Champion Rules

Chapter 115, Section 111: No Need for Humility (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Amir Johnson became the most unhappy person in all of New York since Stephen A. Smith.

This outspoken benchwarmer has been making full use of his sharp tongue lately, and LeBron James has been the most frequently mocked by him.

Amir Johnson wasn't targeting LeBron James; he simply found that there was so much material to be used in James that his inspiration would always burst forth instantly.

Thus, he not only became Lynch's best henchman, but also Lynch's best spokesperson.

So when Nike used the marketing gimmick of "The Final Battle of the Four Forwards" to hype up the Finals, this Knicks locker room's most entertaining player went all out.

In Nike's marketing, Dirk Nowitzki has supposedly defeated the other two of the so-called "Big Four" forwards.

He had a 4-0 record against the Timberwolves in the regular season.

He beat Tim Duncan in the playoffs.

Now, all that's missing is Lin Qi, and he will completely eliminate the "Four Great Forwards".

This is what Nike wants to see; they want to use this kind of publicity to elevate Dirk to the status of "the league's best power forward."

But Amir Johnson told reporters upon arriving in Dallas.

"To hell with the 'Big Four'! This list doesn't even do Lynch justice. He's clearly a one-of-a-kind player. If we're going to make a 'Big Four' list, it should be Dirk, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, and me—after all, I'm an Eastern Conference championship-caliber power forward, the second-best power forward in the East, and I play like LeBron!"

Eric Dampier, the Mavericks' second-best center in the Western Conference, exclaimed that he was an expert, saying that when you're out in the world, you earn your own reputation.

Amir Johnson's move was an attempt to break Nike's media narrative and express his attitude: "Come on, Dirk Nowitzki and Lynch are not in the same league."

Amir Johnson's arrogance was not without foundation, and his greatest source of confidence was Lynch.

He felt that the Bulls players in the 90s were too honest, and if he could have been teammates with Michael Jordan, he would have become the most arrogant guy in the entire league.

Because when you're with MJ, failure is just a distant legend.

Since we won't lose, what's there to be afraid of?
Now, Amir Johnson clearly sees Lynch as his own MJ.

With Lin Qi around, even if I'm incredibly arrogant, those bastards can't take me down. Even if I spout nonsense, I can remain undefeated.

Only a fool would want to enjoy the thrill of showing off without risking being proven wrong!
It wasn't just Amir Johnson; the New York media, like local tycoon Donald Trump, were completely brainwashed by the "winning philosophy."

All media outlets are vying to use a new term on their front pages: MNGA!

Make Xinxiang great again!
No media outlet believed that the Dallas Mavericks posed a threat to the Knicks. The two-win record against the Mavericks in the regular season proved that Lenny Wilkens' strategy of playing Lynch at center and Michael Pietrus at power forward was flawless—Lynch could even perform at a top level in all three positions. How could Dirk Nowitzki beat him?

Nike's advertising is simply self-deception, because Dirk Nowitzki is 100% incapable of delivering an outstanding performance in the Finals.

The Mavericks' real key to victory lies with Jason Terry, Jerry Stackhouse, and Josh Howard.

If they can prevent a major breakout, or at least maintain their composure after a breakout, the Mavericks are completely out of the running.

This is not too difficult, after all, none of the three are superstars.

The Dallas Mavericks are like a model car next to a supercar; no matter how glamorous their appearance, they are destined to be mere supporting characters.

Stephen A. Smith even suggested imposing a 245% spectator tax on every fan traveling from Dallas to the game, because they would be witnessing the birth of a new king at Madison Square Garden—a rare opportunity for many. This special fund would be used to cast a championship memorial statue of Lynch, to be erected right at the entrance to Madison Square Garden! Oh, now tourists visiting New York will finally have something else to see besides the Statue of Liberty.

At this moment, even the air in New York is filled with the aroma of champagne before a coronation.

But in competitive sports, it seems that every time champagne is opened prematurely, an unexpected incident inevitably occurs.

People in Dallas think so too.

They all felt that New Yorkers' pride would consume them.

