Chapter Summaries

At Boston’s preseason media day, Lin Qi used pointed answers about the Bulls, Spurs, and Cavaliers to redirect attention from the Celtics’ Finals loss and LeBron James’s debut. He then told Rick Carlisle to use the preseason to prepare the team’s new offense before their opener in Cleveland.

• Paul Pierce dismissed the hype around LeBron James and said the Cavaliers’ locker-room tensions were Coach Paul Silas’s problem, while Kevin Garnett refused to comment.
• Lin Qi praised Shaq O’Neal’s arrival in Chicago, then mocked the Bulls’ likely playing-time and luxury-tax problems.
• Lin Qi called the San Antonio Spurs Boston’s biggest championship obstacle and predicted they should win at least sixty-five games and reach the Finals.
• Lin Qi said the Celtics would not give LeBron James a special lesson, but pointed to Ricky Davis’s comments as a sign that Cleveland needed to resolve its issues first.
• After media day, Lin Qi told Rick Carlisle to use the preseason game against the Pistons to prepare the team’s secondary break and Boston Pick-and-Roll before facing Cleveland.

The Celtics opened the 2003-04 season against LeBron James and the Cavaliers, adapting their defense after officials called perimeter contact tightly. Boston turned a rebound into a fast-break three-pointer and took an early lead.

• Rick Carlisle reviewed the Cavaliers' lineup and told the Celtics to test the officials' whistle before adjusting their defense and pace.
• Kevin Garnett won the opening tip, then scored Boston's first basket on a pick-and-roll jump shot.
• The officials called early perimeter fouls on Paul Pierce and Raja Bell, so Rick Carlisle signaled the Celtics to stop using hand contact and push the pace.
• LeBron James drove toward the basket but kicked the ball out to Ricky Davis, whose contested shot missed and was rebounded by Garnett.
• Garnett threw an outlet pass to Dwyane Wade, who drew defenders and fed Pierce for a transition three-pointer.

The Celtics used the Boston Pick-and-Roll and fast breaks to overwhelm the Cavaliers, building an 18-4 lead and forcing a timeout. The broadcast then began a black-and-white commercial featuring Kevin Garnett.

• Wade and Ben Wallace ran the Boston Pick-and-Roll, ending with Wallace dunking an alley-oop over Ilgauskas.
• Bell intercepted a Cavaliers pass, and Wade pushed the break before Pierce drew a foul on LeBron James and completed an and-one.
• Rick Carlisle substituted Mehmet Okur and Gerald Wallace for Ben Wallace and Raja Bell.
• Okur hit a three-pointer after Wade ran another Boston Pick-and-Roll, extending the Celtics' lead to fourteen and prompting Paul Silas to call timeout.
• The television broadcast showed a black-and-white sequence with Kevin Garnett speaking about his career and four championship rings.

The Boston Celtics overwhelmed the Cleveland Cavaliers with fast breaks and Boston Pick-and-Rolls, building a thirty-three-point lead before Rick Carlisle rested the starters late in the third quarter. Kevin Garnett realized the new style had left him unusually fresh, and the Celtics settled in to watch the reserves finish the game.

• Ron Artest contained Ricky Davis, Rasheed Wallace secured the rebound, and Tyronn Lue found Mehmet Okur for a transition three.
• Boston’s reserves kept up the pace through the second quarter, and the Celtics led 62-41 at halftime.
• Ben Wallace blocked Carlos Boozer, and Kevin Garnett and Dwyane Wade sparked a third-quarter run that pushed Boston’s lead past thirty.
• Rick Carlisle removed all five starters with Boston ahead 91-58, and Garnett noticed that his legs felt fresh after playing fewer minutes in the new offense.
• Paul Pierce praised the easier scoring, while Garnett applauded as Okur hit another three.

The Celtics opened the season by defeating the Cavaliers 114-85, showcasing their revamped offense while LeBron James and Brian Scalabrine traded baskets in garbage time. The next morning, Sam Presti told Lin Qi that preorders for Kevin’s and Dwyane’s shoes had tripled after the game and their commercials.

• With Boston leading by 32, Rick Carlisle sent Brian Scalabrine onto the court while Paul Silas benched Ricky Davis and left LeBron James in to lead the Cavaliers’ reserves.
• LeBron James scored against Boston’s third unit, while Scalabrine answered with jumpers that delighted the New Garden crowd.
• Boston won 114-85, with Paul Pierce named player of the game after scoring 28 points and Kevin Garnett adding 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
• Paul Silas said Boston’s faster offense and pick-and-roll attack had overwhelmed Cleveland, while Steve Kerr praised the Celtics’ tactical overhaul on ESPN.
• Sam Presti told Lin Qi that nationwide preorders for Kevin’s all-around signature shoe and Dwyane’s new shoes had tripled after the game and their commercials aired.

