Champion Rules

Chapter 373 (369): A Controlled Unruly Person (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Chris Paul's historical status will be greatly enhanced after tonight.

He could easily trample on Magic Johnson, the blood donation ambassador, punch the pure and innocent Assassin, and climb to the throne of the greatest point guard in NBA history.

In this league teeming with talent and players with exceptional skills, you might find a player with more flamboyant acting than LBJ, but you'd never find another point guard who could deliver two 62-point performances in his career.

Chris Paul did it.

It was done in front of the same person.

Neither Kobe nor Shaq at their peak were as capable as him.

Lynch also benefited from Chris Paul's influence, which temporarily quelled the clamor surrounding his "greatest of all time" status.

He demonstrated through his actions what it means to be the greatest person in history.

When the team needs him to dominate the court with his omnipresent influence, he can put up quadruple-doubles.

When the team needs him to use terrifying output to break through the opponent's near-perfect defense, he can unleash astonishing production numbers off the ball.

When the team needs a whistle, Lynch can get it in a way that's even tougher than kneeling.

That evening, Bill Simmons posted a message on social media with a very simple caption: "No.1".

The accompanying picture shows Lynch sitting high above Chris Paul lying on the floor covered in blood tonight.

This sparked a craze.

More and more sports columnists followed suit, posting the same image and the concise and powerful caption "No.1" on their social media.

They no longer bother to write lengthy articles analyzing Lynch's strengths, nor do they even remind fans of the incredible off-ball production Lynch displayed last night in the zone defense era.

They believed that all those analyses were superfluous given Lynch's magical performance.

For two consecutive nights, Lynch delivered a truly profound and moving experience.

It's as if the shock he brought to the modeling world reached right to the heart of the flower.

Following B/R, the collective consensus among sports columnists continues to elevate Lynch to the top spot.

Only ESPN's veteran sycophantic columnist David McMenamin wrote a long article analyzing Lynch's performance tonight. The core of his article can be summarized in one sentence: "Lincher only scored 62 points thanks to Milos Teodosic, the European MVP."

He believes that Lynch is a player who relies heavily on top-tier point guards.

Before meeting Steve Nash, Lynch had never achieved great success.

After Steve Nash, the team had Kyrie Irving and European MVP Teodosic.

Even during their earlier back-to-back championship run, the Knicks had Stephon Marbury and Sam Cassell.

"Top point guards all have the ability to inflate their teammates' stats, so it's clear that Lynch isn't as strong as he seems."

LeBron James is a top-tier point guard. He may not be the strongest, but his expectations of his teammates are always the lowest.

This article, with its unconventional viewpoint, naturally received very few likes.

There were a lot of comments in the comment section, but after clicking on them, all I saw were comments like these:

"David, if all else fails, you can become LeBron James's lover. The job is the same as now, just like before."

"David, the biggest obstacle to Savannah Brinson's marriage to LeBron James."

"Yes, Lynch used to have Steve Nash, an MVP, by his side, and now he has Milos Teodosic, another MVP, by his side. Lynch can only succeed by teaming up with MVPs, so LeBron only needs one more championship to surpass Lynch (laughs)."

"His point of view is correct. Lynch does rely heavily on top point guards in the game, such as Chris Paul."

"I absolutely love this article! No wonder it was written by Bronny James's half-brother!"

People only see him as a clown and a joke; almost no fans really care about his unconventional views.

Public opinion has generally elevated Lynch to the top spot, but the biggest problem now is that Lynch is still an active player, and an active player at his peak.

If he ultimately loses this season, he will have no excuses, and the authority of his "greatest of all time" position will be severely challenged.

At the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Lin Qi this question:
"You seem to be in a position where you can't afford to fail. Does this create extra pressure?"

"The pressure has always been there, from the first day I arrived in New York, I've faced all sorts of pressure. But to be honest, the pressure isn't as great as you might imagine. Let me put it this way—"

Lin Qi's face showed no smile, only pure confidence.

What he said next was meant for both his opponent and the bald man:

"I don't think there's anyone or anything that could cause us to experience failure this season."
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Lynch's arrogant declaration is becoming the burning fuel for other championship contenders.

