Champion Rules

Chapter 146, Section 142: The Death Sentence Announced (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Entering the playoffs as the division leader and defending champion was an unprecedented experience for Lynch.

In the past, the New York Knicks have always presented themselves as challengers, whether judging from their regular season record or their results last season.

This summer, however, the tide has turned. The formidable New York Knicks have become the ultimate target for the entire league, standing tall and waiting for others to challenge them.

Before the playoffs begin, the New York Knicks naturally have their traditional activity – taking a group photo.

Last year, the "Gangs of New York" themed photo shoot, a collaboration with Sports Illustrated, became an instant hit. The players, dressed in custom suits, transformed into suited thugs in Madison Square Garden, and even Sam Cassell's mysterious position with his back to the camera became a classic image that fans talked about with great relish.

As it turns out, if you don't look at his face, Kassel is actually quite human.

This year, however, the Knicks are partnering with the luxury watch brand Omega.

Lynch had just signed an endorsement contract with Omega six months prior, and in order to maximize the use of Lynch's influence, they decided to spend another sum of money to collaborate deeply with the entire Knicks team and shoot playoff posters for the Knicks.

The poster continues the visual language of last season's "Gangs of New York". Lynch, dressed in a suit, sits on a black sofa with his legs crossed, looking like a king. On his hands are an Omega watch and last season's championship ring, and at his knees is a handsome Doberman with shiny black fur.

The rest of the Knicks players were positioned behind Lynch, some sitting and some standing.

Stephon Marbury sat on the armrest of the sofa, still Lynch's right-hand man. Grant Hill had moved to a more peripheral position this time, while the taller and stronger Tyson Chandler stood behind Lynch, Lynch's most solid support this season.

Amir Johnson and DeShawn Stevenson crouched on either side of the camera, grinning, and wearing brass knuckles on their wrists in addition to watches, perfectly fitting their role as "dutiful substitutes" on the team.

The English title at the bottom of the poster is "Playoffs, the Road to Omega".

This Greek letter is both the Omega brand logo and a symbol of excellence, perfection, and achievement, alluding to the New York mob's pursuit of ultimate glory.

The "Road to Omega" themed poster campaign, which covered the globe, was another successful marketing campaign. It not only boosted the buzz surrounding the NBA playoffs but also significantly increased brand awareness for Omega.

Besides being as stylish as ever, fans quickly noticed two interesting details in this year's poster.

The Doberman Pinscher next to Lynch has the name "Bron" engraved on its collar. Reportedly, this is LeBron James's abbreviation among his friends.

The second detail is that Sam Cassell did not appear in the photo once again.

The first detail and Easter egg has kept the discussion around this playoff poster high, with fans even thinking that Lynch made this bowl of dumplings specifically for the vinegar.

He will never forget to "treat" his mortal enemies well.

Following the release of their stylish posters that swept the globe, the Knicks' title defense campaign officially began.

In the first round, the Knicks, who were first in the Eastern Conference, faced off against the Orlando Magic, who were eighth.

This was a series with absolutely no suspense, but it still garnered a lot of attention.

This is partly due to Dwight Howard's soaring popularity this season, and partly because it marks the first NBA playoff encounter between Lynch and All-Star forward Darko Milicic, former European rivals.

In Game 1 of the series, the Knicks narrowly defeated the Magic 106-83.

Darko Milicic may have become an All-Star in this era, but he has completely lost the fighting spirit he had in Europe. Lynch simply couldn't reconcile the guy in front of him with the prodigy who had battled him to the death in Serbia four years ago.

Dwight Howard's happiness is amplified by being surrounded by a cheerful teammate. Because of his age, he can't drink in public for the time being, so he invited Lynch: "When we get to Orlando, I can invite a few club girls over. Let's go to my place and have them drink something else."

Lin Qi never expected that his playoff opponent would extend such a warm invitation to his home for an impromptu.

The personalities of these two players made the game feel completely devoid of the pressure of a playoff game; Lynch even felt as if he were still playing a regular season game.

