Champion Rules

Chapter 347 (343): Two Guys Who Changed Their Life Trajectories with the Three-Point Line (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

With the New York Knicks leading 1-0, and under immense pressure, Lynch brought reality one step closer to his expectations.

It was an exciting night for New York fans – according to The New York Times, 62 robberies occurred in New York’s clean, safe subway stations, with stolen items including authentic Lynch jerseys, shoes, and autographed posters.

What did the New York fans do wrong? They just adored their idol and, incidentally, paid homage to Chris Paul, the Knicks' formidable rival in the East.

For Thunder fans, it was an incredibly bitter night. Kevin Durant went on a social media spree that night, following 42 young models—no, 42 female firefighters—clearly showing how furious he was.

The players' joys and sorrows were not shared by NBA Commissioner David Stern; he showed neither elation at victory nor regret at defeat.

There was only astonishment at the extremely high viewership ratings.

Since the Knicks and Lakers began their epic battle in a major market in 2009, the NBA Finals viewership has been trending back towards its all-time high.

Over the past three seasons, the Finals have consistently achieved phenomenal viewership, with an average of over 3000 million viewers per game in North America alone.

In contrast, the Knicks vs. Mavericks Finals in 2006 and the Knicks vs. Spurs Finals in 2007 had an average viewership of less than 1000 million.

The epic battle between the Knicks and the Lakers seemed to usher in a second golden age for the NBA, causing viewership to surge.

Although the ratings have never surpassed the historical peak of 1998, its continued strong momentum is already quite satisfactory.

However, just last night, the legendary heights of 1998 seemed within reach: Game 1 of the 2012 World Championship Finals saw an astonishing 3560 million viewers in North America!
This not only easily broke recent records, but also surpassed Game 6 of the 1993 Finals, ranking second in NBA Finals viewership history.

Initially, David Stern thought that only major market games like New York and Los Angeles could generate such viewership.

Over the past few years, Kobe and Los Angeles have indeed been an indispensable element of this spectacle.

But when Lynch established his dynasty and launched his unprecedented four-peat in the context of modern basketball, the situation completely changed. Lynch himself was the sole core variable driving the ratings frenzy.

Just like the Utah Jazz, the Bulls' opponent in 1998, which was not a big team with a large number of fans.

Even if some people do enjoy watching the Jazz, they don't like the rigid pick-and-roll; they want to see if Karl Malone, that scoundrel with no moral compass, will elbow some unlucky guy until he's splattered with vomit.

But the epic narrative of Michael Jordan's "second three-peat" and "The Last Dance" pushed the ratings to an unparalleled peak.

The sole protagonist of this narrative is Michael Jordan.

Regardless of who the opponent is on the other side of the stage, the ratings for the finals will not be greatly affected.

The same thing is happening to Lynch.

Oklahoma City is not a traditionally major market, but as long as Lynch continues to write his legendary story of aiming for a four-peat, viewership and box office revenue are guaranteed.

Moreover, this Thunder team, which brings together talent and generates buzz, is itself extremely attractive.

David Stern had a premonition that the ratings peak of 1998 would be completely over this summer.

Major media outlets also reported on G1's epic viewership numbers. ESPN writer and well-known Lin Fan supporter Marc Stein commented:
"In terms of both commercial influence and athletic achievement, Lynch has been the only person to come close to MJ for many years. But soon it will be more than just close; he will surpass him in every way."

This view quickly gained popularity and further increased attention to this year's finals.

Some fans who haven't watched the NBA for years may now start watching again because they want to see what it's like to be able to surpass MJ.

In fact, the NBA used this strategy in another timeline, but with little effect.

Because when fans eagerly turn on the TV, only to find a man who claims to be close to MJ unable to take more than one, two, or three steps in a game, they will definitely be disappointed, turn off the TV, and start cursing.

But now the situation is completely different, and commentators are convinced that Game 2 of the series will break viewership records again.

The ratings were a hot topic around the world, but that wasn't Lynch's focus.

