Champion Rules

Chapter 374 (370): Don't even think about it (Seeking monthly votes!)

Kyrie Irving's excellent performance since January has continued.

Furthermore, his outburst did not cause any discord in the Knicks' locker room.

This sight made LeBron James sincerely marvel at Lynch's good fortune.

He dreamed of becoming a super ruler like Lynch, someone who had absolute authority and controlled everything.

During his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he firmly believed that he would become the absolute leader of that young team, leaving the Thunder with the indelible mark of "LeBron".

Through his tireless efforts and exceptional personal charisma—

He successfully became Kevin Durant's Scottie Pippen!

He successfully ranked fourth among the Thunder's "Big Three".

Last season, in his final season in Oklahoma City, LeBron James almost completely lost his locker room influence.

Stephen Curry became the spiritual leader who inspired the entire team during that critical moment.

Kevin Durant became the dominant force on the court, turning the tide in crucial moments.

LeBron James? Just the other Thunder players.

The past two years, from being the leader to being the underling, have been very frustrating for LeBron James.

He repeatedly pondered the reasons for his failure, ultimately attributing it to bad luck.

Kevin Durant appears harmless on the surface, but he harbors hidden ambitions. He doesn't want anyone other than Scarlett Johansson to be above him.

Stephen Curry seems to have an innate charisma, easily establishing his authority in the locker room.

LBJ believes that if he had encountered a highly capable but obedient rookie like Kyrie Irving, he could have become a dominant force as well!
At the end of January, the New York Knicks had a record of 37 wins and 6 losses, losing only one game in the month.

For the Knicks and Irving, the good news doesn't stop there.

On February 1, the NBA officially announced the starting lineups for the 2013 All-Star Weekend.

Kyrie Irving's votes still fall short of those of Dwyane Wade, the "Statue God" who has spent ten seasons in the Eastern Conference.

But they narrowly defeated Chris Paul, the 62-point legend.

This means that in his second year as a professional, he became an All-Star starting guard!

Lynch's influence is certainly one of the reasons why Kyrie Irving was able to surpass CP3. Playing with a superstar makes it easier to gain exposure and favor beyond your ability, which is an objective phenomenon.

But the bigger reason is that Irving's outstanding performance in January caused his ranking in the polls to rise rapidly.

At the start of January, Kyrie Irving was only fifth in the polls among Eastern Conference guards.

Behind Wade, CP3, Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo.

Since January, Kyrie Irving's votes have surged.

The moment the results were announced, Kyrie Irving and his father, Drederick, embraced tightly.

The father and son's dream of becoming top draft picks and All-Stars is gradually becoming a reality.

Drederic glanced at the framed photo of his late wife, his face filled with pride. "You really look like her, Carey. Believe me, she's watching all this right now, and she'd be so proud of you!"

Kyrie Irving put his arm around his father's shoulder: "I will achieve even greater success! I promise!"

Besides his father, Kyrie Irving was the first to share his joy with Lynch:

"I can't believe I did it! God, thank you for the time you spend on me after practice every day, it's been so helpful! Hey, how about we compete for the All-Star MVP at the All-Star Game?"

Lynch has never been interested in the All-Star Game.

He prefers the party after the All-Star game, where many young models come every year hoping to have the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with Lynch.

Last season, he won his second All-Star MVP award in Orlando, Howard's home arena, purely as a way to teach Dwight Howard a lesson for his disrespect towards him and Ray Allen.

This year, Lynch really doesn't want to win any more trophies—he has too many, and these meaningless trophies would only be a burden to him in terms of storage.

But he didn't refuse his younger brother: "Listen, Kyrie, you have to earn the All-Star MVP through your own merit. I can't keep setting screens for you throughout an All-Star game, that's too ugly. However, I can be a little more serious on defense and help you solidify the defense."

"Thank you, Lynch, I am very grateful!"

After hanging up the phone, Carey Irving felt all the gloom in his heart rapidly dissipating.

The ugly performance in last season's Finals, the missed game-winning shot against the Spurs, the helplessness against the strong defense—all the humiliation and struggles seem like yesterday's shadows, being washed away by the glory and hope of this moment.

The moment he lifts the AMVP trophy, he will do so in a way that satisfies him, in the posture of a true champion, to help Lynch continue his title defense!

The anticipation of the All-Star Game continues to fuel Kyrie Irving's performance, and this momentum remains strong in February.

In the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 1, Kyrie Irving scored 35 points and Lynch scored 37 points, combining for a terrifying 72 points!
In a back-to-back game against the Sacramento Kings, Kyrie Irving went 8-for-12, efficiently scoring 21 points and dishing out 7 assists.

