Champion Rules

Chapter 372, 368: Chris Paul's Unforgettable Night (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

The Pacers have once again put "God" in a difficult position.

This seems to have become their tradition.

They gave the baseball god a headache in the 90s.

They gave the basketball god a headache in the 10s.

In the 20s, they gave the god of begging a headache.

In the 10s of another timeline, they caused the God of Footsteps even more headaches.

This team has never won a championship in the merged league, but it always manages to keep "god-level" opponents struggling in the mire.

Mike Breen, who just praised Pacers head coach Frank Vogel during the game, has now extended his praise to Pacers general manager Larry Bird:

"The Pacers' success is a prime example of a small-market team's comeback. Larry didn't make any big signings last summer, which didn't ignite the Pacers' checkbook. Their leap forward this season is entirely due to their excellent vision, enough patience, and the courage to embrace change."

The San Antonio Spurs are the same; they dare to break with long-standing traditions, embrace more modern tactical concepts, and patiently wait for young players to develop.

Small teams also have their own rules for survival, and they have proven that the NBA is still not a league where money determines everything.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely didn't mean to mock the other New York team.

Mike Breen has a high opinion of both the Spurs and the Pacers, but he is also worried.

Although Mike Brin maintains a neutral stance in his commentary, he is a New York fan at heart.

He absolutely did not want to see the standard Hollywood-style drama of "small-market teams overtaking industry giants" happen to Lynch.

Fortunately, Lynch's basket at the start of the second quarter temporarily eased the Knicks' predicament.

The connection between Milos Teodosic and Lynch has already proven its effectiveness in last season's Finals.

Frank Vogel frowned. The Knicks were willing to sacrifice height and defensive intensity to start Teodosic in the second quarter, and their intentions were obvious—they wanted to use Lynch's off-ball offense to create an opening.

However, it is by no means easy to sustain production through off-ball attacks.

Frank Vogel decided to observe for a few rounds to see how much of a threat Lynch could pose purely off the ball.

The Pacers were on offense, and Chris Paul passed the ball to Allen Afflalo, who then went one-on-one against Teodosic.

Arron Afflalo is not a pure 3-and-D defender; he has some ball-handling ability.

His demeanor when dribbling and attacking one-on-one even bears a slight resemblance to Kobe Bryant.

He is fully capable of defeating Theo one-on-one.

But Chandler Parsons immediately double-teamed him. When there is a clear defensive weakness on the court, the best approach is to use the system to protect that weakness.

Arron Afflalo struggled to shield the ball amidst double teams and managed to pass it back to Chris Paul.

Paul also had a one-on-one advantage against Irving, but Chandler Parsons didn't stop at all, instantly turning his attention to CP3 for a second round of double-teaming!
People often work the hardest when they are hungry.

Ben Simmons, arguably the most equally adept player in NBA history, also played incredibly hard early in his career. Despite struggling with both hands, he was selected to the All-Star team three times, made the All-Defensive First Team twice, the All-NBA Third Team once, and won a steals title in his first four years in the league.

This is enough to demonstrate his enthusiasm.

Chandler Parsons, who later only actively engaged in competitive sports with women, was no exception; in his second year as a professional, he still played with considerable intensity.

Fox Sports reporter Jonathan Finger once published an article that calculated the average distance NBA players covered per 36 minutes of play.

The final result was unexpected: Chandler Parsons ranked first on the list, averaging 2.8 miles (4500 meters) per 36 minutes per game.

He was highly motivated on both offense and defense.

As a substitute player, Chandler Parsons doesn't need to worry too much about energy management, so he never wastes a single second of his opportunity.

Chris Paul passed the ball again, targeting the wide-open Kawhi Leonard.

This time, however, it was Lynch's turn to cut off Kawhi's offensive opportunities.

Lynch anticipated Chris Paul's intention, moved ahead of time, and reached out to steal the ball!
The moment he got the basketball, Lin Qi yelled at CP3, who had made the mistake, "Is this how you kick my ass? You bastard!"

