Champion Rules

Chapter 370, Section 366: I Must Say a Fair Word for Michael Jordan (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Carmelo Anthony and Zach Randolph sat on the bench, exchanging silent glances.

Carmelo Anthony scored 31 points in three quarters, with efficiency comparable to that of Kobe Bryant, the god of efficiency.

Zach Randolph scored 11 points tonight and won the "Successful Containment of Lynch Award".

Their performance wasn't bad.

But Lynch's stats on the big screen made the entire Grizzlies team look like mere background figures.

So far this season, no star player has been able to put on a respectable performance in Memphis.

No matter who you are or how famous you are, once you arrive in Memphis, you will eventually leave in a sorry state.

Lynch broke this rule, becoming the only player in NBA history besides Hakeem Olajuwon to record two quadruple-doubles here, and his brilliance did not diminish in Memphis.

He's the first person this season to conquer FedExCity!
The entire Grizzlies bench was shrouded in a deathly silence, and even head coach Dave Joerger was momentarily speechless.

After a long silence, Zach Randolph finally broke the stillness in the air.

But he didn't utter a single inspiring word. He just stared intently at the glaring statistics on the large screen in the center of the stadium, and finally squeezed out a desperate shout from deep in his throat:

"Hold!"

As a player known for his honesty and adherence to the law, Zach Randolph would rather take action than waste words.

But now, he was so angry that he started swearing.

Ordinary victories can never truly conquer Zach Randolph.

Just like the last time the two sides fought, Jungle didn't think he had lost.

He also never considered the Knicks to be the winner.

He felt he had lost to unfair officiating, and that the Grizzlies simply lacked a bit of luck.

Ultimately, he was not conquered.

But tonight, all the "unwillingness" and "discontent" in the big black bear's heart were completely shattered in the face of Lin Qi's amazing four-pair performance.

This encounter was an undisputed victory.

In the following games, the Grizzlies continued to fight back.

But the Knicks had firmly seized the initiative thanks to their previous offensive surge.

The final score was 104-93, with the New York Knicks securing a victory on the road and putting a perfect end to 2012.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points with a 39% field goal percentage.

Jimmy Butler's defense against him was quite successful—you can't expect to both reduce his efficiency and productivity against a star like Carmelo Anthony. Achieving either one is a major success.

At the end of the game, Pete Pranica compared Jimmy Butler's one-on-one defense to Kobe Bryant: "He's just like the young Los Angeles number 8, aggressive, tenacious, and fast."

Yes, his defense is indeed somewhat similar to Kobe's.

For example, their defense is all about bringing the opponent's efficiency down to the same level as their own.

Of course, Lynch is the most anticipated player tonight.

Every Grizzlies player shook hands with Lynch after the game, without exception.

This was not just polite talk, but a heartfelt respect; they all congratulated Lynch on having a great night.

Cameron Anthony was the last to walk up to Lynch. He grabbed Lynch's hand, pulled him close, and bumped him hard with his shoulder.

"That's quite a Memphis-style way of congratulating someone," Lynch joked.

Carmelo Anthony simply smiled in response and walked straight into the players' tunnel.

He didn't want to pretend to be happy and exchange pleasantries with Lynch, but he did express his respect.

As one of Lynch's longtime rivals, Carmelo Anthony knows he doesn't have much "future" left for himself.

Every chance to beat Lynch is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If the Grizzlies fail to reach the NBA Finals, then his rivalry with Lynch will be over for the rest of the season.

He knew he had no more chances to waste, which only strengthened his resolve to make it to the finals.

After Carmelo Anthony left, Lynch was interviewed by renowned on-site reporter Doris Burke. The question was simple: "Lynch, how would you rate your second career quadruple-double?"

Lynch's answer was simpler.

“It’s alright,” he shrugged at the camera, “It’s good enough overall.”

Of course, the whole world knows that this is not just a matter of being generally sufficient.

At the post-match press conference, Zach Randolph was adored by reporters.

The controversy surrounding the refereeing decisions in the previous game made him a hot topic, so people are curious to see what he has to say about today's defeat.

So, the ESPN reporter didn't mince words: "Zach, what's your opinion on tonight's officiating? Was it another case of the Grizzlies being disadvantaged?"

Cameron Anthony glanced at the reporter who asked the question; even a fool could hear the sarcasm in the question.

He was about to remind the big black bear not to get too angry, lest he be fined again for saying something he shouldn't have.

Surprisingly, Zach Randolph remained calm when faced with this question.

"I know what you mean, but none of you are going to see me lose my temper tonight."

