Champion Rules

Chapter 363, page 359: KD isn't Lynch's little brother (Seeking monthly votes!)
Lynch ended the debate about "the master of New York" with a stunning triple-double.

The following day, The New York Times featured a front-page cover image of Lynch jumping onto the technical table to confront Mikhail Prokhorov.

In the photo, Lynch's self-crowned pose occupies the left side of the image.

Mikhail Prokhorov's astonished expression and the countless outstretched arms around him occupy the right side of the image.

Front page headline: "The King's Response".

When Lynch received the newspaper the next day, he immediately sent a text message to his agent, Misco Raznatovic.

"I'll have someone make a frame for me. I want to frame today's front page of The New York Times and hang it in my living room. I like the photo they used today."

The message was quickly replied to: "I will contact The New York Times directly, and I believe they will be more than willing to help you personally."

Lynch lay on the sofa, reading Bill Pennington's report on last night's game, a report by the well-known sports reporter for The New York Times.

In the article, he not only praised Lynch's performance, but also severely criticized the league for missing the call on LBJ's traveling violation layup in the final moments:
"The weak may deserve pity, but not in competitive sports. LeBron has escaped far too many traveling calls this season. It's hard to imagine that a professional player who has played in the league for almost 10 years can't even explain his footwork clearly."

LeBron received far too much leeway, and not just him; Lynch's opponents generally enjoyed excessive leniency in officiating. Does anyone remember that Thunder vs. Knicks game? Kevin Durant and James Harden practically made the free-throw line their home!

But as Lynch said, it is the fragile and vulnerable bronze that needs the protection of dull and vulgar silver.

We firmly believe that the protection of mysterious forces will not allow Lynch's opponents to succeed.

Sure enough, the most attention-grabbing moments last night were far more than Lynch's incredible triple-double and his victory over LeBron James.

He once again criticized the league's officiating standards, which also sparked a huge reaction.

Although he cleverly used the metaphors of bronze and silver to refer to the subject, everyone understood what his sword was aimed at.

David Stern realized that his previous persuasion had failed.

He plans to use these last two years as a buffer between Adam Silver and the league.

Most of the time, this buffer layer works.

But he is not omnipotent and cannot solve all problems.

Lynch's attitude is as firm as a rock; he will take control of his own destiny and claim the honors he deserves.

He will never become a tool for Adam Silver or anyone else to achieve their goals.

Knicks owner James Dolan, known for his outspokenness, shares the same view.

Unlike Lin Qi, who was on the same side as him, he didn't just loiter around outside.

James Dolan has always preferred to go straight to the heart of the matter and forcefully express his views internally.

645 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York.

NBA headquarters, the president's office.

James Dolan sat across from David Stern's desk, leisurely smoking a cigar.

David Stern greeted him with a smile: "James, I've been really busy lately. I'm sorry I can't make it today, so I can only see you this afternoon. How have you been?"

“Great, David, it couldn’t be better. The league thoughtfully arranged for another team to come to New York, adding some competitive pressure for me. In addition, the league has given special consideration to my team and star player by using different officiating standards. God is my witness, the league has really taken great care of me.”

David Stern's smile froze instantly.

The kind-faced, white-haired old man had vanished; now sitting across from James Dolan was the NBA commissioner known for his iron fist.

"James, I don't accept any unfounded accusations. Mark Cuban has been just as outspoken as you, but his big mouth didn't get him any benefits. Listen, the Nets' move to Brooklyn was a decision passed by the Board of Governors, not directed at anyone. As for the officiating issues you mentioned, that simply doesn't exist."

I admit that there may have been some missed cases, but those were not intentionally targeted.

“Of course, even if LBJ walks straight from the backcourt to the frontcourt, he will still be missed,” James Dolan was not intimidated by Stern’s change of expression, and his tone became even more composed. “Mark Cuban, that idiot, did not get any benefits, but I am not here today to ask for any benefits. I just want a fair officiating environment.”

James Dolan has never liked Mark Cuban, and he doesn't mind criticizing the guy.

Before David Stern could retort, he continued, "Go tell Adam to stay away from my team! Make him think carefully about the value of the next broadcasting contract, make him use his smart brain to think about how much the contract will shrink without Lynch!"

David Stern paused for a moment, the phrase "without Lynch" instantly stirring up fragments of his long-buried memories.

During his long career as president, he witnessed the unexpected retirement of two superstars.

The first time was on November 7, 1991, when Magic Johnson held a press conference to announce that he was retiring due to a fatal injury.

The second time was two years later, on October 6, 1993, when Michael Jordan announced his retirement because his father suffered a fatal injury.

These two sudden and fatal injuries that led to their retirements have dealt an immeasurable blow to the league.

Especially in 1993, when Air Jordan retired from the NBA, Wall Street suddenly had many more "Air Jordans".

This is absolutely the nightmare that David Stern would never want to relive.

Does James Dolan's statement about "without Lynch" refer to his retirement?

But Lynch is only 26 years old.

Magic Johnson was 32 when he first retired, and Michael Jordan was 30 when he first retired.