Lynch had had enough of CP3’s repeated disrespect, especially when he yelled at New York fans, which brought Lynch’s anger to a boiling point.

A player who can't even protect the dignity of his home fans can't be considered a superstar.

After making the steal, Lynch quickly passed the ball to Theo.

Chris Paul was about to block Teodosic, who changed direction to try and get away. At the same time, his assistant made a light push on Paul.

This was a perfectly normal contact move, but Chris Paul was suddenly "launched" and thrown several meters away. His graceful movements even carried a touch of the veteran actor LeBron James's style.

The referee blew his whistle and called an offensive foul on Theo.

Mike Malone instantly went berserk: "Bullshit! Screw you all, you've all been fooled by that liar! Are you all blind?!"

Teodosic also approached the referee and yelled in heavily accented Eastern European English, "That was a despicable dive!"

However, the referee upheld the original ruling. In the NBA, to maintain the referee's authority, even if the referee makes a mistake, he will not easily change the ruling; at most, he will make amends in the next call.

Chris Paul stood up with a victor's smile, and triumphantly twirled his finger on his temple at Lynch: "You don't necessarily have to use your foot to kick your ass."

Lynch ignored him and walked up to referee James Cappellers: "James, what the hell's wrong with you today?!"

This is one of Lynch's privileges; most of the time, Lynch can use more aggressive language to question the referees without worrying about getting a technical foul.

"Lynch, do you really think there was a problem with that call?" James Capels asked calmly.

"Of course there's a problem! Didn't you see that idiot laughing!?"

“OK, OK,” the referee waved his hand. “I’ll be careful. Now, can your people disperse? We need to continue the game.”

That was exactly what Lin Qi wanted to hear. He understood immediately and told everyone to disperse and stop arguing.

The Pacers regained possession, and this time Paul didn't hesitate. Before Chandler Parsons came on as a substitute, he used a beautiful crossover to get past Irving and drive straight into the paint.

Facing Lynch, he opted for a floater.

Chris Paul's floater is his most effective weapon against big men, but this time, just as he threw the ball out, Lynch, who was rushing towards him, "accidentally" elbowed him hard in mid-air, and the basketball bounced off the rim.

Chris Paul felt a blackout before his eyes and fell heavily to the ground.

Upon landing, Chris Paul even thought he had been elbowed and lost his hearing.

Because the referee didn't blow the whistle!

Lin Qi's move was indeed quite fierce, but he had already reached an agreement with the referee without anyone noticing.

When James Cappellers said, "I'll be careful," it meant that as long as Lynch didn't go too far, he and the other referees would turn a blind eye, as a way of making up for the previous wrong call.

Chris Paul struggled to his feet, forced to swallow this bitter pill.

When he ran back to his own half of the court, Lynch deliberately yelled at him, "Hey Chris, how's your head going?"

"You fucking."

The tension quickly escalated, with Chris Paul venting his anger on Kyrie Irving, relentlessly battling him on defense.

Milos Teodosic also had a tough time against Allen Afflalo's defense, but he still managed to get the ball to Lynch, who had curled out to the three-point line.

However, Leonard and Paul George were inseparable on defense.

Lin Qi had barely touched the ball, and before he could even raise his arm, the double-pronged attack closed in like iron clamps!

In the 90s, Michael Jordan was a super scorer who could carry the team's scoring output even without the ball.

Especially in his last two years with the Bulls, his assist percentage was 53% and 51%, respectively.

In comparison, Stephen Curry's assisted percentage this season is 52%.

Michael Jordan created one scoring miracle after another through a large number of off-ball attacks.

But the era of relying on off-ball movement to carry the team is over, because now Lynch is in a league that allows zone defense.

In the era of zone defense, defensive players are allowed to leave their assigned positions early and move toward other offensive players.

In the 90s, this was called illegal defense.

