Champion Rules

Chapter 402, 398: LeBron is the Second Protagonist (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

In Lynch's final season, the media and fans were very keen to do one thing—to summarize Lynch and his era.

During the Lynch era, LeBron James' name was one that could not be ignored.

Every era has some players who are destined to play the role of "loser".

These losers all share one characteristic: they are all quite capable.

An ordinary role player will not be treated as a loser even if he has never won a championship.

As for the definition of a "loser," he must be a player who "people expected him to win a championship, but he didn't."

In the 80s, this person was Dominique Wilkins, Sidney Moncliffe, George Gervin, and Bernard King.

In the 90s, this person was Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Patrick Ewing.

In the 00s, LeBron James was undoubtedly the most representative of all the losers.

He directly competed with Lynch from the early stages of his career, and this competition extended to all aspects of life. This included their off-court rivalry, which was a continuation of their rivalry.

However, no one has ever portrayed defeat as thoroughly and completely as LeBron James.

He once had an incredible 25-0 record against Lynch, and he has never beaten Lynch in a series in his career. He directly caused Nike to be overtaken by Reebok, losing its absolute dominance in the sneaker market. He was abandoned by his hometown fans, and every team he played for was unhappy with him. He made the infamous Decision 1, and then this summer he made the even more infamous Decision 2.

It's hard to believe that a superstar's career could be so thoroughly marked as a "failure".

It has achieved something unprecedented: "Seniors look down on it, peers despise it, and juniors disrespect it."

With the explosive popularity of the Avengers movie series, LBJ, who put up the most brilliant statistics of his career last season, is often referred to as "Thanos LeBron".

But you'll find that a LeBron James fan simply can't explain the so-called Thanos James to his friends.

If someone were to forcefully praise Thanos LeBron, the following awkward conversation would likely occur:
"Do you know how amazing LeBron was that year? He was unstoppable, turning the Nets, who hadn't even made the playoffs the previous season, into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. He also became the first player in history, after MJ and Oscar Robertson, to average 30+8+8!"

"Wow, really? So what was the final score for LeBron when he won the championship?"

"Don't worry about such unimportant things. Anyway, let me tell you, that year made him incredibly amazing!"

Even in his "Thanos Year," which best represents his career level, he failed miserably, being swept by Lynch in the playoffs.

Therefore, in the dimension of "loser", LeBron James is undoubtedly the chosen one.

However, "losers" have a unique advantage over "successful people".

As a successful player, Lynch's success would be tarnished if he lost to LeBron James even once in a series, no matter how many times he had beaten James before.

As for LeBron James, the loser, if he can beat Lynch once in the series—just once—no matter how pathetic he has been in the past, he will be able to take off the "loser" label.

This year is LeBron James' best and last chance to shed the "loser" label.

The basketball god still showed some mercy to LBJ, as the Brooklyn Nets found a reliable general manager this summer and completed a series of proven successful trades and signings.

This Nets team is undefeated in the preseason, and easily defeated the Spurs in the opening game.

The more sophisticated the Spurs' team offense, the tighter the Nets' team defense.

LeBron James has finally shaken off the suffocating feeling of fighting alone on the defensive end and cleaning up the mess left by a bunch of lousy defenders that he experienced last season.

This team, from Trevor Ariza, Shawn Livingston, Paul Millsap to Kevin Love, consists of unassuming, team-oriented defenders.

Even Trevor Ariza, the most renowned defensive player among them, has never been selected to the All-Defensive Team.

But all of them possess rich experience, excellent physique, great flexibility in switching on defense, outstanding team spirit, and a tenacious defensive will.

The signings of Alan Anderson and Andrei Kirilenko have allowed the Nets to maintain an excellent level of defense even during rotation time.

The Nets were practically the "reverse Spurs," showcasing their team defense to the fullest.

Of course, the Nets did not go to extremes.

Despite such an excellent defense, the team's offense has not faltered either.

Thanks to the presence of modern big men Kevin Love and Paul Millsap, LBJ can still enjoy the same spacious and luxurious offensive space as last season.

In the first game of the regular season against the Spurs, he put up an impressive stat line of 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

After the game, when talking about his current teammates, LBJ was very pleased: "You need players like these who are willing to sacrifice and play defense, otherwise you can't win a championship. I'm glad that I have these kinds of players around me this year!"

