Champion Rules

Chapter 405 401: The Standard of Excellence (Seeking monthly votes!)
Lynch did not disappoint, and all the fans who paid a hefty price to watch the game at Barclays Center had a wonderful night.

They witnessed a thrilling contest, an exceptional superstar performance, and a perfect ending.

This game is probably a reflection of LeBron James' entire career.

After the game, in light of LeBron James's phenomenal performance, Charles Barkley posed a thought-provoking hypothesis on his "NBA Insider" program:

"We will never know where LeBron James' career would have gone without Lynch."

Perhaps he really can lift the championship trophy in Detroit? Perhaps he will still be Nike's undisputed top superstar? Or perhaps he will still be widely regarded as the closest to Michael Jordan?

What I want to say is that LeBron does have a certain level of ability, and he is not a tragic genius like Grant Hill who lives entirely in the realm of 'what ifs'.

He has maintained good health and a stable condition throughout his career.

But just like in the game that just ended, LeBron delivered a great performance, but could only accept being dominated by Lynch.

Even I, a well-known LeBron hater, have to admit that LeBron's performance tonight was at least historic.

But because of Lin Qi, he was completely buried.

This isn't a battle of black and white between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, nor is it a feud between Michael Jordan and the Assassin.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most complete domination of one player over another in NBA history that I have ever seen!

Throughout his career, Lynch had a terrifying 50-7 record against LeBron James!
In the first five years of his career, LeBron failed to win a single game against Lynch. In his 11-year career, LeBron only managed to defeat Lynch in three of those seasons.

In this grand retirement tour, Lynch continues his reign.

In a timeline without Lynch, LeBron's legend might be rewritten. But the real world doesn't offer "what ifs." That's basketball for you, that's the brutal competition.

There can only be one winner here, and Lynch will only allow one winner in this era.

John Hollinger analyzed from a technical perspective why Lynch was able to win despite LBJ's outstanding performance:

"The matter is actually very simple. Lynch's strength lies in the fact that he can use all the skills from position one to position five without any discount, even with a height of 208 centimeters."

Whether it's a face-up drive, a series of changes of direction, or a step-back pull-up jumper.

Whether it's a backflip, a dreamlike dance move, or a traditional back hook, it's all about the back of the body.

Whether it's off-the-ball movement or organizing with the ball.

Whether it's creating opportunities for teammates by initiating pick-and-rolls, or using pick-and-rolls to drive to the basket or shoot from outside.

Lynch was proficient in all of these things and was as efficient as the top players in each position.

Some modern basketball philosophies emphasize that basketball is a game of mismatches. Whoever can exploit mismatches more often in a game will gain the upper hand.

Lynch, on the other hand, almost always plays at the wrong angle against everyone.

Even against a team like the Brooklyn Nets, who are adept at resolving mismatches, Lynch still managed to exploit a significant mismatch advantage.

This is Lynch; he is a terrifyingly powerful individual player.

But that's not the scariest part.

What's most frightening is that he is also an outstanding leader.

Even the most perfect individual cannot win a championship alone, but Lynch always manages to make a powerful team operate efficiently around him.

That's why Lynch was able to completely dominate the league for ten seasons.

In this game, Lynch practically squeezed every last drop of value out of LeBron James.

With LBJ's exceptional performance as a backdrop, Lynch completely embodied his dominance.

LeBron James is not without his fans, but embarrassingly, after this game, people didn't focus on his outstanding stats and explosive performance, but rather on the several outrageous yet uncallable controversial footwork he made during the game.

Since Adam Silver took over, the controversy surrounding LeBron James' "crab walk" has never ceased.

Fueled by this high-profile showdown, related controversies have reached unprecedented levels.

Faced with a barrage of criticism, LeBron James appeared extremely impatient in an interview after practice the following day:

"Stop asking any questions about traveling! I didn't travel; the crab walk is an advanced technique!"

LeBron James was in a bad mood, having missed another valuable opportunity to shed the label of failure.

People can understand that he's fed up with the issue, but to call walking a high-level skill is truly astonishing in its absurdity.

LeBron James' dominance in abstract art will never be matched.

But no one expected that this time, Lynch would defeat magic with magic.

That evening, Colin Jost, a well-known TV host, a Harvard comedy graduate, Lynch's half-brother, and a gay man, posted a picture of himself eating at Lynch's restaurant on social media.

The picture shows the restaurant's new dish, the "Wonderful Crab Set Meal," which includes one serving of rice or noodles, one serving of crab meat, one serving of crab roe, and one serving of crab paste.