You can only double-team the player with the ball, not the player without the ball.

Even though the Bad Boys and the Bulls often use close-range double-teams to avoid fouls, that lead time is limited.

Just now, Paul George confidently moved towards Lynch a step ahead, leaving his position. So, the moment Lynch received the ball, he was double-teamed by Kawhi Leonard.

Frank Vogel was quite satisfied with the defense of the two forwards; even Lynch couldn't solve the problem off the ball!

However, Lynch did not let the offense stop even after being double-teamed.

He quickly passed the ball back to Theo, gave and went, and the moment the pass was completed, the ball shot off like an arrow!
This "pass and run" move caught the defense off guard. Leonard was instantly left half a body length behind, while Paul George was forced to abandon the double-team and hurriedly retreat to cover DeRozan, who was completely out of the game.

Theo skillfully passed the ball back to Lynch in his running path. Lynch ran to the mid-range position, received the ball, and immediately pulled up for a shot, which went in cleanly! With extremely intelligent, textbook-level positioning, he successfully shook off the Pacers' tight double-team!
Frank Vogel began to feel uneasy again; Lynch and Theo's off-the-ball play was more refined than he had imagined.

Even in this era of zone defense, they can still find a glimmer of hope amidst an impenetrable defense.

The basketball sailed cleanly through the net, instantly narrowing the gap to 3 points. Lynch high-fived Theo, then looked at Chris Paul: "Come on, you idiot, keep it up! Don't let me tie the game so easily, that would be so fucking boring!"

Chris Paul responded by assisting Paul George on the next possession to hit a long two-pointer, maintaining the point difference.

But Lynch's scoring continued. In this possession, Lynch ran into the penalty area to receive the ball. The instant he received it, he touched the ground with his toes and made a swift back turn, instantly evading Leonard's pursuit.

Facing David West's defensive support, Lynch twisted and contorted in mid-air, pulling up for a layup. This ability to execute complex moves immediately after catching the ball is another of Lynch's strengths.

Since the start of the second quarter, Lynch has scored 6 consecutive points.

It appears that his output was not affected by his inability to hold the ball.

For the remainder of the second quarter, Lynch practically turned the game into a large-scale off-ball art exhibition.

He used his clever positioning and incredible finishing ability after receiving the ball to repeatedly break through the Pacers' defense.

With seven minutes left in the second quarter, Lynch had already scored 13 points in that half-quarter, giving the Knicks a four-point lead!
Frank Vogel had to pause the game, and the cheers from the New York fans were the best reward for Lynch's performance.

"Incredible off-ball offense," Mike Breen pumped his fist. "Lynch is like a true basketball master, using the simplest and most effective moves to give his opponents the utmost despair!"

Lynch's off-ball production far exceeded Frank Vogel's expectations; playing well off-ball is never easy.

Not all top superstars have outstanding off-ball abilities. LeBron James has been seen more than once absentmindedly putting his hands on his hips while off the ball, and even bumping into teammates.

To make a top-tier impact with off-the-ball offense, you first need excellent physical fitness, as you need to run frequently in each possession to draw away opposing defenders.

Secondly, you need to be a versatile offensive threat. If you can only shoot or only attack the rim, you will be very easy for defenders to exploit.

At the same time, playing well off the ball requires a good understanding of tactics and the opponent's defense, and a very strong ability to read the game.

Finally, and most importantly, you need to eliminate all distractions in order to win. Playing without the ball inevitably involves a lot of ineffective running, and often you might run for ages without getting any opportunities. You have to endure a lot of physical exertion without achieving any statistical results.

Kevin Durant dislikes Steve Kerr's passing and cutting system so much because he can't stand this.

Of course, in addition to that, you also need an equally intelligent and selfless passer.

If the primary ball handler on the perimeter is a passionate player like Russell Westbrook, then even the best running won't help.

