Champion Rules

Chapter 332, Section 328: Lin Qi's Alliance That Can Be Created at Will (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
They won six consecutive games by more than 25 points, breaking the league record.

They have already achieved 28 wins with double-digit point differentials this season.

This impressed his former arch-rival, Carmelo Anthony, who then expressed his respect to him.

Leading a team that has just won three consecutive championships, he continues to dominate the league.

In the 11-12 season, Lynch was demonstrating his terrifying dominance in the league in an even more frightening way.

Keep in mind that this wasn't the era when Bill Russell led the league, which at its peak only had nine teams.

In a modern league brimming with talent, greater player mobility, and a whopping 30 teams, it's hard to imagine any team maintaining such formidable fighting power after winning three consecutive championships.

However, Michael Jordan's words during the interview still received a certain degree of recognition.

Lynch's dominance will only be truly solidified when he wears the ring for the fourth consecutive year.

Wilt Chamberlain has always outperformed the Lord of the Rings in the regular season, and his phenomenal statistics, both on and off the court, have always kept him in the spotlight.

But when people discuss historical significance, few would place the 20,000-strong army ahead of the Eleventh Commander of the Demon King.

Michael Jordan clearly understands that all that's left for him to rely on is his championship ring.

A bunch of top scorers? Who cares?
Total career points? Does that count as an honor?
For great players, rings and championships are the measure of everything.

When Lynch lifts the trophy for the sixth time, and when he creates an unprecedented four-peat in modern basketball, MJ's historical status will inevitably be shaken like never before.

He can disregard his status, after all, he has already retired.

But he cares about the AJ brand.

Although he is currently only on a nominal position at AJ, not involved in shoe design or marketing, it is similar to Kawhi Leonard's future job with the Clippers.

However, this remains his primary source of income.

If his influence as a basketball icon is damaged due to Lynch's continued rise to the top, the global reach of the AJ brand will inevitably be impacted as well.

Michael Jordan has never been so anxious. Last year, those damn labor negotiations had already given him a taste of defeat.

Now, the shadow of failure looms over him once again.

His lead spokesperson has given up the fight, and the other spokespeople he signed are all ineffective.

When Lynch surpassed him, he couldn't offer praise as calmly as Magic Johnson.

Distracted by these matters, Michael Jordan was somewhat unsettled until there was a knock on his office door, which brought him back to his senses.

"Please come in."

A Cuban-American female secretary opened the door, dressed in a business suit and sheer black stockings.

Since dating Yvette Prieto, MJ has had a particular fondness for Cuban women. He loves their healthy tanned skin and slender figures, which always inspire him to deliver a powerful and intense pull-up.

Most importantly, they won't be like his ex-wife Juanita Vannoi, who was teased by reporters as being like his mother.

Two men in suits walked in, looking slightly reserved. They bowed slightly and shook hands with MJ behind the desk.

The visitors were two film directors, Michael Tolin and Jason Herschel.

The two sides had communicated by phone several times before, and the two directors wanted to make a documentary about MJ.

In the fall of 1997, Michael Jordan, Jerry Reinsdorf, and Phil Jackson agreed to let the NBA Entertainment division follow the teams throughout the season to obtain material for a documentary.

One of the conditions the Bulls agreed to filming was that these shots could only be used with direct permission from MJ himself.

But for more than a decade, MJ has refused to release these materials to the public.

Because those materials contained a lot of unknown inside information, including moments of his hysterical beating of his teammates and his tense confrontation with General Manager Jerry Krause.
He didn't want this to affect his reputation, and he didn't want a repeat of the negative impact of the book "The Jordan Rules."

But this year, when the production team approached him again with these materials, he relented.

He knew perfectly well that he needed some buzz, needed to expand his influence, and needed a torch to ignite public memory.

It is necessary to remind this world, which is gradually being dominated by the name of Lynch, what true greatness is.

Therefore, he agreed to meet with the currently tentative producer and director of the documentary.

At his desk, MJ scrutinized the two men before him, whom he considered completely unknown, his gaze sharp as a knife:

“Listen, I know there’s a lot of footage that’s never been shown before, some of it is really explosive. So I have to make sure one thing is that the core of this documentary is to highlight the greatness of my six championship journeys, and I don’t even want any smear campaigns that might tarnish my image.”

