Champion Rules

Chapter 354 (350): We All Live in Hell (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
LeBron James is packing his bags at home.

He's about to set sail again.

As the undisputed "NBA GOAT," LeBron James should be used to changing teams.

In this respect, he is far more experienced than Michael Jordan or Lynch.

But this time, LeBron James felt a mix of emotions.

From Cleveland to Detroit, and then from Detroit to Oklahoma City, LeBron James made all his moves voluntarily.

He has always been the one in control of his own destiny, and he has always been the one pursuing his own interests.

But this time, LeBron James experienced the killer instinct of the Logo Man.

This legendary defender, who only retired in 1974, has been forgotten for only a few seasons since leaving the field. People seem to have forgotten how ruthless he was and how adept he was at delivering the final blow without anyone noticing.

In the scorching summer of 2012, LeBron James recalled his cold-bloodedness.

When it came time to renew the contract, the other party greeted them with a smile and great enthusiasm, but didn't mention a word about the transaction plan.

Less than 48 hours after signing the contract extension, LeBron James was traded.

Jerry West brought the most benefits to the Thunder and minimized the losses.

And what about LeBron James? He was like a useless consumable, sent to a team he didn't want to go to.

When he left Cleveland, he and the media behind him proclaimed that he was a pioneer of the era of player empowerment, whose presence allowed players to announce their future on a nationally televised program.

At this moment, the halo of this "pioneer," along with the so-called empowerment, vanished instantly.

Two years ago, Jerry West's cold words seemed to echo in his ears again, carrying a chilling tone:

"Listen, LeBron, don't you understand? You're out of cards!"

Yes, he's out of cards.

His status and achievements no longer allow him to choose his preferred next employer as he used to.

It even prevented him from winning against younger competitors.

The Oklahoma City Thunder's decision to trade LeBron James means they will keep the guy who likes to lick his feet and has a big butt.

They chose to embrace the future, completely abandoning LBJ, who wasn't actually that old.

LeBron James felt this was very unfair. Should he be subjected to such ruthless rejection just because of a few tears he shed after losing the Finals?

I served the Thunder, and I shed blood for Oklahoma City!

During my two years with the Thunder, I contributed so many beautiful goals, so many brilliant victories, and so many performances that would leave Hollywood actors in the dust!

Why me of all people?!

Charles Barkley succinctly pinpointed his confusion on the show:

"Your present and your future are never determined by this one thing in the present moment; they are the inevitable result of every 'careful choice' you have made in the past."

When LeBron coldly betrayed Cleveland, when he ruined the team with that humiliating five-point game, when his abrupt departure at a crucial moment in the Pistons' offseason roster improvements delayed the team's plans.
It was these individual acts of selfishness that led to his current predicament.

No team aiming for the championship would entrust its leadership to a complete egoist.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have found their own leader and the true master of the team.

There is no place for LeBron James there anymore.

I wonder if, at this moment, LeBron is thinking about his time in Cleveland, about those teammates who were abandoned because of a single sentence he said.

Regardless, LeBron James has to accept this outcome and the fact that he has been traded.

In fact, the Brooklyn Nets aren't that bad.

To be fair, the Brooklyn Nets aren't that bad.

The Nets, who have been under the spotlight throughout this offseason, are a team with great ambitions, and a team willing to burn through bundles of dollars for a championship.

This is a stark contrast to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are struggling financially.

What truly pierced LeBron's heart like thorns was his eventual return to the East.

He couldn't make it in the East, so he traveled west to Oklahoma City.

Otherwise, he might not have had the chance to even step into the finals twice.

After two years of wandering, fate threw him back to Lynch's hunting grounds.

Furthermore, they also became the Knicks' crosstown rivals.

Just thinking about having to face Lynch four times in the regular season next year makes LeBron James want to retire.

Of course, LBJ is also trying to encourage himself, so there's no need to be so pessimistic.

The Brooklyn Nets' appeal to players today is vastly different from what it was during their New Jersey days. Now, with himself and Brock Lopez forming a formidable duo, there will undoubtedly be many other stars willing to join forces with him to create a glorious future.

Joe Johnson has been waiting for the Brooklyn Nets' recruitment results. Now that the team has his own star player, can he resist the temptation?
So, just one day after LeBron James was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, Joe Johnson made his decision.