The Knicks perfectly fulfilled all the requirements for playing off-ball well. Lynch's top-notch off-ball skills and unselfish style of play, combined with Milos Teodosic's exquisite passing, allowed them to deliver an amazing off-ball performance even in the era of zone defense!
The Knicks players returned to the bench. Although the score had been reversed, Milos Teodosic still remarked, "Their defense is very strong, they make almost no mistakes! We can't relax, otherwise the score will quickly reverse again!"

Indeed, apart from Lynch scoring through his off-ball skills, the rest of the Knicks didn't get many opportunities in the second quarter.

In the first half of the quarter, although Lynch didn't have the ball, the others also didn't take many shots.

Under the Pacers' tight, suffocating, fast-paced defense, they either couldn't get the ball or their rushed shots under pressure yielded no results.

This has already made other players feel cold, and their form inevitably fluctuates.

Therefore, Lynch can no longer turn back.

He must maintain this output and efficiency, carry the team's attack, and take a lot of shots until the halftime whistle.

Tonight, he's going to be a dominant force without the ball!
Lin Qi's hands felt hot; he could feel the burning sensation coming from his fingertips.

He glanced at Chris Paul, who had infuriated him that evening, and calmly replied:

"Milos will never reverse again!"

The game restarted, and the Pacers went on offense.

Chris Paul's smugness had vanished, replaced by a somber expression. He knew tonight was destined to be a tough battle.

The first offensive possession after a timeout is often crucial, as it determines whether a team's morale will be high afterward.

Scoring a goal right after a timeout gives players a psychological boost, suggesting that their adjustments have worked and making them play with more confidence.

Chris Paul remained patient; Frank Vogel's instructions to him were to draw double teams and then accurately pass the ball to open teammates.

CP3 attempted a one-on-one play at the top of the arc beyond the three-point line, and sure enough, Chandler Parsons aggressively double-teamed him.

Paul withstood the pressure and passed the ball to Leonard amidst a double team.

Lynch's rotation was very timely, forcing Leonard to pass the ball to David West under the basket again.

When David West received the ball, Chandler Parsons had already returned to the basket to help protect the rim.

He wasn't a strong rim protector, but thankfully, David West wasn't a strong rim attacker either.

With his 206cm height and excellent wingspan, David West was forced to pass the ball again.

Arron Afflalo drove past Theo Hernandez, took a step, and pulled up for a jump shot.

With a simple start and stop, Aron Afflalo created a considerable amount of space.

It must be said that Milos Teodosic's passing talent is as amazing as his defensive prowess. At 26 years old, he's putting on a defensive performance reminiscent of a 40-year-old leopard.

Just when Aron Afflalo thought he could score easily, Demar De Rozan appeared like a firefighter to help defend and interfere.

The timing of this defensive intervention wasn't particularly timely, but it was sufficient to deal with a player of Aron Afflalo's caliber.

"Boom!"

The ball missed its target, and the Pacers' first offensive possession after the timeout ended in failure!

The rest of the Knicks may not get many opportunities on offense tonight, but that doesn't mean they can't contribute.
In front of the cold basketball hoop, they poured their burning passion and energy into every second of defense without reservation!
Even with a playmaking specialist like CP3, he struggles to create opportunities for his teammates.

Milos Teodosic dribbled past midfield and, facing Chris Paul who was marking him like a fighting dog, the Serbian commander suddenly cracked a smug smile:

"Hey Chris, I'm looking for Lynch. Who are you looking for?"

Theo isn't as cocky as American players, but as a seasoned veteran who's been playing in professional leagues since his teens, he's no pushover.

This trash talk contained absolutely no profanity, yet it infuriated Chris Paul.

Yes, they all possess the ability to find opportunities even amidst impenetrable defenses.

The key issue is that the Pacers don't have a finisher on par with Lynch.

In that last attack, the opportunity actually came from David West.

If it were Lynch facing Chandler Parsons under the basket, you can't even imagine how badly Lynch would have dominated that big man.

