Champion Rules

Chapter 125, Section 121: Lin Qi is going to destroy this place (Seeking monthly votes!)
The Knicks' perimeter lineup became stretched thin, forcing Flip Saunders to make some adjustments to the team's roster.

He put Lynch at the small forward position, while starting Nazir Mohammed and Tyson Chandler.

Veteran Grant Hill temporarily moved into the starting lineup as point guard, while Michael Pietrus was moved to the shooting guard position.

The starting perimeter players can barely put together a decent lineup, but the bench perimeter rotation is very poor.

Besides defensive stalwart Trevor Ariza, the only other player left is Marty Collins, a late first-round pick acquired this summer in cash.

Because the Knicks' 06 draft picks had all been traded in previous deals, Sam Presti spent cash this summer to buy a late first-round pick and select Marty Collins, a shooting guard known for his defensive prowess and a fellow alumnus of Rasheed Wallace.

However, his performance after entering the preseason training camp was not outstanding. Despite being known for his top-notch defense in college, his performance quickly became mediocre under the pressure of NBA-level competition.

So he disappeared from the roster after the season officially started and has been playing in the G League ever since.

In other words, Ariza is the only perimeter player on the Knicks' bench with real rotation potential tonight.

Marty Collins' only role is to be able to play, nothing more.

Sam Presti is certainly looking to make a trade, just like he did last season when Grant Hill quickly acquired Michael Pietrus after his surgery.

But now that the Knicks are the defending champions, the willingness of other teams to trade with them has plummeted, and no one is willing to contribute to the Knicks' path to defending their title.

The Chicago Bulls wouldn't have been able to trade Chandler to the Knicks this summer if they hadn't been tricked by Ben Wallace.

Furthermore, Sam Presti believes the team can no longer squander draft picks.

Unlike last season's decisive spending on future assets to compete for the championship, he is keenly aware of the approaching dynasty cycle in the face of the aging of the main lineup, and therefore must reserve enough assets for possible rebuilding in the future.

As a result, Presti was unable to bring in a replacement player for the time being, and the team had to make do with someone like Marty Collins in the roster.

If Lakers head coach JJ Redick, known for his reluctance to use certain players, were to coach this team, he could probably get this starting lineup to play the full 48 minutes.

Bill Walton joked, "The combined salaries of the people wearing suits on the Knicks' bench account for half of the league's salary cap this season. This is probably the most expensive 'uniform group' in the entire league."

The camera slowly panned across the Knicks' bench, where Stephon Marbury and Eddie Jones, both dressed in custom suits, appeared on the broadcast screen and the big screen at the stadium.

Just as the camera was about to focus on Sam Cassell, the scene abruptly cut to the cheerleaders dancing on the sidelines.

Sam Casarte's eyes widened and he raised his fist in protest: "Damn it, the Detroit director can be fired! I specially wore a custom orange suit and dark blue socks representing the Knicks today, and even wore a pair of scholarly glasses! Damn it, I could have justified my appearance!"

Marbury and Eddie Jones didn't dare to respond to him at all; they only felt that the Detroit director had made an indelible contribution to protecting the mental health of teenagers.

With fans and media focused on the Knicks' injury problems, no one noticed that Lynch made three consecutive shots from the midcourt line during warm-ups.

Although Lynch couldn't possibly run to midcourt to shoot in an official game, let alone make consecutive shots from midcourt, his performance during warm-ups was enough to prove that he was in excellent form tonight.

Before the game began, Carmelo Anthony gathered all the players for a morale-boosting speech.

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Kill them, take back what's ours! Wash away last season's scars with their blood! Grit and Grind!!!"

With everyone in high spirits, the Detroit Pistons aggressively approached the center circle, showing no mercy just because the Knicks were missing key players.

That's the cruel reality of competitive sports. If you injure your thumb, your opponent might try to grab it every time they block a shot. Similarly, with the Knicks' roster incomplete, the Pistons will unleash their fury.

Seeing that Lynch was playing the small forward position tonight, Zach Randolph couldn't stop talking: "I thought you would be matched up against me, afraid of getting crushed by me? Why don't you just run to the coach's bench and hide?"

