Champion Rules

Chapter 398 (394): He's XXing his soul! (Seeking monthly votes!)

One of the core reasons for Lynch's soaring popularity is that he has brought back the raw competitive atmosphere of the 80s and 90s to the league.

Back then, mortal enemies were mortal enemies, and the relationship between opponents was never friendly. Nobody cared about putting this unfriendly relationship on the table.

In 21st-century basketball, players seem to be bound by invisible shackles.

Stephen Curry's statement, "Nobody wants to face us next season," Ja Morant's declaration, "We have no rivals in the West," and even Kevin Durant's earlier joke on a show that Lynch "used selflessness as an excuse for not scoring 60 points"—these boasts that were commonplace in the mouths of former stars are now being repeatedly chewed over by fans and labeled as "arrogant" by the media.

It's worth noting that similar remarks are practically standard refrains for The Smiling Assassin during every interview.

At the time, no one thought he had done anything wrong.

Some current star athletes are too obsessed with creating a perfect image, and the image of a nice guy is undoubtedly an indispensable part of it.

The players no longer hate each other; even if they do, they deliberately conceal it for the sake of a perfect public image.

Just like Kevin Durant, who dislikes Lynch so much that he's hesitant to act.

In the 21st century, brutal competition is no longer so blatant.

The NBA is trying to transform itself into a more civilized league.

The players tried to portray themselves as gentlemen.

The emergence and popularity of terms like "brotherhood basketball" and "mutual trust and trust" reflect the changing competitive landscape of today.

Lynch changed the atmosphere of the league.

He never hid his dislike for anyone, nor did he hide his hatred for his opponents.

At press conferences, he would ruthlessly tear off the hypocritical masks of his competitors.

He brought competitive sports back to its purest essence—naked confrontation and conquest.

Lynch's complete disregard for the "good guy" image actually had a revolutionary effect.

Fans adore a player born for competition; they love watching these intense, grievance-filled matches.

Thus, the opening game of the new season, the New York Knicks vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, unsurprisingly set a new record for the highest viewership of an NBA opening game.

At the end of October, Spike Lee entered Madison Square Garden through that familiar VIP entrance for the 23rd consecutive year.

Spike Lee started watching Knicks games when he was 8 years old, and attended his first game in person in 77. From 90 onwards, he held a Knicks season ticket every season, becoming a regular at Madison Square Garden.

On the scene, he witnessed the most frustrating period for the New York Knicks in the 90s—the team clearly had the strength to win the championship, but was overshadowed by two legends, MJ and Hakeem Olajuwon.

He also experienced the most glorious era of the New York Knicks—the European Caesar from Asia landed in North America and conquered the world for New York.

Many people cannot understand why he is willing to spend millions of dollars to come to this stadium year after year.

Doesn't he get annoyed?

Only Spike Lee knew that "boredom" was a complete false proposition.

He has been watching the games here for 23 years, but he can still experience all sorts of different emotions.

For example, Lynch's ecstasy when he won his first championship in 2007.

For example, the sadness of the old Minnesota Knicks' unfortunate farewell in 2008.

For example, the expectations after regaining the championship in 2009.

For example, the extreme excitement of winning three consecutive championships in 11 years.

Today, what fills his heart is an intense, unyielding reluctance to part.

Walk through the passageway and enter the stadium.

Spike Lee saw Lynch already warming up on the court.

He familiarly shouted into the arena, "Hey Lynch, how's your vacation?"

Lynch turned his head and smiled at this very familiar fan: "Great, it has brought me back to 100%."

"So, is it possible for you to play another season? You're only 27. Even if it's next year, you'll only be 28."

"Come on, Spike," Lynch waved his hand, "Are you really going to nag me like this before the game even starts?"

"OK, I'll shut up." Spike Lee spread his hands. "Anyway, at least tonight we'll give Kevin Durant a good beating."

"Nonsense, do you need to tell me?"

Spike Lee sat down with a smile, but in reality, he couldn't smile at all.