Lin Qi rejected Jim Paxson’s attempt to trade Ricky Davis to Boston and advised him to seek a deal with the Clippers instead. After the call, Lin Qi and Sam Presti noted that Cleveland’s efforts to appease LeBron James could complicate its trade plans.

• Sam Presti told Lin Qi that Jim Paxson had called and wanted to discuss a trade.
• Paxson offered Ricky Davis to Boston, but Lin Qi cited Davis’s disruptive behavior and refused to trade Tayshaun Prince, Gerald Wallace, or Mehmet Okur for him.
• Paxson revealed that Cleveland owner Gordon Gund had ordered him to move Davis after Davis publicly mocked LeBron James and upset Nike executive Lynn Merritt.
• Lin Qi suggested Paxson approach the Clippers, where Davis’s highlight dunks could appeal to Donald Sterling and Elgin Baylor.
• After Lin Qi ended the call, Presti observed that Cleveland’s attempts to keep LeBron happy would likely make its trades a mess.

Lin Qi and Rick Carlisle discussed Cleveland's attempt to trade Ricky Davis, Don Nelson's plan to copy Boston's pick-and-roll, and Larry Brown's clash with Carmelo Anthony. Lin Qi ended the meeting by focusing the coaches on Boston's upcoming game against the Nets.

• Rick Carlisle told Lin Qi that Jim Paxson had called about trading Ricky Davis, and Lin Qi said Paxson had asked for Tayshaun or Mehmet before being directed to the Clippers.
• Carlisle described how the Lakers beat the Mavericks by using a fast, floor-spaced lineup and said Don Nelson had called to praise and borrow Boston's pick-and-roll play.
• Lin Qi explained that the Mavericks lacked Boston's defensive big men, so copying the offense would not give them the same results.
• Sam Presti reported that Larry Brown had benched Carmelo Anthony late in the Pistons' loss to the Magic after Anthony's isolation play and failure to get back on defense.
• Lin Qi told Carlisle and Presti to focus on Boston's schedule and said the team faced a difficult game against the Nets the next day.

The Nets used Yao Ming's size and help defense to challenge the Celtics, while Dwyane Wade adapted by setting up teammates against their rotating defenders. Boston's second unit then exploited Yao Ming's difficulty guarding the perimeter and finished the first quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, leading 32-24.

• Yao Ming scored over Ben Wallace, and Kirilenko blocked Wade's first drive to the rim.
• After Garnett advised Wade to draw Kirilenko off balance, Wade faked a floater and passed to Ben Wallace for a dunk, then found Garnett for a jumper.
• Yao Ming scored seven points as the Nets and Celtics traded baskets, with Boston leading 26-24 late in the first quarter.
• Byron Scott kept Yao Ming and Kirilenko on the floor during substitutions, while Rick Carlisle sent in a Boston lineup that spread all five players beyond the three-point line.
• Okur made a three-pointer after Yao Ming arrived too late to contest, and Rasheed Wallace added another three in transition to end the quarter with Boston ahead 32-24.

Boston's second unit stretched its lead over the Nets with outside shooting and a dominant defensive run, while Rasheed Wallace drew a technical foul to stop Ron Artest from confronting a referee. The Celtics won 106-94 on the road and opened the season with two straight victories.

• Rasheed Wallace hit a three-pointer to put Boston ahead 41-30, and Byron Scott replaced Yao Ming with Wang Zhizhi.
• After a blocking foul was called on Ron Artest, Rasheed Wallace pulled him away from the referee, argued the call, and received a technical foul.
• Richard Jefferson missed the technical free throw, and Artest thanked Rasheed before forcing a turnover that led to a Prince dunk.
• Artest and Rasheed disrupted the Nets' offense, while Rasheed scored twice and Okur added a three-pointer during Boston's 14-2 run.
• Boston led 55-32 midway through the second quarter, then held on to beat the New Jersey Nets 106-94 as Yao Ming struggled to keep up with the pace.

Lin Qi introduced cash fines for on-court misconduct to support Dikembe Mutombo’s hospital project in Congo, then made Rasheed Wallace responsible for keeping Ron Artest under control. The team laughed as the new shared penalties took effect.