Producer Michael Tolin quickly nodded: "Of course, why would we make a documentary that's bad for you?"

Director Jason Hershey then added, almost obsequiously: "Michael, look at this! How many ignorant young people are comparing Lynch to you? It's absurd! Our mission is to declare to the world—who is the true god of basketball!"

This flattery struck a nerve with MJ, causing his taut jawline to relax slightly.

“You can use those footage,” MJ finally decided, his words firm and authoritative, “but the pace needs to be fast. Once the final cut is complete, you need to give me a review version first. I can accept your interviews, but none of them can be conducted at my home, and I will set the interview times, understand?”

Michael Torrin agreed to all the requests without hesitation.

Just as the two were about to say goodbye, MJ suddenly stood up and said, "Wait."

"Is there anything else you want, Michael?"

A flicker of nostalgia for past glories and uncertainty about the future crossed MJ's eyes: "What are you planning to name this documentary?"

Michael Tolin smiled confidently; this was the answer he had already decided on.

"We plan to call it, The Last Dance."

“Oh,” Michael Jordan nodded approvingly, “then you have to make sure that’s going to be a spectacular final dance.”
-
Meanwhile, Lynch's next opponent, Dwight Howard, is also worried.

During the offseason, he thought he could go to Los Angeles and create glory with Kobe and Paul, starting a new chapter in his career—Shaq did it too!

Shaquille O'Neal achieved success after moving from Orlando to Los Angeles.

Furthermore, the Lakers have a long tradition of developing great centers, such as George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the all-time number one draft pick Kwame Brown, all of whom achieved success in Los Angeles.

Dwight Howard firmly believes that once he dons the purple and gold jersey, his off-court statistics will match Wilt Chamberlain's, and his on-court accolades will surpass those of Shaquille O'Neal.

But who would have thought that the deal would be called off by the league in such an absurd and ridiculous way?

Chris Paul was undoubtedly lucky; he eventually broke free from the constraints of Louisiana and joined a more competitive team.

Meanwhile, Dwight Howard remains trapped in Orlando, playing one hopeless game after another.

Since his playoff battle with Lynch years ago, the team's declining performance in recent seasons has caused Dwight Howard a huge psychological blow.

He was very dissatisfied with the Magic's management.

They lost Ray Allen, they lost Hedo Turkoglu, they lost Rashad Lewis.
Almost all of the guys who chased the championship with him back then are no longer on the team.

Considering the Orlando Magic are a team that could lose even Shaq, this all seems to make sense.

The Magic's management is operating haphazardly and without direction, recklessly squandering the remaining value of Warcraft.

All of this made Warcraft increasingly distressed by its anger.

Dwight Howard once enjoyed the spotlight and his life.

It's okay if we can't keep winning.

Even if he doesn't win, he's still a high-earning and highly respected superstar.

Not all players are driven by the pursuit of winning. Take Ben Simmons, for example; he's happy even when he can't play.

But now, Dwight Howard can no longer find that joy.

He realized that his past glory stemmed from people's expectations of him. People believed that with his talent, he would eventually make a name for himself.

This expectation allows the outside world to accept his temporary failure.

However, as the team suffered defeat after defeat year after year, people's expectations for him became lower and lower.

His influence has been diminishing over the years.

He is no longer the man the media called "worth trading one for LBJ".

His endorsement contracts are becoming fewer and fewer.

He and Adidas were at the contract renewal window again, but the offer was lower than expected.

The pent-up resentment grew heavier and heavier.

He felt he deserved a better career, but it was all the fault of the damn Magic management, and—

Ray Allen, that deserter who betrayed him!

Since Ray Allen left Orlando and achieved success, Dwight Howard's image has completely collapsed.

People criticized him for his inability to maintain locker room relationships.

Public opinion holds that he is not a true leader.

Even local Orlando media outlets believe that a team built around Dwight Howard will never achieve success.
"I have never heard of Lei Lei having any conflicts with anyone in New York. How come Lei Lei suddenly became a heartthrob after arriving in New York? Impossible."

The only possibility is that Lynch has a firm grip on his locker room; he knows how to manage relationships between teammates and how to lead his team.

