Recaps

Lin Qi reshaped Boston’s rotation and tightened the team’s focus as the Celtics finished the season with the league’s best record. Boston swept Orlando and prepared to face New York, while Lin Qi advanced his business and sports complex plans.

• Kobe won All-Star MVP after leading the East’s comeback, then challenged Pierce and Garnett about their defense before the Chicago matchup.
• Boston blew out Chicago as Kobe forced shots and clashed with Ron Artest, then Michael Redd broke out against Toronto and scored 22 points in a Celtics win.
• Lin Qi rejected Jackie Christie’s demands for Doug’s larger role, traded Doug to Phoenix, and gave Bruce Bowen a starting spot as Boston pursued a third straight title.
• Lin Qi launched Lin Qi Capital and advanced plans for the Brighton sports complex, while David Stern prepared to defend the independent sports medicine center to concerned owners.
• Garnett resented the MVP vote projections but committed to the championship, and Boston beat Philadelphia twice as its defense shut down Iverson and forced Jermaine O'Neal Jr. out of one game.
• The Celtics finished 69-13, locked down the team during the playoffs, and prepared for the Lakers while Rick Carlisle laid out a plan to contain Shaquille O’Neal and Jason Kidd.
• Boston swept Orlando in the first round, and Lin Qi suggested he could help Doc Rivers keep his job if Rivers called him that summer.
• After New York swept Miami, Lin Qi and Carlisle reviewed the Knicks’ roster and defense, and Lin Qi vowed Boston would show them the league’s top defense.

The Celtics swept the Knicks, then advanced through Philadelphia and faced a depleted Lakers team in the NBA Finals. Boston took a 2-0 lead before the Lakers rallied at home to tie the series, leaving Lin Qi ready to confront the league over the officiating.

• The Celtics set a Knicks franchise low in Game 1, and James Dolan pressured Jeff Van Gundy to speed up the offense before Boston swept New York and Van Gundy joined Boston as a senior consultant.
• Boston beat Philadelphia in five games by containing Allen Iverson and Jermaine O'Neal Jr., while Iverson played through injuries and Lin Qi called for better sports medicine.
• Phil Jackson concluded that Boston had helped shape the Lakers' difficult playoff path, and the rested Celtics prepared to face the battered Lakers in the Finals.
• Boston overwhelmed the Lakers in Game 1 and won Game 2 109-88, taking a 2-0 Finals lead as Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Kidd struggled with injuries and fatigue.
• The Lakers beat Boston 102-98 in Game 3 after Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Kidd led a strong home performance, cutting the series deficit to 2-1.
• After a smoke bomb triggered a hotel evacuation and left Boston's players exhausted, Lin Qi urged them to channel their anger, and the Celtics opened Game 4 with a 54-41 halftime lead.
• The referees' calls helped the Lakers erase Boston's lead, Ben Wallace fouled out and Rasheed Wallace was ejected, and Los Angeles won 106-101 to tie the series as Lin Qi planned to call league headquarters.

Lin Qi led Boston to a third straight championship, then reshaped Orlando, stockpiled future picks, and built a roster for the next season. With Michael Jordan joining a Lakers team assembled to challenge the Celtics, Lin Qi also expanded his European basketball operation and began planning to buy another NBA team.

• Lin Qi pressured David Stern over the Game 5 officiating, and Boston won the next two games to claim its third straight championship as Paul Pierce earned Finals MVP.
• Phil Jackson recruited Michael Jordan to the Lakers, where O'Neal and Kidd promised to support him, and Jordan accepted the offer instead of returning with Washington.
• Lin Qi helped Doc Rivers acquire Jermaine O'Neal and trade Ron Mercer for Denver's tenth pick, then Boston sent Orlando Michael Redd, Hedo Türkoğlu, and Brad Miller for draft assets.
• Lin Qi assessed Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, and Eddy Curry in workouts, then traded Boston's picks to draft Tyson Chandler, Gerald Wallace, Mehmet Okur, and Brian Scalabrine while collecting future picks.
• Lin Qi traded Bruce Bowen to San Antonio for two unprotected first-round picks and welcomed Raja Bell, Stephen Jackson, and Andrei Kirilenko to Boston.
• Jordan announced his return with the Lakers on a veteran-minimum deal, and several veteran stars joined him as he declared that he wanted to test Boston.
• Maurizio Gherardini told Lin Qi that the EBA had secured a major broadcasting deal and planned to expand, while Lin Qi focused on its European growth and the 2003 draft assets.
• Lin Qi and Beth planned to use her cousin Patrick as a proxy to buy another NBA team, with EBA and Celtics construction contracts supporting the ownership arrangement.

Lin Qi completed his purchase of the Celtics, shaped the roster and club’s finances, and led Boston into a dominant season opener. As the team prepared for tougher rivals, he managed player development, injuries, and tensions within the squad.

• Lin Qi arranged for Patrick Finneran to invest in Phoenix real estate with Jerry Colangelo while keeping away from Colangelo’s sports teams.
• Lin Qi set careful development plans for Mehmet Okur and Tyson Chandler, while Robert Parish and the coaches taught Chandler to focus on defense, rebounding, and interior finishing.
• Lin Qi had the EBA fund arena renovations and approved Patrick’s Phoenix deal, while Boston’s staff trained Gerald Wallace and Brian Scalabrine to strengthen their roles.
• Boston beat Panathinaikos 121–86, and Maurizio Gherardini secured support from European club owners for EBA-funded training and facility upgrades.
• After profiting from the post-September 11 market rebound, Lin Qi bought the Celtics and won David Stern’s support against owners who questioned his trading profits.
• Lin Qi extended Paul Pierce and Ben Wallace, accepted the financial cost of Boston’s payroll, and rallied the team to pursue a championship.
• The Celtics crushed Orlando 115–72 in their season opener, then Lin Qi’s drunken investment advice led Garnett, Pierce, and Billups to buy Amazon and Nvidia shares.
• Lin Qi countered the league’s scrutiny by showing plans to acquire New Garden, bought the arena, and kept Grant Hill’s rehabilitation and planned comeback secret.
• Garnett and Carlisle guided Chandler’s development, while Lin Qi sent Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest to counseling after their fight and warned them to follow the team’s plans.
• As Lin Qi and Carlisle assessed rival teams and prepared for Hill’s return, Scalabrine’s failed defensive challenge gave Boston’s veterans a distraction from Jackson and Artest’s conflict.