Chapter Summaries

Lin Qi used teams’ expansion-draft anxieties and the Pistons’ desire to regain control of their future to acquire Detroit’s eighth pick. With three first-round picks in hand, he called to make his final move.

• Lin Qi identified the expansion draft as a chance to exploit anxious teams and targeted the Pistons’ eighth pick before the Trail Blazers could trade for it.
• Lin Qi offered Will Perdue, the twentieth pick, and a future second-rounder, then promised to release Detroit’s protected 1996 first-round pick.
• The Pistons accepted Lin Qi’s offer, receiving Perdue, the twentieth pick, and their 1996 first-round pick back.
• Lin Qi added the eighth pick to his holdings, alongside the nineteenth and twenty-first picks, and called to begin his final move.

Lin Qi traded Dana Barros, several draft picks, and future picks to Philadelphia for the third pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He used it to select high school standout Kevin Garnett, leaving commentators stunned and beginning Boston’s new era.

• Lin Qi offered Philadelphia Dana Barros, the eighth and nineteenth picks, and future picks in exchange for the third pick.
• Philadelphia’s general manager accepted the trade after Lin Qi revealed he wanted a player Philadelphia would not dare select.
• Boston and Philadelphia announced the deal on draft night, prompting commentators to question Lin Qi’s decision to give up Barros and multiple picks.
• After Golden State selected Joe Smith and the Clippers selected Antonio McDyess, Boston used the third pick to select Kevin Garnett.
• Kevin Garnett put on a Celtics jersey as Lin Qi calmly celebrated the trade while commentators branded him a madman.

Lin Qi reshaped the Celtics’ roster by drafting Michael Finley and acquiring Eric Snow, then let Dominique Wilkins leave for a lucrative contract in Italy. Before Wilkins departed, he trained Kevin Garnett and Finley to sharpen their scoring, leaving the young Celtics ready to prove themselves.

• Lin Qi drafted Michael Finley with the twenty-first pick and traded Elliott Perry for Eric Snow’s signing rights and a protected 1996 second-round pick.
• Robert Parish chose to exercise his player option and stay with the Celtics for another year.
• Lin Qi accepted that Dominique Wilkins would leave for a nearly $7 million contract in Italy and asked him to teach Garnett and Finley before departing.
• Wilkins spent two weeks teaching Garnett face-up skills and Finley decisive scoring, then gave both players tapes of possessions where he had been stopped.
• Wilkins flew to Italy after praising Garnett and Finley, while Lin Qi watched him leave and looked ahead to the Celtics’ younger team.

Lin Qi founded an independent basketball analytics company and recruited pioneers to develop advanced statistical models and video analysis. He secured the Portland Trail Blazers and Lakers as clients while keeping his longer-term ambition of owning a team to himself.

• Lin Qi registered a Delaware technology company through an undisclosed trust to avoid conflicts with the Celtics.
• Lin Qi recruited Dean Oliver, Jeff Sagarin, and John Hollinger to develop basketball analytics, and hired software specialists and Sam Hinkie.
• Lin Qi told the new team to create a language for measuring basketball efficiency, spacing, and impact.
• Paul Allen became the company’s first paying client, and Jerry West made the Lakers its second professional-team client.
• Lin Qi planned to use the company’s analytics to keep the Celtics ahead and privately considered eventually owning his own team.

Lin Qi completed the Celtics’ roster for the 1995-1996 season with several targeted signings and preserved cap space for future opportunities. The rebuilt team entered training camp facing questions about whether Lin Qi had dismantled a contender, with its new roster and rotation set.

• Lin Qi signed David Wesley to a two-year contract and Sam Mitchell to a one-year contract to bolster the backcourt and veteran presence.
• Lin Qi signed Tracy Murray to a three-year contract for his shooting and versatility, despite his defensive weaknesses.
• Lin Qi gave undrafted Bruce Bowen a training camp contract and told Ford to evaluate him against the team’s best scorer.
• Lin Qi rejected further free-agent signings and kept more than five million dollars in cap space for possible midseason deals.
• The Celtics opened training camp with a rebuilt roster featuring Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Dino Radja, Magic Johnson, Kevin Garnett, and Michael Finley, as Boston media questioned Lin Qi’s decisions.

