Champion Rules

Chapter 357, Part 353: I think I can also shoot the game-winning shot (Seeking monthly votes)
Jimmy Butler's performance in the Hall of Fame left a deep impression on many stars.

While he may not yet be qualified to be a regular starter for a championship team, he is undoubtedly a tough guy to deal with.

If Mike Malone manages his rotation with Vince Carter properly next season, the Knicks' wing position will not face too much of a challenge.

Kyrie Irving also showed more respect for Jimmy Butler; of course, their conversation still mainly consisted of playfully undermining each other.

The improvement in their relationship was not unfounded.

Their collaboration last season has given them a better understanding of each other.

This summer's Summit Temple made it clear to them that they were essentially the same kind of people.

Jimmy Butler always chooses the most difficult opponent to guard during practice, reveling in the intense competition of constantly keeping his nerves on edge to destroy the opponent's offense.

As a tough Jimmy Ba, taking on the tightest challenges is in his nature.

Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, likes to go around challenging people to one-on-one matches after scrimmages.

If we had to pick the two most bloodthirsty figures in this year's Temple of Heaven, it would definitely be Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler.

They crave every challenge and seize every opportunity to spar with top players.

Lin Qi was delighted by the condition of these two people.

He had said before that for a team that has won the championship for four consecutive years, maintaining that upward hunger and fighting spirit is, to some extent, more important than making minor adjustments to the immediate fighting force.

The drive shown by Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving is precisely the kind of power Lynch cherishes most.

On the night Lynch's training camp ended, all the participating players had a "farewell dinner" together.

After tonight, everyone will return to their respective cities to prepare for the new season.

After dinner, Lynch was leisurely smoking a cigar on the sofa when Kobe sat down next to him and lit his own.

He glanced at Irving and Butler, who were playing PS3, and a look of envy crossed his face.
"You're lucky, Lynch. No, rather than lucky, your draft work has been very successful. You've won four consecutive championships, but the team is full of energetic young people."

“You’re not bad on your side either,” Lynch joked with a smile. “You have an old man like Kevin Garnett who’s full of energy. At least he can still do a headbutt on the basketball hoop before every game.”

Kobe didn't laugh, but reminded Lynch, "But you have to be able to handle a young man like that. Kyrie has some of me in him. Oh my god, nobody in the world knows better than me how much of a jerk I was when I was young."

Lynch shrugged, half-jokingly allaying the concern: "Don't worry, Carey will never have the chance to say it, but Lynch did it too."

Making fun of Kobe has become a conditioned reflex for Lynch, much like Draymond Green's conditioned reflex of wanting to kill anyone wearing a Jordan Poole jersey in China.

Kobe wasn't angry; he had long since moved on from the Eagle County incident.

He remained serious: "Think about when you were young, and don't underestimate the ambition of young people."

Lynch didn't care. He knew that his magical performances last season had made Kyrie Irving lose the will to challenge his position.

This is the biggest difference between Lynch and LeBron James – Lynch can always convince his teammates.

Even if Kyrie Irving remains ambitious, he certainly wouldn't question his current status.

After the training at the Summit Temple concluded, the NBA's official preseason training camp officially began a week later.

Lynch is having his ninth preseason media day in his career, and it's all become less exciting for him.

The reporters' repetitive questions made him drowsy, and he kept wondering: Did these guys feed their creativity to the dogs?
LeBron James, an athlete who only graduated from high school, has been able to produce so much new content for years, while you professional reporters ask the same questions year after year.

It wasn't until a reporter from the Tulsa World in Oklahoma City asked a question that Lin Qi perked up:

"Lynch, can you explain why Kyrie Irving refused to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy after winning the championship last season?"

This is a novel question, and even Lynch himself was surprised.

He certainly hadn't noticed that detail.

Did Kyrie Irving not lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy last season?

If it's true, Lynch also wants to know why.

Lynch's gaze swept over Irving beside him like a searchlight, and Irving, as if on cue, picked up the conversation: "Because I'm not qualified. I didn't perform well in the Finals and didn't shoulder the responsibility that a starter should have."

The reporter pressed on, his tone becoming increasingly pointed: "So, what kind of performance do you think is sufficient? Do you need the Finals MVP? Do you aspire to win the Finals MVP?"

Kyrie Irving didn't flinch, looking straight ahead: "I've said it before, there's only one absolute core player on this team, and only one Finals MVP. What kind of performance qualifies you? You'll find out this season."

After the media day interviews ended, Lynch and Irving headed towards the locker room.

"Is it true?" Lynch suddenly asked him in the corridor leading back to the locker room, "You really didn't lift the trophy last season?"

