Champion Rules

Chapter 154, page 150: Melo, it's over, it's all over (Seeking monthly votes!)
David Stern's ruling has indeed caused some controversy.

Critics, represented by the Cleveland media, believe this is Stern's blatant protection of Lynch.

In his column, renowned journalist David McMenamin pointed out sharply: "If the perpetrator were someone like Ron Artest, even with a valid reason, he would certainly face a suspension of more than five games. But Lynch completely crushed Rasheed and was only suspended for two games. This is clearly a compromise made by the league to maintain suspense in the series. This is a privilege of star players."

As LBJ's mouthpiece, David McMenamin's stance is clearly biased, and he is unlikely to give any positive evaluation of this matter.

However, mainstream media generally believe that this is the best outcome.

Charles Barkley picked up a photograph of David McMenamin during a live broadcast and then tore it into pieces.
"This idiot's comments are worthless! Besides licking LeBron James's scalp, this Mr. David can't do anything! Lynch's two-game suspension is enough, because Rasheed's behavior is absolutely unacceptable. Justice will prevail!"

Charles Barkley has always been bothered by the fact that the Roaring Celestials lashed out at women and children because he had experienced something similar.

Barkley lied on yesterday's show, saying he wouldn't get angry at his opponent's mother and child, but he did hurt a child in 1991.

It was March 26, 1991, a day he would never forget. The Philadelphia 76ers were playing the New Jersey Nets on the road. During the game, a grown male fan kept trash-talking the 3ers. When the provocation reached his limit, Barkley tried to spit on the troublemaker in frustration.

But as is well known, Charles Barkley's aim has never been great. His spit didn't hit its mark; instead, it accidentally injured an innocent 8-year-old girl nearby.

The guilt he felt was unforgettable for Charles Barkley. He immediately apologized publicly after the game, called the little girl's family to apologize, and even visited the little girl in person with their permission to apologize.

Even so, the Flying Pig was still suspended by the league. During the suspension, the tough guy curled up in his Philadelphia home and wept uncontrollably, unable to accept that he had become such a jerk.

The mother's heartbroken question was like a sharp knife piercing his heart: "Charles, you have a two-year-old daughter of your own, how could you do such a thing? You can be a better person, this is not how your grandmother and I raised you."

This soul-shaking experience led Charles Barkley to decide to become a good pig again, which led to his later reformation and the emergence of the "Flying Pig Jazz" in 1993 who brought out the greatest MJ.

Having personally experienced the remorse of harming innocent people, he knew better than anyone how intolerable Rashid Wallace's transgressions were.

If a Nets player had tried to beat him up because of this, he would never have fought back, nor would he have thought the Nets player deserved to be punished.

With the support of mainstream public opinion, the criticism from Nike-affiliated media outlets is ultimately just a niche phenomenon.

The series continued, and Carmelo Anthony showed no mercy, scoring twice at the Palace of Auburn Hills to tie the series.

The Iron Legion's warriors did not choose to completely give up on these two games. Even though they knew that their roster on paper was far inferior to the Pistons, the remaining players still hoped to win at least one game so that Lynch would not have to bear so much pressure after his return.

Eddie Jones put on a game-winning block in Detroit, Sam Cassell hit a total of nine three-pointers in two games, and Darius Sangella, the last-place benchwarmer in the rotation, even risked a split eyebrow to aggressively fight for loose balls.

These men fought two tragic and heroic battles in the car city with their blood and flesh.

Unfortunately, without Lynch, the second-best shooting guard in the East, and the second-best power forward in the East, the Knicks still struggled to secure a win against the Pistons.

This outcome, ironically, brought the Cleveland celebrations to an end.

Previously, they kept emphasizing that LBJ lost to Melo because his teammates weren't strong enough, while Lynch was able to beat the Pistons 2-0 because his lineup was better.

At this moment, this statement has become utterly a fallacy.

To paraphrase Jazz Flying Pig: "Without Lynch, the Knicks are like Carmelo Anthony's slave! Let him have his way!"

The press conference after Game 4 of the series was very lively because Lynch reappeared in the press conference hall after a two-game absence.

"Lynch, what do you think of the punishment the league has given you?"

"I have accepted the punishment, and I don't want to talk about it anymore. Everything that needs to be said is on the court."

"With the series now tied, will this affect the New York Knicks' chances of defending their title?"

"We will win. You've seen our performance in the last two games. We will win."

What are your thoughts on the Detroit Pistons right now?

This question drew Lynch's attention, and he stared at the reporter who asked the question as if Superman's heat rays were shooting from his eyes.

"Let me put it this way, my hatred for the Detroit Pistons is probably ten times that of MJ in 1990!"

On the other side, Carmelo Anthony was not to be outdone.

"With or without Lynch, we'll keep winning. The New York Knicks are tough, but my brothers and I aren't pushovers either. If he thinks his return will turn the tide, he's going to be very disappointed."

Thus, Game 5 of the series became the focus of everyone's attention.

This was the most-watched game in the three consecutive years that the Knicks and Pistons had met in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The whole world knows that as their hatred intensifies, Carmelo Anthony and Lynch will tear each other apart without mercy.

Under the dome of Madison Square Garden, the sound of "Fack Mello" was as loud as ever.

Several referees gathered around the technical table, looking tense and on high alert.

The chief referee wiped the cold sweat from his brow and whispered to his colleague:

"Lynch and Melo will definitely go head-to-head tonight, and we all know they'll really go all out. So get ready, it's going to be very intense tonight, and we absolutely can't let the game get out of control. Gentlemen, it's going to be a long night."

When Lynch stepped into Madison Square Garden again after two games, "Fuck Melo" instantly became "MVP".