Lin Qi built a new development system for Kevin Garnett by replacing Chris Ford with Rick Adelman and hiring Tom Thibodeau to shape Garnett’s offense and defense. Unsure whether Boston could replicate or surpass the development Garnett would have received in Minnesota, Lin Qi decided to ask Kevin McHale for help.

• Lin Qi thanked Chris Ford for leading Boston to the Eastern Conference semifinals and helped him find a new coaching position before parting with him on good terms.
• Lin Qi recruited Rick Adelman by showing him Garnett’s high-post play and offering him tactical autonomy and data resources.
• Lin Qi hired Tom Thibodeau as lead assistant and defensive head coach, giving him defensive analytics and a mandate to build a switching defense around Garnett and the team.
• Lin Qi planned for Willie Anderson to challenge Garnett physically and Sam Cassell to fuel his competitiveness as Boston built Garnett’s development system.
• Lin Qi worried that taking Garnett from Minnesota had removed the environment Kevin McHale would have built for him, and he decided to ask McHale for help.

Lin Qi assembled a team of elite coaches and consultants to develop Kevin Garnett’s post play, shooting, and fundamentals while secretly preparing him to become a perimeter threat. As Garnett absorbed their lessons in Boston, Lin Qi wondered whether his careful training would make him even greater or transform him into someone new.

• Lin Qi persuaded Kevin McHale to teach Garnett low-post footwork despite having drafted Garnett ahead of McHale’s Timberwolves.
• Lin Qi hired Jack Sikma, Chip Engelland, and Pete Newell to train Garnett’s big-man shooting, shooting mechanics, and fundamental footwork.
• Lin Qi told the scouting director that Garnett should practice three-pointers daily, envisioning him eventually drawing centers away from the paint.
• During the offseason, McHale, Sikma, Engelland, and Newell trained Garnett while Adelman, Thibodeau, Willie Anderson, and Sam Cassell prepared to work with him.
• Lin Qi watched Garnett absorb the training and considered how his development might surpass or change the player he remembered.

Lin Qi watched Garnett struggle against veteran players at training camp, then encouraged him to explore his versatility and required him to practice three-pointers. Tracy Murray taught Garnett how to shoot with confidence, as Lin Qi anticipated that the league would eventually value players like him.

• Garnett arrived early and practiced alone before nervously greeting the veterans as they arrived.
• P.J. Brown and Radja outmuscled Garnett in the first scrimmage, but Garnett quickly adjusted by using his speed and footwork.
• Lin Qi praised Garnett's understanding of defenders and told him he could play more positions than he realized.
• After practice, Garnett worked on elbow jumpers and later practiced three-pointers to meet Lin Qi's requirement of attempting one per game.
• Tracy Murray corrected Garnett's shooting form and taught him to focus on making the next shot, and Garnett finally made one.
• Lin Qi told Adelman that the league would someday reward a player like Garnett.

Lin Qi found Kevin Garnett alone in the gym, homesick and reluctant to spend money on a call home. He arranged for the Celtics to pay for a phone in Garnett’s apartment, leaving the young player grateful while keeping his deep, time-spanning connection to Garnett secret.

• Lin Qi noticed that Garnett stayed in the gym after practice and found him holding a pay phone receiver without calling anyone.
• Lin Qi sat with Garnett and learned he wanted to call his mother and childhood friends but worried about waking them and the long-distance charges.
• Lin Qi arranged for a telephone to be installed in Garnett’s apartment and told him the team would cover the bill as a team benefit.
• Garnett thanked Lin Qi, who left while keeping secret that he had known and followed Garnett for more than twenty years.

Lin Qi opened the Celtics’ scrimmage to the media, where Garnett struggled with the NBA’s pace and information, the wings clashed, and Sam Cassell learned to yield to the team offense. After Garnett showed a glimpse of high-post vision, Lin Qi’s analytics group posted its first player assessment, leaving the locker room stunned by the unnamed player ranked first.

• Lin Qi invited Boston’s media to watch a scrimmage between Adelman and Thibodeau’s green present-focused team and white future-focused team.
• Garnett struggled to process the NBA’s complex actions and was repeatedly outmaneuvered by Radja and the green team.
• Finley and Eddie Jones traded scoring plays and defensive stops, sparking fierce competition between the wings.
• Adelman reminded Sam Cassell of his failed isolation in Game 7 against the Knicks, after which Cassell began passing to the high post.
• Garnett paused at the high post and passed to Finley’s cut for a basket, prompting Lin Qi to note Garnett’s first sign of high-post vision.
• Lin Qi’s analytics group posted its first scrimmage assessment, and the players were shocked when an unexpected name ranked first.