But Dwight is like a child who never grows up, dragging the team into a chaotic mess!

All these accusations hastened the decline of his influence.

But in his opinion, what wrong had he done?
Ray Allen was the one who took a pay cut and ran away!
Dwight Howard's chest was filled with resentment; he had no doubt about his abilities or his playing style.

He stubbornly believes that his failure is due to the management and Lei Lei.

So tonight, before Ray Allen's comeback game began, Dwight Howard, his face dark, like a suppressed volcano, walked up to Ray Allen:

"Hey Puxi, you still have the nerve to make a comeback in Orlando?"

Ray Allen glanced at the monster with a puzzled look, a hint of inexplicable absurdity flashing across his eyes.

Is this guy crazy? What is he trying to do?
As usual, Ray Allen chose the coldest response: silence and complete ignoring.

But this only made Dwight Howard angrier.

He moved closer and continued to insult his former teammate:
"Do you know why people hate you? Because your Puxi is clearly black, but you fucking pretend to be white. No matter how smart you try to be, you're still a mercenary black guy, no different from us."

No, they don't even have the backbone we do; we would never choose to kneel.

Hey, it feels great to be Lynch's dog, doesn't it?

After Ron Artest left, Amir Johnson, New York's most peace-loving man, appeared, standing between the two:
"Dwight, this isn't the Magic's half, go back."

Dwight Howard didn't back down, his index finger almost poking Amir Johnson's nose: "Open your eyes and take a good look, this whole court is mine!"

The commotion on the sidelines quickly escalated into a riot, and everyone's attention was focused on the conflict that erupted on the field.

Amir Johnson and Dwight Howard were locked in a fierce struggle, their muscles bulging and veins showing.

Ray Allen tried to separate the two, but this only made the conflict more chaotic.

Lin Qi calmly approached. He didn't need to get involved in this kind of thing, but he wanted to show his support for his teammates.

Magic players and referees worked together to finally separate the two who were still violently shoving each other. Even as his teammates held his arms and dragged him backward, Dwight Howard's roar still drowned out the noise in the arena. His neck was red, and his index finger, like a spear, kept jabbing at Ray Allen: "Your performance in last season's Finals was a pile of shit! That ring is not your glory, but proof of your cowardice!"

Soon, the Magic players dragged the enraged Dwight Howard back to their own half of the court.

Lynch put his arm around Amir Johnson's shoulder: "Well done, buddy, you always stand up for us."

“It’s my duty.” Amir Johnson nodded, his chest still heaving.

Lynch looked towards the eye of the storm again: "Lei Lei, what happened?"

“I don’t know,” Ray Allen was even more bewildered than Lynch. He found the behavior of number 12 utterly incomprehensible. “I was just warming up, and then he suddenly came out like a mad dog and started venting his anger.”

Lynch knew perfectly well that Ray Allen wasn't the type to talk trash easily.

Moreover, he is now almost 37 years old.

He placed one hand on Ray Allen's shoulder, his voice as deep as a rock: "Never mind him, just focus on your comeback game. We need you to perform, Ray."

After the brief incident, the competition began.

Dwight Howard played very aggressively tonight, his physical confrontations were fierce, and the smile on his face completely disappeared.

In the seventh minute of the first quarter, after Dwight Howard fouled Lynch hard, he didn't offer his usual friendly hand; instead, he glared at Lynch fiercely.

Lin Qi didn't know what had gotten into this idiot, but he always thought this moron wasn't very smart.

Taking advantage of the dead ball situation, Ray Allen came on as a substitute.

Orlando fans didn't react much; clearly, they didn't care about the so-called "traitor" label attached to Ray Allen.

But Dwight Howard was very sensitive to this, and when he saw Ray Allen enter the court, he started yelling again:
"Hey Puxi, I'll show you how men play ball."

The game continued, and Lynch made both free throws, giving the Magic the offensive possession.

Chris Duhon brought the ball across half-court, while shooting guard JJ Redick was trying to create an opportunity by using Dwight Howard's screen.

Ray Allen relentlessly pursued him, knowing full well, as a fellow shooter, that any opening could be fatal.