He decided to use his talent.
Nail to Atlanta!
Teaming up with LeBron James?
How scary!

Although Joe Johnson is one of the active players with the most buzzer-beating game-winners, no one wants to be on edge in the final seconds of a game, wondering when the ball will suddenly fly into their hands.

Furthermore, LeBron James was once eliminated by Dwight Howard in the playoffs.

Therefore, it is clear that the Hawks, who have already acquired Dwight Howard, are more competitive than the Brooklyn Nets.

LeBron James's name is indeed prestigious enough to automatically exclude those who lack the courage to be his teammates.

After failing to acquire Joe Johnson, the resourceful general manager Billy King did not stop his efforts to build an All-Star team.

His goal is clear: he wants star players. The more the better, the bigger the names the better!
No matter how astronomical the luxury tax becomes, no matter how explosive the salary structure becomes, and no matter how healthy the role player lineup is, he must assemble a dazzling All-Star starting lineup.

This is also what his boss, Mikhail Prokhorov, wanted to see.

So, after Joe Johnson, another top singles player caught Billy King's eye.

This player is not only good at shooting, but also at spraying.

He traded two first-round draft picks and a bunch of players with matching funds to acquire Paul Pierce from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Billy King firmly believes that the 35-year-old veteran has plenty of fuel left in the tank—he still averaged 19 points per game last season, proving he's still got it.

Like Joe Johnson, he is good at taking over games and making crucial shots, making him a good complement to LeBron James.

More importantly, Paul Pierce's defense is even tougher than Joe Johnson's!

So, in order to acquire LeBron James and Paul Pierce, Billy King practically emptied the team's bench and even gave up five first-round draft picks.

The Nets' draft stock has been utterly devastated, as if bulldozed.

But do you think this is the end?

No, not yet.

Billy King's ambitions don't stop there.

The Brooklyn Nets, already boasting three players with multi-million dollar salaries, still risked re-signing Kris Humphries, arguably the biggest gambler in NBA history, who spent $1500 million to marry Kim Kardashian, only for the marriage to last 72 days. If he had consistently practiced back-to-the-basket drills with Kardashian daily during their marriage, each drill would have cost him approximately $20.8. Hakeem Olajuwon was incredibly generous.

Immediately afterwards, Billy King traded an 18-year draft pick, a 23-year first-round draft pick, and Kris Humphries to the Houston Rockets for their leading scorer, Kevin Martin.

At this point, the Brooklyn Nets' All-Star roster is already quite "brilliant".

Paul Pierce averaged 19.4 points per game last season, Kevin Martin averaged 17.1 points per game, Brock Lopez averaged 19.2 points per game, and LeBron James averaged 22.7 points per game.

Judging by the data alone, this is an absolutely formidable firepower combination that would strike fear into the hearts of all the league's top teams.

Looking at the stats alone, these four players could score 80 or 90 points for the Nets in a single game.

Jerry West was shocked as the final deal was completed.

The Houston Rockets are really inhuman.

This idiot tax has been collected until 2023!

After a series of frenzied moves, the Brooklyn Nets have finally stopped their extravagant spending spree to strengthen their roster.

Mikhail Prokhorov stared at the stellar list in his hands, at a loss for words.

Did Billy King not do his job well?
No, he did miraculously assemble a starting lineup packed with star players.

Paul Pierce and LeBron James were even selected for the All-Star Game last season, and Brock Lopez and Kevin Martin are also considered near-All-Star caliber players.

But he always felt something was wrong.

“Billy,” Prokhorov gripped his glass tightly, his voice tinged with barely suppressed doubt, “Are you sure you can shake up the New York Knicks with this roster next season? Listen, we’re throwing real money at this, and we want immediate results.”

Billy King displayed extraordinary confidence: "Of course, this is a group of talented and hungry star players. Imagine, even if each of them only takes turns playing well for one quarter, the four quarters combined are more than enough to win the game for us!"

"Well, what if—I mean, what if—this star-studded roster doesn't work out? Think about all the draft picks we gave away, our future."

“It won’t fail,” Billy King interrupted decisively, his certainty seemingly coming from God. “In my career, I’ve never seen a case where four All-Star players could be tied together and still fail.”

This made Mikhail Prokhorov even more uneasy: "You should know what happened to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 03-04 season, right?"