Lin Qi used video of the intrasquad scrimmage to show how Magic Johnson’s defense and off-ball positioning made him the green team’s most useful player despite his modest statistics. The players accepted the analytics, and Kevin Garnett began to see how defense could determine games.

• Lin Qi replayed the scrimmage to explain why P.J. Brown ranked highly despite scoring only six points.
• Lin Qi showed how Magic Johnson’s off-ball seal helped disrupt Radja’s attempt and prevent a scoring opportunity.
• Lin Qi showed how Magic Johnson cut off David Wesley’s fast-break pass, allowing the green team to recover and stop the attack.
• Lin Qi played more clips demonstrating how Magic Johnson’s positioning and strength anchored the green team’s defense, while Parish praised the recognition of uncredited work.
• Sam Cassell stopped objecting, and Kevin Garnett realized that exceptional defense and off-ball play could make him a game-changing anchor.

On opening night at the FleetCenter, Lin Qi’s revamped Celtics faced the Bucks and their star Glenn Robinson. After a rough start, Adelman’s modern offense helped Boston take a 54-46 halftime lead.

• Lin Qi watched the championship banners and viewed the new Celtics as a fresh start amid Boston fans’ doubts about the rebuilt team.
• Kevin Garnett joked with Sam Cassell and eased the locker room’s tension before his first NBA game.
• Glenn Robinson powered the Bucks to an early 7-0 lead, while Vin Baker and other veterans tested Garnett with hard physical play.
• Garnett responded to the Bucks’ rough treatment by taunting them and kept talking throughout the game.
• Adelman used Radja as a high-post passing hub and relied on Wesley Person and Tracy Murray’s three-point shooting to exploit the Bucks’ defense.
• The Celtics surged ahead and led the Bucks 54-46 at halftime.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-93 in the new FleetCenter’s season opener, as their physical defense and fast small lineup secured the win. Lin Qi celebrated the team’s promise while recognizing that its young players still had plenty of growing to do.

• Glenn Robinson drove the Bucks’ offense, but P.J. Brown, Magic Johnson, and Kevin Garnett combined to contain his bruising attacks.
• Rick Adelman fielded a fast lineup with Garnett at center, forcing Milwaukee’s big men into exhausting sprints.
• Sam Cassell found Murray in the corner, and Murray’s fifth three-pointer put Boston ahead by nine in the final minutes.
• The Celtics won 104-93, and Garnett celebrated his NBA debut with the team in the locker room.
• Lin Qi reviewed the players’ performances and considered the team’s remaining growing pains and challenges ahead.

The Celtics overcame a sixteen-point deficit against the Nets after Adelman sent out a fast, switch-heavy lineup, with Tracy Murray’s shooting leading the comeback. Lin Qi celebrated the victory but worried that growing success would intensify competition for playing time and touches, especially between Eddie Jones and Michael Finley.

• The Celtics’ starters struggled against the Nets’ defense and fell sixteen points behind by the third quarter.
• Adelman replaced most of the starters with Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Wesley Person, Tracy Murray, and Kevin Garnett, who pressed and switched across the floor.
• Garnett disrupted the Nets’ offense while Murray caught fire from three-point range, helping the Celtics erase the deficit and take the lead.
• Cassell steadied the Celtics against a final Nets rally, and Boston completed the road comeback.
• The Celtics celebrated Murray as “Microwave,” while Lin Qi reflected that the team’s success could sharpen conflicts over roles and touches between Jones and Finley.

The Celtics won comfortably, but Eddie Jones and Michael Finley’s rivalry erupted as both young wings began ignoring the team’s offense and each other. The chapter ended with Adelman watching the victory expose a dangerous rift in his team.

• Finley resented Jones’s growing status and his own limited role in the Celtics’ offense.
• Finley kept the ball instead of passing to an open Jones and scored a contested layup during a third-quarter break.
• Jones retaliated by ignoring Finley when he was open, then rejected a screen and made a difficult pull-up jumper.
• Jones and Finley continued trading isolation baskets without passing to each other, while Adelman worried about the damage to his system.