Then came the statement that propelled him into the spotlight: "In the narrative of this era, beating Lynch is my mission, just as Reggie Miller's mission was to dethrone MJ. In 1998, Reggie was just one game away from doing it. This year, I won't be any less."

LeBron James once felt hopeless about "beating Lynch." During his time with the Thunder, he asked then-Thunder head coach Scott Brooks a question:
"Sir, do you really think that at the very end of my damn career, I can ever, even just once, beat Lynch?"

That was the lowest point in LeBron James' career, when he felt that the goal of "beating Lynch" was out of reach.

But after he transferred to the Nets, two things helped him get back on his feet.

First, he won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, which was the first time in his career that he confirmed one thing: "I can win too!"

Secondly, there's the series of moves the Nets made this summer. New general manager Sean Marks completely transformed the Nets, a team that Jason Terry described last season as "the worst team of the 21st century."

This transformation, which avoids blindly chasing superstars and focuses on overall compatibility, has made LeBron James feel much more relaxed playing games.

When he no longer needs to give his all and run himself ragged on the defensive end, he becomes more relaxed and unstoppable on the offensive end.

Although the Nets and Knicks' first matchup won't be until November, LeBron James' declaration has already fired the starting gun for this fateful showdown.

Tickets for the Nets' first game of the season against the Knicks were five times more expensive than last year and twelve times more expensive than the year before.

Spike Lee posted a picture of his Brooklyn Nets season ticket on social media: "Not supporting the Brooklyn Nets, just not wanting to miss any of Lynch's performances of beating LBJ."

ESPN reporter David McMenamin wrote an article analyzing why LeBron James was able to beat Lynch this season, with a very eye-catching title: "The Young LeBron Era Ends, Next Lynch Will Face Peak LeBron".

Lin Qi silently gave the article a thumbs up, thinking, "I'm about to retire, and you're at your peak, LeBron."

It's reasonable that players who entered the industry in 2003 didn't reach the peak of players who entered in 2004!

Fortunately, in this timeline, LBJ's media influence had been completely crushed by Lynch. Apart from his loyal dog David McMenamin, LBJ's power in the media world was almost negligible.

Otherwise, after Lynch retires, the media might say: "LeBron never beat Lynch before because their peaks didn't overlap. If they had met at the same time, LeBron wouldn't have lost."

Thank goodness, Lynch allowed LBJ to live in an era where he couldn't rely on the media to create drama for him. Otherwise, Lynch's retirement would have marked the beginning of his decline in historical status, and it wouldn't have been impossible for him to surpass seven championships with just one.

Before facing the Nets, the Knicks played a few more games.

As it turns out, the Knicks' defense isn't a major problem unless they're facing a top-tier team like the Thunder.

After that, the Knicks easily defeated the Mavericks, Lakers, and Wizards. However, when facing teams with particularly strong offenses, the Knicks' defense during their rotation periods becomes challenging.

In their fifth game of the new season, the New York Knicks nearly suffered their first loss of the season against the San Antonio Spurs, their Finals opponent from last season.

The Spurs' well-balanced starting lineup and rotation players caused the Knicks to concede many points during their rotation periods.

Fortunately, Khris Middleton also had a good shooting night, using an offensive approach during his rotation time to cover up his defensive issues.

But in the playoffs, you can't rely on a role player's shooting touch to secure rotation time.

Even in this era of rapid improvement in the overall shooting ability of NBA players, defense is still more reliable than jump shots.

Fortunately, Jason Kidd's special training for Giannis Antetokounmpo has already shown initial results.

At least now Giannis Antetokounmpo finally understands that the Knicks didn't just randomly hire an old bald guy to train him.

Jason Kidd's penchant for using vulgar language to criticize players during training naturally angered the hot-blooded young Greek Freak.

Previously, he only knew that Jason Kidd was a prestigious former professional player, but he didn't know what achievements he had made.

He felt that the old man who had just retired had no right to tell him what to do.

But after Google-searching Kidd's resume on his phone, Giannis Antetokounmpo decided to listen. This man, who would undoubtedly break MJ's dominance in the Three-Point Contest if he participated, truly deserves respect.

Well, that's at least a good start. At least the Greek Freaks are starting to obey Jason Kidd's commands.

Finally, after five games in the regular season, the New York derby will resume.

Like the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets are also 5-0 this season, undefeated.

All the preseason predictions about the Brooklyn Nets have come true.

They had no integration issues, his defense was outstanding, and LeBron James' stats continued to rise.

