Chapter Summaries

Lin Qi’s challenge galvanized Boston, and Rick Adelman’s new lineup used Garnett’s defense and team-first play to beat Washington in Game 2 and take a 2-1 series lead in Game 3. The Celtics left Washington with the tactical advantage, while Webber sensed it slipping away from the Bullets.

• Lin Qi left a provocative newspaper beside Garnett’s shoes, and Garnett responded by preparing to focus on the team rather than Webber.
• Rick Adelman started Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Kevin Garnett, P.J. Brown, and Dikembe Mutombo in Game 2.
• Garnett and Brown contained Webber, and Garnett finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks as Boston won 1-1 in the series.
• In Game 3, Boston used disciplined double-teams and rapid recoveries to disrupt Washington’s offense.
• The Celtics beat the Bullets 86-83 in Washington, taking a 2-1 series lead as Webber sensed Boston gaining tactical control.

Chris Webber opened Game 4 against Boston by attacking and creating for teammates, giving Washington a halftime lead, but the Celtics' disciplined play and punishing physical defense wore him down. As the fourth quarter approached, Lin Qi watched to see whether Webber could keep prioritizing the team or would give in to his need to be the savior.

• Webber left the locker room determined to answer Boston's defensive trap and scored, assisted, and passed through the Celtics' coverage early in Game 4.
• Webber led Washington to a seven-point halftime advantage with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
• Lin Qi told Kevin Garnett that Webber's real test would come when exhaustion and pressure threatened to revive his urge to prove himself.
• Boston tightened its defense and ran its offense through Sam Cassell and Garnett, cutting Washington's lead to two points by the end of the third quarter.
• Webber showed clear signs of exhaustion before the fourth quarter as Lin Qi watched from a luxury suite, uncertain whether he could carry Washington through the final stretch.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets 93-89 to win their series 3-1 and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Miami Heat. After Chris Webber’s final shot missed, Kevin Garnett recognized how pride had trapped Webber and saw the same danger in himself.

• Gheorghe Mureșan scored on an offensive rebound to put the Washington Bullets ahead 89-88 late in the fourth quarter.
• Kevin Garnett passed out of Washington’s double-team, and Eddie Jones hit a corner shot to give the Boston Celtics a 91-89 lead.
• Chris Webber refused to call a timeout, forced up a contested three over Garnett and P.J. Brown, and missed; Dikembe Mutombo secured the rebound.
• Sam Cassell made both free throws, and the Celtics held on to win 93-89 after Rod Strickland missed a transition three.
• Kevin Garnett watched Webber leave the court and understood Lin Qi’s warning about becoming trapped by the need to prove himself.
• The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they would face the Miami Heat.

Rick Adelman and Lin Qi planned a drastic lineup change to counter Pat Riley’s slow, physical Miami Heat in the first road game. They left the team ready to use six minutes of bruising defense before unleashing a faster second unit to exhaust Miami’s big men.

• Rick Adelman explained that Miami slowed games and used physical contact to wear opponents down.
• Lin Qi warned that Miami would grow rougher if the playoff referees let contact go, and said Boston could not play at Miami’s pace.
• Adelman named Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Robert Horry, P.J. Brown, and Dikembe Mutombo as the new starters, instructing them to meet Miami’s physicality for six minutes.
• Adelman planned to send Kevin Garnett, Michael Finley, Mark Price, Chris Mullin, and Bo Outlaw in together to push the pace and attack Miami before its big men could recover.
• Lin Qi called the second unit his trump card against Pat Riley and ordered the players to sprint relentlessly, and the team answered that they understood.

In game one of the Eastern Conference semifinals, Boston used physical half-court play before replacing all five starters and unleashing a fast-paced attack that overwhelmed Miami. Pat Riley called timeout with the Heat trailing by sixteen and prepared to use harder fouls to slow the Celtics.

• Boston and Miami traded punishing half-court possessions, and the score was 8-6 after six minutes.
• Rick Adelman replaced all five Boston starters with rotation players after Tim Hardaway drew a foul.
• Kevin Garnett led a fast break and dunked over Alonzo Mourning, then Boston forced a turnover and Michael Finley hit a corner three to put Boston ahead.
• Boston finished the first quarter on a 20-7 run and extended its lead to sixteen in the second quarter through Finley and Chris Mullin.
• Pat Riley called timeout and decided to use harder fouls and delays to bring the game back to Miami's physical style.

Boston weathered Miami’s brutal fouling and physical defense, then used a fresh lineup and disciplined half-court play to win game one, 92-78. The battered Heat left the court as Lin Qi passed Pat Riley and headed for the visitors’ locker room.

