Champion Rules

Chapter 116, Section 112: The Dice Have Been Rolled (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

For many traditional fans, the Dallas Mavericks' exit from the Western Conference is an unacceptable outcome.

They couldn't believe that Dirk Nowitzki, a big man who played fadeaway jumpers, preferred facing the basket to post-up play, and lacked outstanding defensive ability, had actually defeated the great Tim Duncan.

This unconventional ending overturned people's understanding of basketball, just like at the beginning of the small-ball era, no one believed that the Warriors could use three-pointers as the key to victory.

Of course, you could say that the Spurs' elimination was mainly Manu Ginobili's fault.

His foolish foul in the final moments of Game 7 gave Nowitzki a chance to turn the tide with a 2+1 play, allowing the Mavericks to escape with their lives and force overtime.

The Argentine player admitted after the match, "I may need a whole summer of hard work to atone for my sins."

You could also argue that Duncan's individual performance was still better than Nowitzki's.

But no matter what, the Mavericks were the ultimate winners. Nowitzki's team defeated Tim Duncan's team, and Duncan would never consider that his team lost while he didn't.

But now, traditional basketball enthusiasts can start cheering.

As it turns out, traditional, defense-focused big men like Lynch remain the true controllers of the game.

Jason Terry's hesitation to face the basket, Stackhouse's cowardice in being forced to pass, and Josh Howard's hasty and awkward shots—these offensive talents, who were indulged in the West, were crushed by the Knicks' traditional defense-first mentality.

Unlike in the original history, the league at this time was still in the dark age of defense. The No HandCheck rule had been proposed, but it was not fully implemented in the game, and the referees still tacitly allowed the defensive intensity of the old era.

Moreover, this is the Finals, so the intensity will only be greater. Even in 2025, when physicality is less emphasized, the intensity of the playoffs is still considerable, and injuries to star players due to intense physical contact are commonplace, let alone in this era of dark defense.

Therefore, the Dallas Mavericks will only face increasing difficulties in the future.

Because the New York Knicks' defensive prowess at the start of the game wasn't just a flash in the pan, but would continue every minute of the series.

After the Trident's offense went cold, Dirk Nowitzki finally decided to step up.

The German team, on whom high hopes were placed, attempted to break the deadlock with off-the-ball movement, but was met with a relentless, hound-like harassment from Michael Pietrus.

Michael Pietrus's pursuit of Nowitzki was like a NYPD cop, full of energy after eating a donut, stumbling upon a suspicious Black man. Whether the Black man had committed a crime or not, he was bound to be arrested that day.

Of course, the colors on the field were completely reversed. Black people were chasing white people, and the white people had an innocent look on their faces that said, "I didn't fucking do anything."

At this moment, Black people and French people formed a close spiritual bond, a desperate counterattack they had always dreamed of.

The moment the German machine received the ball at the right three-point line, Pietrus was already there like a shadow, forcing Nowitzki to miss his jump shot during the confrontation.

Michael Pietrus's defense against Nowitzki was incredibly tight, not just because of honors, but also because it was his chance to sign an early contract extension.

For a role player like Pietrus, who is already 24 years old, the second contract of his career directly determines whether he can have a stable life.

Rookie contracts don't pay much, and by the time they sign their second contract, they'll be almost 30 and will gradually be phased out of the league.

So if they want to make big money, they can only pin their hopes on a second contract.

Michael Pietrus hopes to impress Sam Presti with his performance in the Finals. Knicks owner Dolan is known for his lavish spending, and if he can prove his worth against an MVP-caliber superstar, he will naturally get more points on the contract negotiation table.

This real pressure translates into explosive power in every muscle on the defensive end, making Nowitzki feel like he's in hell every possession.

On the bench, Amir Johnson, the second-best power forward in the East, was eager to make his move.

He put his arm around Lenny Wilkens' shoulder: "Boss, Michael has already taken on too much for us. I'm willing to share his burden. Send me onto the court as soon as possible! I'm willing to defend the hardest guy on the team! I'm willing to sacrifice!"

Mike Malone, who was standing to the side, laughed. Sacrifice? You're just afraid that if you're late, you won't even get a turn, right?
Nowitzki still struggled to score, while Lynch had broken free from the defensive framework and started to exert his offensive influence.

He backed down in the low post, leaning against Eric Dampier and raising his hand to ask for the ball.

Dampier is confident; his low-post defense is indeed quite good.

In the original 2006 Finals, Eric Dampier once made Shaq very embarrassed.

Shaq once complained: "You know, Eric really stinks. It makes it impossible for me to play on the court. I don't like this feeling. He keeps bothering you, and I can hardly breathe through my nose. I don't like him at all unless he can get rid of the stench."