He's only concerned with the competitive aspect now.

The day after the dust settled from Game 1, the entire Knicks team assembled for practice on time, showing no signs of slacking off.

Even the previously arrogant Kyrie Irving wouldn't think that victory in the next game would be so easy.

The competition continues, and the battle is far from over.

Of course, Mike Malone wasn't like Pat Riley, an old-school white rancher who would push his players to the limit during the Finals, exhausting them before he was satisfied.

The Knicks' training intensity is not high, mainly consisting of recovery exercises.

After all the training sessions were over, even a gym rat like Jimmy Butler would call it a day to conserve his energy for the intense battles to come.

But on the court, there was still a figure who shouldn't have stayed behind, continuing to practice his shooting.

Lynch watched Ray Allen practice his catch-and-shoot three-pointer over and over again and reminded him, "Be careful not to hurt yourself again, old man."

Ray Allen coldly replied, "Shut up, kid."

This cold conversation doesn't mean their relationship is tense.

Their communication has always been like this.

Lin Qi understood why Junzi Lei was so persistent; he wanted to maintain his touch at all times.

In Game 1 of the Finals, Ray Allen had a decent performance, making 2 of 3 three-point attempts and scoring 6 points.

As a role player, maintaining this level of efficiency with limited opportunities and playing time is impeccable.

For a shooter, the hardest thing is not to be accurate in one game, but to be accurate in every game.

Last season's Finals serve as a good example. He broke the Finals three-point record in Game 1, but then suffered a Kobe-like performance in the subsequent games.

That profound regret is precisely what motivated Ray Allen to fight for another year.

Lei Jun had already expressed these sentiments during the regular season.

Lynch understands this mentality, but if he gets injured, he won't be able to prove anything.

"Don't put him in extra training for too long. What I need is a shooter who can play."

Junzi Lei stared at the basket and threw another swish: "Hmm."

Ray Allen doesn't know when he'll be able to make a difference. His playing time and the role he plays have made him no longer the one who decides the game.

But he was still trying to maintain his condition; he couldn't let Lynch find that his gun was out of bullets when he needed it.

On the other hand, Kevin Durant, the only core player with a long-term contract on the Thunder, was preoccupied with a thorny rumor—the Thunder's management was in the midst of intense three-way trade negotiations with the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets, with Stephen Curry and James Harden as the bargaining chips.

One of these two players will most likely be traded this summer in a sign-and-trade deal.

This means that the team's management has completely lost patience with waiting and they are no longer willing to give the Thunder any more chances to try and fail.

They are looking for backup plans in advance, and if they lose the championship this year, the trade will happen immediately.

Kevin Durant was saddened by this, as even setting aside competition, James Harden and Stephen Curry were teammates he deeply valued. Stephen Curry is incredibly talented but always remains humble and has a strong sense of team spirit.

James Harden has access to a lot of resources across the country.

He was disappointed and had a very inhuman thought: why wasn't it LeBron James who was caught up in the rumors?

Of course, if he could, he would prefer that no one leave.

Although he doesn't like LBJ, he has to admit that LBJ plays a huge role in this team.

But if he had to choose one of the three, he would rather leave LBJ.

The trade rumor that surfaced during the Finals pierced KD's mind like a cold needle. He couldn't accept the possibility that after a potential defeat, the team carrying his dreams would disband in an instant.

But Kevin Durant is neither Lynch nor MJ; he lacks the toughness to confront management directly.

The inner turmoil could only be relieved by using sarcastic and witty remarks on social media through a secondary account.

After the afternoon training session, KD and the others boarded the team bus together, preparing to return to their hotel.

On the bus, the outspoken Serge Ibaka made no attempt to hide his discussion of trade rumors:

"Damn it, I've never seen a championship contender get involved in trade rumors during the Finals. Why is our management so unprofessional?!"

Ibaka is right; the Thunder's management is acting very unprofessionally.

In fact, this was not at the logo's behest; it was team owner Clayton Bennett who deliberately had the news released to the media.