• Pat Riley ordered Miami to foul Garnett hard, and the Heat cut Boston’s lead from sixteen points to eight through punishing physical play.
• Lin Qi told Adelman to return Boston’s starters and meet Miami’s rough tactics with even tougher play.
• Boston’s returning lineup slowed the game, as P.J. Brown scored over Brian Grant and Mutombo blocked Mourning’s shot.
• Boston shut down Miami in the fourth quarter and won 92-78.
• Mourning limped toward the tunnel while Lin Qi passed Riley and walked to the visitors’ locker room.

The Miami Heat used controlled fouls, physical defense, and slow half-court possessions to disrupt Boston and force Game 2 into their preferred style. Miami won 85-80 to tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 1-1, and Pat Riley gave Lin Qi a provocative smile.

• Pat Riley rested Alonzo Mourning and Brian Grant early while Miami's reserves fouled Boston to stop its fast breaks.
• Mourning returned in the second quarter and scored through Bo Outlaw as Miami focused its offense on the low post.
• Brian Grant drew an offensive foul on Kevin Garnett in the third quarter, giving Garnett his fourth foul and sending him to the bench.
• Miami slowed the fourth quarter with long possessions, and Tim Hardaway assisted Mourning on a late basket that put the Heat ahead 83-78.
• The Miami Heat defeated Boston 85-80 to tie the series 1-1, and Riley gave Lin Qi a cold, victorious smile.

After Miami tied the Eastern Conference semifinal at 1-1 with rough play, Lin Qi publicly attacked Pat Riley’s tactics and argued that the Heat’s fouling threatened the NBA’s appeal to viewers and sponsors. His remarks set off a media storm and put pressure on the league to change how the next game was called.

• Lin Qi compared Miami’s midcourt fouls to wrestling and hockey, arguing that the Heat were preventing basketball from being played.
• Lin Qi invoked NBA broadcasts, sponsors, and David Stern’s efforts to make basketball a respectable sport, then left the briefing room.
• Reporters recognized that Lin Qi had framed the issue as a threat to the league’s business, and predicted that the next game would be officiated differently.
• ESPN replayed Miami’s fouls with a hockey penalty-box timer, while Boston and Miami newspapers published opposing reactions.
• The New York Post attacked Riley by contrasting his Lakers-era basketball with the Heat’s rough tactics.

Pat Riley responded to Lin Qi’s “hockey theory” by doubling down on Miami’s physical play, and Lin Qi prepared Boston to exploit the Heat’s fouls while avoiding retaliation. The chapter left Boston ready for a pivotal Game 3, with strict orders to keep the bench off the court and avoid suspensions.

• Pat Riley mocked Boston’s concerns at the airport and declared that Miami pursued only ultimate victory.
• Lin Qi told the team that Miami would keep testing the referees and ordered the players not to retaliate when whistles blew.
• Rick Adelman outlined how Boston could attack the basket and draw free throws if the Heat continued fouling.
• Lin Qi urged Kevin Garnett to stay composed and smile after being knocked down, prompting jokes from Sam Cassell and Robert Horry.
• Lin Qi ordered everyone on Boston’s bench to stay seated during any on-court fight, and Robert Horry warned that leaving the bench meant automatic suspension.

Lin Qi’s media campaign led officials to crack down on Miami’s rough defense, helping Boston win Game 3 and take a 2-1 lead. Pat Riley adjusted Miami’s approach in Game 4, slowing the pace and wearing down the Celtics to tie the series at 2-2, setting up Game 5.

• Before Game 3, league officials were instructed to strictly penalize Miami’s rough tactics, while Boston fans mocked the Heat with hockey jerseys and banners.
• The officials repeatedly called fouls on Miami, and the Heat reached the team foul limit before the first quarter’s eighth minute.
• Lin Qi urged Boston to run, and the Celtics exploited the whistles with cuts, fast breaks, and free throws to win Game 3, 96-84.
• For Game 4, Pat Riley abandoned Miami’s midcourt fouls and slowed the game with deliberate half-court offense and draining physical defense.
• With thirty seconds left and the teams tied at 83, Tim Hardaway scored a pull-up jumper, and Miami won 88-83 to tie the series at 2-2.

Lin Qi bought Amazon shares during Wall Street’s panic selling while preparing the Celtics for the decisive games against Miami. Boston won Game 5, lost Game 6, and Lin Qi left the story poised to reveal a new strategy for Game 7.

