Champion Rules

Chapter 371 (367): I Won't Wait for You My Whole Life (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
The direct competition between Chris Paul and Lynch only began in the last few years.

In other words, he didn't suffer enough beatings.

Players like Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who were initially humiliated by Lynch early in their careers, no longer make any extreme comments about him in the media.

Of course, a part of them still retains the desire to defeat Lynch, which is a basic quality that a professional player should have.

But at the same time, they also admitted that another part of their hearts had been completely captivated by Lynch.

They held Lynch in high esteem as their opponent.

Throughout his career, Chris Paul has only experienced one playoff sweep by Lynch, and a single defeat is rarely memorable.

Therefore, for that tall, 62-point genius, what churned within him was more resentment and hatred.

Chris Paul confidently entered Professor L's examination room. The day before the game, CP3, having just gotten off the plane, still showed no respect for the Knicks when facing reporters' cameras.
"If Lynch is the greatest of all time, then we are the 1995 Orlando Magic (the year the great Jordan made his comeback, but we lost to the Magic in the playoffs). The difference is that Lynch has no excuse for not being in form after being away from the court for too long."

Chris Paul not only offended Lynch, but also violated the unspoken understanding among MJ fans that "MJ's career was only six years long if you cut off the beginning and end."

MJ's failure in 1995 is a topic that has been deliberately ignored. Regarding the "what if" theory about MJ, he actually did have a chance to win four consecutive championships.

He was given a chance, but he didn't take it.

This scar has been deliberately ignored by fans and the media because it undermines MJ's legendary status.

And Chris Paul, at this sensitive time, cruelly reopened this wound.

He single-handedly offended both the GOAT and the deputy GOAT.

CP3 truly lives up to his reputation as a master of interpersonal communication, easily making friends with others wherever he goes.

Compared to CP3, the other Paul from Indianapolis showed much more respect for Lynch.

"Yes, I grew up watching MJ's games. But in my mind, Lynch is the undisputed GOAT."

Paul George and Lynch have a good personal relationship. After Lynch swept the Pacers last season, he encouraged Paul George to keep up the good work, and Paul George did indeed attend Lynch's "Summit".

Therefore, he unconditionally supports B/R's top 100 player rankings.

However, this does not mean that Paul George directly surrendered.

He then added, "I'm very happy to have the opportunity to challenge the greatest opponent in my career. It would be even better if I could win."

The difference in emotional intelligence between the two Pauls is vividly demonstrated.

If the entire league were as smooth-talking as Paul George, Lynch might not have caused so many humiliating defeats—especially the 62-point game.

As for Kawhi Leonard, the other key player for the Pacers, he maintained the same expression from the moment he got off the plane, like a cold sculpture.

You can't tell if he's excited, nervous, or eager for revenge.

He was like the T-800 robot in the Terminator movies, completely devoid of emotion.

His face deterred most reporters from interviewing him, but some still tried to pry open this iron-clad man's mouth.

"Kawhi, what do you think of B/R's top 100 player rankings?"

"Not bad," Kawhi Leonard replied expressionlessly.

"Um, as a rising star, could you let the fans know more about you? What kind of person do you see yourself as?"

“I am a funny person.” After saying that, it seemed as if his brain was programmed to tell him that he should smile, so he forced a smile and squeezed out a few dry, lifeless laughs that were not human at all.

All the reporters surrounding him immediately left.

No wonder Chris Paul always calls him the legendary Iron Man.

He really is like he's made of iron.

Meanwhile, the Greenburg training center was equally bustling.

The media believes that Professor L himself must have a lot to say to Chris Paul, the guy who dared to challenge Lynch head-on.

Moreover, given Lynch's personality, it wouldn't be surprising if he used a torrent of profanities when evaluating CP3.

However, Lynch made a surprising statement: "What do you think of Chris? Believe it or not, I envy him."

Lin Qi looked at the reporters' astonished expressions with satisfaction, and continued:
"Sometimes I really envy CP3. He only needs to lose one game in the playoffs to become the undisputed number one. And me? I've won so many championships but I'm still constantly being questioned."

Lynch will never let those who defy him get away with it.
-
Madison Square Garden, New York.