After defeating the Heat last season, The New York Times also couldn't wait to put up a headline like "Wanting to Wear the Crown," but what happened?

On June 8, 2006, the day the game started, when Lynch arrived at the American Airlines Center, many reporters asked him about his "pride".

"Do you really think you can easily crush the Dallas Mavericks? Jason Terry played exceptionally well in the last round, but you kept ignoring him. He could blow you out of the game. Your arrogance is ten times greater than last year, and Jason's bullet is already loaded. As the team leader, do you think your pride will ruin everything?"

Lynch shrugged and simply replied, "Who the hell would get blown up by Jason Terry in the Finals?"

Yes, Lynch had absolutely no intention of being modest and showed no sign of concealing his brilliance.
The team's pride is clearly built on absolute strength, so why should he be humble? Why does he have to act like a pushover?

Furthermore, the Knicks did not let their pride lull them into complacency.

On the contrary, everyone was determined, training hard and preparing diligently, hoping to live up to the media hype and the fans' expectations on the field.

Pride is not an empty shell, but a desire shared by all Knicks players.

As golden confetti gathered on the dome of Madison Square Garden, New Yorkers were no longer satisfied with the humble posture of the "challenger."

Willis Reed's inspiring limping legend is a thing of the past, so both New York fans and Knicks players are eager to proudly declare the strength of the Blue and Orange Army.

They have waited for far too long, and endured humiliation for far too long.

They don't want to be humble for even a second longer. Yes, the powerful one is myself!
The saying "pride comes before a fall" is nothing more than Dallas's last bit of luck.

While changing clothes in the locker room, Lynch looked at Stephon Marbury, crumpled up a piece of paper, and accurately hit him on the head: "Stephon, you should attack more in the opening stages. I want to focus on defense first."

Marbury laughed: "Looks like the second-best center in the West is giving you a headache, huh? Michael's got Dirk sorted out, who do you need to guard now? Just bombard them with your offense, like you did in the regular season!"

“No, I’m going to sweep the court. I’m going to pin Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and Jerry Stackhouse down. I’m going to show them that their X factor doesn’t exist, that they have no chance.”

Lynch acknowledged one point made by the Dallas media: if those three players were to explode, the game would become very troublesome.

It's not that we lack confidence in winning in an offensive battle, but if they unleash their full potential, it will definitely increase the difficulty of the match.

Lynch wanted to crush their confidence from the very beginning.

He would sweep around, forcing them to either miss shots or pass the ball.

He wants to create fear and despair.

This might give Eric Dampier some opportunities, but it doesn't matter; the second-best center in the West can't kill any game.

Marbury nodded: "You're really ruthless, Lynch. Fine, just give me solid screens, and I'll lead the team to stabilize the offense."

The match will begin in forty minutes.

The Dallas Mavericks put on a grand entrance ceremony for their starting lineup today, with spotlights cascading down like a galaxy and the Mavericks' starting five stepping onto the field amidst a deluge of dry ice mist, accompanied by a deafening DJ roar.

The ceremony thrilled all the fans, and Mark Cuban, wearing a T-shirt with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on it, yelled at Lynch, "The Dallas Cowboys aren't to be messed with, you bastards!"

The pupils of the New York players shrank to pinpoints amidst the dazzling visual effects, their gazes intensely focused, like a pack of wolves about to begin their hunt.

As the two teams approached the center circle, Jason Terry walked up to the Knicks wearing five layers of socks—he firmly believed that wearing five brand-new socks would bring him good luck.

"Lin Qi, no one has ever been completely dominated by me in the Finals, because this is my first time playing in the Finals. So, one of you will be the first (to be dominated by me)!"

He is very confident, as he always has been.

Lynch did not respond; this kind of role was not worth his response.

The game finally began, and Lynch won the first possession for the Knicks.

Compared to their offense, the Dallas Mavericks' defense is utterly negligible. In the Western Conference, there hasn't been a single series in which the Dallas Mavericks defeated their opponent solely through defense.

Let's not even talk about their first-round matchup against the Grizzlies, who are far weaker than them in terms of pure skill.