He tried to bypass Dwight Howard's screen, but the moment Ray Allen charged in, Howard deliberately lowered his shoulder and elbow, the dull thud of flesh colliding echoing throughout the arena—

"boom!"

Ray Allen collapsed to the ground, clutching his face, as the referee's sharp whistle pierced the air at the Amway Center.

This time, Lynch didn't stroll over leisurely, because Dwight Howard had gone too far.

He ran up to Ray Allen and shoved the number 12 aside with one hand: "Dwight, we don't mind competing here in a different way, you know our style!"

Dwight Howard roared like a raging fire finally erupting: "You're protecting him? He's a fucking traitor! He left us to join a team that beat him for a lower salary. Lynch, shut the fuck up!"

"Traitor? What were you doing when Ray wanted to win? What were you doing when Ray was completely isolated in the locker room? You drove him away from Orlando, and now you're calling him a traitor? Dwight, Ray wasn't the one grinning like an idiot in front of the cameras after a loss."

Dwight Howard paused for a moment, but the voice in his head saying "I'm not wrong" quickly overwhelmed his reason: "You don't know anything. You, who stole my three-time DPOY award by relying on media influence, have no right to judge me!"

Warcraft's pent-up emotions finally erupted, and he vented his dissatisfaction with only being second in DPOY for three consecutive years.

"Of course I'm qualified, because I've beaten you in the playoffs, and more than once."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Try to shut me up, you coward. With your elbow, or your knee?"

"I'll make you shut up."

Of course he can't do it.

Lynch was furious, and after the argument ended, he began to keep a close watch on Dwight Howard.

This greatly affected Lynch's offense. Defending against a monster that combines historic athletic talent with a frenzied and violent nature is definitely not an easy task.

Lynch had to expend a lot of energy on the defensive end.

But at least on the defensive end, Lynch had his opponent by the throat, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Dwight Howard's low-post game hasn't completely stalled; after all, he was the second-to-last student in the Hakeem Olajuwon training camp.

However, his progress is quite limited; he still relies mostly on speed to turn around or hook his arm after turning. Of course, hooking his arm after turning is relatively inefficient.

Although Lynch was not as strong in physical confrontations, his tenacious close defense and excellent defensive awareness made it difficult for Dwight Howard to move around.

Whenever Warcraft hesitates, the ball in his hand will be cut off.

Whenever he tried to force his way past Lynch to attack the basket, his hand would slam down like a meteor, swatting away the basketball along with Dwight Howard's pride.

In fact, the best playing style for Dwight Howard is to play on the move.

For example, cutting in, or rolling down the court after a pick-and-roll.

His mobility allows him to easily shake off his opponents during off-the-ball runs and score easy goals from high up the court.

Even Lynch wasn't confident he could completely outmaneuver Dwight Howard in terms of athleticism.

But he was obsessed with low-post one-on-one battles, wanting to defeat Lynch using the methods of a true super center.

Low emotional intelligence: Dwight Howard is an idiot.

High emotional intelligence: Always using one's own weaknesses to exploit others' strengths is commendable.

Dwight Howard was completely overwhelmed by Lynch's defense all night, with missed shots, stoles, and blocks dominating his game.

With 43 seconds left in the third quarter, Dwight Howard received the ball in the low post again.

At this moment, the data sheet on the big screen mercilessly reflected Dwight Howard's predicament—5 points, 12 rebounds, 6 turnovers, and a 33% field goal percentage.

Judging by the standards of a center forward, it is shockingly inefficient.

In contrast, even Lynch, whose offensive level dropped significantly due to his excessive focus on defense, still managed to score 15 points, grab 8 rebounds, and dish out 4 assists with a 48% field goal percentage.

Seeing that Dwight Howard was preparing to isolate in the deep post again, Amir Johnson tried to double-team him.

But Lynch shouted, "No need! I can handle this trash!"

This really hurt Dwight Howard's pride.

His eyes were bloodshot, and as his muscles bulged, he suddenly rammed into the ground, twisting his body and hooking his hand.

But Lynch had already figured out his turning rhythm, so as soon as Dwight Howard raised the basketball, Lynch's palm slapped the ball away.

Dwight Howard reacted quickly, regaining possession of the ball and using his exaggeratedly broad shoulders as a battering ram to slam into Lynch before launching a powerful layup.

