Champion Rules

Chapter 364 (360): What you yearn for but cannot have, I can have within my grasp (Seeking monthly votes!)
Kevin Durant never believed that the long night was coming.

He is an ambitious star who is well aware of his talent and potential, firmly believes that he can reach even greater heights in the league, and has never been willing to be second to any other star.

He aspires to be like MJ and Lynch, stars who are lauded by the media, favored by fans, sought after by female models, and who have absolute authority within their teams.

But what's really awkward about him is that he doesn't openly reveal his ambition like Kobe, MJ, Lynch, or even LeBron James.

He has always carefully maintained his image as a man of few words, unassuming, and harmless.

This summer, after winning the championship in London as the brightest star of the Dream Team, his ambition swelled to an unprecedented level.

For the past two years, when the Thunder lost to Lynch in the Finals, KD would always tell himself: "I'm still young, I still have a chance, I need to be patient and wait for my moment."

But after London, he didn't want to wait any longer.

That gold medal and the title of top scorer for the Dream Team seemed like a guidance from God.

Tell him it's time.

Steve Kerr's arrival made KD even more confident that this would be his championship season.

Last season, the Thunder, led by Scott Brooks, were obsessed with the "Durant-Curry pick and roll".

This is a powerful tactic, but its disadvantages are also quite obvious – the game has completely turned into a two-man show.

The other Thunder players were completely excluded from the system, which caused their performance to fluctuate wildly during the game.

However, the ultimate honor in basketball is not something that can be won by two people alone.

Phil Jackson has demonstrated the importance of "wholeness" with three reigns.

The essence of the triangle offense is to allow superstars like MJ, Shaq, and Kobe to break free from one-on-one play, give them some ball possession, and integrate the whole team into the offense.

Clearly, Scott Brooks failed to grasp this point.

He's a motivational speaker and a leader who can keep the locker room in check, but his skill level on a purely competitive level is only average.

Steve Kerr's arrival solved the problem.

As someone who once got into a physical altercation with MJ on the practice court, Steve Kerr knows all too well how important it is to get star players to bond with everyone else.

In another timeline, he fully implemented this coaching philosophy, and Draymond Green and Jordan Poole became close friends.

This season, under Steve Kerr's coaching, the Thunder have clearly become a stronger team.

He used the "Durant-Curry pick-and-roll" very sparingly, only letting them go into isolation mode when the tactics were completely broken down.

Most of the time, the Thunder relied on their new passing and cutting system to operate.

This brought the Thunder an efficient, team-oriented, and fluid offense.

This allows each player to become a cog in the offensive machine, integrated into the game.

At first, KD scoffed at this strategy.

He couldn't understand why things that could be easily solved with a pick-and-roll or with a one-on-one game had to be done with a lot of movement.

But he hasn't won a championship yet, and this strategy seems to be working so far.

Therefore, KD chose humility.

As a top-class one-on-one player, he often makes a lot of off-ball runs to create space for his teammates.

He believed that if he could defeat Lynch and win the championship, he would become the master of this league.

He couldn't wait any longer, and he was quite pleased with his victory in the last match.

So when he saw that Shaquille O'Neal, such an influential guy, was saying that he beat Lynch by using the whistle, his arrogance and inferiority complex compelled him to go up and grumble a few words.

Anyway, since I'm wearing a disguise, I don't have to take responsibility, so it's safe and stress-relieving.

Then, he earned himself a Christmas night that was destined to be special.

At this moment, that line from "The Godfather" would occasionally echo in KD's ears: "Women and children can be careless, but men can't."

Dwight Howard stumbled because of carelessness—he was greedy for the momentary thrill of a high-stakes attack, and now, even though he earns millions a year, his life is still mired in a quagmire.

Derrick Rose's agent, BJ Armstrong, taught him one crucial lesson: never be careless. So Rose always makes sure his protective gear is flushed down the toilet. As a result, the seemingly honest but actually quite adventurous Derrick Rose hasn't repeated the mistakes of his Warcraft days. While there have been some negative press, at least he hasn't been negatively impacted by such incidents.

Clearly, KD's carelessness in forgetting to wear a vest this time is far more serious than forgetting to dispose of sports protective gear.

Kevin Durant was on pins and needles; he had never been so afraid of Christmas approaching.

After receiving Lynch's reply, Kevin Durant immediately deleted the post.

But clearly, it was all in vain; nothing could be covered up.

The media spotlight, the scrutiny of fans, and the banter of the hosts—all the firepower was precisely locked onto KD and his Thunder team, focusing on the upcoming Christmas Day game.

All of this put immense pressure on KD.

Every morning when he wakes up and sees that Christmas is just around the corner, anxiety creeps tighter and tighter around Kevin Durant's heart like vines.

He did not contact Lin Qi proactively, nor did he explain anything to Lin Qi.