Of course, a beautiful meal needs an innovative presentation.

Although the restaurant had completely removed the crab meat and roe, the crab shell was still left on when the dish was served, and a small crown was placed on the shell.

The package is priced at $50.07.

It's not cheap, after all, Lynch's restaurant has never been about affordability.

Therefore, the price of this package has also sparked heated discussions.

The reason for the heated discussion was not because it was expensive, but because the price seemed a bit strange.

Because the restaurant owner, Wu Lan, wanted to draw on the auspiciousness of Chinese culture, the restaurant's set menus were mostly priced at 58, 88, 188, 288, etc.

The 50.07 stands out very much.

On his social media, Colin Jost simply added a few mischievous bean emojis to the post.

Before long, the fans discovered the secret.

This pricing is a direct reflection of Lynch's 50-7 record against LBJ!

Furthermore, the crab wearing a crown has also been linked to an honest player who likes to wear a crown and calls the "crab walk" a high-level skill.

Lynch's "using abstraction to respond to abstraction" move was an unprecedented success, with crowds lining up outside Lynch's restaurant just to try this "Wonderful Crab Set Meal" full of satirical art and controversy.

Lynch's all-around dominance over LeBron James has never changed. Whether on or off the court, whether in terms of wins or business success, LeBron James has always been the best foil for Lynch.

However, beating LeBron James in the regular season was just one stop on Lynch's retirement tour.

The journey continues.

In the sixth game of the season, on November 10, the New York Knicks visited the Sacramento Kings.

The biggest draw of this game wasn't the outcome, but rather seeing how many blocks Russell Westbrook, the passionate player, would deliver to Lynch. (And, ironically, the real-life passionate player also ended up with the Kings.)

Throughout Lynch's career, there were several teams that barely made an appearance in his legendary epic.

The Sacramento kings were one of them.

When Lynch first entered the league, the Kings' Princeton offense had already come to an end.

In the years that followed, this struggling team rarely had enough weight to warrant a truly memorable match.

Although Lynch plays the Kings twice every season, almost none of those games leave a lasting impression on him.

The same applies today; the Kings are still not a strong team, and Lynch is not excited about this game against them.

As a veteran who has played for ten years, it is normal for Lynch to occasionally feel fatigued in some less important games.

But Lynch never expected that tonight at Sleep Train Arena, the Kings would specially play a carefully crafted tribute video for him before the game started.

After the video ended, countless Sacramento fans chanted in unison, "One more year! One more year! One more year!"

This sudden tribute and the overwhelming pleas for him to stay completely shattered Lynch's expectations.

Previously, Lynch's retirement tour had already covered two away cities: Los Angeles and Brooklyn.

In Los Angeles, the Lakers also played a video tribute to Lynch. Kobe Bryant, who was recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon last season, even came to the event and presented Lynch with a piece of Los Angeles Lakers flooring as a memento.

The message read: "Dedicated to Lynch, the most respectable opponent. From your rival, your arch-rival, the Los Angeles Lakers."

This was, after all, Lynch's last visit to Staples Center during his career, so it can be seen as the Los Angeles Lakers' farewell to him.

As the Lakers' most hated opponent during the "super market wars," Lynch was met with a barrage of boos and insults every time he came to Los Angeles.

This time, however, Los Angeles fans cheered for him and shouted "We love you!"

For the first time ever, Lakers fans wore Lynch's jerseys in the stands, and the DJ even gave him a spectacular entrance ceremony with the passion of introducing a home team player.

After the game, Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni was filled with emotion: "The outcome is no longer important. Tonight, we can only pay tribute to greatness."

Kobe also gave a brief speech, reminiscing about the deep friendship between the two, a friendship that was both adversarial and friendly.

In the end, all the respect was embodied in that deep embrace between the two.

This is the perfect interpretation of a "retirement tour".

Lin Qi understood that even though he was playing away from home, he would receive the highest level of hospitality.

Lynch was moved by what was happening in Los Angeles, but not surprised.

As one of the Lakers' and Kobe's biggest rivals, he knew that his final trip to Staples Center would be anything but ordinary.

Lynch was mentally prepared for everything that was going to happen.

However, when the same grand tribute took place at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, the impact was entirely different.

He had no deep connection with this valley city; they were neither close friends nor sworn enemies.

The Sacramento Kings had virtually no presence in Lynch's career story. Even so, the fans and the team here spontaneously offered such sincere and intense respect.