In comparison, Lynch is still very young.

David Stern couldn't help but wonder if James Dolan was bluffing.

“James,” David Stern said calmly, without showing any emotion on his face, “what exactly do you mean by ‘no Lynch’?”

James Dolan leaned back comfortably in his chair, took another puff of his cigar, and the smoke slowly dissipated into the air.

“You know Lynch’s temperament. He’s a fighter, with an extreme spirit of resistance etched into his bones. He will never, without reason, and without needing to, swallow his pride under anyone’s oppression.”

For him, honors are already plentiful, and wealth is enough to last for generations. Even if he leaves this league, he will still be the brightest star on this planet, understand?
It's not that he needs this alliance, it's that this damn alliance needs him!

"You mean, Lynch will choose to retire because of these things?" David Stern continued to confirm.

“I don’t know, I’m not Lynch.” James Dolan stood up and casually brushed off non-existent dust from his suit. “The only thing I can tell you is—Lynch never compromises.”

After saying that, James Dolan got up and walked to the office door, but stopped abruptly after opening it and turned back: "Enjoy your retirement, David. And by the way, tell Adam not to be like Mikhail Prokhorov, who doesn't know his place."

The office door slammed shut, and David Stern was furious. This was the first time he had been so openly threatened by a team owner.

Deep down, he didn't believe that Lynch would choose to retire at such a prime age, but what James Dolan said did make some sense.

What else can Lynch pursue?

Today, the controversy surrounding him has diminished to almost nothing.

Although some voices have mentioned that he has not yet established "two dynasties," the mainstream media and the vast majority of fans have long placed his historical status above that of Michael Jordan.

If there are no higher peaks to climb in the world of basketball for him, then anything—including retiring at the peak of his career—will become possible.

The NBA is essentially a business league. The teams themselves are not the most important money-making products; the star players are the real golden assets that drive everything.

A shop is meaningless no matter how luxurious its decor is, if it doesn't have enough enticing products.

Every business must find its core competitive advantage.

Just as a car company without a flagship product or a karaoke bar without a highly skilled music instructor will eventually become deserted.

David Stern cannot allow this alliance to lose its best-selling product.

Over the past decade, Lynch has elevated the NBA's international profile to a whole new level.

The Asian market has become the largest ticket market outside of North America. Even the European market, which has always been dominated by F1 racing and football and has been heavily guarded, has begun to prosper because of Lynch's status as a "product of European youth training".

If Lynch really retires, it won't just affect his next broadcast contract renewal.

Rather, it is the future of the entire alliance.

That evening, he urgently contacted Adam Silver, the de facto leader of the coalition.

David Stern had no intention of interfering with Adam Silver's strategy, but he had to remind his successor not to ignore any potential dangers.

In the following period, New York fans noticed a very positive phenomenon—the unfair calls were disappearing.

The Knicks are no longer the team that suffers most from the calls; those inexplicable flopping moves no longer work on Knicks players.

Failures still occur, but they are no longer caused by outrageous officiating.

On December 9, the Knicks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies at home.

Tonight's game was very intense, and the Grizzlies, led by Carmelo Anthony, proved to be a formidable force.

The Grizzlies' acquisition of Carmelo Anthony has been very successful. They got rid of Gay and Mayo, whose unselfish, tough, and defensive styles clashed with the team's, and gained invaluable perimeter scoring ability.

The Grizzlies proved their strength against the Knicks, with the lead changing hands throughout the game and the point difference never exceeding double digits.

With 37 seconds left in the game, the Memphis Grizzlies were down by 2 points. Carmelo Anthony missed a jump shot after a triple threat, and Zach Randolph grabbed the offensive rebound.

He jumped again immediately after landing and placed the ball toward the basket amidst extremely intense physical contact.

Due to the intense mid-air collision, Zach Randolph landed and went directly out of bounds.

He sat on the ground and yelled at the referee, "That was a fucking foul!"

The referee remained unmoved.

Lynch secured the rebound and delivered a long pass to DeMar DeRozan, who had already started his run. DeRozan then scored with a layup despite Tony Allen's pursuit, sealing the victory.

The four-point deficit remained until the end of the game, and Carmelo Anthony covered his face with his hands as the backboard glowed red, unable to hide his disappointment.

Lynch went up to him, hugged him, and shook hands with him.

Melon was clearly very unwilling: "Damn it, it was so close, damn it!"

Lynch patted Melo's head: "You still have one more chance in the regular season, don't be so discouraged."

On the other side, Zach Randolph continued arguing with the referee even after the game had ended, firmly believing that DeAndre Jordan's final defensive play against him was definitely a foul.
That was a crucial call; if Randolph had been able to get to the free-throw line, he was confident he could have made both shots to tie the game.

At that time, the outcome of the entire game could be different.

Although it was just a regular season game, it was of great significance to the Grizzlies.

Only by defeating the Knicks can the Grizzlies prove that their efforts have not been in vain.

The scene of the big black bear still harassing the referee after the game was captured on camera and became the focus of discussion.

It is widely believed that the Grizzlies' victory was not "cheated".

