Champion Rules

Chapter 387 (383): Someone Who Looks A lot Like Lin Qi (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
As expected, the Knicks didn't give the Pacers a chance, and Lynch didn't give CP3 even the slightest hope of regaining his dignity.

In Game 4 of the series, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan both had incredible shooting performances.

With teammates firing on all cylinders, Lynch easily secured the victory with just 19 points.

As the game ended, Fox Sports' Indianapolis commentator Chris Denari's voice was filled with helplessness:

"It's over. What could have been a dream season for the Indiana Pacers has now come to a disappointing end."

We witnessed the amazing growth of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and the team's brilliant record in the regular season after fully embracing the small lineup.

Fortunately, the team has indeed improved.

Tragically, this level of progress still wasn't enough for the team to catch up with Lynch.

Beside him, his commentator, Quinn Buckner, one of only four players in NBA history to have achieved the "triple crown" of winning an NCAA championship, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA championship, quipped:
"Chris was actually lucky. It's a good thing Lynch turned him down, otherwise he would have lost his only Olympic gold medal tonight. Oh, Lynch is such a good guy. He could have taken CP3's only honor in professional basketball, but he didn't."

As it turns out, our Professor L is a very caring person.

Chris Paul left the game dejectedly without shaking hands with the Knicks players.

Unlike Isiah Thomas, who refused to shake hands with Bulls players years ago, Chris Paul did so not out of anger, but out of shame.

He couldn't imagine what words that number 20 would use to crush his already shattered dignity into dust once again when he faced Lynch face to face.

He swore that Lynch would definitely do it!
Chris Paul's refusal to shake hands was less an expression of anger and resentment, and more a purely cowardly act of escapism.

At that moment, Chandler Parsons happened to see Chris Paul, so he extended his hand and said in a show of courtesy, "Chris, you guys were a bit unlucky."

Chris Paul hesitated for a few seconds, but finally decided to shake hands with Parsons.

It would be incredibly rude to refuse someone in front of everyone.

Just as his hand was about to touch Chandler Parsons, Lynch pulled hard, drawing Chandler Parsons to his side, thus preventing Paul and his hand from touching.

"Chandler, this pathetic scum doesn't deserve our respect. Run, Chris, run. This is the last bit of mercy I can give you."

Chris Paul was right; Lynch trampled on him without hesitation.

During the regular season, CP3 always retaliates with the toughest attitude.

But tonight, he could only leave without saying a word, his eyes red-rimmed.

On the court, staff quickly set up the award ceremony, where NBA Vice President Adam Silver would present the Eastern Conference championship trophy to the Knicks.

The smile on his face was as stiff as that of some veteran artists on Pixiv.

Yes, Adam Silver, under pressure, has stopped all officiating against the Knicks.

But his beliefs never wavered; he firmly believed that championship monopolies were a deadly poison for the long-term development of the league.

The Knicks winning is still the outcome he least wants to see.

He, like the Japanese fans, absolutely hated the damn Manhattan Project.

The whole world felt that Adam Silver's smile was more painful than a cry. He picked up the trophy, handed it to Lynch, and said in a hoarse voice, "Congratulations, Lynch. You have given fans all over the world a wonderful series, and your performance was impeccable."

Lynch accepted the trophy and nodded slightly. "Thank you, Adam. It's just a pity," Lynch said with a proud, boastful smile, as if announcing a victory in front of Adam Silver, "another 4-0."

At that moment, Adam Silver could barely maintain his fake smile; his mask almost shattered.

He couldn't believe that Lin Qi would humiliate him to his face!
Yes, in the first and second rounds, Adam Silver tried to extend the series with his officiating, but he failed.

In general, even if players know about this, they will choose to suffer in silence.

Nobody wants to be fined or suspended for this.

But Lynch made no attempt to challenge the authority of Adam Silver, the de facto leader of the league.

Adam Silver's first thought was: If David Stern were here, would he allow all of this to happen?

Many people, especially fans who started watching football in the 21st century, mistake David Stern for a kind, white-haired old man.

However, that was not the real David Stern.

The real him is someone who, during the 2008 NBA draft, flew into a rage and lost control after ESPN broadcast unverified rumors about Darrell Arthur's kidney problems. Backstage, he unleashed a torrent of F-words at ESPN executives 800 times, terrifying everyone present. Yet, in the next second, he instantly suppressed his fury, put on a warm smile, calmly stepped onto the stage, and peacefully announced the draft results.

He is truly unparalleled in the world.

He is one of the greatest league commissioners in the history of professional sports, perhaps even the greatest.

He knows when to be firm and when to be kind.

He is never controlled by his emotions; he is the master of his emotions.

He had perfect control over everything.

Faced with Lynch's resounding slap, Adam Silver tried to emulate David Stern's tough stance.

