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Chapter 301 The Knicks' Collapse: The Final Step to GOAT Status

After losing Game 4, only a very small number of fans online still believe the Knicks will win the championship.

The league's top management is also very desperate about this.

Because if it were possible
Who wouldn't want this highly anticipated finals series to go to seven games?
However, the league, whose initial intention was simply to make the finals a little more "balanced," shouldn't be too discouraged.

After all, after these two games where everyone knows the Warriors were playing "five against eight," Qin Yue's status in the eyes of contemporary fans has far surpassed that of Michael Jordan back then.

The finals saw consecutive games with scores of 60+.

Even though they were constantly targeted by the referees during the game, Qin Yue still led the Warriors to a crushing victory at Madison Square Garden with unstoppable momentum.

Online, after the fourth game, even Knicks fans sided with Warriors fans, saying that no matter how people evaluate Qin Yue's historical status in the future, Qin Yue will always be number one in history.

"The Messiah is now just one game away from becoming the true greatest player of all time." — The New York Times

As a member of the Bulls dynasty, Pippen said in an interview: "I don't deny that Messiah is better than Michael, but I believe that if the Bulls of that time played a series against the current Warriors, we would have a chance to beat them."

During this year's Finals, according to ESPN statistics, more than 90% of American fans believed that Qin Yue was already a better player than Jordan.

As for "Egg" Ben Dan, one of the parties involved in this "GOAT debate"?
Regarding the question of who is greater, Qin Yue or himself, Jordan said: "In my eyes, what he has achieved since entering the league can only be described as incredible. Yes, I would vote for him in the all-time best player vote."

Contrary to what many people imagine.

Although after his second retirement, Jordan, who became known as "Capitalist Egg," would often make statements that made it seem as if God had taken away his emotional intelligence.

But in reality, Danzi has always been the same Danzi.

However, the change in his status forced Jordan to choose to protect his class interests.

Now that the NBA of this era has become one that has to defer to the whims of Qin Yue, the new GOAT, it is of course Jordan's inescapable duty to protect Qin Yue's image, as he desperately hopes that the NBA can continue to improve and that the Charlotte Hornets' market value can continue to soar.

Moreover, regardless of the rift that had developed between Qin Yue and him since the "Dallas incident," in Jordan's eyes, Qin Yue was the only player qualified to challenge him.

Do not ask.

The question is, what if you were Jordan?

Would you rather see a truly deserving player stand shoulder to shoulder with you after achieving equal individual and team honors, or would you rather see an undeserving player constantly trying to capitalize on your greatness through commercial marketing?
That's right.

In this "GOAT debate" that has already sparked heated discussions among outsiders...
Do you think people are just praising the Qin Dynasty?

No, quite the opposite.
After reviewing the various honors that Da Qin has already won, people will realize that surpassing Jordan in the NBA is such a difficult thing.

First, as a stepping stone, you need at least six championship rings won as the team's leader.

Secondly, to truly deserve the title, you must at least rule an entire era like Qin Yue, making countless heroes and great men mere background figures in your presence.

And finally, it's time to compare individual honors.

To date, Qin Yue's major personal achievements in terms of honors are as follows:
Six-time scoring champion.

One-time assist leader.

Seven-time rebounding champion.

Seven-time leader in blocks.

Six-time regular season MVP.

Four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

He was selected to the NBA All-NBA First Team seven times.

He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times.

Five-time Finals MVP.

NBA regular season scoring champion and holder of the single-game scoring record.

He holds the NBA playoff record for most 50+ points in a single game (21 times).
He holds the NBA record for most 20+ point quarters in both the regular season and playoffs (68 times).
With a few modifications, it's easy to achieve a record that's unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.

And in the eyes of the world, the Warriors are about to achieve the first four-peat in the NBA since complete statistical records were introduced.
From a legendary rookie in his early days to the basketball god he is today.

Eight years of professional career, seven full seasons.

Admittedly, Qin Yue's ability to surpass Jordan's popularity this season is inseparable from the various sponsors behind him.

But if it weren't for those great matches that have been recorded in history, how could Qin Yue define his own greatness?
Again.