"Of course I know. Although that team ultimately failed to win the championship, many people underestimated them."

That Lakers team stormed into the NBA Finals from the wild West, defeating the greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

In the Finals, they lost entirely due to internal discord. Kobe Bryant, eager to win the Finals MVP, refused to pass the ball to Shaq, but his shooting percentage was abysmal. Under these circumstances, the Lakers had no chance of winning.

But their failure had nothing to do with their lineup.

Something like that would never happen in Brooklyn!

Mikhail Prokhorov was still uneasy, but at this moment, he could only choose to trust the professionalism of this intelligent general manager.

After the deal was finalized, the next step was a grand publicity campaign.

The Brooklyn Nets followed the model of the Detroit Big Three and held a grand player unveiling ceremony at the brand-new Barclays Center.

LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Kevin Martin, and Brock Lopez, dressed in the Nets' somber black jerseys, stood in the spotlight for the first time.

This time, LeBron James unusually refrained from his usual boastful pronouncements about the conflict between his left and right brains.

The old saying "not one, not two" has become the biggest clownish act of this era.

Deep down, he still stubbornly believed he was competitive, but reality forced him to stop making any assumptions.

Over the years, he has been slapped hard enough by reality, or rather, by Lynch.

However, Billy King, the creator of the Brooklyn Army, harbored completely different sentiments.

He gazed at his masterpiece—this priceless starting lineup of stars—and an overwhelming sense of pride welled up within him.

So, after the players' usual opening remarks, he eagerly grabbed the microphone, and facing the throng of people and the flashing cameras, raised his voice and uttered something astonishing:
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome our four Kings of New York!"

The booming echo of the microphone vibrated through the air, and LeBron James's lips twitched as he forced a sunflower smile reminiscent of Plants vs. Zombies.

To be honest, he didn't know what was wrong with him.

He's on a team that burns money like it's burning paper.

Surrounding him were his teammates, whose stats were dazzling and whose strength was undeniable.

On paper, the Nets are definitely a strong contender for next season.

But he no longer has the arrogance and boldness of his youth.

At this moment, what was swirling in his mind was an unprecedented, chilling question: Can we really beat the New York Knicks?

He didn't know why he had such thoughts. He had fought with Lin Qi for so many years, trying every possible means and going through several transfers. He was willing to bear the infamy of betraying his hometown and being disloyal.

Because he had always believed that his decision would allow him to defeat Lynch.

But now, that flame of faith flickers and dims more than ever before.

A terrifying thought formed in LeBron James's mind—had I already been defeated by Lynch, his lifelong rival?
Lynch's dominance had already cast a shadow over LeBron James's mind, and he dared not think about it any further; he did not have the courage to face the answer to the question.

He could only try harder to maintain that stiff smile, mechanically clapping his hands in response to the applause from the audience, trying to use the noisy exterior to seal off the surging cold torrent inside his heart.

Later that evening, Lynch appeared on NBC's flagship talk show, The Tonight Show.

This is part of a business campaign, primarily to promote Lynch's autobiography and documentary.

The show had barely begun when the experienced host, Jay Reynolds, asked Lynch a question that was destined to generate a lot of buzz:

"Lynch, this summer, the Brooklyn Nets' madness has swept the league. The Russians have built a formidable force at the gates of your kingdom with their relentless spending spree."

Their general manager, Billy King, dubbed his four star players the 'Kings of New York'.

What are your thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets next season? Do you think they'll really be a threat?

Lin Qi sat on the sofa, legs crossed, a confident smile tinged with a hint of mockery.

He didn't seem to be talking about a sworn enemy, but rather a circus touring in New York:

"What do you think of them? Well, they're a group of players with great stats, yes, that's all."

Also, I've never heard of four Kings of New York.

From the day I arrived in New York, the title "King of New York" has only ever been used to describe one person.

This has been true before, and it will be true in the future.

Billy has only just arrived in New York; he may not understand yet. But that's okay, he will.

Lynch's relaxed demeanor made it seem as if his dominance was already firmly established, which only intensified the idea in LeBron James' mind.

They all lived in hell, a hell known as the "Lynch Era"!

With an almost disheveled haste, LeBron James abruptly raised his hand, and with a "smack"—

He turned off the television screen that was suffocating him.

(End of this chapter)