As things stand, there are still some teams in the league that are close in strength to the Knicks.

For example, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Indiana Pacers who just lost their game—Lynch scored 62 points to defeat them, which, to some extent, reflects the strength of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

They all yearn to be the god-slayers who pierce Lynch's godhood and make his arrogance pay a heavy price on the battlefield of the playoffs.

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade is also a staunch member of the "Beat Lynch Club".

Regarding Lynch's remarks, he told reporters:
“I know how good my buddy is. He’s undoubtedly the best player in the league, but he can’t be magical every night, right? We’ll always have a chance to beat him.”

Lynch's arrogant declaration made his opponents eager to fight.

This has also become a major motivation for some Knicks players.

Kyrie Irving has been training even harder lately.

In the last game, he struggled against the Pacers' defensive system and failed to effectively relieve the pressure on Lynch.

In fact, Kyrie Irving had mixed feelings every time Lynch scored a high score.

On the one hand, he was genuinely delighted with the victory.

But on the other hand, self-blame is ever-present.

He knew what kind of player Lynch was. Professor L never liked to dominate and pad his stats; he preferred to get the whole team involved in the game.

Therefore, if Lynch scores 50 or 60 points in a single game, it only means one thing—the Knicks have no other options, and the contributions of other players are insufficient.

As the number two player on this formidable team, Kyrie Irving doesn't want similar situations to happen frequently.

He needs to continue to improve.

And now, there is only one person in the whole world qualified to teach him.

After today's training session, Kyrie Irving, who was standing next to Lynch, made no move to change his clothes and leave.

Lynch was used to Irving's hard work; before he started practicing, Irving was always a very pure player.

He would post the entire Spurs roster in his locker after missing a game-winning shot.

He would punish himself with a large amount of training after a poor performance.

As is customary, he will definitely rest first today, get a massage, and then continue his extra training.

Kyrie Irving opened the locker door, stared at the Spurs' roster on the door, and the red crosses above the players' heads, and paused for a few seconds.

Seeing Lynch about to take off his jersey to shower, Kyrie Irving seemed to have made up his mind, his fist clenching quietly: "Hey, Boss."

Lynch looked up at him, still taking off his jersey: "Kyrie?"

"So you're in such a hurry to leave? You have a date tonight?" Owen asked tentatively.

"What? You want to come along?"

Before Carey Irving could answer, Chandler Parsons practically sprinted up to Lynch: "Take me with you! Uh... I mean, I'll take all your date's girlfriends with me, to give you room to make your move. You know I can do that, Lynch!"

Lynch gave a thumbs up: "Oh, thank you so much, Chandler. You're a great role player. But sorry, I don't have a date tonight."

Everyone else in the locker room burst into laughter; they all knew that Chandler Parsons's little scheme was common knowledge.

As Professor L's best teaching assistant, he has also made a name for himself in the modeling world. There is a saying circulating among the people: If you can't conquer Lynch, then at least try Lynch's little brother's endurance.

Upon hearing that Lynch had no date that evening, Carey Irving took a deep breath, as if relieved of an invisible burden: "Well, uh... could you stay and give me some pointers on my backstep footwork? Please, it won't take long."

The laughter abruptly stopped, and all eyes in the locker room instantly focused on the second-year top scorer, with astonishment filling the air.

This young man, with his strong sense of self-respect and aloofness, never took the initiative to ask any of the veteran players on the team for guidance in training.

He will train with Lynch during the offseason. He is one of the most hard-working players on the team, but all of his training is done on his own under the guidance of a trainer.

His immense pride and self-esteem acted like an invisible barrier, causing other veterans to give way.

Unlike DeMar DeRozan, he doesn't have Ray Allen willingly sculpting his off-the-ball movement.

He's not like Jimmy Butler, who's always like a thirsty sponge, greedily absorbing the skills and experience of everyone on the team. His personality is too aloof. It's not that he doesn't get along with his teammates, but rather that the aura he exudes—"Unless you can beat me one-on-one, you have no right to instruct me"—has long since deterred veterans who wanted to offer guidance.

Nobody wants to make a fool of themselves.

In another timeline, when faced with the coaching of former MVP Steve Nash, he once made a surprising statement: "The Nets don't need a head coach, KD and I can coach them ourselves."