The Pistons' strategy tonight was to have Zach Randolph contain Lynch on offense, making it difficult for Lynch to help defend, and then let Anthony explode in one-on-one.

Zach Randolph's one-on-one ball-handling skills are a very powerful weapon and are severely underrated. You can think of him as a heavier, fatter, stronger Carmelo Anthony with a weaker mid-range shot but more refined post-up game.

He possesses excellent hard-break capabilities in positional warfare.

Lionel Horace believed he could put Lynch in a tough spot.

Now the Knicks have assigned someone else to guard him, which has disrupted their plans and disappointed Randolph.

He thought he would have a chance to teach the superstar a lesson today.

Randolph was aggressive, but Lynch just casually adjusted his wristband, his gaze sweeping over Randolph's sweaty neck. "What's the rush, fatso?" he said calmly. "You all have a chance to get beaten to a pulp tonight."

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

He didn't waste any time; he wanted to test his touch right from the start to see if it was as good as it was during warm-up.

So Lynch started by playing off-ball, and Mark Jackson called him "like a 208cm Reggie Miller."

Carmelo Anthony had to run the entire court, Rasheed Wallace had to protect the rim, Zach Randolph couldn't keep up with Lynch, and Hamilton and Billups were too short, so Anthony had to chase down Lynch, even if it affected his offensive consistency.

Despite solid double screens from Tyson Chandler and Nazir Mohammed, Lynch still managed to create space and receive a timely pass from Grant Hill at the top of the arc.

Lynch made a decisive shot, and Carmelo Anthony blocked it with his fingertips, just a hair's breadth away from the spinning ball.

He knew how terrifying his old rival's catch-and-shoot ability was, so he dared not relax for a moment.

Detroit's young leaders put in their best effort on this defense, but the ball still went straight through the net without even touching the rim!
"Lynch, he hit a three-pointer right at the start! Even though the roster isn't complete, Lynch refuses to lose in Detroit! Detroit isn't hell, it's his shooting range!" Mark Jackson knew this game wouldn't be boring. What kind of situation is boring? You'll never see LBJ suddenly lose his fighting spirit like he did with Lynch.

But exciting games are rarely created by one side alone, and Mark Jackson also believes that the Detroit Pistons will not give up easily and will definitely respond.

A match that goes back and forth is a truly exciting match.

No sooner had Mark Jackson finished speaking than the Pistons' steel torrent had already begun.

Zach Randolph sank into the low position like a mountain, his thick back crushing Nazir Mohammed and sending him staggering backward.

"Zack is a fucking pig!" Mike Malone, on the Knicks' bench, cursed as he watched Muhammad's helplessness.

Randolph doesn't need to worry about being double-teamed, because Rasheed Wallace has already pulled Tyson Chandler to the perimeter, leaving the paint wide open for Zach Randolph to unleash his full potential. Randolph and Chandler were teammates on the Trail Blazers, but neither of them realized how well their styles complemented each other in that chaotic team.

Zach Randolph needs the position and space of a center on offense, but defensively he can only guard the area of ​​a power forward. If you put him at center, his defense will be terrible. If you put him at power forward, his offense will be limited. No arrangement is reasonable.

Rasheed Wallace, on the other hand, was better suited to the center position on the defensive end, but on offense he preferred high post play and perimeter jump shots.

Therefore, these two people complement each other perfectly.

On offense, Randolph played center; on defense, Rasheed Wallace played center.

In the original story, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol's "Black and White Bears" duo were so well-matched because of their complementary effects.

Rasheed Wallace completely cleared the paint for Randolph, who easily dribbled past the overburdened Nazr Muhammad with a back-to-the-basket spin move and scored with a hook shot.

After scoring, Zach Randolph raised his thick arms like a black bear that had just torn apart its prey: "Spineless coward, how can you bear to let these old, weak and disabled people take bullets for you?"

It must be admitted that the Pistons' offense is much better than last season; at least on the offensive end, it's no longer a 4-on-5 situation.

Zach Randolph looked fierce, but Lynch didn't seem to feel any urgency.

He knew his attack tonight could be even more terrifying.

On the Knicks' second possession, Lynch didn't continue weaving through the crowd. Instead, he backed down Carmelo Anthony in the mid-range, received the ball, and immediately turned and shot.