Greatness can never be created by oneself.

In the world of basketball, where skill is everything, to reach the top, you must have the ability to knock all your competitors off the cliff.

Instead of choosing to detour around mountains like rivers, and proclaiming, "Since I've avoided that mountain, why can't I be called great?"

……

Two days later, the Warriors returned to Oakland and officially faced the Knicks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

On the night of the game, several familiar faces appeared courtside at Oracle Arena.

Before the match, Ron Artest, who had already announced his retirement this summer, joked with Qin Yue during a casual chat: "I heard you've prepared your victory speech. I'm curious to see in which segment I'll appear."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yue was first taken aback, then paused in surprise.

Seeing this, Artest quickly asked, "You're not still holding a grudge against me from back then, are you?"

“How could that be, Ron? Although we’re no longer teammates, we’ll always be friends.” After patting Artest on the shoulder, Qin Yue said, “Trust me, your name will appear in the earlier paragraphs.”

At this moment, Artest, having received Qin Yue's promise, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

just
As soon as he turned around, Qin Yue handed over an incredibly difficult task to Kwame Brown: "Remember to help me think about which paragraph I should put Ron in during halftime."

"Why me?" Brown asked curiously.

"I feel at ease because of your writing skills."

On the other hand, this was the Clippers' most disastrous trade in recent years.
Baron Davis, who only played 11 games for the Clippers in the 12/13 season but earned a whopping $1580 million, is busy showing off his glorious past as the Warriors' second option to young players like Curry.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. If Balang were reliable, pigs would fly."

Regarding the claim that Davis took credit for many things that didn't belong to him, Troy Murphy bluntly exposed it.

This season, plagued by injuries, Murphy, like Artest, is also preparing to leave the NBA.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Murphy will accept the Warriors' invitation to return to the Bay Area as part of the team's management team for the upcoming season.

As for "Dunley", the "God of Warriors" beloved by all the fans back then? On the sidelines, as he handed his treasured baseball bat to Jimmy Butler, Dunley remarked, "Kobe was right, friends come and go, but the championship banner flies high."

Friends come and go.

That night, it wasn't just Artest, Davis, Murphy, and Dunleavy.

Champions who have worn the Warriors jersey in the past, including Richardson, Biedrins, Nash, Hill, Bell, Ben Wallace, McRoberts, Bynum, Morrow, and others, were all invited by the Warriors management to attend the event.

Before the game, a giant poster featuring players from the Warriors' "1.0", "2.0" and "3.0" eras evoked nostalgia among fans from all over the world for their lost youth.

At the scene in Oakland, former Bay Area legend Rick Barry said, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to these players who have made great contributions to the Warriors in the past."

From 2005 to 2013, led by that greatest player of all time, they together created a great era.

If, at the end of Game 4, Qin Yue still didn't understand why Brown hoped more than anyone else that he could become the undisputed GOAT, and didn't want anyone to try and claim him as the GOAT in the future.

At that moment, Qin Yue understood the true value of the statement, "Your greatness represents not only yourself, but also all Warriors players of this era."

"You know, I'm from Latvia. There's a proverb in my hometown that says, 'One tree cannot make a forest, and one person cannot make a country.' So, no matter how many times you ask me, I'll tell you that basketball is a team sport," Biedrins said in a pre-game interview. "But I'll also tell you that in the Bay Area, only Messiah is qualified to lead us forward. He's unique, and in my mind, he's far superior to Michael Jordan."

Last summer, Nash, who chose to return to Toronto, Canada to start playing basketball with joy, said: "I think no one can define the greatness of Messiah, because in my opinion, what he has achieved so far has far surpassed everyone else."

Hill, who has always presented himself as a gentleman, said: "You know, in this day and age, it is the saddest thing to be an enemy of the Messiah, because it means you have chosen to be an enemy of God."

The entrance ceremony phase.

As the golden wave that once terrified countless visiting teams began to roll, the era of the warriors, known as the Great Qin, reached its climax.

About ten minutes later, in the center of the field, the referee Salvatore, who is known for his fairness and impartiality, took the ball and walked to the center circle.