However, this is exactly the kind of guy he is.

Now he's actually asking Lynch to teach him how to walk with his back turned?

Lynch himself was somewhat surprised, as he had always tried to avoid becoming a "fatherly" leader in front of young players.

This is especially true for the maverick Kyrie Irving.

He knew that, given Kyrie Irving's personality, being too much like a father figure could easily backfire.

He certainly often shares tips and experiences with Irving, but avoids being too deliberate.

So now, Kyrie Irving has taken the initiative to acknowledge him as his father?

I still prefer your rebellious side!

“No problem,” Lin Qi readily agreed. “As long as you want, I have no problem with it.”

Lynch knew this was a signal.

This unruly, fiercely competitive young man, who dared to demand the right to score the game-winning shot directly in training camp at the beginning of the season, has finally been conquered.

Completely psychologically conquering Kyrie Irving is not easy. Although he doesn't spy on Lynch's position like Kobe did, he is still an unstable factor.

How to better control Kyrie Irving has been one of the challenges Lynch has faced in the past two seasons.

For Manhattan's plan to succeed completely, it's not just about ensuring the opponent is eliminated, but also about ensuring the Knicks don't self-destruct before that happens.

Tonight's unprecedented request likely signals that Kyrie Irving, this unpredictable factor, will gradually stabilize.

Kyrie Irving was inwardly thrilled, but he suppressed his emotions and kept a calm expression: "Okay, I'll wait for you at the training ground."

After saying that, Irving left the locker room and continued towards the training field.

Inside the locker room, DeAndre Jordan surveyed the astonished crowd: "Damn, has Kyrie been possessed by someone? Who has ever seen him so submissive?"

Vince Carter chuckled and shrugged: "Only a beast can conquer a beast."

Another training fanatic, Jimmy Butler, immediately stood up: "Lynch, me too!"

Lynch waved his hand: "I'd love to help you, Jimmy, but first you need to figure out how many steps you can take when you're facing the basket and driving to the basket before I teach you back-to-the-basket footwork. I know someone, how should I put it? A friend. He started practicing back-to-the-basket footwork before he even figured out how to face the basket, and now he's a comedian."

Lynch and Kyrie Irving's training went very well, and Irving's humility was something no one on the Knicks had ever seen before.

He was exceptionally talented and learned very quickly.

This effort was quickly translated into action on the field.

In the three games following the Pacers' game, Kyrie Irving scored in double digits in the fourth quarter in each game.

In the game against the Atlanta Hawks on January 7, Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 36 points.

During an offensive play in the fourth quarter tonight, he used a beautiful shoulder fake to shake off Joe Johnson while driving and turning.

Kyrie Irving is not a player who often plays with his back to the basket; his playing style is primarily face-up.

But practicing with Lynch allowed him to incorporate some back-to-the-basket techniques into his breakthroughs.

On January 10, the Knicks played their second nationally televised game of the month against the Miami Heat, who acquired Kevin Love in a trade last summer.

The Flash was right; Lynch couldn't possibly be that magical every night.

Lynch's shooting touch wasn't particularly good in tonight's game against the Heat.

In addition, Andre Iguodala played a diligent defensive game, so Lynch's efficiency was relatively average throughout the game.

Kevin Love, on the other hand, had an astonishingly high three-point shooting percentage, making DeAndre Jordan's defense quite difficult.

The Knicks tried replacing DeAndre Jordan with Chandler Parsons to defend Kevin Love, but this allowed Love to easily grab offensive rebounds and score on second-chance points. Kevin Love is one of the few big men who like to shoot threes and also has excellent rebounding ability.

If Lynch were to personally guard Kevin Love, then helping out on Dwyane Wade would be a major problem.

The Heat combined inside and outside play to maintain firm control of the game's tempo.

The Miami Heat maintained a 3-point lead until the end of the third quarter.

But in the final quarter, Kyrie Irving suddenly erupted.

At the start of the final quarter, he used a crossover step-back three-pointer to score a 3+1 over the Flash.

Immediately afterwards, he used Lynch's screen to fake out Andre Iguodala with a crossover dribble and scored a layup.