• Rick Carlisle confronted Rasheed Wallace and Ron Artest over their early-season technical fouls.
• Artest blamed his temper on a dispute over a coupon and a broken music player, while Rasheed defended his own behavior toward referees.
• Lin Qi arrived with Gary Payton and Dikembe Mutombo and announced that players would pay $2,000 in cash for technical fouls or flagrant fouls for arguing with referees.
• Lin Qi assigned Rasheed responsibility for Ron’s emotional control and imposed shared penalties for their technical fouls and ejections.
• The players burst into laughter at the new policy.

Lin Qi and Gary Payton used fines and an outrageous pink suit to keep Rasheed Wallace and Artest from arguing with referees. During practice, both players swallowed their complaints when faced with the threat of lost money, shuttle sprints, and the humiliating outfit.

• Lin Qi told Rasheed Wallace to supervise Artest, and Gary Payton revealed the pink feather-trimmed suits as the penalty for whichever player earned more technical fouls.
• Rasheed Wallace threatened Artest with broken CDs and headphones, and both men paid two thousand dollars into Mutombo's bucket.
• Lin Qi asked Rick Carlisle to have the assistant referee make deliberately biased calls during the team's half-court drills.
• When the assistant ignored Garnett's contact, Artest shouted at Rasheed to stay quiet, and Rasheed swallowed his protest.
• After the assistant called a foul on Artest despite his clean defense, Rasheed mimed breaking a CD and Payton displayed the pink suit, so Artest apologized and praised the call.

During practice in Memphis, Mehmet Okur struggled to keep up after gaining weight, prompting Kevin Garnett to berate him and Rick Carlisle to impose a strict diet. That evening, Okur sat alone in his hotel room until an unexpected visitor knocked at his door.

• The Celtics prepared for the Grizzlies’ fast-paced rotation with an intense practice in Memphis.
• Mehmet Okur repeatedly fell behind during drills, and Mike Boyle reported that he had gained six and a half pounds in ten days.
• Kevin Garnett angrily blamed Okur for letting the team down and threatened to send him back to the Maine Celtics.
• Rick Carlisle ended practice and ordered Mike Boyle to create a strict meal plan for Okur.
• Okur reflected on his parents’ food and his humiliation as he sat in his hotel room with dinner uneaten.
• Someone knocked on Okur’s door, and the unexpected visitor made him pause.

Ben Wallace used an RC-car race to help Okur relax and understand why Kevin had criticized his effort. Okur let go of his resentment and agreed to meet Ben for an early workout.

• Ben Wallace invited Okur to race modified RC cars in the hotel hallway, and Okur initially crashed his car before learning to steer.
• Ben asked Okur whether he was still angry at Kevin, and Okur explained that he had been trying despite his parents bringing him sweets from Turkey.
• Ben shared how surviving as a late draft pick and enduring harsh criticism had earned him a guaranteed contract.
• Ben told Okur that his shooting talent was valuable to the team and urged him not to waste it by neglecting his conditioning.
• Okur thanked Ben, accepted his advice, and agreed to meet him at five thirty the next morning.

Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Raja Bell helped Okur through an exhausting morning of conditioning and shooting practice in Memphis. After Okur and Bell won a shooting contest, Garnett prepared Okur for the Grizzlies game and promised to pass him the ball when he got open.

• Ben Wallace took Okur to the auxiliary court before dawn, where Boyle monitored their conditioning workout and Raja Bell and Rasheed Wallace joined them.
• After three sets of shuttle runs, Rasheed challenged Okur and Bell to a five-spot shooting contest against himself and Ben Wallace.
• Ben Wallace made only two shots, but Rasheed’s strong shooting kept his team competitive as Okur battled through his fatigue.
• Okur made eight straight threes from the top and six more from the left wing, helping him and Bell win 45–42.
• Rasheed honored the wager by shooting another hundred threes while Boyle led Okur and Bell through Boston Pick-and-Roll drills.
• Garnett gave Okur an electrolyte drink and promised that the ball would reach him when he got open against the Grizzlies that night.

Mehmet Okur's sharp defense and accurate shooting helped the Celtics overwhelm the Grizzlies and win 103-88. After the game, Ben Wallace gave Okur a repaired remote-controlled car.

• The Celtics brought Mehmet Okur off the bench, and he helped stop Earl Watson and Stromile Swift before sprinting ahead to hit a three-pointer.
• Okur blocked out Swift for a rebound, helped Pierce draw a foul, and later hit another three after a screen from Pierce.
• In the second quarter, Okur and Rasheed Wallace stretched the Grizzlies' defense with outside shooting, and Okur scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in twelve minutes.
• The Celtics built a nineteen-point halftime lead and defeated the Grizzlies 103-88 to claim their third win of the road trip.
• Ben Wallace gave Okur a repaired blue remote-controlled race car and suggested he use it to manage his cravings for sweets.