On February 4, Kyrie Irving scored 28 points and 6 assists in a rematch against his crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Nets.

In the crucial moment, his three-pointer over LeBron James sealed the victory for the Knicks.

At the post-game press conference, the number one draft pick displayed his signature sharpness, jokingly teasing LeBron James:
"No, no, no, there was nothing special about tonight's clutch play. You know, LeBron always guards the least threatening player and turns him into the clutch player."

As it turns out, Kyrie Irving is still the same unruly Kyrie Irving.

He reserved his utmost respect for Lynch alone.

With the All-Star Game approaching, Kyrie Irving's performance continues to be outstanding.

On February 10, in a rematch against the Indiana Pacers, Kyrie Irving repeatedly outmaneuvered Chris Paul in the third quarter.

CP3 was like a bomb tonight, tearing at Irving with the intensity of a playoff game.

He has been living in a nightmare for the past month.

The humiliation of Lynch's brutal 62-point performance kept him up all night.

Just when the psychological rift had been healed, Irving snatched the All-Star starting spot from his hands.

Not only did Lynch manage to outdo him, but Kyrie Irving also joined in and played the double non-native player game!

Chris Paul practically wanted to blow up the Knicks' bus.

Tonight, CP3 channeled his hatred into power, tightly marking Kyrie Irving on the defensive end.

Despite this, Kyrie Irving still managed to score twice in a row in the third quarter.

This infuriated Chris Paul.

Late in the third quarter, Kyrie Irving once again received the ball and faced CP3.

CP3 wanted to teach this arrogant kid a lesson with some easy tricks, but he knew the Knicks' methods.

In the last match, he only wanted to commit a serious foul against Lin Qi, but Lin Qi countered and caused him to bleed on the spot.

He wouldn't be so foolish as to repeatedly walk into the line of fire.

Left with no other choice, he could only suppress his anger and continue to diligently guard against the enemy.

But that doesn’t mean CP3 won’t vent its anger in other ways.

"Come on, you piece of trash, you really think you're an All-Star player? Huh? Without Lynch as your 'father,' you wouldn't even make a ripple. Hey, I heard Lynch found you a new mom, do you like it?"

Chris Paul's trash talk put Kyrie Irving on edge.

He had extremely deep feelings for his parents, especially his mother who passed away early, who remained the most tender and sacred place in his heart.

Kyrie Irving absolutely has to make this shot to shut that idiot Chris Paul up completely.

A swift and sharp double-back dribble created an opening, and Irving instantly accelerated past CP3. But Ian Mahinmi quickly came to help defend under the basket, and Kyrie Irving's opportunity wasn't great because he didn't have enough distance to sprint.

However, spurred on by CP3, he still resolutely jumped and attacked the basket.

Kyrie Irving attempted to dodge the block with a pull-up jump in mid-air, but due to insufficient sprint distance, his jump height did not reach the expected level.

After colliding with Ian Mahinmi in mid-air, Kyrie Irving completely lost his balance and crashed to the ground from his side.

The referee blew his whistle and called a defensive foul on Ian Mahinmi.

Ian Mahinmi did not intentionally move to collide with Kyrie Irving, and he politely helped Kyrie Irving up after being penalized.

On one hand, he wanted to express his apology.

On the other hand, he doesn't want the league to mistakenly treat it as a malicious foul and impose a fine.

Kyrie Irving stood up and frowned slightly.

"Hey, are you alright?" Lin Qi stepped forward and asked.

Kyrie Irving felt no discomfort except for a slight pain in his hands, which were supporting him on the ground, so he waved his hand.

Stepping to the free-throw line, Kyrie Irving took his first shot, but the ball went wildly off course, practically grazing the side of the rim before bouncing out.

However, considering that he has just experienced intense competition, it is normal for his performance to fluctuate.

For the second free throw, Kyrie Irving adjusted his position and took the shot again.

It's still ridiculously biased.

After the two free throws, Kyrie Irving participated in another defensive play.

Paul George's jump shot missed, and Lynch grabbed the rebound and was about to pass the ball to Irving when he called a timeout.

Lynch keenly noticed the stiff, unnatural posture of his right hand: "What's wrong?"

"I just felt like something was stuck in my hand, and it was very difficult to move it. And the pain was getting worse." Carey Irving looked at his hand, and Lynch had never seen such a panicked and fearful expression on his face before.

He didn't want anything to happen to him before the All-Star Game.

As the players from both sides left the court, Kyrie Irving was immediately taken away by the team doctor.

Nobody knows the specifics, nobody knows if Kyrie Irving will come back tonight.