Yes, there are many players in this league who I don't think are good enough and don't deserve so much praise.

For example, Ray Allen, and LeBron James. My career certainly wasn't as illustrious as theirs; I couldn't shoot threes like them, nor could I have their varied footwork.

Yes, you can see how bad my hook shot was. If it were Shaq, he definitely wouldn't have been blocked so badly.

But when I played against them, I actually put on many more spectacular performances.

I'm not saying Ray Allen or LBJ aren't good; I just feel that in terms of performance in games, the gap between me and them isn't that big, and they've both been somewhat overrated.

Not just them, but most nights when I played against many Hall of Fame-caliber players on the court, I thrashed them, that's a fact.

Lynch is the only one I think deserves all the praise, and I think there is a clear gap between him and the others.

So, I have nothing to say about tonight's loss. Lynch used his incredible ability to help his team win the game without any controversy, that's all.

The unruly black bear silenced everyone with the word "undisputed."

Ten minutes later, ESPN writer John Hollinger retweeted a video of Zach Randolph's interview, with the caption:

"Another night of conquest."
-
Lynch has once again completely conquered a contemporary rival. Since last season, Lynch has been increasingly regarded as "unbeatable" by many people.

Throughout the entire history of the NBA, only Michael Jordan has ever instilled in his opponents the feeling of helplessness that "no matter what, we can't beat him."

Riding the wave of Lynch's quadruple-double that once again shocked the league, emerging sports media giant Bleacher Report (B/R) published an article on its homepage titled "The 100 Greatest NBA Players of All Time".

Clearly, this is an article ranking NBA all-time greats.

The reason this upstart sports media outlet was able to rise so quickly and become the third largest sports media outlet after traditional sports media giants Yahoo Sports and ESPN is because of its various sensational articles.

For example, a month ago, they published an article titled "20 Greatest Crybabies in Sports History," which brought a huge amount of traffic to the website.

Their next step is to publish "The 20 Greatest Kneelers in Sports History".

Although the media outlet was recently acquired by TBS Media Group, "traffic is everything" remains B/R's creed.

This list of "100 Greatest NBA Players of All Time" also bears the heavy responsibility of attracting traffic. They believe that such an article, ranked in order, will definitely spark discussion among fans.

The top five on this list, from fifth to first, are:
The gentleman Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the clean-living Magic Johnson, the baseball god Michael Jordan, and Lynch, the only active player among the top five.

This list caused a huge uproar because it was the first time that a highly influential media outlet had officially placed Lynch ahead of Michael Jordan.

Prior to this, although many media professionals had expressed similar views, those views only represented their personal opinions.

This time, a major media outlet, in an official capacity, directly crowned Lynch as the greatest of all time.

As expected, a massive amount of traffic flooded in, with discussions about the rationality of the list taking place on both the internet and television.

The most debated part is naturally the first and second place.

Most people acknowledge Lynch's status; his dominance is rare.

His dominance in the fiercely competitive modern league with 30 teams almost replicates the dynasty Bill Russell enjoyed when the league had fewer than ten teams.

However, some die-hard fans still believe that Michael Jordan is the GOAT.

Because he established two dynasties.

These fans also brought up the famous "what if" argument: "If he hadn't retired midway to play baseball, Michael could very well have achieved four or even five consecutive championships!"

The league welcomes this, as this cross-generational "battle of wits" is undoubtedly a great boost to the NBA's exposure.

Michael Jordan, who has retired from the spotlight, has remained silent on the matter and has not appeared in front of the media to comment.

As the current player at the center of the storm, Lynch is destined to be unable to avoid this topic.

On January 2, in the locker room of the Greenburg training center, reporters swarmed around Lynch.

The Fox Sports reporter got straight to the point: "Lynch, do you agree with B/R's ranking of the top 100 players?"

Lynch didn't feign modesty; he nodded decisively: "Yes, I completely agree with that ranking."

But he quickly changed his tone: "Especially their ranking of Chris Paul at number 62, that's a stroke of genius, undoubtedly the best tribute to his 62-point performance in the playoffs. Chris, this is for you."

The reporters burst into laughter; everyone knew what Lynch was referring to—last season's playoffs, the game where he personally handed Paul the biggest 62-point blowout in history. The B/R ranking number 62 seemed incredibly ironic at that moment.

But clearly, the reporters wanted to hear more than just Lynch joking.

As the laughter subsided, Erin Andrews, a well-known big-ball reporter from ESPN, immediately raised a more crucial question: "We'd like to know if you agree that the list places you above Michael Jordan? What are your thoughts on that?"