He could hardly imagine that this time next year, when he was sitting here again, he wouldn't be able to see Lynch warming up.

Thinking about it carefully, Lynch's career was not short.

This is Lynch's tenth season. When this season ends, Lynch will have officially played in the league for ten years.

No one in this world dares to say that ten years is a short time.

No one in the world dares to say that ten years is a short time.

Yet, compared to other legends, Lynch's ten years seem so condensed.

Patrick Ewing played in this league for 17 years, Hakeem Olajuwon for 18 years, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for a full 20 years. He played from the days when the NBA was only available for pre-recorded broadcasts until viewers across the United States could see the age spots on his face during live television broadcasts.

即使是那些职业生涯不算长的家伙——拉里.伯德13年，魔术师去掉只打了38场的95-96赛季，职业生涯也有12年。

Michael Jordan's career wasn't particularly long, but even excluding his two seasons in Washington, he played for 13 years.

Compared to other careers, a 10-year professional career is indeed not long.

Therefore, he felt very sorry.

Sometimes, Spike Lee feels that there really is some kind of curse on New York.

Because the last guy to be called the King of New York, Willis Reed, also had a short career of only ten years.

Spike Lee had mixed feelings. On one hand, he was excited about Lynch's impending domination of Kevin Durant. On the other hand, he was saddened that this was Lynch's final season opener.

In fact, this is why tonight's game is attracting so much attention.

This is not just the start of a new season, nor is it just a continuation of the rivalry between the Knicks and the Thunder.

This match also served as a reminder to everyone: the retirement tour has begun!

A commotion interrupted Spike Lee's thoughts as the Oklahoma City Thunder players walked out of the player tunnel.

The moment Kevin Durant appeared, he was "honored" to receive the same level of "treatment" as LeBron James:
"Fuck KD! Fuck KD! Fuck KD!"

Since KD questioned Lynch in an interview during last season's Finals, he and New York fans have built a deep, friendly relationship.

This summer, Kevin Durant became one of the leaders of the "Anti-Lynch Camp," and he offered a hypocritical tweet of comfort after Chandler Parsons' season-ending injury.

His camaraderie with Knicks fans has become even deeper than Lynch's platonic friendship with Victoria's Secret models.

KD relentlessly attacked New York fans who displeased him online, while the New York fans welcomed him with polite greetings.

What a loving and harmonious group of people they are!

Kevin Durant glanced around the stands, then pretended to be nonchalant and began warming up.

He didn't want to appear angry or embarrassed, and tried his best to hide his inner turmoil. In his view, if he showed his emotions because of the fans' shouts, he would have lost.

Because those damn bastards definitely want to see me angry and embarrassed.

After receiving the basketball, Kevin Durant did not jump shoot, but instead accelerated into the paint and powerfully completed a one-handed dunk.

It's like a protest, or like venting emotions.

Complete the dunk and land steadily.

Kevin Durant noticed that Andre Iguodala was watching him.

The moment their eyes met, Iguodala pressed his hands down: "Relax, KD, don't let your emotions get the better of you. If we can just take this game, they'll shut up."

Kevin Durant likes Andre Iguodala; he has had a crush on him since Iguodala became a Thunder player.

Because he always defends himself in front of the media, and always provides him with reassuring strength at crucial moments.

Kevin Durant nodded and took a deep breath: "We've ruined what should have been a night of wild celebration for New Yorkers!"

Before the game began, the New York Knicks raised their honor banners at Madison Square Garden for the fifth consecutive year, and Lynch wore his championship ring for the fifth consecutive year.

Following the championship ring presentation ceremony, the New York Knicks used the latest floor projection technology to play a short tribute video about Lynch.

In just a few dozen seconds, Lynch went from a green newcomer to his current unparalleled glory, and the highlights of his career flashed by like an epic.

When the footage showed Lynch lifting the trophy last season, all the lights in the arena suddenly went out.

On the floor, a 3D-effect curtain slowly opened, and a line of subtitles with the same effect appeared on the floor:

Are you ready to join us on this greatest retirement tour ever?