In the second round against the Spurs, the Mavericks allowed all three of their key players (Ginobili, Duncan, and Tony Parker) to score over 20 points per game with extremely high efficiency. Ginobili averaged 21 points per game with a 48% field goal percentage, while Duncan averaged 32 points per game with a 55% field goal percentage.

This was even more evident in the Western Conference Finals against the Suns, where Diaw, Nash, Marion, and Raja Bell all averaged over 16 points per game with a 50% field goal percentage.

Compared to the Knicks-Pistons' meat grinder battle, the Dallas Mavericks' winning formula was based on a high-scoring shootout.

Therefore, it shouldn't be difficult for the Knicks to break through the Mavericks' defense.

Lynch set up a screen for Marbury, and Josh Howard quickly bypassed the barrier in front of the Son of New York.

But Marbury bounced the ball to Eddie Jones, who cut to the basket and easily scored a layup—Eric Dampier had to come out to defend Lynch, leaving the Mavericks' interior defense incredibly vulnerable.

The score was 2-0, but the cheers from the Dallas fans did not diminish in the slightest.

Losing points doesn't matter; they believe the team will bounce back quickly!
Dirk Nowitzki received the ball in the elbow area, but Michael Pietrus's iron-like arms pinned Nowitzki's waist and abdomen, his knee pressing against his leg, his heavy breathing, tinged with sweat, spraying onto the German's face. The suffocating pressure from Pietrus made every muscle fiber of the German machine scream.

All of this disgusted the Germans.

Dirk Nowitzki has not encountered a similar opponent in the previous series.

Bruce Bowen of the Spurs is cunning, but in reality, aside from that one foot-planting incident, his defensive aggression isn't particularly strong. He's a "leading" defender; his greatest strength is blocking all lanes and forcing you to face Duncan.

The Suns' defense was hardly any threat. Boris Diaw and Shawn Marion always seemed to be lazily waiting for the next fast break, unwilling to put in any extra effort on the defensive end.

But against the Knicks, their defensive style changed drastically.

Their defense against Nowitzki lacked any complex strategies; it was simply a brutal, brute-force approach.

Nowitzki could feel the scorching gazes of the entire arena burning his back, and the cheers of the Dallas fans pounded in his ears as they craved a goal from their leader to ignite the American Airlines Center.

Nowitzki wanted to do that too, but reason prevailed and he chose to pass the ball.

Jason Terry had already bypassed the off-ball screen to receive the ball beyond the three-point line. Facing Eddie Jones, the Jets sneered, "Don't spit on our beautiful floor, trash."

After saying that, Terry accelerated, got past Eddie Jones, and then pulled up for a mid-range jump shot, confident that it would pierce the net.

Terry's heart tightened when Lynch came to greet him.

Lynch's help defense came swiftly and decisively, completely ignoring Eric Dampier under the basket.

The basketball almost flew over Lynch's fingertips. Yes, almost.

The ball was eventually touched lightly by Lynch's fingertip. It may have been just a light touch, but it was enough to change the trajectory of the basketball.

"Lynch's first block of the night came earlier than we expected! The jet engine just ignited and it crashed!" Mike Breen sighed. Jason Terry was great, but he wasn't a superstar. He was at best a fringe All-Star. He couldn't challenge Lynch.

After the block, the ball fell into Eric Dampier's hands. If Lynch closes out, Dampier will almost certainly grab a lot of offensive rebounds; that's inevitable.

But as soon as he got the basketball, Lynch had already returned to the paint and was closely guarding him.

The second-best center in the West hooked a shot under Lynch's raised arms, giving Lynch his first rebound of the game.

Mike Brown shook his head: "With Lynch guarding the paint, Eric can't convert offensive rebounds into second-chance points. There's no one who can get away here!"

Lynch passed the ball to Marbury, who used a beautiful double back dribble to get past Stackhouse, who was trying to stop the fast break near the midline, and went straight into the paint for a layup.

At 4-0, if the Mavericks can't respond on offense, their defense is practically useless.

The cheers from the Dallas residents subsided somewhat, but the flame of hope was not completely extinguished.