Just as Qin Yue had predicted.

After withstanding the league's "balance" test, the league, unable to secure three consecutive wins against the Knicks, chose to let the game return to its core purpose in Game 5 of the Finals.

Before the jump ball began, the starting lineups for both the home and away teams were displayed on the big screen.

The home team, the Warriors, consists of Brown, Qin Yue, Wallace, Green, and Curry.

Away team Knicks: Howard, Love, Iguodala, Durant, Harden.

During the jump ball, Qin Yue won possession for the Warriors.

Curry dribbled the ball across half-court amid cheers from the home crowd.

Then, as soon as Qin Yue moved to the high post to receive the ball, the fans in the Oakland stadium went crazy, chanting "GOAT" for him, a phrase that only existed in someone's imagination.

Barkley told TNT, "You might not believe it, but even as this game started, my Chinese colleagues were still asking me if, in my eyes, Messiah really deserved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Michael Jordan back in the day."

Standing nearby, O'Neal said, half-laughing and half-crying, "What did you answer them, Charles?"

Barkley shrugged and said, "I'm telling you, man, you should ask that question differently, because in my eyes, Michael Jordan isn't worthy of carrying the Messiah's shoes."

O'Neal laughed and said, "That's very Charles Barkley's answer."

The first attack of the game.

He beat Howard in one step.

There are no fancy techniques involved.

At the moment Qin Yue leaped into the air, all the world could feel was the beauty of numbers.

Bang-dang——!
Qin Yue scores with a powerful dunk in the Knicks' paint.

CCTV commentator Yu Jia remarked, "As a Chinese football fan, I think we are both lucky and unlucky. We are lucky to have witnessed Qin Yue's peak, but we are unlucky that we may have to wait fifty or even a hundred years for the next Qin Yue to appear."

Now it's the Knicks' turn to attack.

Harden, still haunted by the shadow of the previous decisive game, wore a look of deep anxiety beneath his imposing beard.

During a pick-and-roll with Love at the high post, Harden, who was delayed by Qin Yue, almost handed the ball to Qin Yue himself.

Why almost?

According to some fans, while the team that makes the pass is certainly responsible for the mistake, does that mean the player who receives the ball has no problem?
Therefore, even if Harden made a mistake at this moment, he should not bear all the responsibility.

On the court, Qin Yue, having gladly accepted Harden's gift, immediately dribbled the ball and launched a transition attack.

Like a fire-breathing dragon, he dribbled the ball all the way to the frontcourt and scored with a powerful solo dunk.

Then, the Knicks regained possession of the ball.

Under Curry's one-on-one defense, Harden, who even started to lose his grip on the ball, instantly exposed his cowardly heart to the world.

In Qin Yue's previous life, there were always people who blamed him for having bad luck.

But is there a possibility?
Before blaming himself for bad luck, Harden should first reflect on his heart, which is more prone to breaking down when faced with dire situations.
It's no exaggeration to say that, starting from the fourth quarter of Game 4 in this Finals series, Harden became a mole for the Warriors.

Do not ask.

The question is, in terms of helping his contemporary rivals ascend to the throne, James Harden might not be any less than James.

On the court, seeing that Harden was unreliable, Iguodala quickly took the ball.

However, that night...
Harden is clearly not the only Knicks player who is intimidated before the game even starts.

Warriors' paint area.

Howard's weak and feeble attack on the basket was immediately met with a ruthless interception from Brown.

In this Finals series, Dwight Howard, who had been a tireless worker for the team all year, found his path to the championship increasingly distant.
In addition, he was relentlessly beaten by Qin Yue during the match.

At this moment, all Howard really wanted was to finish the game and go home.

For fans who still hope the Knicks will win the championship, this is undoubtedly a picture that fills them with deep despair.

Because of this fifth game of the Finals
Right from the start of the game, the Knicks showed signs of collapsing.

On TNT, Barkley shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Looks like we can congratulate the Warriors in advance."

O'Neal chimed in, "It turns out that in New York, the Knicks lost more than just the games themselves after losing two straight."

"They also lost their confidence to continue competing with the Warriors."

……

(End of this chapter)