Champion Rules

Chapter 323, page 319: A Place Where Nightmares Cannot Spread (Seeking monthly votes!)

Kyrie Irving sat on the flight back to New York, the newspaper in his hand holding two of the most eye-catching headlines.

When LeBron James becomes something else.

"65 points in a single game, the King of New York takes office in Goose City."

Kyrie Irving looked up and glanced at Lynch, who was playing a game on his laptop.

Even after experiencing it all firsthand, he still found it hard to imagine how Lynch had done it.

Last night, Kevin Durant's performance shocked Kyrie Irving.

When they met at training camp, Kyrie Irving's impression of KD was nothing more than that he was exceptionally talented, had a unique temperament, and possessed a pair of eye-catching "Noah's Ark-like big feet".

At the time, Kyrie Irving didn't think KD was that incredible during practice.

As a result, even after a series of attacks and a lack of firepower in the final moments of the fourth quarter, his overall performance last night was still amazing.

He scored 45 points with a 43% field goal percentage.

A guy who's both tall and skilled must have a lot of girlfriends, right? He probably doesn't need to be eyeing other people's wives' bathwater, does he?
But Kevin Durant, who delivered a monster-level performance that could dominate the night, became worthless under Lynch's spotlight.

Kyrie Irving was not only amazed by Lynch's abilities.

He was also astonished by his almost pathological "selfishness"—he would not tolerate anyone coveting or even sharing the glory of his throne.

When Thunder fans roared "Beat Lynch!", it revealed their ambition to transcend victory or defeat.

Kevin Durant, basking in the cheers of the Oklahoma City crowd, displayed a naked desire to take his place.

Lin Qi then completely lost control.

He has never expressed any dissatisfaction with the shouts of Thunder fans.

He has never had a falling out with Kevin Durant.

But last night, he couldn't hide the ruthless aura of "I'll make you pay."

It's like a woman with a full figure; even if she wears clothes that don't reveal any skin, her voluptuous curves can still inspire endless fantasies. That feeling simply can't be concealed.

A jumble of thoughts swirled in Irving's mind until the flight landed and the cabin door opened.

Inside the New York airport terminal, the Knicks players' path was overwhelmed by a frenzy of media attention, making it impossible for anyone to move.

The crowd gathered around Lynch was the thickest. Carey and Irving now truly understood what the "one call, a hundred responses" phrase from last night's commentary meant.

Watching all this, Kyrie Irving had a feeling—everyone else was an appendage of Lynch.

This city belongs to him, this team belongs to him, and all the honors belong to him.

And you could never defy all of this, because Lynch would not allow anyone to challenge his position!
You can only obediently be an accessory.

Lynch's selfless performance in last season's Finals was a key reason why Kyrie Irving changed his mind and became eager to join the Knicks.

He believes that playing alongside such a leader gives everyone a chance, and everyone has the potential to become a protagonist.

But now Irving realizes that in New York, there can only ever be one main character.

A long arm suddenly wrapped around Irving's shoulder, and DeAndre Jordan said with a big smile, "Rookie, are you free tonight? Let's go out and relax."

Kyrie Irving's thoughts were temporarily interrupted. Yes, he was still just a rookie.

The wisest choice for a novice is to focus on doing their job well.

He neither wants to nor is qualified to be the protagonist.

If possible, winning the championship in the rookie season would be an absolutely dream start, even if it's as a supporting player.

Currently, he is quite satisfied with the role he plays in the "Nightmare Duo".

He really liked Mike Brin's commentary:

"There is only one pair in this alliance that can be called a 'nightmare'."

As for whether it will be satisfied in the future?
That’s for later.

Now, he and Lynch are going to keep the entire league living in nightmares.
-
The Knicks started the season with a 9-1 record.

In the modern basketball environment, no team that has ever won three consecutive championships has ever achieved such a brilliant start to the season.

Even after the season ended in November, the Knicks still had a record of 13 wins and 2 losses.

They lost to the Detroit Pistons on November 25, with JR Smith's outburst and Carmelo Anthony's hot hand making them the first team to win at Madison Square Garden this season.