Lin Qi used the Celtics’ matchup with Orlando to redirect Eddie Jones and Michael Finley’s rivalry into a shared defensive challenge. The two wings worked together to shut down Orlando’s perimeter threats, helped Boston win, and ended the game with a handshake.

• Eddie Jones and Michael Finley remained locked in a tense rivalry over the Celtics’ limited wing minutes.
• Lin Qi rejected a suggestion to trade one of the wings and decided to redirect their competitive fire toward an opponent.
• Before Boston’s game against Orlando, Thibodeau assigned Jones to guard Penny Hardaway and Finley to guard Nick Anderson, telling them to help and switch for each other.
• Jones and Finley began covering for one another after Finley stopped Hardaway’s drive and Jones intercepted the loose ball.
• The Celtics’ coordinated defense contained Orlando’s perimeter players and helped Boston defeat the previous season’s Eastern Conference champions.
• After the final buzzer, Jones and Finley slapped hands amid the crowd’s cheers.

Lin Qi watched Jones and Finley turn their rivalry into coordinated defense, then recognized how fragile a team’s chemistry could be despite its strength on paper. He saw an early-December road game against Dana Barros and the Philadelphia 76ers approaching as a test of the history he had altered.

• Jones and Finley apologized for their selfish play and agreed to cover for each other on the court.
• Lin Qi left the players to celebrate, believing their defensive rivalry had become a productive competition.
• Lin Qi reviewed reports showing the Celtics’ defense among the league’s top five and Radja thriving as a passing hub.
• Lin Qi questioned his reliance on talent and statistics after realizing that pride and competition could tear the team apart.
• Lin Qi noticed the upcoming game against Dana Barros and anticipated that his former player’s revenge would test his rewritten timeline.

Kevin Garnett faced Karl Malone for the first time and learned how badly the veteran could overpower and outlast him. The game left Garnett shaken by Malone’s physical strength, relentless stamina, and fearsome reputation.

• Before the Celtics-Jazz game, Thibodeau warned Garnett to keep quiet around Malone, but Garnett ignored him and mocked Malone during warm-ups.
• Malone struck Garnett with an elbow, scored a turnaround jumper, and drew more taunts from the rookie on the next possession.
• Sam Mitchell restrained Garnett and warned him that provoking Malone could put the Celtics’ entire frontcourt in danger.
• Malone dragged Garnett through relentless pick-and-roll play and physical battles until Garnett was exhausted by the timeout.
• Garnett saw Malone standing straight and barely winded, and his confidence in his own stamina collapsed.

After the Celtics lost to the Jazz, Kevin Garnett wondered how Karl Malone had built such an inexhaustible body. Seeing Malone perform his meticulous postgame stretches, Garnett realized that his stamina came from years of relentless work and discipline.

• The Celtics lost as Karl Malone's dominance left Kevin Garnett unable to make an impact.
• In the locker room, Garnett asked Sam Mitchell how Malone had become so strong and tireless.
• Mitchell explained that Malone built his strength through punishing farm work and warned Garnett not to waste his own gifts.
• After the game, Garnett spotted Malone alone in the tunnel, carefully following his postgame stretching routine.
• Watching Malone, Garnett understood that the veteran had made exhaustion and pain part of his daily routine through perseverance.

Lin Qi reviewed the Celtics’ 9-6 start and the data-backed success of their new system, while recognizing the team’s weaknesses. He turned his attention to their coming game against the 76ers, where Dana Barros’s breakout would test Lin Qi’s trade and his belief that he could shape history.

• The Celtics finished November 9-6, prompting Boston media to reconsider Lin Qi’s rebuild and the team’s fast, switch-heavy style.
• Dean Oliver and Jeff Sagarin presented a report showing Garnett’s elite switching defense, the effectiveness of Adelman’s offensive combinations, and P.J. Brown’s major defensive impact.
• Adelman and Thibodeau accepted that Lin Qi’s data analysis could complement coaching experience and help the Celtics stay ahead of opponents.
• Lin Qi reviewed December’s schedule and focused on the Philadelphia 76ers, where Dana Barros had become a 20-point scorer after leaving Boston.
• Lin Qi reflected on having delayed Barros’s rise for a year to trade him for future assets, then awaited Barros’s return to Boston as a chance to confront history.