He knew Logo wasn't interested in trades, but he simply couldn't afford to support four max-contract players.

Therefore, he needs to spread rumors to force Logo to sound out other teams in advance and get a sense of the trade value of Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Logo had a rather heated conversation, or rather, an argument, with Clayton Bennett about this.

Logo felt physically and mentally exhausted. He had been betrayed by the Lakers, which was the main reason he left Los Angeles.

He had thought that working in a smaller market would be simpler.

He was wrong. As long as one remains in the NBA, this corrupt environment, interpersonal relationships and backstabbing will never disappear.

Regardless of whether this is what the logo means, the impact has already been made.

When Serge Ibaka brought this up on the bus, no one could pretend to be ignorant anymore.

LeBron James, the team's most experienced player, immediately shook his head and interrupted: "This is not the time to discuss this, Serge!"

Even with the rumors circulating, we must refrain from discussing them for now.

The mature LeBron James does this particularly well; when he left the Pistons last time, Carmelo Anthony was completely unaware of it all at the time.

Therefore, LBJ never thought that was a backstab.

That's clearly what you call professional.

James Harden shares the same idea as LeBron: no matter how things turn in the summer, that's a problem that will only be faced after the dust settles from the Finals.

Kevin Durant also remained silent, unsure of what to say.

But clearly, pretending nothing happened doesn't really solve the problem, and silence doesn't dispel doubts.

Just because people don't talk about it doesn't mean they don't think about it.

On this tightrope of the finals, any subtle distraction could become the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Stephen Curry, one of the parties involved in the trade rumors, decided to speak out because he didn't want the team to be distracted.

Compared to last season, he understands even more how precious the Finals opportunity is.

Because, like those great players, he experienced the most unforgettable defeats.

When Michael Jordan, then a freshman, hit a game-winning shot in the NCAA to help North Carolina win a hard-won championship, he couldn't understand how his teammates, who had fought for the title for years, felt about what he had accomplished.

He felt that everything came easily, and victory seemed within his grasp.

But later, when he enters the NBA, when he exhausts himself and is willing to give up everything for the championship, when he endures one dark summer after another and finally wins the championship, he will truly understand how bumpy the road to achieving this goal is.

In another timeline, in 2006, Dwyane Wade, upon first tasting champagne, had not yet grasped the weight of victory.

But it wasn't until he suffered a major injury and lost the 2011 championship that he lifted the trophy again, splashing champagne onto his knees.

Only by experiencing failure can one truly appreciate the value of victory.

Last season's Finals saw Stephen Curry experience a devastating defeat, and he endured a dark summer.

Therefore, he will not let that kind of failure happen again.

Stephen Curry stood up and clapped his hands.

“Listen, guys, I know we may be going through some turmoil, and we can’t pretend nothing’s happening.”

But would you rather experience the bitterness of repeated setbacks, or would you rather put aside the burdens you've carried for a year, discard all your hard work, and give it your all in the battle for our year-long vigilance?
Come on, guys, come on!

"Let's conquer New York!"

Stephen Curry's words were like a spark, instantly igniting the suppressed energy within the Thunder bus. Groans and the sounds of fists pounding on seats coalesced into a surge of fierce fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, in the empty stadium bathed in the cool moonlight.

Another figure who has saved countless lives from the brink of defeat with three-pointers continues to repeat his signature catching motion over and over again.

He had already loaded his ammunition, ready to fire that bullet smoothly when the team needed him.

These two guys, who changed the course of their lives with the three-point line, are ready and waiting for the whistle to blow.

At 11 p.m., Lynch received two text messages at the same time, one from Ray Allen and the other from Stephen Curry.

Coincidentally, the content they sent was remarkably similar.

Stephen Curry: Lynch, are you ready to take on the challenge again?
Ray Allen: Lynch, I'm ready to take on the challenge again.

Lin Qi's unified response:

"OK, we'll wait and see."

(End of this chapter)