Those two goals seemed to foreshadow what would happen in the final quarter, with Kyrie Irving almost taking over the game and leaving Dwyane Wade in a very difficult position.

When Dwyane Wade has to put more effort into defense, his offensive threat drops sharply. The 30-year-old Wade has already seen a significant decline in form this season. Years of accumulated injuries have diminished his explosiveness, making it difficult for him to maintain his peak all-around performance.

Ultimately, Kyrie Irving scored 20 points in the final quarter, for a total of 41 points!
This is the first time in his career that he has scored 40+ points in a single game!

At the end of the game, Kyrie Irving raised his arms high and roared.

Dwyane Wade hugged Lynch: "Congratulations, but be careful. That kid isn't Demar who's content to live outside the spotlight."

Despite his old rival's well-intentioned reminder, Lynch remained unfazed: "Kobe said something similar, but so far, nothing has happened in my locker room."

"You should know that even if that kid himself doesn't have any ideas, the media will keep feeding him information day and night. That's how OK got ruined."

The Flash's prediction came true. At the post-match press conference, a reporter with ill intentions immediately stirred up trouble:
"Kerry, there's no doubt you dominated the game in the fourth quarter tonight. Do you feel like you've become one of the qualified leaders?"

The media never missed an opportunity to exploit Kyrie Irving's personality and create rifts within the Knicks' locker room.

Previously, when Kyrie Irving demanded the right to win the game, the media had already tried to create division and generate buzz through overwhelming coverage.

But Lynch’s control over the locker room suppressed the potential crisis almost effortlessly.

But the media is still looking for opportunities. This is not because any media outlet is deliberately targeting them, but because if Lynch and Kyrie Irving were to stage an OK combination, the viewership would be unimaginable.

At that time, every media outlet that reports the relevant news will make a fortune.

Given Lynch's current status and the huge market in New York, this topic may generate ten times more buzz than the OK breakup storyline did back then!
Tonight, Kyrie Irving's 40-point performance was undoubtedly another excellent opportunity to create a rift.

Faced with this meticulously designed trap, Lynch remained completely calm.

The press officer hosting the press conference seemed a bit rushed and tried to interrupt the question: "Sir, this question..."

“It’s alright,” Carey Irving waved his hand. “It’s alright, George, I can answer that question.”

All the media outlets set up their cameras and microphones, holding their breath in anticipation.

They longed to glean from Kyrie Irving's answer the spark that would ignite the fuse.

Even just a tiny spark would do.

With the media's rampant reporting, even a tiny spark could ignite the entire barrel of explosives.

But this historically unruly top scholar disappointed them:

"Leader? No, I'm not at that level yet. To be precise, I'm more like a competent deputy right now."

Once again, the media's attempt to create a rift has failed.

Lin Qi remained relaxed and composed, confident in his ability to control the situation.

After Kyrie Irving finished answering, Lynch leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze, filled with undisguised provocation, slowly sweeping over the faces below the stage—faces that showed disappointment, astonishment, or embarrassment.
"Alright, anyone have any questions? Any questions are welcome, really."

He was fearless.

He doesn't mind facing any storm.

Because none of that could hurt him or his team in the slightest.

As he said, he doesn't believe anyone or anything can cause the Knicks to experience failure this season.
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Kyrie Irving scores 41 points in a single game! Will he be selected for the All-Star Game this season? —The New York Times.

The most terrifying thing isn't Kyrie Irving's 41 points, but a Kyrie who can score 41 points yet remains completely under control. Kyrie certainly has a strong personality, but from beginning to end, he never disrupted the locker room's stability. — Stephen A. Smith on Kyrie Irving's performance today.

Aside from the San Antonio Spurs, I really don't see anyone who could beat that tough and tight Knicks team. Maybe Lynch is right, there's simply nothing that could make him fail. — ESPN writer John Hollinger

Now, let's be a little bolder: Is Lynch planning to build two dynasties without interruption? We all know that Lynch has always preferred uncontested victories, and he was no exception against Michael. — Charles Barkley on Lynch's ambition.

(Thank you so much to Qiu Jiaozuo Ren and other generous donors! I'm extremely grateful!)
(End of this chapter)