At this moment, someone's casual remark, "In the end, it's just basketball," has become the most foolish empty talk in the world.

Whether it's the sweat shed, the boiling blood, the shining honors and the unforgettable defeats, whether it's the respect won or the hostility encountered—basketball is never just basketball.

The Kings' respect deeply moved Lynch, who truly felt that in his short ten-year professional career, he had already left a profound mark on the basketball world.

This summer, Lynch told James Dolan that his ultimate goal was to fight against time.

He doesn't want to be a player who fades into obscurity after retirement.

Now it seems he is on track to succeed.

In gratitude for everything the Sacramento Kings had done, Lynch delivered a crushing 42-point defeat to them.

By the end of the third quarter, the outcome was already decided, and Lin Qi had no intention of playing again.

However, during the fourth quarter, the fans at the stadium continued to chant "We want Lynch, we want Lynch".

There was no other way but to comply, so Lynch played for another four minutes in the fourth quarter, showing them great favor.

Of course, Kings fans don't care.

After the game, they continued to applaud and cheer for Lynch, even chanting "MVP".

The sound lasted for nearly three minutes in the Sleep Train Arena.

Anjali Ranadive, the daughter of the Sacramento Kings owner and a frequent chatterbox in Lynch's private messages, presented Lynch with a Kings jersey on behalf of the team.

She finally fulfilled her dream of making Lynch a Kings player.

To conclude all of this, Lynch circled the court to bid farewell to all the fans, ending his final visit to Sleep Train Arena as a player.

The enthusiastic cheers, like endless waves, escorted him all the way into the players' tunnel.

This scene prompted Mark Stein to immediately post on social media:
"A standard of excellence."

Back in the locker room, Lin Qi was filled with emotion.

He knew that his influence had exceeded his expectations.

But this unexpected warmth still made him feel very gratified.

At the post-game press conference, Lynch once again thanked the Kings fans and everyone.

However, one question broke the brief moment of warmth: "Lynch, does the team currently have any plans to bring in any players to fill the void left by Chandler Parsons? How important is this position to your championship aspirations?"

Yes, the biggest difference between Lynch's retirement tour and Kobe's retirement tour in another timeline is that he couldn't fully enjoy the joy of his retirement tour.

He must ensure that he becomes the ultimate winner of this season.

People wouldn't expect Kobe to have any outstanding achievements that season, but it's different for Lynch.

If he fails this season, all the tributes and warmth at this moment will seem like pity for the loser.

Therefore, he should not only enjoy people's respect.

He also needs to ensure that the team wins the season.

Just now, Lynch also saw Mark Stein's post.

For Lynch, the "standard of excellence" is not so simple.

The pressure on him was growing, and he had absolutely no room for failure.

“We don’t have any plans to bring in any new talent at the moment.” Lin Qi pulled himself out of his sentimental reverie and plunged back into the cold competition.

"So, how do you solve the defensive problem in the transition section?"

"I don't plan to discuss our tactics and strategies at the press conference."

"Will you play the entire half again next time you face the Oklahoma City Thunder? Do you plan to do the same throughout the series?"

"You'll see when we play the Oklahoma City Thunder."

Lynch's answers to these questions were rather perfunctory, but that doesn't mean the Knicks never tried to address the issues.

In fact, Lynch's old slave Sam Presti has been looking for available talent in the free agent market - at this stage it is almost impossible for the Knicks to strengthen their roster through trades unless they offer an extremely unbalanced premium, otherwise few teams are willing to help the Knicks strengthen their roster.

However, the wing players currently waiting for a free agent all have some shortcomings.

Ron Artest, Lynch's former teammate, is currently unemployed. He even called Lynch to ask if he could help contact a CBA team.

There's no place for him in Indianapolis now, but he hasn't officially announced his retirement. His problem is that his decline is too obvious; all he has left is experience.

Quentin Richardson is in a similar situation; he is experienced, but too old and his abilities are waning.

Of course, there are young players on the market. Xavier Henry, a 10 lottery pick and a former five-star high school player, is only a fourth-year player now.

Early in his career, he showed great potential.

But just like those veterans, the reason he's unemployed is definitely because there are problems.

His problem is that he has suffered two torn cruciate ligaments and a serious Achilles tendon injury at a young age.

Therefore, this is the reality of the free agent market.

This is also why Sam Presti has remained inactive; signing free agents is his last resort, a choice made out of desperation.

Now, the team and Lynch's hopes are pinned on the guy who has given Jason Kidd all the reins.

After returning to New York from his trip to Sacramento, Lynch went to watch a G League game.