After a poor game against the Hornets, Dwyane Wade brooded over messages on the Celtics' flight home until his teammates confronted him. Gary Payton guessed that Wade was struggling with family and acquaintances asking him for money, and Wade handed over his phone to show the messages.

• The Celtics defeated the New Orleans Hornets 111-90, but Dwyane Wade struggled and Rick Carlisle replaced him with Tyronn Lue.
• On the flight back to Boston, Wade sat alone and repeatedly checked his phone while Tyronn Lue, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Gary Payton, and Garnett played cards.
• Garnett and Payton called Wade over and pressed him to explain why he had been distracted.
• Payton guessed that people from Wade's Chicago past were asking him for money after his shoe advertisement and rising wealth drew attention.
• Wade handed his phone to Payton, who read the messages and passed it to Garnett and Pierce.

Wade told his teammates that Marcus had flown to Boston with several men to extort $150,000 from him and threaten to expose his mother's past. Garnett and the others decided Lin Qi and the Celtics organization would handle Marcus, leaving Wade to go to practice as usual.

• Wade explained that Marcus had once lent his family $300, but now demanded $150,000 and threatened to tell the tabloids about Wade's mother.
• Pierce, Garnett, and Payton urged Wade not to pay Marcus or confront him personally, and Payton warned that public attention could harm Wade's reputation.
• Garnett, Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace described Lin Qi's influence in Boston and how the club had previously used its security and police connections to stop extortionists.
• Payton told Wade to leave the matter to the club and asked Tyronn Lue to wake Sam Presti.
• Garnett showed Presti Marcus's text and asked him to alert Lin Qi and Old Jim before Marcus and his men reached the arena.

Sam Presti, Lin Qi, and the Celtics’ security team arranged to protect Dwyane Wade from Chicago associates who were trying to extort him. The men arrived at the training center expecting a payoff, and someone burst into their conference room.

• Sam Presti took Wade’s phone and told him not to reply to Marcus’s messages while Presti handled the situation.
• Lin Qi reviewed the legal documents as Old Jim identified Marcus Jenkins, Darnell, and Trey and found evidence of Darnell’s illegal interstate travel and weapons and marijuana in their motel room.
• Lin Qi ordered that Wade stay out of sight while the club dealt with the men, and police detectives waited nearby.
• Marcus, Darnell, and Trey arrived at the training center, where Marcus boasted that Wade would pay them $150,000.
• Someone shoved open the conference room door before Marcus could finish speaking.

Lin Qi and the Celtics protected Wade from Marcus’s extortion by placing Wade’s earnings in a trust and having Boston police arrest his associates. Freed from the pressure, Wade returned to form against the Raptors, leading Boston to a commanding third-quarter lead.

• Presti and Arthur Morgan told Marcus that Wade’s income was protected by an athlete trust, while Detective McDonald arrested Darnell for probation violations and presented evidence against Marcus for extortion.
• Payton warned Marcus that Wade’s mother and sister had been moved to a guarded apartment and that he and his companions must stay away from the family.
• Police escorted Marcus and his companions from the arena, and Wade thanked Lin Qi for the club’s support.
• Wade opened Boston’s game against the Raptors with a steal and an and-one layup over Vince Carter.
• Wade scored 26 points with 8 assists and 3 steals in three quarters as Boston built an 89-61 lead over Toronto.

After Dikembe Mutombo's charity dinner to fund medical equipment for a hospital in Kinshasa attracted few guests, Lin Qi decided to use the Celtics' influence to rally support. He left plans underway to bring the team and Boston's business leaders to the Fairmont Hotel on Thanksgiving Eve.

• After the Celtics defeated the Pacers, Mutombo coached Tyson Chandler on defending Al Harrington's post moves and quietly kept his dinner invitations to himself.
• Old Jim delivered Mutombo's invitation to Lin Qi, and Sam Presti explained the hospital's funding shortfall and the poor response to the fundraiser.
• Lin Qi ordered Presti to require the Celtics' coaches, players, and senior basketball staff to attend Mutombo's dinner in formal attire.
• Lin Qi told Presti to invite the team's television partners, major financial firms, and a medical-device company to the dinner and ask them to support the Kinshasa hospital.