The first game of 2013 was the rematch between the Knicks and the Pacers.

Chris Paul hated this place. As soon as he walked in, he noticed that most of the fans in the stands were holding up signs with the number "62" on them.

This is a public execution of his disastrous performance in last season's playoffs; it's an absolute humiliation.

To counter the Pacers, the Knicks made a special lineup change today, with Chandler Parsons starting and the Knicks playing a small lineup right from the start.

New York fans were dismissive of CP3, who had suffered a crushing defeat to the Knicks in last season's playoffs, but once the game started, the Pacers immediately showed that they were a completely different team from last season.

Paul George made a smooth drive past Vince Carter, drove to the basket, and slammed home a dunk.

Last season, Paul George was just an excellent 3-and-D wing, but this season, he can now control the ball and finish attacks himself.

Although his percentage of shots hitting the basket is still not high, and although he still takes a lot of three-pointers, the difference between "being able" and "not being able" is now enormous.

Kawhi Leonard was the Pacers' biggest surprise.

If last season was enough for people to predict that Paul George would develop into a star player, then...

Kawhi Leonard's leap far exceeded expectations.

Last season, he was just a reserve player, averaging just over 20 minutes of playing time in the series that was swept by the Knicks.

This season he has averaged 36 minutes per game. Although his scoring ranks only fourth on the team, his importance is definitely among the top three on the team.

In the very second possession of the game, Kawhi Leonard stole the ball from Lynch.

Lynch then used a beautiful stop-and-step back to create some space, preparing to jump shoot.

This is one of Lynch's usual tactics.

Because Lynch's strides are very long, his retreat is also very large, allowing him to create a considerable amount of space.

Most of the time, the wingspan of the small forward and power forward positions was insufficient to cover Lynch when he was pulling back.

The fifth position is completely outmatched in terms of agility.

That’s why Lynch’s step-back jumper is so difficult to defend.

Kawhi Leonard possesses both the agility of a small forward and the wingspan of a seven-footer.

This guy's wingspan is so exaggerated that he managed to reach out and cut the ball that Lynch was about to lift!

The ball was stolen, and Chris Paul immediately rushed out to snatch it away. Facing Kyrie Irving's immediate counter-attack, CP3 didn't adjust and made a precise behind-the-back pass to Paul George, who was already charging forward.

Another powerful dunk, and the Pacers take a 4-0 lead to start the game.

As a point guard, Chris Paul often finds it difficult to raise the ceiling of a team on his own.

Because the point guard is a naturally top-tier support role.

He can help a 70-point player perform at an 80-point level, but he can't make that player directly become a 90-point player.

Therefore, apart from point guards like Magic Johnson who are not point guards, they often find it difficult to lead their teams to great success on their own.

The growth of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard is to Chris Paul what Luke Skywalker getting his lightsaber was like—the Jedi power was further unleashed.

The team's ceiling has been raised, and Chris Paul's supporting role has been further enhanced.

With the Pacers leading by 4 points, Chris Paul deliberately leaned close to Lynch on his way back on defense: "The greatest of all time, huh?"

But Lynch didn't swallow his pride because of falling behind: "You know, if I were ranked 62nd in history, I wouldn't have suffered as much criticism, because nobody cares who the hell is 62nd."

"Shut up, you bitch, you haven't even beaten 62nd place this season."

One possession later, Kyrie Irving attempted to use a pick-and-roll against CP3, but CP3 quickly squeezed through the screen and disrupted Irving's balance with a dirty and subtle shove, causing him to miss the shot.

The Pacers are a top-five defensive team this season. Apart from their relatively weak rim protection, they are almost perfect on the defensive end.

Chris Paul, Paul George, Arron Afflalo, Kawhi Leonard, and David West – this lineup ensured the Pacers could play extremely intelligent team defense.

On the bench, there are versatile players like Ian Mahinmi and Lance Stephenson to ensure defensive efficiency during rotation time.

It's quite counterintuitive that the Pacers, playing with such a small lineup, rank second in the league in rebounding.

Although they don't have a clear high point, the Pacers are good at rebounding throughout the frontcourt.