But his 13-2 record was still quite impressive, which made Kyrie Irving a breakout star.

After all, he was the Knicks' second-best player besides Lynch.

Kyrie Irving averaged 18.3 points per game in November, shooting 46% from the field and 41% from three-point range.

Not only are the basic data impressive, but the various advanced data are equally dazzling.

For a rookie, this is an incredible performance.

In comparison, second overall pick Derrick Williams averaged 8 points and 4 rebounds per game.

Enes Kanter, the third overall pick, was even more impressive, averaging 4 points and 4 rebounds per game, though not as good as the third overall pick in 91.

Currently, besides Kyrie Irving, the most impressive rookie in terms of stats is Kemba Walker, who made a name for himself in college and averaged 13.2 points per game.

However, the 36% shooting percentage made the already meager score even less valuable.

Of course, even so, his performance is enough to make him shed the "Jordan Choice" label.

With the league's best player and the league's best rookie, the Knicks continued their dominant winning streak in December.

12月2日对阵凤凰城太阳，戈兰.德拉季奇重回麦迪逊广场花园，全场17分5次助攻3次抢断。

But inheriting Steve Nash's mantle is clearly not so easy, as his Suns suffered a crushing 36-point defeat in New York.

This game wasn't even broadcast nationally, because hardly anyone really cared how well Goran Dragic would perform back in New York.

Kyrie Irving has also given new thought to the concept of "protagonist".

Once you step out of Lynch's shadow, can you really become the protagonist?

Not always.

Whether it's Trevor Ariza, Tyson Chandler, or Goran Dragic, these names that once shone alongside Lynch have not only failed to take on leading roles once they are stripped of Lynch's support, but have even completely lost their "supporting role" aura.

At this time last season, Tyson Chandler, who was embroiled in trade rumors, was still one of the most watched players in the league.

And now? He's practically invisible in the public eye and the media.

On December 5th, Kyrie Irving will face off against the Charlotte Bobcats in a head-to-head matchup against Kemba Walker.

Kemba Walker exploded for 21 points and 11 assists, but not in a good way.

Because Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 31 points!
Tonight, Lynch seemed particularly obsessed with defense.

He put a lot of effort into defense, but had little desire to score.

This led to a fierce, all-out scoring duel between Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.

At the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Lynch, "Did you intentionally give Kyrie more opportunities tonight? You know, there's been a lot of debate across the country lately about who is the best guard of the 11 draft class, him or Kemba Walker."

Lin Qi waved his hand in denial:
"There is no dispute that I am the best guard in the 11th draft class, and I never intentionally gave the opportunity to Kyrie. I was just too tired lately and needed to rest."

The following day, Kyrie Irving and 90s supermodel Sarah Sampaio became the two hottest topics.

The former proved his status as the top scorer with his outstanding performance.

The latter became the number one player in the latest NBA Defensive Player of the Year rankings—this new girlfriend of Lynch made Lynch say "I'm too tired lately" for the first time in his career, which shows how good she is at applying BB cream to Lynch.

Of course, Kyrie Irving knew that was just Lynch's excuse.

How could that monster on the court, who seemed like a perpetual motion machine, feel tired so early in December during the long regular season?

He felt that Lin Qi just wanted to give him a chance to show off, so he gave up the right to shoot.

He just didn't choose to handle the matter in a way that was too paternalistic.

He didn't have a serious talk with me alone, saying things like, "Kerry, this is your night."

He did not flaunt his generosity in front of the media, saying things like "you have to give young people a chance sometimes."

This subtle "concession" demonstrates a perfect grasp of the appropriate degree.

This also greatly increased Kyrie Irving's positive feelings towards Lynch.

Contrary to expectations, Kyrie Irving did not hit the rookie wall after his stellar November. Instead, his performance continued to improve, shining even brighter in December!
12月6日背靠背对阵迈阿密热火，欧文拿下19分，其中三分球6投5中。

Lynch scored 34 points, and with the combined efforts of the two, the originally powerful Miami Heat suffered a 26-point defeat.

Just two days later, on December 8, against another formidable opponent, the Chicago Bulls, Lynch only managed 22 points against their well-prepared defensive wall.