Lynch hesitated for a few seconds in front of the camera, much like Tony Stark in Iron Man announced that he was Iron Man.

"In fact, I have to say something fair in Michael Jordan's defense—"

The entire locker room fell silent instantly. All the reporters held their breath, and even the other players in the locker room pricked up their ears.

What would Lynch say?

modesty?

Or should you bravely and boldly accept this title?

Everyone wanted to know how this reigning champion, who had just shattered the rules of Memphis's "graveyard of stars" by scoring an unprecedented quadruple-double, would respond to being crowned the "greatest player in history."

Lynch's gaze swept across the room, as if savoring the lingering anticipation. He mimicked Tony Stark's classic pause before revealing his identity in Iron Man, deliberately remaining silent for a few seconds to build suspense.

Then, facing the camera, Lynch calmly observed everything before him:
"In fact, I have to say something fair about Michael Jordan—"

Under the tense gaze of everyone, he slowly uttered the judgment that was destined to ignite public opinion:

"For Michael, second place is not bad either."

In an instant, the locker room was filled with the sound of camera shutters clicking.

Without hesitation, Lin Qi readily accepted the title of "the first person in history"!

There was indeed a personal grudge involved. Before the labor negotiations, Lynch and MJ had no interaction and no real conflict.

However, after labor negotiations, they became bitter enemies.

Perhaps 99% of the people in this league treat Michael Jordan with utmost respect.

But Lynch is in that 1%.

He wouldn't fawn over that stinky brat.

Kyrie Irving smiled after hearing Lynch's response.

That's why he was willing to be Lynch's second-in-command.

Jimmy Butler laughed and said, "Lynch never lets us down, you know? I was really worried he'd fall into the cliché and humbly express his respect for MJ."

The controversy wasn't over yet. Erin Andrews's ball bounced wildly, showing that she was also surprised by Lynch's answer—she had considered that, given Lynch's personality, he would accept the title. But she hadn't expected him to accept it in such a forceful way.

She eagerly held the microphone closer again, the surging crowd behind her almost causing her to "bump into" Lynch.

"What is your argument? Why do you believe you can surpass MJ?"

"Because in the 'what if' scenario, Michael Jordan is a player who could win five consecutive championships. Don't get me wrong, this isn't sarcasm; it's a truly great 'what if' scenario."

Only players with sufficient ability deserve such a "what if," which is a recognition of his ability by the fans.

The difference between him and me is that his "if" is the reality I am about to create.

Based on that alone, I am fully qualified to be ranked ahead of him!

That evening, it's easy to see how lively the basketball world was.

The video of Lynch's interview, especially the short, intense pause before announcing the final answer, has become one of the most iconic moments of declaration in basketball history.

In the comments section below the video, countless fans are saying "GOAT" or "MOAT".

As it turns out, boasting isn't a big problem.

As long as one's strength is sufficient to convince others, that pride will only become an embellishment on the crown.

This is the biggest difference between Lynch and the GOAT of another timeline.

Of course, people's respect for Lynch stems from his ability to turn his boasts into reality.

If he fails to win more championships and fulfill Michael Jordan's "what if," public opinion will turn against him.

Some believe that such a backlash is almost inevitable.

Because this guy's team can stop Lynch:
"We have Paul George, who has improved tremendously, and the legendary ironman Kawhi Leonard this season. I mean, we are very strong this season, and Lynch, who claims to be the greatest of all time, may not even make it out of the East."

Chris Paul was furious at Lynch's joke about the number 62.

This guy claims that Lynch benefited from the Eastern Conference's success in reaching the Finals year after year, but last season he himself became a guard benefiting from the Eastern Conference's success, still dreaming of winning a championship.

Paul George has transformed into one of the best wing players in the league this season, and many media outlets believe he will be selected for both the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team this season. Larry Bird has proven that he has the same sharp eye as MJ.

Another wing player, Kawhi Leonard, has miraculously developed a jump shot, and his biggest selling point, defense, is even better than people predicted. This season, as a sophomore, he has already secured a starting position.

The rise of the Indiana wings has propelled the Pacers to close the gap with the Knicks, securing second place in the Eastern Conference and being widely regarded as the Knicks' biggest obstacle in the East.

In fact, they did win their last encounter.

CP3 clearly saw these two young men as capital to overthrow Lynch's rule.

Shaquille O'Neal responded on Lynch's behalf:
Where do those two people Chris mentioned rank on the top 100 list?
All I know is that Lynch is undoubtedly number one.

(End of this chapter)