A deafening roar of cheers swept through the arena, and this meticulously designed launch ceremony pushed the expectations of fans worldwide to their peak.

"This is the grandest retirement tour launch ceremony in NBA history!" Shaquille O'Neal exclaimed, his tone tinged with envy. "Linch's career has been all about big events. Just like when he won his first MVP, the Knicks actually held a press conference for him in Times Square. Lynch received the highest level of treatment. Of course, he deserved it!"

Charles Barkley, another member of TNT's four-man commentary team, asked Shark bluntly, "Aren't you envious?"

Kenny Smith and Kevin Harlan burst into laughter. The TNT commentary team is known for its candor and lack of reservations about most topics. They dare to say anything and ask anything.

O'Neal was quite frank: "Of course I envy you, and I believe you envy me too. Because neither you nor I had the chance to say goodbye properly. In my last season, I was just a substitute player. You weren't much better off, Charles. When you retired in Houston, you were like a sickly old dog."

“So I’ve always thought Lynch’s decision to retire was the right one,” Charles Barkley shrugged. “A great ending, something most players crave but can’t achieve.” Kevin Durant scoffed at the grand ceremony, believing that the concept of a “retirement tour” only happens under one condition: “You are beloved and you are no longer a threat.”

Only when you and your team pose no threat will others willingly wish you well.

As long as there is competition, your rivals will never willingly pave the way for you.

Kevin Durant secretly vowed to be the first to stand up to this carefully crafted script and marketing and shout, "Fuck the tour!"

With the game about to begin, sideline reporter David Aldridge interviewed KD.

He began by asking questions about the so-called "anti-Lynch training camp".

"This offseason, the training camp you, LeBron, and Chris spearheaded was dubbed the 'anti-Lynch camp' by some. This is because the three organizers are clearly Lynch's arch-enemies. What was your purpose in training together? Was it really to work together to defeat Lynch?"

KD smiled confidently: "We just felt that Lynch wasn't the only one capable of organizing a high-level training camp. Our goal in coming together to train wasn't to defeat Lynch, but to achieve ultimate success. Defeating Lynch was only part of the goal. I can tell you with certainty that this training camp has benefited me immensely."

The second question David Aldridge asked KD for his opinion on new signing Andre Iguodala.

KD lavished praise on everyone:

“Andrei is absolutely the soul of this team. His contributions go far beyond what the on-field statistics can show, and are not just reflected on the defensive end. He is the spiritual leader of this team, and he keeps the whole team on the right track. The most important reason why I can be better this season, besides training camp, is Andrei.”

"The correct course?"

"Yes, he always reminds me that we are not here to play supporting roles, we are not appendages to anyone's self-performation!"

Kevin Durant's deliberate declaration during the opening game of his opponent's retirement tour was tantamount to pouring cold water into a boiling pot of oil.

This blatant provocation instantly brought him a tsunami of hatred.

This also ignited the final flame in this highly anticipated showdown.

The match began, and the players from both sides gathered together.

Lynch hugged all the Thunder players except Kevin Durant.

There wasn't even a hint of symbolic friendliness between them; there was no need for any pretense between them anymore.

DeAndre Jordan won possession of the ball.

Lynch has a strong offensive drive; in the first possession, he raised his hand outside the three-point line to ask for the ball, which is very rare in Lynch's games.

Andre Iguodala quickly closed in on the defense, and Kevin Durant also seized the opportunity to double-team.

But Lynch didn't pass the ball. He dribbled and drove to the basket. Just as Andre Iguodala lowered his center of gravity and tried to steal the ball, Lynch immediately raised his center of gravity, stopped abruptly, and launched a jump shot!

Iguodala reacted swiftly, raising his hand to interfere almost immediately.

However, since he had been leaning downwards, no matter how fast he was now, he couldn't instantly block Lin Qi's attack space; he was ultimately a beat too slow.