"Boss, you just heard how I answered the reporter, so of course it's true."

"Oh."

Lynch could sense his resentment and intense desire.

People like them are not content with just winning.

They must also play a sufficiently important role in the victory.

Kobe was right; Kyrie Irving is very similar to him in this respect.

Why did Kobe's relationship with Shaq deteriorate after winning three consecutive championships?
Because he was increasingly dissatisfied with the role he played in the victory.

Kyrie Irving is also competing, but not with Lynch; he's competing with the standard he sets for himself.

In the training camp that followed, Kyrie Irving channeled all his frustration into motivation, allowing everyone to witness his progress.

First, he is physically stronger, and without significantly affecting his coordination and agility, Kyrie Irving has become more physically capable.

This makes his defense even better and his finishing at the rim more reliable.

Lin Qi was not surprised by this, as he had already witnessed this kind of progress back in the Peak Temple.

In the practice game, Kyrie Irving performed with ease.

His every move exudes the aura of a commander who can lead an army to victory.

Mike Malone firmly believes that this young man, who is aware of his own position and has made great progress, will provide even greater support for Lynch next season.

A week into the preseason training camp, the focus has shifted entirely to tactical refinement.

For a team like the Knicks with a solid core and a mature strategic system, regaining familiar tactical chemistry is not difficult.

With just a period of time to readjust, the Knicks' tactical execution should return to last season's level.

On an ordinary afternoon, the Knicks were practicing their game-winning shot in the final moments.

Although he might not have many game-winning moments throughout the entire season, Mike Malone was almost obsessive about perfecting those moments.

He believed that the player who could push the Knicks to the brink of a game-winning shot was no ordinary person.

Therefore, a game that goes down to the wire is likely to be a crucial game.

Just like in last season's Finals, if the Knicks hadn't seized those crucial moments in Games 1 and 2, Games 3 and 4 wouldn't have been so overwhelming.

Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to be fully prepared for the few decisive moments.

The Knicks have a wide variety of game-winning plays, but one thing remains constant—Lynch is the ultimate finisher for most of them. They have very few other alternative shot options.

This is nothing new; the Knicks have used this tactic in crucial moments during their several glorious championship seasons.

But during this year's training camp, Kyrie Irving stood up and told Mike Malone, "Coach, I think I can also make game-winning shots. Why don't you give me more backup shot plays? Why don't you let me take on more responsibility?"

Kyrie Irving's long-suppressed desire is now surfacing.

In another timeline, Kyrie Irving was once dissatisfied because he couldn't get the right to shoot game-winning shots from LeBron James.

Of course, it turned out that this was completely unnecessary anxiety.

After all, one of the best things about LeBron James as a teammate is that he is very willing to take shots in crucial moments.

Whether you're ready or not, LBJ will assume you're ready.

This behavioral philosophy profoundly explains what a mature leader is: he keeps his teammates in a state of high alert at all times.

But Lynch wasn't as "generous" as LeBron James.

It's not that he doesn't trust his teammates, but given equal opportunities, he's more confident in himself.

The right to take the shot in crucial moments is an unshakeable right of a team's star player.

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant both yelled at Phil Jackson during crucial moments, "Give me the damn ball."

Even during one of Scottie Pippen's few prime seasons, he was unhappy about being deprived of crucial shot attempts.

Lynch also enjoys this right, and for many years no one has questioned Lynch's right.

At this moment, Kyrie Irving became the first.

In that instant, Lynch seemed to see Kobe Bryant and Kyrie Irving's figures overlap.

Kyrie Irving has no intention of challenging Lynch's position, but that doesn't mean he won't ask for other privileges.

The hot-tempered Mike Malone instantly erupted in anger, his thunderous roar echoing through the training gym: "Kid, who the hell do you think you are? Nobody here can teach me how to set up tactics. Go back to training! Did you hear me?!"

Mike Malone also felt challenged, as he disliked players questioning his personnel choices and decisions.

In another timeline, Mike Malone originally had close relationships with the entire Nuggets team.

However, his insistence on using Russell Westbrook led to criticism from the players, ultimately causing a rift between him and the entire locker room.

Kyrie Irving didn't back down; Mike Malone's shout only spurred him on: "I didn't teach anyone how to do things; I just offered some suggestions that would help the team more. I feel I'm capable of making the game-winning shot."

At this moment, Lin Qi certainly couldn't pretend he didn't hear.

He stepped forward, blocking their path, and said softly, "Alright, shut up."

The training hall was instantly filled only with the rustling sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor and two suppressed, heavy breaths.