Paul George, David West, and Kawhi Leonard are all excellent rebounders.

Their offensive rebounding even ranks fifth in the league.

In other words, a center like DeAndre Jordan, who drags down the offense, is completely useless on the court.

They couldn't offer either offense or rebounding against the Pacers.

Mike Breen praised Pacers head coach Frank Vogel:
"That's why he's currently ranked number one among the best coaches. Last season, the Pacers were a team that relied heavily on their big centers to protect the rim. But after the series against the Knicks, they not only DNP'd Roy Hibbert this season, but also forced other teams to take off their big centers. They've adapted to the times and haven't stayed in their comfort zone."

The Indiana Pacers are currently one of the best small-ball teams in the entire league!

That's why the Knicks are changing their starting lineup tonight.

In fact, the Knicks eliminated the Pacers last season precisely because of their small-ball lineup.

This year, however, even a small lineup can no longer create enough space for Lynch.

The Knicks attacked again, and Irving passed the ball to Lynch, who was quickly double-teamed by Paul George and Leonard.

Lynch passed the ball to Vince Carter, but David West quickly rotated in to cover.

Carter then passed the ball to Chandler Parsons, but by the time Parsons received the ball, Paul George had already switched onto him to defend.

Chandler Parsons made two triple threat moves before accelerating and driving to the basket, leaning on Paul George for a powerful layup.

He wanted to defeat his opponent alone.

But in the end, he only ate the hot pot that Paul George gave him.

Another successful defensive play; the Pacers are slowly taking control of the game.

In the first quarter, the Pacers maintained a firm lead.

During his rotation time, Lance Stephenson stepped up, becoming the Pacers' second biggest surprise of the season.

Lance Stephenson hails from New York and is a son of Brooklyn. His personality and playing style both have a street vibe.

He possesses exceptional talent, but his unruly personality and numerous off-field misdeeds caused him to drop to the second round.

Last season in the playoffs, his playing time was 5 minutes, not per game, but his total playing time.

But this season, he has become a key member of the team's rotation.

His greatest strength is that he can switch between Jordan and Qiao Shan at any time.

In the first round tonight, he cosplayed as Jordan.

Facing Jimmy Butler's defense, Lance Stephenson caught the ball with one hand, made a fake move, then changed direction in front of his body to gain half a body length, and finally turned and jumped to score under Jimmy Butler's extremely tight defense.

Even if MJ himself were there, he wouldn't be able to guess who his real illegitimate son was.

Frank Vogel breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lance Stephenson score.

Lance Stephenson is a player whose performance fluctuates wildly. When he plays badly, you might think he's the most hopeless idiot in the world.

But when he performs well, he can take on the responsibility of an excellent sixth man.

Clearly, Lance Stephenson is playing the latter role tonight.

After this basket, the Pacers led by 5 points.

The Knicks called a timeout as Mike Malone prepared to substitute Lynch and other key players.

Just as Lynch was walking off the court, Lance Stephenson actually ran up to him, raised his arms, and roared, "I'm the real King of New York! Oh yeah!"

Paul George:
At this moment, nobody thought Lance Stephenson was cool, nor did anyone think he was threatening.

Most people's first reaction is: "Is this guy out of his mind?!"

Lynch looked at Lance Stephenson with a puzzled expression, but he wasn't angry—getting angry at a player of this caliber would only lower his own status.

He simply sat back down, giving his teammates the same expression as Donnie Yen's pointing smile.jpg.

Lance Stephenson swaggered back to his own half of the court, put his arm around Paul George's shoulder, and said, "I think that was the coolest moment of my career!"

Paul George just gave an awkward laugh: "Listen, Lance, don't tell reporters we're close from now on."

He believed his mother certainly wouldn't want him to play with someone who looked very intelligent.

Ultimately, the Pacers finished the first quarter with a 6-point lead.

Chris Paul was incredibly excited, shouting to the New York fans behind him holding up signs that read "62":

"Screw the number one all-time! Did you hear me? Screw your number one all-time rankings! Screw the top 100 players rankings, the number one all-time is about to be knocked down by number 62!"

Lin Qi watched all this and clenched his fists.