It's well known that Lynch has never been lenient with models. The opportunities Lynch can seize, the Pacers players might not be able to.

Therefore, Theo's seemingly casual words injected a chilling sense of despair into the veins of CP3.

Who else can he turn to? How can the team's offense continue?

In this possession, Lynch's catch-and-shoot jumper missed under Leonard's interference, giving the Pacers a fast break opportunity. David West grabbed the rebound and made a long pass to Paul George, who scored with a tomahawk dunk.

The Pacers remain resilient; Kawhi Leonard, like Jimmy Butler, will never be broken by the opponent's consecutive baskets.

But Lynch didn't give them much of a break. After just one mistake, Lynch scored again.

In this possession, Lynch circled to the left corner to receive the ball, but just as Kawhi Leonard was trying his best to catch up, he suddenly cut along the baseline!
The legendary Iron Man was completely outmaneuvered, and David West immediately rushed back to the paint.

But Lynch ignored him and raised his hand, pointing straight to the sky.

Theo threw the ball into the penalty area, Lynch leaped up, swung his hand across the air, and after a fierce battle with David West, slammed the ball into the basket for a score!

"Alley-oop dunk! Lynch has already scored 15 points in this quarter! That's why some media outlets are putting him at the top of all time!" Mike Breen's shouts brought the number "62" sign on the Madison Square Garden stands back to life.

Chris Paul was stung by the signs, and Lynch keenly sensed his opponent's torment. He raised his arms and incited the New York fans to unleash an even more ferocious roar!
The cacophony of boos and jeers seemed like punishment for CP3's disrespect towards the fans at the end of the first quarter.

After a lackluster first quarter, the all-time great player bounced back completely, and the Pacers seemed on the verge of collapse.

Rotation time saved them.

When Theo had to sit out and rest, and when Chandler Parsons was substituted out to catch his breath, the Knicks' efficiency on both ends of the court declined.

No matter how hard Vince Carter tries, his defensive rotation speed can't keep up with DeRozan and Parsons.

No matter how hard DeAndre Jordan tried to defend, he couldn't change the fact that he slowed down the offense.

Jimmy Butler is an excellent defender, but he can't help Lynch at all on offense.

The Knicks' rotation players weren't slacking off; it's just that their limited abilities restricted their impact in this game.

For the Pacers, Coach Frank Vogel has also adopted a playoff-caliber eight-man rotation. His only reliable reserves now are Lance Stephenson, Ian Mahinmi, and DJ Augustin.

He's only using his eight strongest players tonight. He knows very well that most players aren't even qualified to play in this level of competition.

The Pacers narrowed the gap during their rotation, but Lynch used his individual skills to maintain their lead.

In the final moments of the second quarter, Lance Stephenson volunteered to defend Lynch.

This passionate guy stuck out his tongue wildly in front of Lynch and clapped his hands: "Damn! I can shut you down, you bitch!"

Lynch started his run, dribbling past Lance Stephenson as he headed towards the basket.

Paul George came up to help defend, Lynch collected the ball, stopped abruptly, and turned around.

George quickly jumped up, trying to disrupt Lynch's turnaround jump shot.

But Lynch didn't shoot; his turn was just a feint.

After shaking off George, Lynch took a step forward to the basket. At this point, Ian Mahinmi was already boxed out by DeAndre Jordan, and only Lance Stephenson was still sticking to Lynch under the basket.

Lynch ignored his tight defense and slammed the dunk!

Lance Stephenson, who had just been incredibly wild, was slammed to the ground. After landing from the rim, Lynch didn't perform any humiliating celebrations for him. He just glanced at him on the ground like he was looking at a stray dog ​​on the street, and then smiled and left.

Lynch never got angry at Lance Stephenson, always maintaining his contempt for him.

With that, the second quarter of the game came to an end.

Lynch's scoring efficiency did decline during the rotation period, but the Knicks still led by 6 points at halftime—from trailing by 6 points to leading by 6 points, the Knicks had a net advantage of 12 points in this quarter.

