The big tanking of the 1997 season signaled the Celtics' compromise with the new era of the NBA. They could no longer win through clever means and had to follow the rules, rely on tanking, and gamble on luck.
David Stern let the Celtics off the hook, and Tim Duncan came to Boston.
But it was the arrival of Bobby Berman that truly initiated the Celtics' modernization and corporatization process.
On the night of December 1st, while Bird was reminiscing with Drake, Gan Guoyang also called Berman for a chat with the old coach.
"How about lunch tomorrow?"
"No way, Sonny, I have to prepare for the game, no time for lunch."
"Don't be like that, I'm in Boston, aren't you going to be a proper host? You weren't like this in Los Angeles."
"I'm really sorry, I'm much busier with the Celtics. Besides...to be honest, Sonny, I can't have lunch with you, at least not before the game."
"What, are you avoiding suspicion now? Could having a lunch cause you to lose a game?"