• Lin Qi ordered his broker to begin buying Amazon shares discreetly, planning to invest more if the price fell further.
• Sam Cassell hit two late jumpers and Dikembe Mutombo blocked Alonzo Mourning’s final shot as Boston won Game 5, 91-88, and took a 3-2 series lead.
• Miami rallied in Game 6, overcame Kevin Garnett’s late cramps, and tied the series at 3-3 after Michael Finley’s potential game-winning three missed.
• Lin Qi reviewed trade confirmations showing that more than $100 million of his credit facility had been invested in Amazon shares.
• Lin Qi interrupted the coaches’ film review before Game 7 and announced that Boston would change its strategy.

The Celtics opened Game Seven with a defensive lineup and faced the Heat’s attempt to provoke a brawl. After the referees ejected Keith Askins, P.J. Brown, and Sam Mitchell, Boston kept its key players available, and Kevin Garnett entered the game with the Celtics in control.

• Before the game, Lin Qi warned P.J. Brown and Ben Wallace that Miami would try to provoke a fight, while Sam Mitchell volunteered to take the penalty if he had to leave the bench to contain a confrontation.
• Adelman started Sam Cassell, Eddie Jones, Ben Wallace, P.J. Brown, and Dikembe Mutombo, leaving Kevin Garnett and Robert Horry on the bench.
• Keith Askins sent Cassell crashing into the photographers, and Brown grabbed Askins by the jersey and slammed him to the floor as both teams converged.
• Mitchell separated the Celtics players and dragged Wallace back, while Horry stopped Garnett from crossing the sideline; Cassell then stood up and told his teammates he was fine.
• The referees ejected Askins for a flagrant foul, Brown for a technical foul, and Mitchell for illegally leaving the bench; Mitchell accepted that he would miss the next game if Boston advanced.
• Cassell made both free throws, and Adelman sent Garnett into the game with three minutes and twenty seconds left in the first quarter.

The Boston Celtics overcame Miami’s physical play and defeated the Heat 85-81 in Game 7, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. Kevin Garnett led Boston’s attack and defense as the game’s final moments secured the win.

• After the officials tightened their calls on contact, Garnett exploited the space to set up Eddie Jones’s dunk and help Boston finish the first quarter ahead 24-19.
• Garnett scored from the high post, led a fast break that created Finley’s three-pointer, and gave Boston a 47-42 halftime lead.
• Lin Qi urged Garnett to use the room the officials were giving him, and Boston made Garnett the center of its offense in the third quarter.
• With the game tied 81-81 late in the fourth, Garnett passed to Mutombo for a dunk, then stripped Mourning and helped Boston extend its lead to 85-81.
• Mutombo secured the rebound on Miami’s final three-point attempt, and Boston won Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

After Boston beat Miami, the media predicted Chicago would sweep the Celtics, and Pat Riley warned that courage alone would not be enough against Michael Jordan. Boston began studying the Bulls, and Adelman ended the film session with a mysterious “But...” before explaining his plan.

• American media celebrated Boston’s Game 7 victory but overwhelmingly predicted the Bulls would sweep them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
• ESPN commentators dismissed Boston’s chances against Jordan and Chicago’s defense.
• Pat Riley acknowledged Boston’s toughness but warned that the Bulls’ one-on-one game made them nearly impossible to stop.
• Adelman showed the Celtics footage of the Bulls’ Triangle Offense, Jordan’s fadeaway, Pippen’s passing, and Rodman’s rebounding.
• Adelman told the Celtics that no one could lock down Jordan, erased the Bulls’ names from the whiteboard, and began to explain his counterpoint.

Lin Qi and Adelman planned to wear down Michael Jordan and force the Bulls' other players to beat Boston, but Chicago won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, 92-84. Lin Qi saw Jordan’s limited scoring as a reason to adjust, and Boston prepared to start Kevin Garnett at small forward in Game 2 with P.J. Brown returning from suspension.

• Adelman showed Boston the Bulls’ past losses and assigned Eddie Jones, Robert Horry, and Kevin Garnett defensive roles, while Lin Qi added a plan to rotate defenders, prioritize rebounding, and accept open shots from lesser scorers.
• Michael Jordan mocked Boston in a pregame interview, and the Celtics arrived at Chicago’s United Center without suspended P.J. Brown.
• Boston’s defense forced Jordan to shoot poorly early, but Scottie Pippen and the Bulls’ supporting players exploited openings and built a lead.
• Dennis Rodman elbowed Kevin Garnett while fighting for a rebound, then helped Jordan score as Chicago maintained its advantage.
• Sam Cassell and Finley helped Boston cut the deficit to four, but Jordan’s late bank shot secured Chicago’s 92-84 win and a 1-0 series lead.
• Lin Qi pointed to Jordan’s 10-for-26 shooting and Adelman set Boston’s Game 2 lineup with Garnett at small forward and Brown back at power forward.

