Chapter Summaries

The Celtics overcame a fifteen-point halftime deficit in Denver by exploiting Dikembe Mutombo’s reluctance to leave the paint, then ended their six-game losing streak with a five-point win. Lin Qi explained that Mutombo had been focused on securing a lucrative contract rather than winning.

• Before the game, Lin Qi watched Mutombo’s celebrations and realized that his frequent blocks were tied to his contract dispute with the Nuggets.
• At halftime, Boston trailed 38-53, and Mutombo had recorded four blocks while the Celtics struggled with Denver’s altitude.
• Adelman ordered Boston to use its deep rotation to wear down Denver and spread the floor, while Lin Qi told Garnett to shoot threes because Mutombo would not guard him outside.
• In the fourth quarter, Boston’s five-player three-point lineup repeatedly scored from beyond the arc, including Person, Murray, and Garnett.
• The Celtics won by five points, ended their six-game losing streak, and Lin Qi told Garnett that Mutombo had been thinking about his contract instead of winning.

On the 1996 trade deadline, Lin Qi watched the Bulls’ 48-5 record drive rival teams and their stars to despair. As the Knicks cleared cap space in hopes of signing Michael Jordan, Lin Qi knew the move would fail and kept the Celtics still, waiting for summer.

• Lin Qi reviewed the Bulls’ 48-5 record and read accounts of Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Charles Barkley reacting to Chicago’s dominance.
• The Knicks traded Charles Smith and Monty Williams in a major roster purge to create cap space for the summer.
• Lin Qi recognized that the Knicks’ plan to sign Michael Jordan would fail because Chicago would offer Jordan a one-year, $30 million contract.
• Lin Qi crumpled the Knicks’ trade announcement and left the Celtics’ roster unchanged as the deadline passed.
• Lin Qi decided to wait for summer, when he expected the real show to begin.

After Boston’s losing streak ended, Lin Qi proposed a three-part division of responsibilities to coach Rick Adelman: Dino Radja would lead the offense for three quarters, Sam Cassell would take charge in crunch time, and Kevin Garnett would get more freedom with the second unit. The plan addressed the team’s late-game indecision while also advancing Lin Qi’s aims of increasing Radja’s trade value and developing Garnett into a future star.

• Lin Qi reviewed Dino Radja’s recurring knee problems and considered using the team’s new offensive structure to boost Radja’s statistics before summer negotiations.
• Lin Qi told Rick Adelman that Boston’s unselfish ball movement became indecision in the final minutes and proposed assigning clear roles to the players.
• Lin Qi designated Radja as the main option for the first three quarters and Sam Cassell as the team’s late-game decision-maker.
• Lin Qi urged Adelman to let Kevin Garnett create more offense and make his own decisions while leading the second unit.
• Adelman approved the plan, and Lin Qi left satisfied that it would address Boston’s late-game problems while serving his longer-term goals.

Kevin Garnett’s newly unified skills turned him into the hub of Boston’s offense and defense, driving the Celtics on a steady run of composed wins. After Garnett declared that he would master every veteran’s tricks, Lin Qi told him that one day the league would have to study how to stop him.

• The Celtics began winning methodically as Garnett’s growth transformed their play and their results.
• Against Detroit, Garnett held his position against Otis Thorpe, drove past him, and passed to P.J. Brown for a dunk when help defense closed in.
• Garnett’s ability to distribute from the post improved Sam Cassell’s off-ball play, opened chances for the wings, and strengthened Boston’s defensive system.
• After a mid-March win, Garnett boasted to Lin Qi that he had learned how to counter the veterans’ tricks and would keep mastering their skills.
• Lin Qi told Garnett that opponents would eventually have to study him, and Garnett roared that he would be waiting for them in Boston.

Boston’s exhausted starters sat out most of a road game against Detroit, and the Celtics’ seldom-used reserves overwhelmed the Pistons with defense and three-pointers. After the bench secured an easy win, Lin Qi sent the team to celebrate at a Detroit steakhouse on his tab.

• Adelman limited the tired starters to the first quarter and sent Tracy Murray, Wesley Person, Eric Snow, and Bo Outlaw onto the court for the rest of the game.
• Snow harassed Detroit’s guards while Outlaw stole and blocked shots, and Murray and Person repeatedly scored from three-point range.
• Detroit tried to exploit Outlaw’s poor free-throw shooting, but he rebounded his own missed free throw and dunked the ball.
• Adelman kept the starters on the bench, while Garnett cheered on the reserves as they finished dismantling Detroit.
• Murray and Person combined for fifteen three-pointers, and Snow and Outlaw posted major defensive numbers in the Celtics’ win.
• Lin Qi told the team’s logistics head to redirect the bus to a Detroit steakhouse and put the players’ food and beer on his tab.