Lynch himself scored 22 points in this quarter, bringing his total to 30 points by halftime!
As the buzzer sounded, the fans at Madison Square Garden erupted in cheers:

"MOAT! MOAT! MOAT!"

This unified roar is the most unquestionable crowning of Lynch's historical status at this moment.

At least at this moment, no one can refute Lynch's status as the greatest of all time.

Chris Paul, who had been taunting New York fans at the end of the first quarter, now walked heavily into the player tunnel with his head down amidst deafening "MOAT" chants.

Lynch enjoyed making that CP3 bastard experience all this frustration, but this was not the end.

Halftime had only just begun, and most New York fans were still frantically grabbing beer and rushing to the restrooms. However, the arena suddenly erupted in cheers even more fervent than at the start of the game.

The cheerleaders performing during halftime were surprised and delighted; they had never experienced such a passionate, almost out-of-control response.

But soon they realized that this excitement was not for their figures and dance steps.

This cheer is for Lynch!

He returned to the court well in advance and warmed up by shooting alone in the empty half of the court.

Just now in the locker room, Mike Malone didn't come up with any new strategies.

The existing strategy has proven effective, and the Knicks have no reason to change it.

Therefore, Lynch chose to appear early.

He wanted to maintain the burning sensation in his hands, never letting his body and fingertips cool down during rest.

He wanted to keep the burning sensation searing Chris Paul until it completely scorched his dignity!
At the start of the second half, Chris Paul stabilized the team's morale with a beautiful singles play.

He used his body to shield himself from Irving and made a mid-range pull-up jumper.

Chris Paul's ability to break through defenses is top-tier among point guards, but he will always be a point guard.

No matter how strong a supporting player's finishing ability is, it cannot compare to a player of Lynch's caliber.

Lynch quickly responded, this time receiving the ball beyond the three-point line and shooting directly. Kawhi Leonard was not out of position and still managed to disrupt Lynch's shot.

But Lynch's touch was unstoppable, the basketball slammed into the net, scoring 33 points in a single game!
Lynch is definitely not Carmelo Anthony; he didn't become a stepping stone for second-year players.

Tonight, people will praise Kawhi Leonard's defense, and they will praise his will and resilience.

But no one will announce that he successfully defended against Lynch.

Frank Vogel stood on the sidelines, his fingers nervously tapping his trouser leg.

Lynch's off-ball production has completely spiraled out of control; he has never seen a player who can play off-ball to this extent in the era of zone defense.

He could only pray that the team's starting lineup could hold on, and then that the rotation would allow them to narrow the gap and take the lead.

Lynch's scoring stats kept accumulating, and even Mike Breen couldn't quite believe Lynch's efficiency tonight.

Kawhi Leonard did his best to prevent Lynch from receiving the ball, and Milos Teodosic couldn't always deliver those perfect passes that just grazed the defender's fingertips.

Lynch's catching ability was generally limited, but the key was that he always managed to seize those precious shooting opportunities.

In the final moments of the third quarter, DJ August hit a three-pointer, narrowing the gap to 8 points with only 3 seconds left for the Knicks.

But the Pacers' hopes of starting the fourth quarter with a single-digit deficit were dashed.

DeAndre Jordan launched a long pass from the baseline, finding Lynch at the top of the three-point arc in the frontcourt.

After receiving the ball, Lynch immediately flipped and jumped, releasing the ball before the time expired.

The shot was taken hastily, without even time to aim.

But in the end, with the buzzing sound of the backboard, the basketball swished through the net!
The point difference is still in double digits, 11 points!
"Three-pointer! Lynch scores another 17 points in the quarter, bringing his total to 47! Yes, Michael, second place isn't bad either! We all know Lynch deserves to be in first place!" Mike Breen covered his head. He had witnessed countless legendary performances by Lynch, but tonight he still couldn't control his emotions.