Now is the time for him to build his reputation.

But he failed; he didn't have the courage to burn his bridges.

He also lacked confidence that he could overpower Lin Qi in terms of presence.

He could only clench his fists in vain, letting the unextinguished anger turn to ashes.

Adam Silver stared intently at Lynch, who was celebrating his victory, and clapped mechanically.

The bad news is that he can't risk the collapse of the league's credibility by stopping this incredibly popular, outspoken bastard.

The good news is that the San Antonio Spurs are an excellent team.

In this league, there is at least one team that can compete with the New York Knicks.

Nothing is set in stone yet; there is still a chance for things to turn around.

If the Spurs are the team that ultimately lifts the Larry O'Brien Trophy two weeks later...

Adam Silver vowed that he would stand before Lynch and laugh heartily and unrestrainedly!

The celebrations continued, but unlike last season, Kyrie Irving no longer had that nonchalant air of "victory is within reach, and the division title is a given."

The experience of last season's finals and the various ups and downs he has gone through this season have made him deeply understand the weight and hard-won nature of every victory.

With an almost reverent solemnity, he accepted the Eastern Conference championship trophy from Jimmy Butler, pulled it into his arms, and bent down to plant a passionate kiss on the cool metal surface.

However, his smile remained relatively restrained and not so flamboyant.

Because he knew perfectly well in his heart that this was far from the end.

Jimmy Butler leaned closer and deliberately nudged Irving with his elbow: "How about it? Isn't this year's championship trophy beautiful?"

“Hmm,” Carey Irving nodded, “but it’s not quite pretty enough.”

"Oh, come on, you're just putting on an act again."

"No, Jimmy, I just think it would look even better if we were holding the Larry O'Brien Trophy. This isn't the most beautiful thing we've seen this season, absolutely not."
-
The following day, the San Antonio Spurs once again crushed the Grizzlies in Memphis.

Carmelo Anthony stood on the court, panting, with his hands on his knees.

He looked up at the stats for tonight: the San Antonio Spurs' overall field goal percentage was only 40%, and their three-point percentage was also down to 31%.

In terms of shooting percentage, the Grizzlies were even 2% better than the Spurs tonight.

This Grizzlies team has perfected its defense; few teams this season have been able to defend the Spurs, a team known for its efficiency, to this extent.

The Grizzlies briefly forced overtime against the Spurs, and luck seemed to be on their side for a moment – ​​in the final moments of regulation, when Manu Ginobili's jump shot bounced off the rim, Tim Duncan, whose jumping ability is only about the height of a brick, miraculously grabbed the rebound and put it back in. However, replays showed that Duncan was 0.2 seconds too slow, and the play was ultimately ruled out for a timeout.

If TD had touched the ball 0.3 seconds earlier, the Grizzlies would have been disqualified from going into overtime.

Luck, defense, and willpower—the Grizzlies had it all. But they still lost, falling by 5 points.

This was a tough, tense, and incredibly close match.

The intensity of the battle was terrifying from the very beginning of the match and remained so until the very last second of overtime.

The Spurs deserve respect, but the Grizzlies also gave it their all and deserved a victory.

However, in basketball, there can only be one winner in each game.

Just as Carmelo Anthony was feeling down, a tall figure walked up to him.

It's the 21th.

To be honest, for a long time, Carmelo Anthony almost forgot about the existence of number 21.

In most people's minds, he should have been a legend who had long been eliminated and had long since withdrawn from the competition for top honors.

He is 37 years old and has lost to the talented Thunder for the past two years. He can no longer put up superstar-level numbers.

But tonight, it was Tim Duncan who reminded him in the cruelest way just how wrong he was.

The Grizzlies lost to the Spurs despite holding them to such a low shooting percentage, mainly for two reasons.

First, the Spurs made more three-pointers, something the Grizzlies severely lacked. This proves that in modern basketball, a three-point shot is an indispensable weapon for a team aiming for championship status.

The second reason is that this guy, who looks old and frail, whose stats have long been mediocre, and who should be on the bench mentoring young players and enjoying his golden twilight years, scored 7 out of the Spurs' 11 points in overtime!
TD's moves weren't anything special, unlike Lynch who frequently created visual spectacles.

What he did in overtime was nothing more than the same repetitive movements he'd made day after day for over a decade, movements etched into his muscle memory. And then, he steadily seized those fleeting opportunities.

From some perspectives, Melo thinks Lynch and Duncan are indeed strikingly similar.

They were all willing to integrate into the team, yet at crucial moments, they undeniably proved their exceptional abilities.

"Well done, Melo," Tim Duncan put his arm around Anthony's shoulder. "You guys played well, you guys were really great."

Cameron Anthony forced a wry smile: "You're still got it, Sham."