With playoff seeding hanging in the balance, Lin Qi watched the Boston Celtics battle the Indiana Pacers in a crucial late-season game. Trailing by one in the final minute, Boston designed its last possession for Kevin Garnett, who caught Sam Cassell’s pass wide open beyond the arc.

• Lin Qi assessed how the crowded Eastern Conference standings made Boston’s game against the fourth-place Pacers vital to its playoff position.
• Boston fought Indiana through a bruising game, and the Celtics entered the final minute trailing by one with 24 seconds for their last possession.
• Adelman drew up the final play for Garnett, while Cassell urged the rookie to take the shot and Chip Engelland gave him a familiar shooting cue.
• The Pacers smothered Cassell and Boston’s perimeter players while sealing the paint, but Garnett faked a screen and slipped open at the top of the arc.
• Cassell flung a high pass over the Pacers’ defenders, and Garnett caught it in midair, landed, and gathered the ball to shoot.

Garnett hit a buzzer-beating three over Dale Davis to give the Boston Celtics a two-point win, making headlines across the country. Lin Qi celebrated Garnett’s breakthrough while studying the exhausted team’s playoff prospects, with the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic looming.

• Garnett sank a three over Dale Davis as time expired, giving the Boston Celtics a two-point lead and a win over the Indiana Pacers.
• Garnett roared at the Pacers bench before Sam Cassell and Finley tackled him at center court.
• Newspapers and Sports Illustrated praised Garnett’s game-winner, while commentators argued over whether it signaled a new era or was merely luck.
• Lin Qi reviewed the Celtics’ 43-win record and Garnett’s conditioning and injury assessment, noting that the young players were nearly out of stamina.
• Lin Qi studied the Eastern Conference matchup chart and reflected that Chip Engelland had accelerated Garnett’s development by more than half a year.

Lin Qi reviewed Boston’s 47-win season and the players whose performances had carried the team to fifth place in the East. With the playoffs approaching, he prepared the Celtics to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.

• Lin Qi noted that Boston had finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 47-35 record, while the 72-win Chicago Bulls topped the standings.
• Lin Qi dismissed the newspapers praising his rebuild and studied the team’s final regular-season report, including Dino Radja’s production and his value as a trade asset.
• Lin Qi reviewed Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Willie Anderson, Kevin Garnett, and Michael Finley’s contributions, noting Garnett’s steady second-half improvement.
• Lin Qi recognized that the Celtics’ reserves, including Wesley Person, P.J. Brown, Magic Johnson, and David Wesley, had helped form a complete team.
• Lin Qi identified the 48-win Cleveland Cavaliers as Boston’s first-round opponent and told the approaching head coach to start the film session half an hour early.

The Cavaliers’ slow, physical style overwhelmed the Celtics in Game One, prompting Lin Qi to devise a counterattack based on pressuring Terrell Brandon and drawing Cleveland’s big men away from the paint. The Celtics executed the plan in Game Two, tying the playoff series at 1-1 with a last-second Wesley Person three-pointer.

• The Cavaliers used Terrell Brandon’s slow possessions and punishing defense to beat the Celtics 86-79 in Game One.
• Lin Qi told Tom Thibodeau to use Kevin Garnett and Eddie Jones to pressure Brandon, while Dino Radja drew Cleveland’s big men out and Sam Cassell attacked Danny Ferry.
• Garnett’s full-court pressure forced Brandon into an eight-second violation on Cleveland’s first possession of Game Two.
• Cassell exploited the open paint to score against Ferry, while the Celtics’ defense and Garnett’s shot-blocking disrupted the Cavaliers’ offense.
• Cassell tied Game Two at 88 with a late jumper, and Garnett tipped the Cavaliers’ final shot out to the perimeter.
• Wesley Person made a corner three-pointer to give the Celtics a 91-88 win and tie the series 1-1.

The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 3-1 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they would face Michael Jordan. Lin Qi turned the team’s “WE CRAWLED OUT” slogan into a hit hoodie campaign as the Celtics prepared to fly to Chicago.

• Garnett led the Celtics’ defense in Game 3, and Boston beat the Cavaliers 94-84 to take a 2-1 series lead.
• In Game 4, Radja scored through three quarters before Eddie Jones and Michael Finley helped fuel a late surge, and Garnett secured the deciding rebound as Boston won the series 3-1.
• Lin Qi’s calm postgame remark, “We crawled out,” spread across the media and inspired a new Celtics hoodie design.
• Lin Qi distributed the hoodies to the players, who wore them around Boston as the slogan boosted merchandise sales.
• The Celtics prepared to board a charter flight to Chicago to face Michael Jordan.