In the end, DeAndre Jordan's defense against the big bear was indeed tough, but it didn't reach the level of a foul.

It falls into the category of "optional".

If that had happened in the first half of the season, DeAndre Jordan would have been disallowed 100% of the time.

But ever since Lynch used bronze and silver as metaphors to criticize the league and unfair calls disappeared, the Knicks have never suffered from such controversial calls.

So, TNT host Shaquille O'Neal shared his opinion on social media:
"When the calls are no longer clearly biased, the Knicks can win most close matchups. Yes, we can confirm once again that the Oklahoma City Thunder previously stole a victory that belonged to the Knicks."

Thankfully, we don't have to repeat this terrible scene at Christmas.

In the upcoming Christmas battle, we will see the utter devastation Oklahoma City will suffer without the protection of the whistle.

At the end of the post, the ever-troublemaker also tagged the "King of Temperament," the "King of Slam Dunk," and the "King of Abstinence from Alcohol."

It means: Come out and talk!
Of course, no one expected those three people to come forward and respond.

After all, they all had a good personal relationship with Lynch, and getting involved in such a highly controversial topic was by no means a wise move.

The comments section of this post turned into a battleground for Oklahoma City fans and Knicks fans.

And, as always.

When the arguments reached a dead end, Kobe was always blamed for everything.

"You say KD isn't strong enough? Then wouldn't Kobe, who couldn't even get past the first round last season, be even worse?"

"Lynch only won against the Grizzlies because of controversial calls? Then how come the Lakers still lost the last game when they had 13 more free throws than the Grizzlies?"

Kobe Bryant, the ultimate answer to all the debates in the basketball world.

Just as the fans were debating, an account with a verified identity posted a comment.

"He didn't beat the Knicks because of the whistles; think about just how good he is. He's been second only to Lynch in scoring for years and is one of the best scorers in the league."

At a young age, he led his team to the NBA Finals for two consecutive years, making LeBron James willingly become his number two.

Moreover, the roster of his team is not as dazzling as Lynch's.

Imagine how bad the New York Knicks would be without Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan. Lynch couldn't win a championship with those kittens, but KD led a bunch of rookies and a player who was kicked out of the league to two NBA Finals appearances!
This season, with KD having fully matured into a top star in the league, it will be common for him to defeat Lynch.

In the Christmas battle, you will witness another revolutionary victory.

Lynch's era is over, and KD has never been his little brother.

Yes, KD may frequently attend Lynch's 'Summit of the Hill'. But essentially, KD is a competitor.

Stephen might be Lynch's little brother, James Harden might be Lynch's little brother, but KD is not.

Next, KD will step on his head and usher in the KD era for the league.

You all know he can.

This reply, written in the third person, offered an extreme eulogy to Kevin Durant.

Judging from the content, this seems to be a comment from a KD fan, and it's just an ordinary reply.

However, it garnered a massive number of likes in a very short time and was even pushed to the top of the comments section.

This statement came from Kevin Durant's verified account.
-
Kevin Durant is at home admiring Scarlett Johansson's official costume photos as the Marvel character Black Widow.

That sexy bodysuit made him completely intoxicated.

He decided to grab some tissues as a reward for his courageous act.

Just now, he fiercely refuted those nightmarish claims on the internet that he "beat Lynch with the whistle."

In reality, Kevin Durant wouldn't dare to refute Lynch, or even directly challenge him.

Thank goodness, he lives in the internet age.

Behind the online mask, he can temporarily break free from the constraints of the Kevin Durant identity and shout out his truest inner voice.

To this end, he registered many alternate accounts on social media specifically to argue with KD haters and passionately vent his frustrations in response to reports that belittled him.

Sometimes, putting on a mask is actually taking it off.

This is one of the ways he relieves stress and shouts out his truest inner voice.

He has thoroughly mastered the internet.

KD was quite satisfied and was about to reach for a tissue, imagining how miserable Black Widow would be in front of him.

His phone rang at an inopportune moment.

The caller was Stephen Curry, and KD answered impatiently:
"Stephen? I'm almost asleep! Do you know that calling at this hour will keep me awake?"

Stephen Curry's voice was quite impatient:

"Damn it, Lynch replied to you!"

"what?"

"Lynch! He replied to your comment! Are you crazy? Why did you say those things?! You shouldn't have provoked him! Don't you know what kind of guy Lynch is?"

"What did I say?"

"You said you'd step over Lynch's head and usher in your era for the league!"

Kevin Durant froze. It was indeed written by him, but...
An ominous premonition instantly gripped him, and he frantically clicked on the comment he had just posted.

A few seconds later, Durant's blood seemed to freeze.

Yes, he has many identities in the online world, which allows him to boldly and safely advocate for himself.

But just now, when he made that bold statement—

He forgot to wear a vest.

Below his passionate comment, Lynch's reply was prominently displayed.

The reply was concise and powerful, garnering tens of thousands of likes in a very short time.
"Step on the head, huh?"
Merry Christmas in advance, KD.

(Thanks so much to Yutian_ and other generous donors! I'm so grateful!)

(End of this chapter)