Kyrie Irving stepped up, also scoring 22 points and providing crucial firepower to the victory thanks to his better shooting opportunities.

Despite the Bulls' rock-solid defense, the Knicks secured a comfortable 12-point victory. The nightmare continues to spread throughout the league, with the Knicks crushing Eastern Conference powerhouses by double digits in two consecutive games, demonstrating extraordinary dominance.

After the game, Charles Barkley in the TNT studio, usually known for his witty banter, appeared extremely serious.
"Listen, I'm not kidding. This New York Knicks team might be stronger than the 09 Knicks and the 10 Knicks."

The 09 and 10 Knicks have long been considered by major media outlets as the two strongest teams in league history, having achieved the record of winning 70+ games in two consecutive seasons.

The prevailing view is that even Lynch himself would find it almost impossible to build a team that surpasses the historical strength of those two years.

But just one season later, a team with historical dominance seems to have returned!
Besides their impressive 16-3 record, another terrifying achievement of this Knicks team is that they have won 13 out of 19 games by double digits!

“Most of the time, this Knicks team doesn’t just win, they crush their opponents,” Charles Barkley emphasized. “The 96 Bulls won by double digits 46 times in the regular season, the 09 Knicks also had 46, and the 10 Knicks had 44. The record, however, has always been the 72 Lakers’ 50 wins. This year, we might witness Lynch make history again.”

At the post-game press conference, a reporter asked Kyrie Irving about this: "Does the record put a lot of pressure on you? You know, now you not only have to win, it seems like you have to beat your opponents by double digits to be considered a success."

Kyrie Irving shrugged nonchalantly: "I believe that opponents feel more pressure when they see me and Lynch on the court together."

In their next three games, the Knicks won by double digits in one more game, bringing their season total to 14 games with a double-digit winning margin.

This flood of momentum finally slowed down on December 13 when the Knicks suffered a defeat at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant scored 43 points tonight, while Kyrie Irving had a poor performance against his idol, shooting 4-for-15 and playing his worst game of the season.

Taking 15 shots and hitting 11 of them, how can that not be considered a tribute to the steely Mamba Mentality?

Lakers fans felt no jubilation at the victory, only a sense of relief at surviving a close call.

As Kyrie Irving said, when he and Lynch appeared on the floor of the Staples Center, they did feel fear and pressure.

What's more, Kevin Garnett was absent from this game due to injury.

What if the Knicks blow out us by 30 or 40 points? That would be so embarrassing.

But as it turns out, if the Lakers had replaced KG with Irving as their second option, Kobe could have won for a few more years.

With this, the Knicks' record has reached 18 wins and 4 losses.

The combination of Lynch and Irving allowed this three-time champion team to display an absurdly strong fighting spirit.

The most outrageous thing is that the Knicks are currently only ranked second in the league.

In their next game, they will finally challenge the current league leader – the San Antonio Spurs.

The San Antonio Spurs currently lead the league with a record of 19 wins and 3 losses.

Last season, Tim Duncan's playing time, points per game, and rebounds per game were all at career lows.

Major media outlets are discussing that he may soon follow in Yao Ming's footsteps and bid farewell to the court.

When the Thunder eliminated them in the playoffs last season, he told LBJ in the player tunnel, "The future is yours."

then
He has made a full comeback this season, leading the team to a 19-3 start.

NBA's biggest fraudster!
Yao Ming even called the police from his home!

In fact, Yao Ming's retirement was, to some extent, a catalyst that forced the Spurs to undergo a transformation.

After the complete failure of the twin towers strategy and the loss of a superstar center, Gregg Popovich, no longer able to stay in his comfort zone, finally made up his mind to make a change.

It's not just the Spurs that need to transform; Popovich himself also needs to abandon the coaching mindset that brought him great success over the past decade.

It is not easy to get someone to give up their past successes.

But he did it.

As a defensive coach who learned from Larry Brown, Gregg Popovich has transformed the Spurs into a more modern, offensively driven passing team this season.

This season, their game pace, points per game, assists, and three-pointers made all rank among the top five in the league.