The Chicago Bulls dismantled the young Boston Celtics 103–84, shutting down their transition game, playmaking, and post offense. Lin Qi told the stunned Celtics that the Bulls’ preparation and work ethic, not any ability to foresee their moves, had overwhelmed them.

• The Celtics entered the United Center confident after beating the Cavaliers, while Lin Qi warned that the Bulls would pose a different challenge.
• Ron Harper and Scottie Pippen disrupted Sam Cassell’s ball handling, and Michael Jordan cut off Eddie Jones’s fast-break lane.
• Dennis Rodman wore down Dino Radja in the post as the Bulls’ defense dismantled the Celtics’ main weapons.
• Jordan, Pippen, and Steve Kerr led the Bulls’ Triangle Offense as their lead grew to twenty points before the third quarter ended.
• The Bulls beat the Celtics 103–84, and Finley asked Lin Qi how they had anticipated the Celtics’ moves.
• Lin Qi explained that Phil Jackson’s staff had studied the Celtics closely and told the players to review the game and learn from the Bulls’ preparation and effort.

The Celtics adjusted their offense and defense for Game 2 against the Bulls, turning a nineteen-point Game 1 defeat into a close contest. They lost 91-88 and fell behind 2-0 in the series, but Lin Qi sent them back to Boston determined to reclaim the two points.

• Before Game 2, Adelman, Thibodeau, and Lin Qi revised the Celtics’ tactics to help Sam Cassell beat the Bulls’ pressure and pull Dennis Rodman away from the paint.
• The Celtics executed their new plans early, with Radja scoring from the high post and Sam Cassell using screens to set up Garnett and Wesley Person.
• The Bulls maintained a narrow lead through the third quarter, and Sam Cassell tied the score at 88-88 with a late midrange jumper.
• Michael Jordan hit a fadeaway to put the Bulls ahead, and Wesley Person missed a corner three that could have tied the game.
• The Bulls won 91-88 and took a 2-0 series lead, while Lin Qi urged the Celtics to return to Boston and fight to win back the two-point difference.

The Celtics battled the 72-win Bulls through a tense Game 3 and won 96-92, cutting the series deficit to 1-2. Michael Jordan left the court regarding them as opponents for the first time.

• Lin Qi watched Boston fans rally around the black-and-green "WE CRAWLED OUT" hoodies before Game 3.
• Adelman urged Radja, Eddie Jones, and Garnett to play smarter, pressure Jordan, and keep their composure against Rodman.
• The Celtics stayed close through the first half as Radja, Michael Finley, and Person made crucial baskets.
• Garnett grabbed a key rebound and helped Boston remain within two points entering the fourth quarter.
• Jones hit a go-ahead midrange shot, then Garnett and Radja secured a vital defensive rebound as the Celtics protected their lead.
• Finley drew a foul and made the decisive free throw after Steve Kerr missed a late three, sealing Boston's 96-92 win over Chicago.

After the Bulls beat Boston 98-87 in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead, Lin Qi and Robert Parish challenged the Celtics not to accept defeat as honorable. The team left the locker room fired up for Game 5 at the United Center, facing elimination.

• The Bulls shut down Boston’s offense and dominated the boards, taking a 50-42 halftime lead and keeping the Celtics at bay when Radja and Finley briefly cut the deficit.
• Jordan and the Bulls regained control with a three-pointer by Steve Kerr and a dunk by Pippen, then closed out the game 98-87 to move ahead 3-1 in the series.
• In the locker room, Adelman admitted he had no remaining adjustments, while Garnett and the other Celtics sat exhausted and despondent.
• Lin Qi reminded the players that the 1986 Celtics had swept Jordan despite his 63-point Game 2, and Parish urged Garnett not to accept defeat as the limit of his career.
• Lin Qi demanded that Boston fight relentlessly in Chicago, and Finley, Sam Cassell, and Garnett roared their agreement before the team headed toward Game 5.

The Celtics pushed the 72-win Bulls to double overtime in Game 5, but lost the series 4-1 and saw Robert Parish suffer a ruptured Achilles. Lin Qi promised the team would return stronger, while resolving to reshape the roster during the summer of 1996.

• The Celtics fought the Bulls through four quarters, with Kevin Garnett standing up to Dennis Rodman and tying the game with a last-second tip-in.
• Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, and the other exhausted Celtics battled through two overtimes, while Robert Parish entered the game and injured his Achilles contesting a rebound.
• Michael Jordan hit a turnaround fadeaway in the final seconds, giving the Bulls a 112-108 win and a 4-1 series victory.
• The team doctor told Lin Qi that Parish had ruptured his Achilles and needed surgery in Boston; Garnett stood silently beside the veteran as Parish tried to reassure him.
• Lin Qi told the Celtics to turn their frustration into summer work and promised they would return, then collected a hundred dollars from each player and hid the bills above the United Center locker-room ceiling for them to retrieve after beating Jordan.
• Lin Qi left the locker room and looked ahead to free agency and the draft, recognizing that his work to rebuild the team was just beginning.