What left Lynch speechless was the fourth quarter. Although they were down by 20 points and it seemed like they were going to lose Game 1 of the playoffs, it didn't stop Dwight Howard and Darko Milicic, the two happy beasts, from laughing and chatting with him.

They turned the playoffs into a relaxed, amusement park-like party.

The only player Lynch has ever seen who could maintain such a good mood while trailing so much in the playoffs is LeBron James during his Lakers days.

The second game at Madison Square Garden was equally easy, although Dwight Howard contributed several beautiful dunks and top-ten play-caliber blocks, and Darko Milicic pulled off a behind-the-back dribble that seemed completely out of proportion to his height.

These sporadic individual performances, though eliciting gasps of amazement, were ultimately just displays of their individual talents.

Individual talent alone is not enough for a team to succeed in the playoffs.

The playoffs are a test of a star player's comprehensive abilities, not just talent, but also resilience, leadership, and the will to win—all of which are indispensable.

The Knicks won the second game by 21 points again. At the end of the game, Mike Breen confidently stated, "The next time the Knicks play at home, it will definitely be in the Eastern Conference semifinals."

Not only the Knicks, but the Cavaliers and Pistons also had a very easy time in the first round.

The Cavaliers once again faced their old rivals, the Wizards, in the first round, but this year LeBron James didn't need a traveling game-winner to win easily because the Wizards lost Gilbert Arenas at the end of the season.

When a team's two best players are Antawn Jamison and Michael Pietrus, that team is unlikely to be competitive in the playoffs.

However, there were some unexpected twists in Game 2 of the series. Michael Pietrus kept the game suspenseful until the very end, and his unexpected outburst of 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists made the title of "French Jordan" truly deserved that night.

After the game, when asked about his big breakout performance, Michael Pietrus told reporters, "The Cavaliers made some adjustments on defense tonight. They used LeBron James to guard me and had Tayshaun guard Antoine, which gave me more opportunities."

The Frenchman's comments infuriated LeBron James, who retorted sharply: "I don't know why he's so excited, especially since you just lost a game. If your teammates are excited after just losing, then your team is definitely the worst!"

That's a really humorous remark.

On the Pistons' side, the highly cohesive new Bad Boys team also dominated the Bulls.

Teams ranked higher in the regular season completely dominated teams ranked lower.

Of the four matchups in the first round in the Eastern Conference, only the Heat vs. Nets game was truly close.

Despite a knee injury, Dwyane Wade still managed to dominate the Nets in Game 1 with 28 points and 9 rebounds.

但系列赛G2贾森.基德立刻反击，轰下了16分16个篮板19次助攻的豪华大三双。    在那个数据大爆炸的时代到来之前，贾森.基德是唯一一个让人们相信20+20+20这种数据能成为现实的球员。

It's clear that Kidd played very hard in this series.

Amid the smoke of the series, the veteran's eyes burned with a flame of unwillingness.

How eager he was to defeat Wade, the rising star of the new generation.

He desperately wanted to prove that their era was not over yet.

Just four years ago, he was the absolute ruler of the East.

He didn't want to admit that he had to be Kobe's assistant in order to compete for a championship.

For these veteran stars, it's not easy to humble themselves and assist others.

They need time; they will never give up before they've burned themselves out. And Kidd knows this is his last chance to give it his all.

If he fails to demonstrate competitiveness in this year's playoffs, he will almost certainly be traded to Los Angeles.

In the following games, the Nets and Heat continued their close matchup.

Wade demonstrated incredible perseverance. It's hard to imagine that a guy who had his meniscus removed during college and now has to have fluid drained from his knee every day could break through like lightning.

Jason Kidd also displayed an intense desire to win; every tackle on the loose ball was made with a do-or-die determination, and every bounce pass that broke through the defense contained the wisdom accumulated over the years. This superstar point guard was using the final peak of his career to etch his own epitaph in the cracks of a changing era.

While the Heat and Nets were locked in a fierce battle, the Knicks had already won two straight games in Orlando, easily sweeping Dwight Howard 4-0 in the series.