Although the core of the team is still the GDP plus Popovich, the difference between this Spurs team and the previous Spurs team is like the difference between LeBron James and Michael Jordan - apart from playing basketball, they have virtually no similarities in other aspects.

ESPN's data expert John Hollinger highly praised the Spurs team because they played the game in the most efficient way, almost completely outperforming all advanced data models.

His assessment of the team was: "Watching the Spurs play is as intoxicating as savoring the heavenly music of Mozart."

It turns out that the poor do indeed have to rely on mutation.

In recent years, the Spurs have made unprecedented moves by spending heavily to acquire star players, but with little success.

This summer, the Spurs didn't make any big-name signings or spend much money, but they still managed to pull themselves out of the mire through their own "transformation".

The debate over which team, the Knicks or the San Antonio Spurs, is more dominant will finally be resolved in two days.

The New York Times went so far as to dedicate its front page to promoting the match.

The front page cover featured a composite photo of Lynch and Kyrie Irving walking side-by-side toward the GDP in the distance.

Title:

Can GDP protect San Antonio from the onslaught of the nightmare combination?
-
The day after the game against the Lakers, the entire Knicks team arrived in San Antonio.

On the way to their hotel in the team bus, the players saw the dense crowds of Spurs fans lining both sides of the street through the bus windows.

The signs they held aloft bore largely the same message, yet they conveyed an undisguised hostility and provocation:

"GDP is no nightmare!"

"San Antonio, the only place where nightmares cannot spread!"

No one here will tremble because of you!

"Are you here to compete for second place?"

Spurs fans have never welcomed the Knicks.

The loss in the 2007 NBA Finals is considered the beginning of the Spurs' "dark period".

The culprits behind their failure were Lynch and the Knicks.

So they roared and protested wildly.

These fans are confident and proud of the Spurs' current winning streak, and they call this place "a place where nightmares cannot spread" in the context of the Knicks' sweep of the league.

But Spurs players aren't necessarily as confident as these fans.

On game day, Tony Parker, the team's core player, was warming up.

In the eyes of most fans, the GDP of the 10s is aging, and their true peak was left in the 00s.

In reality, Tony Parker didn't reach his true peak until the 10s.

His organization and control have reached a level of perfection, with top-notch timing and accuracy in his ball placement.

His mid-range jump shot is so refined that it rivals any mid-range master.

He is no longer the hothead who only relies on speed to attack the basket; he has become the heart of this silver and black army.

Therefore, he was under immense pressure.

He knew that the team's revival was no longer Duncan's task, but his.

To achieve revival, the nightmare originating from New York and already ravaging the entire United States must be eradicated.

At this moment, boos were heard from the crowd.

Tony Parker stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the visiting team's tunnel.

They are coming.

DeAndre Jordan was the first to run out, and his one-handed dunk shattered the rim.

Next up was Amir Johnson, who warmed up with a set of shadowboxing punches.

Then it was Ray Allen's turn. He sat on the bench and carefully adjusted the height of his socks.

Shane Battier picked up the basketball beyond the three-point line, and DeMar DeRozan began stretching.
The away team players entered the field one by one in an orderly fashion. Finally, in the dark player tunnel, two figures appeared, one tall and one short, walking slowly out.

At that moment, the air seemed to thin, and Tony Parker felt his breathing become heavy.

Two figures slowly approached, gradually becoming clearer, and finally emerged from the player tunnel a few seconds later. Bathed in the spotlight of the ATT Center, their figures were slowly swallowed up by the noise.

Like Superman tearing off his disguise, Lin Qi ripped open his training uniform from the chest and threw it aside.

Kyrie Irving picked up the basketball at his feet and, as if controlling his body, smoothly weaved the ball between his legs.

The two men looked up at almost the same moment, staring directly at the Spurs' half of the court.

Tony Parker felt the temperature drop sharply and couldn't help but rub his arm with his palm.

Pressure, tension, and a hint of fear spread through his heart.

It spread throughout the entire AT&T center.

At this moment, Spurs players and fans realized that the nightmare sweeping the league was not just a figment of their imagination.

It has already entered San Antonio.

(End of this chapter)