Lynch didn't smell the stench on Dampier, but his resistance was indeed fierce.

Unlike Shaq of the Heat, Lynch has enough speed to be perfect for dealing with the tough but slow Dampier.

Dampier's most awkward defensive position is that there are no players as strong as him who are faster than him, and no players as slow as him.

Lynch turned and drove towards the baseline, and Eric Dampier couldn't keep up at all, leaving Lynch with no choice but to contest the shot.

Lynch was nearly knocked off the baseline. He jumped before losing his balance, half his body already behind the backboard, but he still managed to dunk at a completely astonishing negative angle on the other side of the basket, thanks to his long arms.

This dunk silenced the faint cheers at the American Airlines Arena, and the Dallas Mavericks were completely suppressed on both offense and defense.

At this moment, the champagne predictions that were criticized as "arrogant" before the match suddenly seem so natural.

As Lynch said, they don't need to be humble.

The game was a foregone conclusion from the start. Dirk Nowitzki only got a few opportunities to perform at the end of the first quarter because Amir Johnson came on.

He confidently defended Dirk Nowitzki, hoping to get some screen time from the German.

In the very first possession, Nowitzki drove straight to the basket and scored a layup.

One possession later, Nowitzki again bypassed multiple screens and fired a three-pointer, scoring consecutive points.

Amir Johnson: ? ? ?

When I watched Michael Pietrus defend, the German looked so weak.

Why did the style of the story suddenly change when it came to me?!

That was LeBron James a moment ago, but upon closer inspection, it looks like Michael Jordan!

Commentator Mike Breen shook his head with a smile: "The second-best center in the West and the second-best power forward in the East are going to have a tough time tonight. This round of the Finals is really a graveyard for the vice-center and power forward."

Dirk Nowitzki certainly didn't become stronger overnight; he didn't change. It's just that Amir Johnson, as a power forward, wasn't as quick as Michael Pietrus, making it difficult for him to contain the German machine.

Nowitzki is by no means weak; after all, not every team has a player whose speed and physicality are comparable to his.

Once you put a regular power forward in front of him, he will immediately show his terrifying side.

After defending for those two rounds, Amir Johnson was immediately substituted by Lenny Wilkens.

As Amir Johnson walked off the court, he scratched his head sheepishly: "You know, boss, as the second-best power forward in the East, I'm better at playing second fiddle." After that, Lenny Wilkens put Grant Hill in the power forward position during transition periods.

His defense wasn't as aggressive as Michael Pietrus's, but with his extensive defensive experience, he still made it very difficult for Nowitzki to play against him.

The game completely fell into New York's rhythm, and there were no further surprises. The Dallas Mavericks spent the entire game in despair.

Watching the Dallas Mavericks on TV, who seemed to have no idea how to play basketball, Shaquille O'Neal almost crushed the remote control.

During the regular season, the Heat lost both of their matchups against the Mavericks, and both were crushing defeats.

One game ended in a score of 103-90, while the other was a humiliating 112-76.

He knew the Dallas Mavericks' capabilities, so after being eliminated by the Pistons, he had a sense of comfort: "Although I didn't win a championship, at least Kobe and Lynch didn't win either. I just didn't win, but I didn't lose."

He never believed the New York Knicks could easily beat the Dallas Mavericks.

But now, the course of the game is completely different from what he expected.

The Dallas Mavericks were like skinny high school students trying to compete against an experienced gym teacher, completely outmatched.

Mike Brin also mentioned this point.

"I know the course of this game surprised many people, and I must emphasize again that the Dallas Mavericks are very strong in the regular season. Don't forget that they once left another strong team in the East, the Miami Heat, helpless."

The Heat's defense was somewhat top-heavy; their interior defense was aggressive, but their perimeter defense relied heavily on Dwyane alone. Therefore, the Mavericks often found themselves in excellent form on the perimeter when facing the Heat.

The New York Knicks have a well-balanced defense. Even with Michael Jordan at the power forward position, they still have defensive stalwarts on the perimeter like Stephenson, Sam, Eddie, and Trevor. This allows the Knicks to contain Dirk Nowitzki while also shutting down the Mavericks' perimeter game.

Oh, look, Eddie's made another steal. And look at his defense—don't underestimate this three-time All-Defensive Team selection.

Last season, Shaq fired him, believing he was the culprit for the Heat's Game 7 loss.

But as it turns out, Shaq was just shirking responsibility.

Look at him, look at him now! Wearing a Knicks jersey, he's accelerating his championship run with top-tier wing defense!

