second unit, while Cassell and Garnett provoked a conflict between Dallas stars Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson.
• Lin Qi attended an advance screening of “Good Will Hunting,” then noticed the Lakers had climbed to fourth in the West and ordered recordings of their games against Houston and Seattle.