By the time Kevin Durant arrived, Lynch had already taken his shot, and the ball went in cleanly!
Goal! Andre Iguodala shook his head.

During his time with the Heat, he was already suffering terribly at the hands of Lynch.

To deal with Lynch, you have to accept the fact that "efforts don't always yield results, and may even result in nothing."

Only by learning to accept this can you avoid being mentally broken by Lynch's performance.

During the Thunder's offensive possession, Stephen Curry passed the ball just past half-court.

As a forward with passing and ball-handling skills, Andre Iguodala can greatly alleviate the playmaking pressure on Curry and Harden, allowing them to focus more on scoring – the difficulty of an offense is completely different whether a guard looks up to find a teammate after receiving the ball or shoots directly.

But as soon as Andre Iguodala got the ball, Lynch pressed him down.

Iguodala was surprised that Lynch would be guarding him at the start of the game. He thought that after everything that had happened, Lynch would be guarding KD from the very first minute of the game, given his personality.

He instinctively wanted to pass the ball to Kevin Durant, but Lynch seemed to have anticipated his move and swatted the ball away the instant Andre Iguodala passed it!
"Andre made a mistake on the very first possession!" Kenny Smith stared intently at Lynch. "The King of New York picked up the ball and immediately sprinted forward. Andre didn't even have time to grab his jersey. Oh no, the rim is going to be in trouble."

"boom--"

With a loud bang, Lin Qi slammed the ball in using the exact same move KD had used during his warm-up.

It's just that it's stronger and its movements are more fluid.

And this was an official score!
The ball went in. Lynch turned around and glared fiercely at Andre Iguodala, who had caught up with him.

In the following rounds, Lynch's desire to score remained high.

At first, people thought he was just venting his frustration with KD in the summer at the start of the season.

But the most terrifying thing in the world is that after a man has vented many times, his desire remains strong, his posture remains firm, as if he will never be satisfied, as if he can torment his opponent like this all night long.

In this offensive possession, Lynch continued to demand the ball, facing Andre Iguodala directly.

Iguodala blocked Lynch's lower body, preventing him from easily exerting his power.

Kevin Durant's double-teaming came one after another, and Lynch had no chance at all.

Lynch temporarily passed the ball to Jimmy Butler, who officially became a starter this season. However, just as Durant was about to make a comeback, Lynch asked for the ball again!
He's going to attack again!
Jimmy Butler passed the ball back to Lynch, who caught it, looked at the rim, and raised his hand.

Andre Iguodala leaped to block, but Lynch raised his hand but did not jump.

He toyed with Andre Iguodala, and after setting him up, Lynch calmly took a step to his side, adjusted his rhythm, and steadily jumped to release the ball.

"Shh!"

The ball went in. Lynch turned to look at Iguodala, who had been faked out, and asked, "Andre, where are you?"

"The game has only just begun, and Lynch has already scored 9 points in a row!" Kenny Smith shouted. "I think Lynch is responding to KD. He's using his consecutive scoring to tell KD that whether he wants to be a supporting player or not is not up to him."

“No,” Shaquille O’Neal immediately retorted, “I don’t think that’s what Lynch meant. If he wanted to respond to KD, he would have directly matched up against KD.”

"Oh, then tell me, why is Lin Qi so aggressive tonight?"

Shaquille O'Neal casually replied, "Because he wanted to shoulder Kevin Durant's burden. Poor Andre, he was completely ruined by KD's pre-game interview."

Yes, the TNT quartet has always been very outspoken.

Andre Iguodala shook his head helplessly. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, Lynch's consecutive points still frustrated him.

Seeing cracks appear in Iguodala's resilience, Lynch immediately yelled at KD:

"This is your savior? You train with a bunch of losers, and you treat a loser like your savior! KD, then you're a fucking hopeless loser!"

Kevin Durant couldn't take it anymore: "Shut up, Lynch! There will only be one loser this season, and that's you, who put on a grand retirement tour but ended up leaving as a loser!"