But now, the most important thing is to find a solution to the problem.

In the last game, the Knicks mainly lost because of their poor three-point shooting.

After Lynch was double-teamed, the others failed to respond to those three-pointers.

The Knicks had a decent three-point shooting percentage today, but the Pacers still held the advantage.

The problem is obvious—Lynch is completely unable to unleash his offensive potential.

Once Lynch gets the ball, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard will immediately rush in.

Although both of them are young, their pincer attack is not something that can be easily broken.

This is not George and Kawhi Leonard, who became capital killers in 2020.

Lynch could certainly fight head-on, but that would be very inefficient.

Generally speaking, the best way to avoid being double-teamed is to play off the ball.

No matter how fast the opponent double-teams, there will always be a chance to shoot the moment you receive the ball.

Kawhi Leonard's long arms made it difficult for Lynch to catch the ball.

When Lynch created some fleeting opportunities, point guard Kyrie Irving wasn't very confident in passing the ball.

If he can't receive the ball, Lynch's off-ball production won't increase.

It must be admitted that the first quarter's defense against Lynch was successful.

Mike Breen, sitting in the commentary booth, was already comparing him to Jimmy Butler from the previous game:

"In the last match, second-year player Jimmy effectively contained Melo, which became his breakthrough game. Tonight, will second-year player Kawhi replicate that miracle? Will this be another breakthrough game for a young player?"

Lynch certainly wouldn't let this become Kawhi Leonard's moment to make a name for himself.

He's not a melon, and he won't allow anyone to climb over him to get ahead, not even someone he doesn't dislike.

The best solution now is to address the difficulty of receiving the ball when playing without it.

Lynch needs his old teammate, the man who can make a pass through the smallest gap.

While resting on the sidelines, Lin Qi had already conveyed his thoughts to the head coach.

Mike Malone accepted Lynch's advice:

"Theo, you'll start in the second quarter, replacing Vins, and you'll be the point guard. Lynch, play more off-ball, keep running. Hey, he's just a second-year kid!"

“Of course.” Lin Qi nodded.

After the break, the Pacers' starting five returned to the court.

Kawhi Leonard remained expressionless. He successfully contained the player voted the greatest of all time by B/R in the first quarter, but he didn't show even the slightest bit of excitement.

Chris Paul's smugness was written all over his face and spilled over his lips:
"Linchi, how's the firepower of the 62nd-ranked player? Anyway, the firepower of the first-ranked player is nothing to worry about. It's a real shame that your position as the greatest of all time is about to change hands so quickly. It's a shame that I can no longer kick the greatest of all time's ass on the field. After tonight, no one will consider you the greatest of all time anymore."

“That’s enough, Chris,” Lynch said, looking at Theo, who was preparing to receive the ball in the backcourt. “That’s enough. You’ve been disrespectful enough tonight, and you showed no sportsmanship towards my fans just now. Let’s stop here. This farce should end.”

“Oh, I’m not going to take your advice, buddy,” Paul said, raising an eyebrow with a defiant tone.

Seeing Theo dribble the basketball over, Lynch also turned his gaze away and looked at CP3:

"Then you'd better work hard. You only entered the league a year after me, and you've had the chance to kick my ass for the past eight years, but you didn't. You don't have the ability. I can't stay in this league forever. I don't have that much time to wait for you. So, you'd better work hard and try to seize tonight's opportunity."

Just as Lynch finished speaking, Theo had crossed the halfway line.

He immediately started moving and quickly positioned himself.

Milos Teodosic raised his hand to direct traffic, then suddenly pushed the ball hard.

Kawhi Leonard stretched out his arm, confident he could intercept the ball.

But the basketball just grazed his fingertips; Theo's accuracy in making that pass was down to the millimeter level!
Lin Qi got the basketball, didn't adjust, and immediately turned and jumped to shoot, the whole action was done in one smooth motion!
"brush!"

Mike Malone frantically swung his fists; the strategy worked!

Goal! The Knicks have found a solution.

Lynch ran back to defend, passing CP3:

"Remember what I said. You'd better work hard. I won't wait for you forever."

(End of this chapter)