After the game restarted, Chris Paul clapped and cheered for Lynch: "Kyrie's injured? That's fantastic!"

Lynch gave him a disgusted look: "Shut up, Mr. 62."

"Why? I didn't foul him intentionally. It was his own carelessness. I have the right to be happy about it, and I absolutely do not feel guilty!"

Hey Lynch, it was great working with you at the All-Star Game. Looks like I'm starting again.

Lynch refused to speak to such scum who gloated over their opponent's injury.

In the following games, Lynch and the New York fans would often glance toward the players' tunnel, hoping that figure would return, lively and energetic.

But Kyrie Irving didn't reappear until the end of the game.

Thanks to Lynch's solid 41 points and DeMar DeRozan's 23 points, the Knicks narrowly defeated the Pacers in the final quarter, even without Irving.

However, after the match, Lynch showed no joy of victory.

Reporters surrounded him, asking him all sorts of questions about Kyrie Irving's injury.

Lynch simply frowned and answered truthfully, "I know nothing about it either."

The King of New York pushed through the crowd and hurried straight to the locker room.

When he found the locker room empty, he was already mentally prepared for what was to come.

He opened the locker door, took out his phone, and called Kyrie Irving.

The call was quickly connected, and the young defender's voice on the other end had lost its usual vitality:
"Hey Lynch, I'm so glad you kicked that bastard Chris Paul's ass so hard, I saw it on TV."

He tried to maintain his tone, but his feigned ease was fragile and easily broken.

"How are you?"

“I’m not doing well. They said I have a fracture in my right hand and need surgery.”

These words seemed to drain his last bit of strength, and the tough shell he had been trying so hard to maintain shattered instantly, his voice trembling with an uncontrollable sob:

"I'm going to miss the All-Star Game! Fuck, fuck! It'll take me at least two months to recover, and I'm not going to get the All-Star MVP, Lynch! Fuck! I've sacrificed so much for this, and you've sacrificed so much too. And now fuck!"

Kyrie Irving's emotions surged like a burst dam, quickly escalating from sobs to complete loss of control.

He looked forward to making a name for himself in the All-Star Game, to bringing the AMVP trophy to his mother, and to telling the world that, in addition to Lynch's influence, his own ability truly deserved his position as an All-Star starter.

But all of that will be shattered tonight.

That very night, it collapsed with a deafening roar and was completely reduced to ashes.

This is indeed a huge blow for a young player.

He had just dispelled the clouds in his heart with light when an even greater storm mercilessly descended.

He didn't even have a chance to catch his breath.

At that moment, DeAndre Jordan pushed open the locker room door, and the Knicks players filed in.

Their eyes were also filled with concern, eager to know how Irving was doing.

But Lynch pressed down with one hand, signaling them to be quiet.

Then, he continued his call with Carey Irving:

“Listen, Kyrie, we all know this is definitely not your last chance at the All-Star Game. Yes, it's a real shame you missed it this time, and we all know how much effort you put into it.”

But right now, you must focus on recovering from your injury, don't rush back to play, and stay positive.

The bad news is, you'll have to wait until next year to play in the All-Star game.

The good news is that you won't miss this year's playoffs.

Kyrie, last season's championship was a source of regret for you.

Screw AMVP this year, let's go get something more valuable!

We're waiting for you to come back!

On the other end of the phone, Kyrie Irving let out a deep sigh.

This year's All-Star Game is destined to be a disappointment.

Therefore, he cannot allow another regret to happen again.

If there's anything that would allow him to stand on high and laugh at that 62-point scorer, without a doubt, that thing could only be a real ring.

Kyrie Irving regained his composure and watched CP3 being interviewed in the locker room on TV.

"I really hope that bastard Chris won't be eliminated by other teams before he meets us."
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Kyrie will be out for two months? Oh, that's terrible. You know, I've always recognized his talent. Yes, this will most likely get me into the All-Star starting lineup, but I don't care. Whether I start or not, people know where I should be. —Chris Paul, with a forced smile, during a locker room interview after the game.

I'm a little disappointed, and this incident has made me realize that I need to be more responsible for my health. I've had many similar falls before without any problems, which made me underestimate the danger of this move. But I won't stop. I can continue training in other ways that won't affect my injury and prepare for the playoffs. — Kyrie Irving in an interview at the hospital.

Our goal remains the top seed in the East, then the Eastern Conference title, and then the NBA championship. Kyrie's injury is unfortunate, but it has definitely brought us closer to our regular season goal. — Chris Paul on the Pacers' chances of becoming the top seed in the East.

Tell Chris, whatever his goal is, don't even think about it. — Lynch's response to CP3's objectives.

(End of this chapter)