The Boston Celtics struggled against the Chicago Bulls’ physical play and a barrage of foul calls in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. Lin Qi was ejected for confronting the referees, and Chicago won 98-89 to take a 2-0 series lead.

• Kevin Garnett blocked Scottie Pippen’s opening shot, helping Boston build a six-point first-quarter lead.
• Dennis Rodman fouled P.J. Brown and Dikembe Mutombo out of the referees’ view, grabbed an offensive rebound, and elbowed Garnett, who was called for a foul.
• The referees’ calls put Mutombo and Brown in foul trouble, allowing the Bulls to rally and take a nine-point lead late in the fourth quarter.
• Lin Qi confronted the lead referee over the free-throw disparity and was ejected after receiving two technical fouls.
• Lin Qi told the frustrated Celtics to hold their heads up as Chicago won 98-89 and took a 2-0 series lead.

Michael Jordan tried to intimidate the Celtics before Game 3, but Boston answered with a brutal, physical win over Chicago. The Celtics cut the series deficit to 2-1.

• Jordan blocked the Celtics' player-tunnel entrance with his Ferrari, then entered their locker room, smoked a cigar, and challenged them to name his defender.
• Adelman ordered Jordan out after Jordan taunted Garnett, and Garnett kicked the tactics board in anger.
• Lin Qi watched from courtside as Boston fans raised posters of him and the Celtics and Bulls began a punishing, low-scoring game.
• Garnett stopped Pippen's drive, stole the ball, and poster-dunked over Rodman, igniting the FleetCenter crowd.
• The Celtics harassed Jordan until his shots failed, while Garnett blocked three shots and Boston won 88-81 to make the series 2-1.

After Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson tried to demean Boston as a team of “boys,” Lin Qi rallied the Celtics to confront the Bulls’ psychological warfare in Game 4. Kevin Garnett helped Boston win 92-91, tying the series 2-2 and setting up Game 5.

• After losing Game 3, Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson publicly belittled the Celtics, calling them lucky boys and Boy Scouts.
• Lin Qi showed the Celtics the newspaper before Game 4 and urged them to prove Chicago wrong.
• Jordan dominated in the third quarter as Chicago surged ahead, but Garnett’s block on Pippen helped Boston stop the run.
• With Boston leading 90-89, Garnett grabbed a rebound over Dennis Rodman, whose apparent breakdown turned into a bloodied, furious confrontation with Garnett.
• Garnett stood his ground against Rodman, and both received technical fouls while Boston retained possession.
• Garnett secured the rebound on Chicago’s final possession, and Boston won 92-91 to tie the series 2-2.

In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics and Chicago Bulls fought through a punishing contest at the United Center. Dennis Rodman tried to provoke Kevin Garnett, but Garnett responded with disciplined defense as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied 72-72.

• Chicago fans taunted the Celtics with leaflets mocking Kevin Garnett, while Rick Adelman calmly reviewed the game plan with Garnett and Sam Cassell.
• Boston pushed the pace in the first quarter and finished ahead of Chicago by two points.
• Michael Jordan took over in the second quarter, scoring through Boston's defense as the Bulls went into halftime leading 46-45.
• Dennis Rodman repeatedly fouled and provoked Garnett after halftime, but Garnett stayed composed and answered with forceful defense and rebounds.
• Garnett blocked Scottie Pippen and helped limit Chicago as the game became a war of attrition, tied 72-72 after three quarters.

The Boston Celtics lost to the Chicago Bulls when Scottie Pippen scored on a last-second alley-oop after Kevin Garnett's dunk briefly put Boston ahead. The Bulls took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Garnett would wear a black protective mask in the next game in Chicago.

• Michael Jordan hit a late jump shot to put the Bulls ahead 93-92 with six seconds remaining.
• Kevin Garnett dunked Sam Cassell's pass through Dennis Rodman's foul, giving Boston a 94-93 lead, but Garnett missed the free throw.
• Michael Jordan grabbed the rebound and called timeout with 0.8 seconds left.
• Toni Kukoč passed over Boston's defense to Scottie Pippen, who tipped the ball into the basket as time expired to win the game 95-94.
• Garnett knelt beneath the basket as the Bulls celebrated, and the series moved to Chicago with the Bulls leading 3-2.