Yes, scoring 47 points in a single game is nothing to brag about in the grand scheme of Lynch's entire career.

But tonight, most of Lynch's points came off the ball, breaking the limitation of the zone defense era that "off the ball is destined to be unable to carry a super volume."

Also, Lynch just achieved an astonishing quadruple-double in the last game!
But tonight, he's working non-stop, creating another miracle!
For him, creating a great night is just an everyday occurrence!

The point difference inevitably widened to double digits, but the competition was not over yet, and the 11-point difference was not an insurmountable chasm.

But this also means that Lynch will not stop yet.

In the fourth quarter, Lynch's offensive efforts became even more difficult.

Paul George would double-team Lynch well in advance, sometimes even before Lynch received the ball.

This was a phenomenal defensive performance.

Lynch's scoring speed was finally limited, but the immense gravity he unleashed freed the rest of the Knicks from their shackles.

Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan repeatedly cut to the basket and scored, and the Pacers, who are not good at protecting the rim, were completely unable to stop these two aerial geniuses with just David West.

Frank Vogel had no choice but to abandon his extreme off-ball double-teaming tactics.

And so, Lynch's scoring fire was burning again.

In the third minute of the fourth quarter, he received the ball in the low post and immediately turned and hooked the ball.

49 points.

After one possession, he received the ball beyond the three-point line, faked a shot to get past Kawhi Leonard, and then launched a long-range shot over Paul George who was closing in, which went in.

52 points!
In the fifth minute, after receiving the ball, he faked a three-threat drive and simultaneously went to the Pacers' wings, causing them to instinctively retreat. Then, Lynch pulled up for a jump shot.

54 points.

After being fouled, he went to the free-throw line and made both free throws.

56 points.

Capitalizing on a mistake to launch a powerful counter-attack dunk.

58 points!
When Lynch's score reached 58 points, the camera gave a close-up of Frank Vogel on the bench.

The man currently ranked first in Coach of the Year looked up at the big screen, his gaze lingering for a moment on the shocking numbers. Then, he slowly turned back to the field, his face filled with unfathomable despair and incredulous blankness.

What was happening before his eyes felt like a nightmare from which he could not wake up.

At this point, the Pacers were down by 15 points with only 3 minutes left in the game.

Lynch's scoring was key to the Knicks' ability to pull away, but another reason was that Paul George went cold.

He put too much effort into defense; his double-teaming of Lynch tonight was insane, which took a lot of his energy.

So in the past few minutes, he has missed three times in a row.

The Pacers called a timeout, and Chris Paul sat on the bench.

Across from the Pacers' bench, Spike Lee stood up, gesticulating wildly and yelling, "Hey, 62nd! How does it feel to be number 1?!"

Paul George glanced at CP3 beside him; the guy's soul seemed to have been ripped out.

On the other side, even on Kawhi Leonard's face, which was usually as cold as an iceberg and rarely showed any emotion, a crack called "despair" appeared.

Finally, Paul George looked at his hands.

He has completely broken through his limitations this season, possessing more consistent shooting, better ball-handling skills, and greater ambition.

From the start of the season, the Pacers' goal was to overthrow Lynch's dominance and become the next champions.

But tonight, Lynch showed the young Paul George the true weight of a championship.

He wouldn't say the Pacers have no chance this season, but facing a monster like Lynch, the road to the championship will definitely be more arduous than imagined.

After the timeout ended, Chris Paul dragged his heavy steps back onto the court, his expression as serious as iron.

On the other hand, Lynch smiled at Chris Paul as he entered.

That was definitely not a friendly smile, but a malicious smile that made me want to laugh just thinking about what was going to happen to you.

Allen Afflalo scored with a fadeaway jumper over Theo, bringing the difference back to 13 points.

That's the Pacers for today; they weren't completely crushed, they always have the ability to respond.

The response wasn't aggressive enough.

Soon, Lynch began running around the field.

