Champion Rules

Chapter 133, Page 129: Steve Nash is not soft at all (Seeking monthly votes!)
LeBron James had a perfect career script.

He signed a lucrative contract with Nike, was drafted by his hometown team, and became Cleveland's savior.

A young man named LeBron James leads this decaying city against the world.

As long as he plays tough enough and shows he wants to win, he can easily earn the respect of the entire league.

When he signed his contract extension this summer, all he had to say was, "I dream of achieving great things in Cleveland someday. I will not run away. I swear I will stay here," and that would have been enough to make him one of the most popular players in the entire league.

His script is as perfect as Anthony Edwards in 2024-2025—he only needs Stephen Curry to eliminate all the best players of the previous era.

But LBJ messed everything up.

He repeatedly faltered in crucial battles, showing absolutely no determination to lead the team out of the gloom.

He kept saying he loved Cleveland, but dragged his feet on contract renewal negotiations and ended up signing an unseemly 2+1 contract with the Cavaliers.

Tonight, his script has been tainted once again.

Even with the Cavaliers providing him with strong teammates and a championship-winning coach, he still lost to Lynch.

Lynch tore away LeBron James' last shred of dignity, nailing him to the pillar of shame at Madison Square Garden with his dominant performance and scathing remarks.

So much so that this young superstar, known for his high emotional intelligence, bluntly stated that he was irreconcilably opposed to Lynch.

Throughout NBA history, the rivalry between superstars has never ceased.

However, the number of confrontations that truly escalate to the level of mortal enemies is very small.

Just as the rivalry between Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley was a healthy competition based on mutual respect, the feud with "The Smiling Assassin" Isiah Thomas was tinged with an irreconcilable hatred.

Of course, in a few years MJ and Jazz will completely break up, but that has nothing to do with their rivalry back then.

From LeBron James's 2004 mockery of Lynch for "choosing the Reebok brand because of shortsightedness and greed" to Lynch's statement last night that he was deliberately humiliating LBJ.

Their feud has crossed the threshold of "opponents," leaving no room for maneuver.

From then on, every encounter between the two would turn into a deadly battle with no way out.

Of course, it's not just about the two of them.

The all-out war between Reebok and Nike continues to escalate.

The very next day, David McMenamin launched a scathing critique of Lynch in his column, calling him a "selfish data chaser."

"With a minute and a half left in the game, the Knicks had almost secured the victory. I don't know why he was still stubbornly staying on the court. Was he not ready to play enough? It wasn't until he scored his 40th point that I realized, oh, that bastard was just trying to pad his stats."

That's Lynch for you. He talks a lot about teamwork, but he always prioritizes statistics. LeBron James was never like that. He played only to win, which is why he deserves more respect.

Reebok, of course, was not to be outdone. ESPN columnist Marc Stein, a close friend of Lynch, reopened another wound for LeBron James:
"Speaking of hypocrisy, the man known as the Son of Cleveland only signed a 2+1 contract with the Cavaliers this summer. Why didn't he sign a long-term contract? The only reason is that he's considering leaving. If this team becomes uncompetitive, he'll become a free agent in two years."

"Hometown basketball" is just a marketing gimmick. He never considered Cleveland his hometown to fight for his entire life—of course, we have no right to demand that any player fight for any team their whole life, but please don't market yourself as if you'd go through fire and water for your hometown. You can't lie and then enjoy the benefits of lying, deceiving your hometown people in the process.

The fierce battle between the media on both sides has benefited the fans, who now have many articles to read and many inside stories to learn.

Young Lin Qi was excited to have gained such a formidable enemy.

In this competitive league, he is not afraid to make enemies of anyone.

They are not afraid to be enemies with a hypocritical guy who always belittles others in his commercial promotions.

And it all started with LBJ himself.

Lynch will go all out in every game he faces, it's that simple.

With the win against the Cavaliers, the Knicks have reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

In the latest MVP rankings, Lynch topped the list for the first time in his career.

But Lynch's association with the MVP is not a new phenomenon this season; he was already in the MVP race last season.

Last season, Carmelo Anthony and Lynch were bitter rivals, but they surprisingly shared one thought: Steve Nash stole my MVP award.

There has always been controversy surrounding Nash's second MVP award, and this controversy continues to spark discussion even 20 years later.

But Lynch isn't like Shaquille O'Neal who would still complain 20 years later. In Lynch's view, last season's MVP already belongs to Nash, and that's unchangeable. He won't comment on it anymore.

The trophy that belongs to Nash is already set, and Lynch's battlefield will always be the next peak.

He is always focused on the next MVP.

As the general director of an entertainment company, David Stern certainly wouldn't waste such a script, just as director San Fernando Valley's camera would never miss the actress's fierce steps.

For this year's Christmas Day game, he arranged for Lynch to face off against Steve Nash.

In their first meeting this season, the Knicks lost to the Suns.

Therefore, the Christmas Day game was also Lynch's last chance to prove himself worthy of the MVP award in front of the two-time MVP.

Of course, in Lynch's words to the media, "I never need to prove to any individual that I deserve the MVP award; everyone can see my performance."

However, the media still positioned Lynch and Nash as opposing sides, and the entire Christmas game was promoted around the two of them.

After the last loss to the Suns, Flip Saunders was busy motivating his players, while his two Mikes were working on a strategy.