He first turned to the snarling Mike Malone:

“Mike, don’t be so angry. I believe Kerry isn’t challenging you. We can all offer our opinions; that’s the foundation of our unity.”

After saying that, Lynch turned to face Irving: "Kyrie, you may be right, we may need more backup options. But the problem is, in the moment of a game-winning shot, how do we know when to use the backup option? You know, in crucial moments, the clearer the offensive arrow, the better. But when the first option is shut down, we often don't have room to run another play."

Irving didn't answer, his lips pressed tightly together. Because Lynch was right, he couldn't refute it.

After calming the two down, Lin Qi waved his hand and made the final decision:
“I have a compromise, Mike: design a few backup game-winning plays for Kyrie. Maybe he really should try to shoulder the weight of that final blow.”

Mike Malone was shocked that Lynch had actually given up on the right to win the game.

He felt that Lynch's attitude towards Kyrie Irving could only be described as "indulgent".

Last season, Lynch forbade him from criticizing Irving in front of the media.

Now, he's actually compromising and giving up his right to win the game?
Lynch, of course, wouldn't give up this right, and soon added:

"Starting from the new season, you will be in charge of every game-winning moment, Kyrie."

If you make the game-winning shot this time, you can either continue to take it next time, or you can decide who takes the game-winning shot.

But if they make a mistake once, then they'll replace them for the next time.

Of course, I also abide by this rule.

Simply put, whoever can make that damn shot at the last minute gets the job in the crucial moments.

Irving grinned; he certainly wouldn't refuse such a challenge: "Really? What if you don't touch the ball in crucial moments for the entire season? Don't get angry, okay?"

Lynch shrugged with an almost arrogant casualness: "Whatever, I can occasionally experience the fun of playing LeBron James."

Lin Qi knew he couldn't let anyone else take the chance to win the game-winning shot.

Perhaps Kyrie Irving did not intend it, but his actions were essentially a challenge to Lynch's rule. If Lynch were to easily back down, it would be tantamount to shaking his own firmly held leadership throne.

He was also well aware that he could have easily overpowered Kyrie Irving by leveraging the team's reputation.

He has the ability, and the whole team will support him.

But that's by no means the best solution.

After Lynch made his ruling, assistant coach Shane Battier immediately clapped his hands:
"Alright guys, that's settled. Kerry, good luck, don't waste those few opportunities."

Okay, back to training, guys, let's go!

Lynch was very pleased to see "Mr. President" instantly draw everyone's attention back to the field.

Yes, that's why Lynch needs Sean Battier so much.

Kyrie Irving didn't raise any further objections, and although Mike Malone was reluctant, he still gave Irving some game-winning tactics.

During the following days of training camp, the Knicks made no further mistakes.

In the third preseason game against the Miami Heat, Kyrie Irving played 31 minutes, scoring 24 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and dishing out 6 assists.

And then he hit the game-winning shot at the last moment.

After the game, Kyrie Irving was very pleased with himself and said to Lynch, who had only played 15 minutes that night, with a boastful tone, "Hey, I just made that shot. As agreed, I'll be the one next time, whether it's the regular season or the playoffs."

Lynch nodded: "Of course, I always keep my word, Carey."
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Kyrie Irving, the cold-blooded killer! Will we see him take the shot in the clutch moments again in the regular season and playoffs? —ESPN News.

"The new system Coach Steve Kerr brought has completely transformed us, and that's no exaggeration." — Stephen Curry on the Thunder's new coach.

I feel like we're playing a completely different kind of basketball, and I feel like we're unstoppable. Eastern Conference Spurs? I'm not sure if that's accurate, but we've definitely gotten better, that's for sure. — Joe Johnson on the changes brought to the team by the new coach, former Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer.

I feel great. If we stay healthy, we'll get 50 wins this season. No, no, at least 60. You can put that in the papers: if we stay healthy, we'll bring at least 60 wins to Memphis! — Carmelo Anthony on the Grizzlies' preseason winning streak.

"I'm glad we spent our money wisely." — Brooklyn Nets General Manager Billy King expressed satisfaction with the team's undefeated preseason record.

What else can I say? Dwyane and Kevin are the best duo in the league. Although they lost to the Knicks in the preseason, the Heat's performance was fantastic when they were on the court together for 15 minutes. No disrespect to Pau Gasol, thank you for his contributions to Miami over the years, but Kevin Love is the perfect fit for the Flash. — Miami Herald's assessment of the new Heat.

Everyone thinks they've been transformed, everyone thinks they're ready. Don't panic, Lynch will be the litmus test. The Atlanta Hawks will be the first to be tested; hopefully, they're truly ready. — Charles Barkley, *NBA Insider*

(End of this chapter)