The entire stadium chanted "MOAT" in unison. With 58 points already, no one could resist watching Lynch score 60 points; no one could resist the allure of this historic moment.

Lin Qi did not refuse. He pretended to circle out to the three-point line, but actually made a sudden back cut to try to create space.

But Kawhi Leonard quickly spread his arms to cut off the passing route, but Theo still passed the ball. He slammed the ball to the floor, and after the basketball bounced back, it flew through Leonard's outstretched legs and into Lynch's hands as he cut in!
This magical through-the-legs pass drew gasps from fans around the world, allowing Lynch to easily dunk and score his 60th point of the night!
"Lynch's fourth 60-point game in his career! He has surpassed Kobe's three 60+ point games and is only one win away from MJ's five 60+ point games!" Mike Breen had already pulled up all the data and records, just waiting to announce Lynch's greatness at this moment.

Lynch didn't rush to shatter Chris Paul's dignity, because it wasn't the right time yet.

Still a little short of that.

In the next possession, Paul George dribbled the ball and went one-on-one, using a smooth move to shake off DeMar DeRozan before driving to the basket.

Facing Lynch's help defense, George folded in mid-air and pulled up for a layup.

But he was already exhausted, and his physical condition gave him warning signs as he tried to readjust his center of gravity.

Exhaustion finally killed this spectacular performance; the basketball bounced weakly off the rim and went out of bounds. George himself lost his balance and fell heavily out of bounds.

Lynch grabbed the rebound and passed the ball to Theo, who had already racked up 14 assists that night.

Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately transformed into an arrow released from a bow, sprinting with all his might, intending to use this fatal counterattack to completely reclaim the game.

Chris Paul stared intently at the sprinting number 20 jersey, his eyes burning with an almost fanatical obsession. He vowed to stop him at all costs!
Theo passed the ball behind Lynch's back to him as he charged forward. Chris Paul pretended to intercept the ball, but instead grabbed Lynch's arm, intending to stop the fast break with a vicious tactical foul.

The instant Paul grabbed him, Lynch raised his elbow and, with tremendous force, slammed it into Paul's face like a heavy hammer!

"puff!"

Blood spurts out!
Lynch merely paused slightly, as if brushing away an annoying flying insect. Ignoring CP3, who was lying on the ground clutching his face, blood gushing from between his fingers, he continued his swift strides and easily put the ball into the basket!

On the floor, Chris Paul was curled up, his hand tightly covering his mouth and nose, blood staining his palm and the floor beneath him.

On the large screen above his head, Lynch's 62 points in a single game witnessed this bloody moment.

The excruciating pain in his nose and the humiliating 62 points—two levels of defeat—shattered Chris Paul's dignity completely!
The referee's whistle blew sharply, but it wasn't directed at any foul; it was simply an emergency call for the medical team to rush onto the field to stop CP3's bleeding.

Chris Paul struggled to his feet, bleeding profusely, his jersey front stained crimson.

His performance tonight was impeccable: 23 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. You couldn't ask a point guard to do any better in such a high-level matchup.

But even his best performance paled in comparison to Lynch's.

He slightly raised his blood-stained face, and what pierced his eyes was Lin Qi's arrogant gaze that looked down upon all living beings, and the countless signs in the stands that read "62".

The number became even more glaring, because tonight, Lin Qi used the burning sensation of his hands to brand it with a second mark of shame!
Chris Paul walked off the stage, and Lynch, facing his hastily retreating figure, spoke calmly:
"I'm so happy that I also had a brilliant 62-point night like yours."

Chris Paul didn't argue, or even turn around. Like a utterly defeated dog, he slunk away into the shadows of the players' tunnel amidst the clamor of "MOAT" chants.

He could no longer be disrespectful to New York fans and the King of New York.

This was a night he would never forget.

(One update today, but no reduction in output; two 10,000-word chapters combined.)
(Wishing all fathers a happy National Day holiday! Have a wonderful time!)
(End of this chapter)