Lynch was indeed pushed open, and he felt a sharp pain in his ribs.

The moment he was pushed aside, he sprang up again like a spring compressed to its limit, lunging at the giant beast leaping from the shadows.

"boom!"

The basketball was blocked for the second time!

The commentator, Mark Jackson, spoke with barely suppressed pity: "Dwight was Lynch's toy tonight!"

Perhaps even God couldn't bear to witness such an ending, so the basketball once again fell into Dwight Howard's hands.

He picked up the basketball, faced Lin Qi who was sticking to him again, spun around the baseline to get past the defense, and took off, putting all his strength into his arms, determined to wash away all the humiliation with a devastating dunk!
"boom!--"

The basketball world trembled violently under the terrifying pull, and the explosive sound reminded the fans in the arena that Dwight Howard was a terrifying beast who had once broken the Cavaliers' home game clock.

The basketball hoop was wobbling, and Dwight Howard was hanging from the rim.

But the basketball flew out and landed in Milos Teodosic's hands.

Lynch just blocked Dwight Howard's dunk from behind!

Mark Jackson was horrified: "Three consecutive blocks! Lynch has completely shut down Dwight! Give up, Dwight, you're humiliating yourself. You can't beat that man one-on-one!"

A profound sense of shame enveloped Dwight Howard, who had been utterly dominated by Lynch tonight, reduced to a groaning beast on the pillar of shame for Lynch's defensive art.

Lin Qi, however, seemed unsatisfied and beckoned to him with his finger:
"Keep going, I'll show you how I got three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards!"

In the games that followed, Dwight Howard was practically imprisoned on offense.

The physical confrontation between the two became increasingly fierce, and Warcraft hoped to use this to intimidate Lynch.

But Lynch never backed down from beginning to end.

Once on the court, he would immediately stick close to Dwight Howard.

This is one of his ways of handling conflicts; he never leaves any room for an opponent who angers him.

Fortunately, Warcraft was "released" halfway through the fourth quarter.

Because the game has already entered garbage time.

Number 12 walked off the court with 9 points and a 30% shooting percentage.

He overturned a chair, smashed a plastic bottle, and finally sat down after being calmed down by Stan Van Gundy.

Dwight Howard was panting heavily, his mind filled with the moments tonight when Lynch had completely shut him down.

Was he wrong?

He is not wrong!

The mistake is that his current teammates on the Magic are unable to provide him with any help.

The problem is that this damn team can't even find a second ball-handler.

The game is over, and for Magic fans, it's a victory – they ended the Knicks' six-game winning streak by more than 25 points, losing by only 21 points today.

Lynch walked onto the court, ready to be interviewed by reporters on the sidelines.

Dwight Howard happened to walk by, and this time, he didn't smile after the loss.

He stared at Lin Qi, his eyes filled with a wild ferocity and intense hatred.

"Once I escape this quagmire of Orlando, you and that damned traitor won't even have a chance to kneel and beg for mercy!"

Lynch didn't even pause for him; he walked past him, leaving behind only a familiar, disdainful remark:

"Oh, go ahead and try, you softie."
-
A highlight? No, no, no, it wasn't a highlight night at all. Defending Dwight was too easy. Damn, he doesn't know how to play! — Lynch on Dwight Howard's offensive performance tonight.

Yes, I don't want to stay here anymore. You all saw it, I gave it my all, but this team was utterly hopeless. Seriously, I'm fed up with losing, and I can understand why Shaq left this hellhole back then! — Dwight Howard angrily discusses tonight's loss.

Ray Allen is a traitor, a coward. You all know how he performed in last season's Finals. Anyone could have replaced him and the Knicks would have won the championship. — Dwight Howard continues to belittle his former teammate.

Nine points, less than 40% shooting percentage, and he says he's done his best? Hmm, sounds like something a giant baby would say. — Stephen A. Smith's comment on Warcraft on a television program.

Dwight proved that Lynch's three-time DPOY was well-deserved. — Charles Barkley on tonight's game.

Lynch is just one game away from fulfilling his promise to "beat all his opponents." This is our league now, the league where Lynch can do whatever he wants. —The New York Times

(End of this chapter)