This time, Jerry Stackhouse had the ball and went one-on-one. He used a change of direction to find an opening, then leaned on Sam Cassell and drove into the penalty area.

Seeing that Eric Dampier had already boxed out Lynch for him, Stackhouse confidently raised his hand for a layup.

As a result, Lynch jumped from behind Eric Dampier and slapped Stackhouse's layup back.

The cheers at the American Airlines Center subsided again. Lynch was like an insurmountable tower; his mere presence inspired fear.

The Knicks retaliated, with Marbury driving and dishing to Michael Pietrus for a three-pointer, making it 7-0.

On the Knicks' bench, everyone was waving towels wildly.

Amir Johnson waved his arms: "Damn it, where's your guy who's going to purge the four forwards?"

Mark Cuban, who was just moments before incredibly excited, was like a writer who suffers from premature ejaculation due to lack of exercise—he was bursting with excitement a few minutes ago, but a few minutes later he sat back down, completely dazed.

In the next possession, Josh Howard's mid-range jump shot also missed under Lynch's interference. To be precise, it almost airballed; the ball merely grazed the front of the rim.

The cheers at the American Airlines Center were finally cut off by the sharp blade at this moment. The trident that Dallas relied on to win was completely strangled by Lynch in the very beginning!
But Josh Howard quickly redeemed himself, chasing Eddie Jones on his second drive of the game and delivering a spectacular block.

Josh Howard is one of the few bright spots for the Mavericks on the defensive end.

The basketball bounced off and landed in Jerry Stackhouse's hands. Stackhouse was being entangled by Marbury, so he passed the ball to Terry.

Terry sprinted across the field, but he saw Lynch right behind him, and the deathly figure made him a little nervous.

So the Jets, after driving into the paint, didn't go for a layup but instead passed the ball to Stackhouse who was following up.

Lynch immediately turned to face Stackhouse, raising his center of gravity to prepare for a jump block.

Stackhouse, after driving to the basket, suddenly braked, dribbled outwards, and passed the ball. Lynch single-handedly shut down the Dallas Mavericks' 2-on-1 fast break. Mike Breen had never seen any player exude such terrifying intimidation when defending a fast break!
"Damn it!" Mark Cuban yelled from the stands, "What the hell are you all afraid of?!"

Josh Howard, who was celebrating in the half, was completely dumbfounded. He never expected that this counterattack would turn into a positional battle!
How did you guys do that?!

He rushed up, received a pass from Stackhouse, and then started running, using his bull-like momentum to overpower Eddie Jones's side defense.

However, when faced with Lynch coming up to help defend, Josh Howard was not as brave as Beatry and Stackhouse. His deep-seated cowardice was still exposed, which led him to pass the ball from Lynch's waist to Eric Dampier under the basket.

Eric Dampier's movements seemed so slow to Lynch. This man was not entirely useless; he was indeed a decent rim protector.

But what about attacking?
Forget it, the Dallas team isn't really counting on him to score, is they?
Dampier's layup near the basket was so badly interfered with by Lynch that it became a bridge, resulting in an airball!

Michael Pietrus grabbed the rebound and passed it to Stephon Marbury.

Marbury broke through while the Mavericks were still getting into position, but then slammed the ball into the backboard after entering the paint.

Lynch followed up, grabbing the rebounding basketball with both hands to complete a powerful dunk.

The New York Knicks practically turned the NBA Finals into an All-Star Game!
With the score at 9-0, the game had barely begun when Avery Johnson had to call a timeout in a rather embarrassing manner.

After completing the dunk, Lynch jumped up and bumped chests with Marbury, while the other Knicks players celebrated unrestrainedly at the American Airlines Arena.

Their pride has not diminished in the slightest.

Mike Breen has started to sympathize with Dallas fans, but there's nothing he can do; the gap in skill between the two sides is just that obvious. Or rather, the difference in level between Lynch and Dirk is just that clear.

“I think,” Mike Breen shrugged, “the New York Knicks really don’t need to be modest, and besides, no one is going to get blown out by Jason Terry in the Finals.”

(End of this chapter)