The day before the game, LeBron James was surrounded by reporters during a locker room interview.

This is a phenomenon that hasn't occurred for many years.

During his time with the Thunder, the player reporters paid the most attention to was KD.

Last season, the Nets didn't receive nearly as much attention.

But this season, everything has come back.

LeBron James has rediscovered the feeling he had when he was the chosen one in Cleveland.

When asked about tomorrow night's game, LeBron James spread his hands:

"Look at our team, look at our players. We're not like another New York team with two number one draft picks. My teammates are just a bunch of average players, but we still win. In fact, in my career, I've never played for a super team, and the teams I've been on have never been the most talented teams that season."

But I've never complained. This year, I'll prove that it's not only super teams that can win.

The reporters at the scene were stunned.

If I remember correctly, the Detroit Pistons were the culprits that brought the entire league into the "era of super teams"—the Lakers' Big Three did come earlier, but Kobe, KG, and Jason Kidd were older when they teamed up than LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Deron Williams were when they parted ways.

Now, LeBron James says he has never played for a super team?
Moreover, Kevin Love was referred to as a superstar when he joined Miami last season.

Did he become just an ordinary player after joining the Nets?

A reporter from The New York Times couldn't help but ask, "LeBron, are you saying that Lynch has always played for super teams?"

"I won't answer your question. I just want to say that I am mature enough to lead a team with average talent but a strong will to victory."

Meanwhile, at the Greenburg training center, Lynch was also being interviewed by reporters.

Lynch saw the man he knew very well, but who disgusted him no matter how many times he saw him—David McMenamin.

Lynch can accept a guy like Stephen Curry who fawns over women.

But he simply couldn't understand men like David McMenamin, who fawned over strong black men.

What's the difference between this and holding Sister Yu's sweaty feet?
But David McMenamin proved himself very capable, securing a long-term, high-paying contract with ESPN this summer.

This means that LeBron James always has a mouthpiece in the mainstream media.

David McMenamin greeted Lynch with a smile: "Long time no see, Lynch. I was quite surprised when I learned I wasn't on your 'no-entry-to-the-locker-room' list this season. What made you lift the ban? Did you not expect my influence at ESPN to grow so much?"

It's clear that David is proud of the long-term contract he signed with ESPN this summer.

He felt that Lynch let him back into the locker room because he didn't want to offend ESPN. After all, he was now a well-known ESPN reporter.

When faced with this question, Lynch burst into laughter as if watching a slapstick comedian: "No, it's because I don't need to stoop to the level of a loser's mouthpiece."

"LeBron is not a loser, and I am not his mouthpiece. I am a long-time frontline reporter for ESPN, and I am a person who respects the facts!"
LeBron's performance this season is vastly different from his previous seasons in terms of offense, shooting, playmaking, and leadership. His past failures have honed and shaped him. The training camp he spearheaded this summer with KD and CP3 further enhanced his abilities.

Lynch, be honest, are you nervous about facing a brand new, prime-age LeBron?

You know you can't lose to him. You know that if you lose to him, your retirement tour will be tainted by the biggest stain.

You must be very nervous, right?

Lynch laughed and leaned forward, explaining why he lifted the ban on David McMenamin this year. Because during a hectic schedule, the locker room needs a clown to entertain everyone.

“Listen, David, LeBron has been fantastic this season. He’s fast, jumps high, is strong, and has great skills. The only downside is that he always loses to me.”

From East to West and back to East, LeBron has never beaten me.

Unlike KD, LeBron is definitely not a supporting actor; he is the second lead in his retirement tour.

People wanted to see me win as much as they wanted to see him lose. To a large extent, he determined whether my retirement tour was perfect.

So David, I'm really nervous. I'm afraid LeBron won't even face me in the playoffs, and then how am I supposed to meet the fans' expectations?

"Lynch, you're talking nonsense. LeBron is great this season."

“Shut up,” Lynch yelled. “The clown’s show is over. Get out and call your master and tell him to make sure he doesn’t go far in the playoffs and doesn’t let me and my fans down.”

Before David McMenamin could refute, he was quickly pushed behind by other reporters.

He realized that no matter how good LeBron became, no matter how high he climbed in ESPN, they were still like ants in front of Lynch.

He sent a text message to LBJ with a gritting teeth emoji:
"We have to beat LeBron at least once, we have to!!!"

(End of this chapter)