Shaq may not be able to make him a champion, but Lynch can.

As the narration blared from the multi-thousand-dollar audio equipment, the shark slammed the remote control against the screen, shattering the expensive giant TV and revealing his distorted face in the flying glass shards.

"Fake!"

The shark roared hysterically.

Eddie Jones is going to succeed, Lynch is going to succeed, and he is going to lose miserably.

The pride of being "the most dominant center in history" was shattered by Lynch and Eddie Jones.

When Eddie Jones assisted Lynch for an alley-oop dunk, the eruption on the New York bench contrasted sharply with the Mavericks players' numb expressions.

The air conditioning at the American Airlines Arena seemed to suddenly malfunction, and Dallas fans' sweat mixed with despair seeped onto their seats.

The Cowboys' grand final was filled with the deathly stillness of a graveyard in the first home game.

At halftime, the Knicks led by 15 points.

At the start of the third quarter, before the game began, Lynch walked up to Dirk, placed his well-defined knuckles heavily on Dirk's shoulder, and said something to him.

No one knows exactly what Lynch said, but Dirk Nowitzki performed even worse in the second half than in the first.

He seemed to have suffered a huge blow to his psyche; he was in a daze, and he seemed to have developed severe self-doubt, unable to mount any decent offense. His shooting arc began to betray his muscle memory, and the basketball repeatedly slammed against the side of the rim with a dull thud.

This MVP candidate, who swept the Western Conference in the regular season, now looks like he's had his spine removed.

"Damn it, what happened?! What did that bastard say to you?!" Avery Johnson yelled from the sidelines, clutching his head.

This is also something Mike Brin is curious about.

"We all know how powerful Lynch's psychological tactics are. Gilbert Arenas tried it last season in the playoffs. What spell did Lynch just use to influence Dirk?"

Not long into the fourth quarter, Lynch pierced the net with a three-pointer, extending the lead to 31 points and shattering the last hopes of the home team's fans.

The game was over at that moment. The Knicks' star player pointed indifferently to the sky and walked to the bench, leaving behind a stat line of 26 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks.

Unlike his arrogant demeanor before the game, Lynch was surprisingly calm after winning. He neither provoked the home fans nor shouted.

Because today's victory and statistics are insignificant to Lynch.

His thoughts had flown to Madison Square Garden, and his thoughts had returned to New York.

This genius, who has conquered Europe and the Olympic arena, can't wait to lift the trophy in the highest hall of the basketball world.

The game ended with the New York Knicks defeating the Dallas Mavericks 113-87 on the road.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 points, shooting only 5-for-15 from the field.

Jason Terry scored 22 points, but it wasn't enough to save the Mavericks.

As Lynch was preparing to be interviewed by reporters, Stephon Marbury, with a trembling hand, grabbed Lynch's jersey and asked, his voice choked with emotion.

"Are we really going to win the championship for New York? Damn, are we really going to do it!?"

Faced with immense joy, people subconsciously begin to doubt the authenticity of this immense happiness.

Lynch rubbed Marbury's head without saying a word.

Because the answer is obvious.

The answer is written on the scoreboard, a bloody 113 to 87; it is written in the vacant eyes of the Mavericks players; it is written on Dirk Nowitzki's #41 jersey, soaked with cold sweat.
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"I played pretty well. Dirk only scored two goals over me. And I didn't make any mistakes; I'm always someone who focuses on controlling my errors." — Amir Johnson, who was substituted after only two rounds defending Dirk, proudly commented on his performance today.

To put it another way, half of Dirk's points from open play came off that idiot Amir. — Kurt Thomas jokingly remarked about his teammate.

I followed Shaq in Los Angeles and witnessed countless playoff sweeps. I followed Shaq in Miami, and he made me the scapegoat for the losses. Now, I'm with Lynch in New York, and I've never been so close to a championship. That's the difference; I don't need to say more. — Eddie Jones on the difference between Lynch and Shaq.

I don't know, I probably won't be able to sleep for the next few days. Damn, bring a championship to New York? That's the glory Patrick Ewing couldn't reach even at his peak, the crown Pat Riley's meticulously built iron army couldn't obtain, the thing Bernard King couldn't do, the thing no one has been able to do for the past 33 years! And now, I, a kid from Coney Island, have the opportunity to forge greatness alongside Lynch! This is a gift from God! —Stephen Marbury passionately recounts his desire for a championship.

He said to me, Dirk, the dice have been rolled. — Dirk Nowitzki reveals Lynch's words to him in the third chapter, a famous quote from Caesar crossing the Rubicon, meaning the outcome is irreversible, implying Lynch already considered victory a certainty.

(End of this chapter)