How to beat one of the best offensive teams in NBA history? The old way was to go head-to-head, a strategy Lenny Wilkens often used against offensive teams. It turns out that while a head-to-head game can beat offensive teams, it doesn't guarantee a win.

The Knicks were able to defeat the Mavericks in the Finals last season not only because of their strong offense, but also because they contained Dirk Nowitzki with their defense.

Therefore, if the Knicks want to consistently beat the Suns, they still need to find a way to stop D'Antoni's unstoppable seven-second offense.

During the coaching staff meeting after defeating the Cavaliers, Mike Malone shared his thoughts with Flip Saunders.

"When Steve Nash scores a lot, we might beat the Suns; when Steve Nash has a lot of assists, we might also beat the Suns. But when Steve Nash has both a lot of points and a lot of assists, nobody can beat them."

We must either focus on one player while letting him go, or prevent him from orchestrating the team's offense or from scoring. This is the way to contain Steve Nash, the greatest offensive player of the 21st century.

This was a conclusion he and Mike Brown reached after watching a large number of game videos: a player like Steve Nash could never be shut down; he was the ultimate offensive weapon in modern basketball.

You can only choose the lesser of two evils.

Flip Saunders said almost without hesitation: "Let's make Steve the scoring champion for once!"

He chose to let Nash score, preventing Nash from orchestrating the team's offense.

Because it's almost impossible to stop Nash from scoring.

The Knicks don't have a player who can shut down Nash.

But the Knicks have someone who can shut down Amar'e Stoudemire, Nash's most reliable scorer.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Steve Nash woke up to the still-bright December sun.

But what wakes him up every day is not the bright Arizona sun, but his own body.

His back pain is a long-term, chronic congenital condition that cannot be completely cured.

All people can do is try their best to keep the pain within a tolerable range.

Forty minutes later, the trainer was applying pain-relieving gel to his jagged spine and the shockingly needle-pricked skin in preparation for the injection of painkillers, a ritual that had become a daily ritual to be performed at sunrise.

"How are you feeling?" the team doctor asked Nash, whose forehead was covered in sweat from the pain.

Lying on the bed, Nash stubbornly raised his trembling right hand and made an OK sign: "This is not an injury at all."

For Nash, unless his spine is actually shattered into Arizona sands, unless he becomes completely immobile, nothing will prevent him from playing.

Nash sometimes even felt offended by the suggestion to take time off.

He believes that playing on the court is the most basic professional quality of a professional player, and you cannot miss a game just because you are slightly unwell.

At that moment, Nash could never have imagined that many years later, he would coach a player who was so tired from playing Call of Duty that he refused to play.

Players from the first decade of the 21st century and players from twenty years later seem like two different species.

Everyone says Steve Nash is soft, but he's definitely a tough guy.

At that moment, Boris Diaw strolled in with a languid gait, the French striker holding a bone china coffee cup in his left hand and clutching a copy of Sports Illustrated in his right.

The Sports Illustrated cover features Lynch leaping to shoot, with the headline: "How far is he from MVP?"

He took a sip of pure espresso without adding water, the rich aroma temporarily dispelling the smell of disinfectant in the treatment room: "Damn media, I don't know how that kid's influence in the competition can compare to yours."

“Lynch is an excellent player, Boris, we can’t deny that,” Nash replied with a smile.

He knew there was a lot of controversy surrounding his MVP award last season, and he also knew that the media had elevated Lynch to godlike status. He knew even more that, given the Suns' record this season, he had a very good chance of winning a three-peat.

But he doesn't care about the MVP award.

After two consecutive years of disappointing playoff performances, Steve Nash now only cares about one thing.

While flipping through Sports Illustrated, Diaw chatted with Nash: "How many points do you think the Chinese guy will score on Christmas night? He's scored 60 points this season, and he scored 42 points over Jermaine in the last game. He's on fire. He doesn't seem like a defending champion; he's more like a bloodthirsty avenger."

Lynch's terrifying form this season is well-known, and this terrifying guy is about to visit Phoenix.

With a formidable enemy looming, Nash, his head buried in the bed, closed his eyes and vaguely saw the overwhelming anticipation of the Phoenix fans, and vaguely recalled the scene after being eliminated in the playoffs last season.

In Phoenix, at the moment Game 6 of the series ended, Nash's eyes were red, and he couldn't help but touch his wet hair, telling reporters:
"We have a great team, and we work together seamlessly. We shouldn't be sad, we should be excited, because we still have a future. As Tagore wrote: If you weep because you have missed the sun, you will also miss the stars."

"When Amar'e comes back, we'll be the champions."

These words greatly boosted the Suns' morale, and the locker room after the game was not filled with sadness, but rather with a relaxed atmosphere of the end of the school year.

The players packed up their belongings, and no one talked about basketball. The only thing left on the whiteboard was: Seven seconds or less.

They are about to have their holiday, and at the same time, they are looking forward to reuniting in the next school year.

Now, Steve Nash knows this is the season he's delivering on his promise.

Amar'e Stoudemire is back, and having already won two MVPs, he won't allow himself to go home empty-handed again.

The sharp pain of the syringe needle piercing his lumbar spine jolted Nash awake, and he answered Dio's question.

“I don’t know how many points Lynch can score,” Nash replied calmly. “No matter how many, no matter who the opponent is, I’ll play along. If he brings a hurricane, we’ll give him a sandstorm in return.”

(End of this chapter)