Before Rashid Wallace could even get close enough to join the attack, Lynch had already made his move.

The basketball went in again! His excellent touch wasn't just evident in his catch-and-shoot, but in his all-around hot shooting!

Lin Qi also spread his hands: "The second one, Melo, or how about letting that fat guy give it a try?"

The veins throbbing on Anthony's forehead were faintly visible under the spotlight. Zach Randolph's thick arm pressed heavily on his shoulder, and his thick lips grinned maliciously: "Next round, I'll make him shut up peacefully!"

Zach Randolph passed away peacefully.

His massive frame made it impossible for him to maneuver freely through screens, and Lynch easily shook him off. But after receiving the ball beyond the three-point line, Lynch didn't shoot; instead, he deliberately waited for Randolph to pounce, like a matador shaking his scarlet cape.

After Randolph charged forward like an enraged bull, Lynch easily accelerated past him and scored with a mid-range jump shot.

Randolph tried to chase back, but the rapid shifts in his center of gravity caused his large body to stagger and fall.

This was an extremely insulting attack, not only because Lynch faked out Randolph, but also because Lynch didn't even bother to use open shots when attacking Randolph.

"I wasn't lying to you, was I? I told you not to rush. Line up, one at a time, and now it's your turn, isn't it?" Lynch spread his hands again at Zack Randolph, who hadn't gotten up yet. He thought the person who invented this celebration gesture was a genius.

A casual shrug can be more insulting than any gesture or word.

As long as the person you're gesturing to isn't the referee.

Carmelo Anthony noticed that Lynch had a good shooting touch at the start of the game. The mid-range pull-up jumper while dribbling is not Lynch's usual move, but he still shot decisively and accurately tonight.

Anthony himself has had that feeling of shooting with ease, so he knows that to break that hot streak, you have to be rough enough.

He clapped his hands: "I'll defend against him next round!"

"It's up to you," Lin Qi said with a smirk. "You can send whoever you want."

The Pistons' low-post offense failed this time. Tyson Chandler boldly double-teamed Randolph in the low post and lunged to the three-point line the instant Randolph passed the ball, interfering with the Roaring King's jump shot.

Although Tyson Chandler's role this season is rim protection, he is not actually a heavy center, so he also has a decent defensive range.

As the ball missed its target, Amir Johnson excitedly shouted from the bench, "Who can deny he's the best center in the East?"

Randolph attempted a putback, but Lynch snatched the rebound from behind his head. From the start of the game until now, Randolph has been losing to Lynch in every possession and every aspect of the game.

The Pistons' offense had begun to falter, but Lynch's hot streak had not yet dissipated.

Carmelo Anthony rammed into Lynch the moment he landed after grabbing the rebound, trying to wear down Lynch's shooting touch with constant physical contact.

Lynch passed the ball to Grant Hill, but Melo's close defense remained tight.

Until Lynch received the ball again on the right side of the three-point line, Carmelo Anthony maintained his pressure and close defense.

"Melo perfectly embodies the Detroit Pistons' Grit and Grind spirit this season! He gave Lynch absolutely no air on the defensive end!" Mark Jackson praised.

Lynch waved his hand, signaling everyone to spread out, and then chose to forcefully attack Melon!
Anthony is physically strong, but Lynch is a power forward after all, and he still managed to use his shoulder to blow past Anthony and penetrate the paint.

The Pistons' lineup collapsed, and Lynch jumped before being double-teamed. He was still quite far from the basket, but because of his excellent shooting touch, he opted for a layup, a move he rarely uses.

Among the five Pistons players, Lynch, raising the basketball high, seemed like a god, about to break through the so-called gloom of hell.

The basketball flew past Randolph and Rasheed Wallace's fingers, hit the front edge of the rim, and then fell into the net.

"Nine straight points! The Detroit Pistons have no answer for him!" Mark Jackson was covered in goosebumps; Lynch's offense tonight was simply unreasonable.

Lynch fell after landing, but even sitting on the ground, his gaze still seemed to be looking down at the Pistons players.

"You don't have to do it one by one, but the result won't change."

Bill Walton sensed the superstar's divine power.

“This isn’t competition; Lynch is going to destroy this place tonight.”

He issued a warning.

(End of this chapter)