Because facing Lynch directly was too awkward for him.

He was too afraid to face it.

Meanwhile, in New York.

The Knicks just defeated the Denver Nuggets at home and continue to lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 17 wins and 4 losses.

Since the whistle issue was resolved, the Knicks have only lost to the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers recently.

But their flaws don't overshadow their strengths; they are still the best team in the East.

At tonight's press conference, there was absolutely no interest in the Denver Nuggets.

Lynch has lost count of how many times he's heard reporters ask him during this period: "Lynch, what do you think of KD's previous comments on social media?"

“It’s nothing,” Lynch shrugged indifferently, his tone as calm as if he were talking about his new girlfriend. “As professional players, everyone should have a competitive spirit. Although I disagree with his comments about stepping on the head, overall, KD’s remarks were normal. Of course, it would have been better if he could have said these things to me in person.”

Lynch wasn't pretending to be magnanimous; he completely understood Kevin Durant's feelings.

Who the hell plays basketball to compete for the 1.5-year-old ranking?

But not getting angry doesn't mean he doesn't care; Lynch will defend his rule.

He enjoys personally tearing apart his opponents' ambitions.

"Was the Oklahoma City Thunder's last victory really due to the officiating?" the reporter continued, adding fuel to the fire.

"I don't want to make excuses for the loss, but it's clear that the officiating in that game was problematic."

"Do you think the officiating standards will return to normal during the Christmas Day game?"

"It doesn't matter, I just want to win on my own."

Lynch answered a bunch of questions about KD, but he believes he will still face those questions at the next press conference.

Because of that social media post, people's anticipation for the Christmas battle reached unprecedented heights.

After attending the press conference, Lynch finally finished his day's work. After declining DeAndre Jordan's invitation to learn some Spanish, Lynch got into his Bentley Continental GT. The low roar of the W12 engine had just begun to reverberate in the parking lot when a Bluetooth phone call interrupted Lynch's actions.

The caller was Colin Jost, one of Lynch's friends in the media industry and the head writer of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," who had pranked Lynch's good friend LeBron James more than once in the show's "spoof news" segment.

"Hey buddy, is now a good time to talk?"

"of course."

"That's good. You know, I really didn't mean to disturb you and your girlfriend's night run last time."

"Let's get straight to the point, Colin."

"Oh, you know, the Christmas Day game is super hot right now, and fans all over the world want to see you play KD in person. So, uh, I have a friend who wants to go to the game, but he can't get any tickets. He was just wondering if you could help him get a front-row seat."

Just one?

"Yes, just one!"

"No problem, it's a piece of cake," Lin Qi replied readily.

"That's awesome! Man, you're a lifesaver! Hey, if you're free anytime soon, let's grab a bite to eat and I'll introduce you two."

"Her? Who exactly is your friend?" Upon hearing the name, Lin Qi's lips curled into a smile.

He will definitely, absolutely will, arrange the frontmost seat for her.
-
Kevin Durant felt that Lynch was putting in extra effort for Christmas.

Professor L's behavior in December was nothing short of brutal.

12月13日对阵洛杉矶湖人，林奇47分13个篮板5次助攻2次抢断5次封盖，凯文.加内特出战36分钟，只狼狈的拿了6分。

12月15日对阵克利夫兰骑士，林奇31分11个篮板12次助攻，三双数据手到拈来。

12月17日对阵休斯顿火箭，林奇又拿下45分8个篮板8次助攻的数据。

He was in absolutely fantastic form, like an F1 car that had just finished its warm-up lap, hurtling forward unstoppably.

Of course, the Thunder's record isn't bad either.

They went on to defeat Carmelo Anthony's Grizzlies, LeBron James' Nets, and Chris Paul's Indiana Pacers.

In these tough battles, the passing and cutting system and KD's individual ability were perfectly integrated, enabling the team to win consecutive victories.

The rapid advances of the two top teams, each shining brightly, are like a pair of powerful hands, constantly squeezing the huge, taut balloon that is the Christmas Day game.

The whole world held its breath, waiting for that resounding "Bang!" that was destined to echo through the heavens.

On December 23, both the Thunder and the Knicks played their last game before the Christmas Day games.

The Thunder easily defeated the Miami Heat, and the Knicks once again crushed the Atlanta Hawks in the second game.

Throughout December, neither the Knicks nor the Thunder lost a game against these formidable opponents.

But on Christmas Eve, Madison Square Garden was destined to be a place where one side would taste the bitterness of defeat.

On the morning of the 24th, the entire Thunder team boarded a flight to New York.

On the plane, Stephen Curry comforted KD: "Don't worry, don't make any pessimistic assumptions about things that haven't happened. Since that incident, Lynch has never expressed his dissatisfaction in front of the media, nor has he ever directly blamed you. Maybe he didn't even take it to heart."