Even after losing the series decisively, Dwight Howard's signature smile still shone brightly at the press conference, like the ever-burning neon lights of Disneyland.

The Magic center slumped lazily in his chair at the post-game press conference, his fingers interlaced behind his head.

"Come on, folks," he raised an eyebrow at the room full of microphones, "Does anyone really think they can beat that New York fleet? The entire East Coast is just a backdrop on the Knicks' path to defending their title. And we've already achieved our goal this season; the playoffs are our goal. So what's there to regret? I have nothing to regret."

An ESPN reporter's sharp questioning shattered the relaxed atmosphere: "Four crushing defeats without a single win, and you have absolutely no regrets? Is this how you treat Orlando fans? Even young Shaq craves victory more than you do!"

Dwight Howard wasn't provoked: "There's nothing to be disappointed about. As I said, we achieved our goals for this season. As for our first playoff win, that's the next stage of our goals. Things have to be done one step at a time, and—"

Howard couldn't help but smirk: "I told you, the only player I might have a chance to beat in the playoffs is LeBron James. Wait until LeBron's Cavaliers kick us out, then you can ask me what disappointment is, hahaha. LeBron, I hope you're not angry."

A chorus of sighs erupted in the press room, and the reporters exchanged knowing glances. To them, this giant, with his childlike demeanor, seemed to exist in a parallel universe.

Despite LeBron James being consistently outmaneuvered by Lynch, and quite thoroughly outmaneuvered at that.

But it's not to the point where they'd be defeated by an optimist like Howard.

He is not that weak.

In another press conference hall, Lynch was asked for his opinion on Howard's comments. Lynch simply said, "Don't underestimate anyone. Anything can happen in the playoffs."

People assumed he was referring to Dwight Howard.

But in reality, Lynch was referring to something else entirely.

Anything can happen with that man.

After defeating the Magic, the Knicks had a chance to rest, as the New Jersey Nets and Heat went to a sixth game before a winner was decided.

The spotlights on the dome of the Continental Airlines Arena witnessed the fierce clash between two generations of stars. In Game 6, both sides fought until they were completely exhausted, with Kidd and Carter showing the toughness of veteran superstars in the final moments.

Jason Kidd transformed into an iron chain, exerting suffocating pressure on Dwyane Wade in the final quarter, leaving the Flash scoreless in the crucial last three minutes.

Vince Carter, burning his last bit of UFO fuel, pulled off a miraculous 12-point run in the final 44 seconds of the game.

The two players' strong offensive and defensive performances completely buried the suspense of the series.

When the scoreboard showed 88 to 81, two sweat-soaked bodies collided with a deafening roar as the final buzzer sounded.

基德13分11个篮板12次助攻3次抢断，卡特32分2个篮板4次助攻。

They proved that they still have a fighting chance against the new generation.

In the post-game interview, Jason Kidd was incredibly excited: "The East is not a playground for guys who have been in the league for less than five years!"

The old men vented their emotions; they had won one battle, but the next one awaited them.

After the series ended, ESPN writer Marc Stein commented: "Jason and Vince's story is worth celebrating, but their glory days are over. Miami was the last beautiful chapter of their careers. At Madison Square Garden, only destruction awaited them. Sorry Jason, but this isn't a Hollywood movie."

Jason Kidd and his Nets refuted this claim after arriving in New York.

"The New York Knicks have never successfully defended their title, and we may not win easily; we may have to roll in the mud. But just like in 1971 when the Knicks were up 2-0 and thought they had it in the bag, only to be pierced by the Bullets, we will use an even stronger will to have the last laugh."

Lynch respects Kidd as much as he respects O'Neal.

Lynch wasn't angry at Kidd's response.

But the King of New York will never show mercy to anyone who stands in his way.

"I'm happy to personally end his Nets career. They won't get the same opportunity as the Washington Bullets."

The King of New York showed no hesitation or evasion; his icy tone was as if he were announcing Jason Kidd's death sentence.

(End of this chapter)