"Old? I'm never old," Duncan said seriously, even with a hint of innocent confusion. "You can tell by looking at how bald our team members are. I'm one of the younger ones. Poor Manu, he's obviously old. Serves him right, who told him to dunk on me as a teammate back then?"

Anthony, who was originally immersed in disappointment, was amused by this sudden teasing and twitched the corner of his mouth.

The media often portrays Tim Duncan as a taciturn and boring person. No, in fact, he was very interesting.

“Good luck, Shampoo,” Anthony said, turning to leave before ending the conversation. “But I have to warn you, you’re unlikely to have much luck against Lynch. That bastard…you know.”

Tim Duncan didn't take Melo's "advice" to heart. His gaze was calm and profound: "I don't need good luck, Melo. The teammates I have are my greatest strength. With them, that's enough for me."

On the other side, Boris Diaw, who had a phenomenal game tonight, scoring 26 points with a nearly 60% field goal percentage, is being interviewed by Doris Burke on the sidelines.

"Do you think you were the key to the Spurs' victory tonight? Your performance was impeccable. What made you step up from the bench and unleash such tremendous energy?"

The Frenchman shook his head repeatedly, denigrating the credit entirely: "The key to tonight's victory was all in Zam, who scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. When he needs to put up numbers, he does. What got me off the bench was Zam."

"Did Sham say anything special to you during the pause?" Doris Burke asked astutely.

Thinking of this, Boris Dior still can't help but smile with admiration:
“Sherlock, you know, he's not a man of many words. But during a timeout in the fourth quarter, he looked around at us all, his tone unusually firm, and told us—”

The Spurs won't stop here. This time, we won't mess it up again!

Sounds ordinary, right? But this is Tim Duncan.

Throughout his career, he rarely made similar harsh statements.

The last time he made such a bold statement was when he first entered the league, telling everyone: I won't say much, everyone get ready to win big.

Therefore, when Tim Duncan starts making bold statements, even if it's just a seemingly ordinary sentence, it carries immense weight for us.

Because of the few resounding declarations he made in his career, which ultimately became reality.

This is more inspiring than grand but unattainable not one, not two, not three.

When he said, "The Spurs won't stop here," we all believed he was telling the truth.

That's true, just look at his performance in overtime. My God, he could play for another ten years.

Boris Diaw's gaze was completely fixed on the number 21, and then he continued:

"This season, people keep saying that Lynch is the greatest leader in the history of the league."

I disagree with this.

Without a doubt, Tsim was the most perfect leader.

In the upcoming finals, Shaq will prove it!

At this moment, Tim Duncan walked towards Dior and poured a glass of water on his head in front of the camera.

"Shut up, Boris. I'm just an old man."

The Western Conference champions' award ceremony began soon after, with Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner who was humiliated in Indianapolis yesterday, appearing in Memphis today.

When he presented the award to the Spurs, you could see how genuine and radiant his smile was.

This was in stark contrast to the smile he wore when presenting the award to the Knicks yesterday.

Gregg Popovich was the first to lift the Western Conference championship trophy. Although he had led the Spurs to the top more than once, reaching even greater heights, this Western Conference championship trophy held extraordinary significance for Gregg Popovich and the entire Spurs team.

They had suffered two consecutive defeats, and their core lineup remained virtually unchanged during those three years.

They didn't get here by adding star players; they got here purely through mutual trust.

The gloom of last season's Western Conference Finals has vanished in an instant; those damn free throws and those damn game-tying three-pointers are now a thing of the past.

Everyone thought the Spurs had faded into history, and Tony Parker, the youngest member of the GDP trio, was already 30 years old.

But tonight, they announced to the world: it's not over yet!
Popovich handed the trophy to Duncan, who gently stroked its surface with a blank expression.

He witnessed the talent of number 20 in 2007.

It was a brutal series, a series that ended an era—because both sides' defenses were too strong, resulting in low scores and poor entertainment value, so much so that the league had to completely change the course of the game.

Five years later, when the league embraced a more offensive approach.

The Knicks and Spurs, however, took their offense to the extreme.

As if by fate, they were destined to clash at the pinnacle of every era.

Tim Duncan gripped the trophy, recalling the failed Twin Towers era, the painful transition, and the years of defeat.

But he persevered and eventually made it here.

Is he old? No, he will never retire!
At that moment, Adam Silver approached TD and patted the giant on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Mom! You have written a beautiful fairy tale."

The basketball world needs this kind of narrative, and the league needs you as role models.

Go ahead, go to the Finals and play the final series.

When it's all over, I hope I'll still be presenting you with this award.

Tim Duncan found it strange that the league commissioner would have such a clear bias towards the final champion.
He didn't want to know the reason; he simply whispered to Adam Silver:

"Oh, I will."

(End of this chapter)