Kevin Durant nodded, but his heart felt like it was being torn apart by two forces.

On the one hand, there is a heavy sense of tension.

He was about to meet Lynch, and he didn't know how to face this guy with whom he had a fairly good personal relationship. He also didn't know what awaited him on New York night.

An awkward eye contact? A cold silence? Or something worse?
But on the other hand, he felt excited.

On the globally watched stage, with the halo of an Olympic champion, if he can defeat Lynch again, he will reach the pinnacle of success.

Yes, perhaps Lynch wasn't angry at all, nor did he want revenge.

Perhaps the next match will just be an ordinary one.

With this complex mix of anticipation and trepidation, Kevin Durant stepped into the nightmare that had been tormenting him for the past month.

On Christmas Eve, Madison Square Garden is probably the liveliest place in the world besides hotels.

Although the league has scheduled five Christmas Day games tonight, a third of the teams will be involved.

But all other games became mere background to the Knicks vs. Thunder game.

Kevin Durant changed into his jersey in the familiar yet oppressive visiting team's locker room, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.

The visiting team's locker room at Madison Square Garden is probably KD's least favorite place, as it has always held some less-than-pleasant memories for him.

His consecutive defeats in the finals for two years dealt him a heavy blow.

Tonight, he longs to shatter this cyclical fate and walk out of here with a completely different ending, head held high.

Kevin Durant stood up and walked out of the locker room.

Even inside the players' tunnel, he could hear a tremendous "buzzing" sound.

The tremendous noise outside the players' tunnel rendered all the soundproofing measures in Madison Square Garden meaningless.

Kevin Durant stopped at the entrance to the players' tunnel.

Regardless of winning or losing, he knew it was going to be a tough night.

He closed his eyes, imagining receiving the Alliance Scepter from Lynch, and then suddenly rushed out.

The deafening boos were like a tornado, threatening to sweep away the Thunder players.

In the stands, countless fans held up signs that read "Keyboard Champions".

In the front row, Spike Lee, wearing a Lynch jersey, stood up and yelled, "KD, why don't you dare say those things to Lynch's face, huh? You can't wear a vest on the basketball court! Come on, let's see whose head gets stomped on!"

Kevin Durant ignored the noise and reminded himself to stay focused.

He stared intently at the basket, preparing to warm up by shooting.

"Kevin, don't let these noises bother you!" Stephen Curry reminded his teammate.

Kevin Durant instantly transformed into Django, the calm, tough, and stubborn bounty hunter, his gaze unwavering, even deliberately adding a few whitish slurs:

"Don't worry, buddy, I swear I won't let anything distract me right now!"

"Great job, KD! Here, catch the ball!"

Stephen Curry passed the ball to Kevin Durant, but the basketball hit KD's arm, and KD had no reaction to the shot.

Kevin Durant, who had just sworn that nothing would distract him tonight, was now staring blankly at the sidelines.

Stephen Curry followed KD's gaze and saw Scarlett Johansson sitting in the front row.

Today she was wearing a sexy, tight-fitting, deep-V black dress, her short legs crossed and perched, the subtle shadows appearing and disappearing with her sitting posture.

Kevin Durant never tried to date Scarlett Johansson; he lacked the confidence to date Hollywood actresses.

All the women he has dated so far have been unknown amateur models.

Just then, the Knicks entered the game.

The boos instantly turned into cheers as Lynch and his army reigned supreme over Madison Square Garden.

Kevin Durant then shifted his gaze from Scarlett Johansson to Lynch.

He felt awkward and embarrassed, unsure of what to say to Lynch.

"I've had too much to drink."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Do you believe my computer has a virus?"

"James Harden sent me a weird website, and after I clicked on it, my account was hacked."

But after Lynch came on, he didn't go straight to KD, but walked to the sidelines.

Scarlett Johansson stood up, and Lynch leaned down and gently kissed his cheek.

Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson were friends for a long time, and in fact, in another timeline, they got married many years later.

The friend Colin Jost mentioned who couldn't get a ticket was her.

After Lynch's help, Scarlett Johansson treated Lynch to a meal through Colin Jost's connections, and the two began to have a personal relationship.

They greeted each other with an intimate cheek kiss, which gave Kevin Durant the feeling of being caught up in an NTR (Netorare) plot.

After greeting Scarlett Johansson, Lynch went on stage and headed straight for KD.

“Hey Kevin. Believe me, Scarlett and I only just met, otherwise I would have introduced her to you already. You know, it's not difficult for me, it's not even a big deal.”

What you yearn for but cannot have, I can have within my grasp.

After Lin Qi finished speaking, his smile faded:
"Of course, honors too."

At that moment, Kevin Durant knew that all the assumptions about "Lynch not taking it to heart" were unfounded.

Professor L is already taking revenge on him.

The competition hadn't even started yet.

(End of this chapter)