After Robert Parish’s Achilles rupture ended his playing career, Lin Qi kept him with the Celtics as a big-man development consultant and assessed the roster’s injuries and playoff weaknesses. The offseason began with a development plan for Kevin Garnett and a clear list of needs for the team to address.

• Lin Qi offered Robert Parish a senior consultant role mentoring the Celtics’ young big men, and Parish accepted while demanding real authority.
• Lin Qi reviewed Dino Radja’s worsening knee injury, Sam Cassell’s muscle strain, Jones’s bruised shoulder, and Kevin Garnett’s signs of mental fatigue.
• Lin Qi, Adelman, Thibodeau, and the staff identified perimeter shooting, interior toughness, and Garnett’s strength as weaknesses exposed by the Chicago Bulls series.
• Lin Qi assigned Garnett to train with Parish on defense and boxing out, develop his low-post and midrange scoring, and continue improving his shot.
• Lin Qi ended the meeting, officially beginning Boston’s offseason.

Lin Qi held tryouts for Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojaković, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas, seeing each as a potential answer to a weakness exposed by the Bulls. The next morning, three prospects’ camps canceled or postponed their plans, leaving Lin Qi to face sudden uncertainty over his draft targets.

• Lin Qi watched Kobe Bryant score against Michael Finley and recognized him as a potential source of tough-shot creation, despite concerns about managing his scoring instincts.
• Peja Stojaković displayed exceptional three-point range, while Lin Qi identified him as a way to counter defenses doubling Kevin Garnett.
• Steve Nash impressed the coaches with his anticipation and passing, and Lin Qi saw him as a point guard who could direct the offense.
• Jermaine O’Neal showed striking shot-blocking athleticism, and Žydrūnas Ilgauskas displayed imposing size and a soft midrange shot despite medical concerns about his ankles.
• Lin Qi listed the five prospects beside the team’s needs, then learned that Kobe’s second tryout was canceled, Peja’s trip was postponed, and Jermaine was recovering from physical discomfort.

Lin Qi traded Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson to the Charlotte Hornets for the thirteenth pick, beating the Lakers’ attempt to acquire it. He left the Celtics’ intended draft choice undisclosed and warned that anything could happen before draft night.

• Lin Qi told Adelman and Thibodeau he planned to trade Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson for Charlotte’s thirteenth pick.
• Lin Qi persuaded Hornets general manager Bob to accept the Celtics’ offer over the Lakers’ proposed trade for Vlade Divac.
• The Hornets signed the deal, and Bob called Jerry West to tell him the thirteenth pick was no longer available.
• Willie Anderson and Ervin Johnson accepted their trades and shared brief farewells with Lin Qi.
• Lin Qi marked the thirteenth pick on the whiteboard but refused to tell Adelman whom he planned to draft.

As the 1996 NBA Draft unfolded, Lin Qi watched from Boston, knowing the prospects’ futures while the commentators doubted them. The Lakers traded Cedric Ceballos for the eighth pick and used it to select Kobe Bryant, setting Lin Qi’s anticipated plan in motion.

• Lin Qi watched the draft from his Boston office as Rick Adelman and the Celtics staff worried over the uncertain prospects.
• The Philadelphia 76ers selected Allen Iverson first, followed by Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, and Loren Wright.
• Lin Qi reflected that the draft’s picks had already diverged from the history he remembered, including Antoine Walker going to Dallas rather than Boston.
• The Lakers acquired the eighth pick from the Nets by trading Cedric Ceballos, shocking commentators and fans.
• David Stern announced that the Lakers selected Kobe Bryant from Lower Merion High School.

As Jerry West dismantled the Lakers’ lineup to draft Kobe Bryant, Peja, and Jermaine O’Neal, Lin Qi explained that West was building around Kobe and clearing salary cap space to pursue Shaquille O’Neal. When Charlotte called in a panic after losing its chance to draft Kobe, Lin Qi named a player for the Hornets, and they selected Steve Nash.

• Jerry West traded away Ceballos for the eighth pick and drafted high schooler Kobe Bryant, prompting widespread outrage.
• The Lakers traded Nick Van Exel for the tenth pick and selected Peja, whom Lin Qi recognized as a future floor-spacing shooter developing in Europe.
• West traded Elden Campbell and other assets for the eleventh pick, then drafted high schooler Jermaine O’Neal; Lin Qi said West was clearing the way to sign Shaquille O’Neal.
• Charlotte’s general manager called Lin Qi after Jerry West drafted Kobe, and Lin Qi gave him a name for the Hornets’ pick.
• Charlotte selected Steve Nash from Santa Clara University.