After KD finished speaking, he made a reverse run, leaving Jimmy Butler half a body length behind, and drove straight to the basket.

Andre Iguodala passed the ball to Serge Ibaka, who had already drawn DeAndre Jordan out of the paint. Therefore, there was a clear path between KD and the basket.

Kevin Durant caught the ball and prepared to jump with all his might.

But the moment he pushed off the ground, the basketball in his hands was snatched away with a "bang".

Jimmy Butler! He made an unbelievable defensive move—completely losing his balance, like a sliding tackle on a football field, he lunged sideways in front of Kevin Durant and precisely poked the basketball away with his fingertips!

The basketball flew towards the baseline. Butler, who had been lying on the ground, used his hands and feet to spring up from the floor like a spring, and just as the ball was about to go out of bounds, he managed to grab it back!
"Jimmy, that's why he's a starter this season!"

Jimmy Butler's incredible timing and action in stealing the ball made Kevin Durant instinctively raise his arms, thinking it must have been a foul.

However, the referee ignored it. Jimmy Butler's steal was very clean. Although his body tripped KD slightly after he knocked the ball down, it did not constitute a foul.

Seeing that the referee made no call, Kevin Durant immediately turned around and went back on defense.

But as soon as he turned around, he heard Lin Qi shouting:
"Seriously, KD? Your first reaction after a mistake is to raise your hand and complain? Is this what you learned all summer at training camp? Look at Jimmy's progress! You really should train more with winners! A bunch of losers encouraging each other is just losers entertaining themselves in the end!"
Do you know why even Dwight came to me for training? Because even he understands that spending too much time with a bunch of losers only brings you closer to failure!

Lynch didn't miss any opportunity to make Kevin Durant angry and ashamed with his words.

Kevin Durant was enraged. As soon as Lynch received the ball, Durant launched a near-frenzied double-team without any regard for the situation, completely ignoring his matchup against Jimmy Butler.

Faced with such a fierce double-team, Lin Qi could only hold the ball with his back to the goal to observe and avoid being dispossessed.

However, the attack did not stop.

Facing a double team, with his back to the basket, Lynch casually tossed the ball behind his head with one hand without looking, and surprisingly found Jimmy Butler cutting into the paint.

Amidst gasps from the crowd, Jimmy Butler received the brilliant pass and executed a layup, avoiding Ibaka's block and securing the point!

Kevin Durant was still a bit dazed; he didn't even know how the ball had gotten into Jimmy Butler's hands.

He couldn't believe that Jimmy Butler had managed to escape Serge Ibaka's blockade.

Jimmy Butler's progress is truly amazing. In his rookie year, he was a player whose skills were so rough that he was completely unwatchable.

Last season, he began to shine on the defensive end.

Tonight, he was already able to perform such complex maneuvers in the air.

Of course, the most amazing part of this attack was Lynch's pass.

So after the successful score, the close-up shots didn't focus on the goal scorer, but instead locked onto Lynch.

Under the watchful eyes of fans worldwide, Lynch used a lateral movement to relentlessly entangle Kevin Durant, chattering incessantly at him:

"See that? This is the result of training with the victors! You think you can still let Jimmy go with impunity? He's not the same person he used to be! Your damned alliance is no match for the Peak Temple! Your training camp is fucking worthless garbage!"

On the commentary stage, the four members of the TNT team clearly heard Lynch's trash talk directed at KD.

Following his recent efforts to "strengthen" Kevin Durant's character, Lynch is now tearing apart KD's prized training camp.
These two things that KD had repeatedly touted as transforming him were now being smashed to pieces by Lin Qi's relentless bombardment!

“Lincho will go through with you one thing at a time,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “Lincho was out of North America for most of the summer, and when he came back he only held one press conference. But every single thing you did and every single word you said this summer, Lynch will go through with you right here on the court, in front of everyone, and tell you everything, one by one!”

After a pause, the shark issued a gloating warning:
"I really hope none of you regret what you did this summer. The King of New York is about to take action!"

(End of this chapter)