The last time he came here was to see Ben Gordon.

This time, everyone knew why he had come.

Jason Kidd sat beside Lynch, quietly analyzing some of the Greek Freak's recent transformations:
“I put him at point guard here, which means he needs to handle a huge amount of information on the court. Maybe it’s getting the ball to the big men to attack the basket, or feeding the ball to the wing from the sideline, or making long passes from one side of the court to the other.”

He had to assess the situation in a very short time.

"How did he do?" Lynch asked. Just as he finished speaking, Giannis on the court made a pass that should have been an easy one.

Jason Kidd shrugged: "As you can see, it's fucking awful. If he can play point guard, I'll give him my only championship ring!"

At this point, Kidd's tone gradually softened:

"But your move really worked. It forced him to use a point guard's perspective to survey the entire court, which greatly improved his defensive reading ability. He has improved a lot on the defensive end and can now make pretty good defensive predictions."

Moreover, he possesses exceptional talent, often compensating for any shortcomings in judgment with his formidable natural gift. I mean, he only needs 60 points of judgment to deliver 70 points of defense. At least in the G League, he's already an outstanding wing defender.

It's hard to imagine that this kid didn't even receive an invitation to the Nike Summit; they must have been blind.

Lynch heard the assessment he wanted: the Greek Freak becoming a ball-dominant playmaker in his first year? That's unrealistic. Even a natural talent like Victor Wimbledon, who trained from a young age, only started handling the ball extensively in his third year of his career.

However, Giannis is fully capable of becoming a reliable defensive filler in his first year.

If he can develop as expected, his value in the playoffs will far exceed that of the aging and infirm players in the free agent market.

Lynch nodded in satisfaction: "Keep an eye on Jason. We might need him in the playoffs. You still have six months. How about we have dinner together after the game? It's on me. All-you-can-eat 'Wonder Crab Set Meal', no need to wait in line."

“Thanks, Lynch,” Kidd said, his eyes fixed on the court, refusing without turning his head. “But Giannis isn’t going anywhere. After the game, based on his performance tonight, I’ll ‘reward’ him with some extra ‘self-punishment’ training.”

"You mean, we should do extra training immediately after the match?"

"That's right, don't worry Lynch, the G League's intensity is just an appetizer for him. Besides, we're monitoring his health closely, there won't be any problems."

Lynch really hadn't expected Jason Kidd to be so strict: "If you treat him like this, doesn't Giannis resist?"

"Of course there was resistance at first. He often complained that the training was too tiring and said that I was a coach with the attitude of a Southern white rancher. It was hilarious. I could only tell him that I was a black man too."

"and after?"

"Later I told him: Shut your fucking mouth and train properly, this is the standard of excellence!"

He kept quiet after that.

Hearing that familiar final summary, Lin Qi smiled and nodded.

"Then I won't disturb you and your master tonight. But if you have time, I really recommend you try the 'Wonderful Crab Set Meal,' it tastes very good."

In the Development League game that evening, the Greeks made only 4 of 11 shots, scoring just 11 points and committing 5 turnovers.

But he also recorded 5 steals and 6 blocks.

After the match, Lynch went on stage to greet the Greek player. As they said goodbye, the Greek player suddenly grabbed Lynch's shoulder with his large hand:

"Boss, you don't need to sign any players. I can fill the last gap, and it'll be quick!"

As soon as Lynch turned around, Jason Kidd urged him to leave:

"Alright, your shooting and passing today were absolutely terrible! Go practice your shooting, now!"

Yes, achieving excellence is never easy.
-
Lynch is currently on the largest retirement tour in NBA history. Of course, everything that happened in Los Angeles and Sacramento was organized entirely by the fans and the team themselves. I believe no player would ask for a retirement tour to be arranged for them. — Charles Barkley's comment on Lynch's tour.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs for the second time this season, with Kevin Durant, Steph Stephenson, and LeBron James combining for 84 points. They are practically unbeatable in the Western Conference this year. —ESPN SportsCenter

That's the most vulgar and malicious marketing! And I would never make money for myself by disgusting others! — LeBron James angrily denounces Lynch's Wonder Crab Set Meal.

Alright, LeBron, go drink your Hennessy. Because of your influence, your special edition Hennessy is already $10 cheaper than the regular one. — Stephen A. Smith responding on behalf of Lynch.

Our fans will never put on a retirement tour for Lynch. He can only get one thing here: failure. — Kevin Durant on Lynch's away game impact.

(End of this chapter)