Lin Qi waved his arms, and the stands instantly erupted in a frenzy of orange and blue.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back the King of New York!" Mike Brin got goosebumps all over.

The broadcast camera panned across the commentary booth, where a special guest's frozen smile concealed bitterness.

Tonight, Mike Brin's commentator is quite special.

Isaiah Thomas looked at the frenzied New York fans and couldn't believe that Lynch's influence in New York had become so enormous.

Since losing his power struggle with Lynch, Isaiah Thomas has been looking for a new team, hoping to prove he can run one well.

But things didn't go as planned, and no team was willing to hire Isaiah Thomas as general manager.

Yes, Assassin's draft picks are impeccable. Aside from Michael Jordan and Elgin Baylor, probably no one is more reliable in the draft than him.

But aside from the talent show, he is almost useless.

Poor salary management, chaotic player relations, and slow recruitment have led to Isaiah Thomas losing the trust of any team.

Therefore, he had no choice but to return to the commentary booth.

The smiling assassin's pupils reflected the bustling crowds of Madison Square Garden, and in a daze, the gears of time began to turn in reverse, pulling him back to the bloody battlefields of the 80s.

At that time, his Pistons team had a blood feud with MJ's Bulls. Every physical collision between the two sides sparked bloody sparks, and every round of confrontation was accompanied by a relentless determination to fight to the death.

Even if the guy wearing the number 23 jersey were kneeling on the floor of his arch-rival and proposing to the referee, it wouldn't stop.

This atmosphere is now spreading in Madison Square Garden.

This is no ordinary playoffs; this is a bloody battle between New York and Detroit in the civilized era.

With the game about to begin, Carmelo Anthony walked straight to the Knicks' half of the court.

But he did not provoke Lynch; instead, he walked up to Wu Lan and Kevin Lucas in the front row.

"What the hell is that bastard doing?!" DeShawn Stevenson's muscles tensed instantly, and he charged forward like an enraged bulldog.

Lin Qi, however, held out his arm and said, "It's alright, ignore him."

Before he could finish speaking, Carmelo Anthony had already put one knee on the ground.

The man who had fought with Lin Qi leaned close to the boy in the wheelchair, stroked his head, and said a few words to him with a smile.

When his gaze turned to Wu Lan, the mother subconsciously clenched the support sign she had made for her son, which read "Defeat Melo".

But Melo didn't care, instead smiling and saying, "Madam, please accept my sincere apologies." Lynch stared at his arch-rival's slightly hunched back. He knew better than anyone that Cameron Anthony wasn't the kind of guy without any bottom line.

As opponents, they were destined to fight tooth and nail for the next forty-eight minutes; but as men, there are some bottom lines that must always be above victory or defeat.

But this does not mean that Lynch's hatred for the Detroit Pistons will lessen.

Of course, Carmelo Anthony's gentleness towards Wu Lan and Kevin Lucas won't carry over to the game.

After apologizing, the Motor City superstar, who had won two championships in four years in the league, stood up again, and his gaze instantly changed.

The referee nervously gestured for both teams to step into the center circle. The cheers around him made him feel that this was not a basketball game, but the Battle of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, which was also held at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971.

Madison Square Garden will always be a place where blood will forge glory and hatred into an eternal epic.

"Gentlemen," the referee's Adam's apple bobbed laboredly, "let's get through tonight smoothly."

As Lynch prepared for the jump ball, he finally spoke his first words of the night to Carmelo Anthony: "Melo, it's over, it's all over."

"The end? It's 2-2 now, it's still a long way off."

The game begins, and the referee throws the new basketball that LBJ has been spraying all season into the air, giving Lynch possession for the Knicks.

Because both teams' starting centers were suspended, the lineups were adjusted.

The Pistons had to start 38-year-old veteran Dale Davis, while the Knicks started Nazr Muhammad at center.

Overall, both sides' rim protection was weakened.

Therefore, Lynch's strategy in the first round was very clear: he would roll to the basket after a pick-and-roll and attack the rim aggressively.

Dale Davis demonstrated his toughness during his nine seasons with the Indiana Pacers, and his All-Star selection in the 99-00 season was a reward for his years of dedicated defense.

But now, given his advanced age, he can still rely on his positivity and defensive awareness to get back to the basket immediately, using his knees, etched with the marks of time, to sustain his last bit of stubbornness. But facing Lynch soaring through the air, there's nothing he can do anymore.

"Linch dunked over his opponent in the first round! That's the attitude of the King of New York tonight!"

Isaiah Thomas smiled: "Lynch wouldn't make excuses like 'it's windy or rainy' when playing against the Pistons. He's much more ruthless towards real opponents than people imagine."

The assassin was simply sharing his understanding of Lynch; he knew very well how ruthless this man, whom he had personally chosen and who had also personally driven him away, was.

He just didn't expect that his words would lead Cleveland fans to label him as someone who was unhappy with his life.

Making excuses to beat the Pistons? Who the hell are they targeting?!

After completing the dunk, Lynch didn't humiliate the veteran; he simply beckoned to Carmelo Anthony.

In the Pistons' offense, Carmelo Anthony has already tasted the sweetness of easily attacking the basket in the first two games.

Nazir Mohammed is undoubtedly an excellent defensive player, but he doesn't have the height and shot-blocking ability of Tyson Chandler.

Even though Carmelo Anthony is a rim-attacking genius, he still displayed impressive rim-attacking efficiency in the first two games.

When Billups fed him the ball, Anthony broke through Trevor Ariza, who was still closely guarding him, the sound of his cleats sizzling against the floor piercing the noise.

Anthony drove to the basket, his black sneakers slamming into the paint, ignoring the diminutive Nazr Muhammad as he prepared to go for a layup.

Melo flicked the ball away during the contest, sending it flying past Muhammad's fingertips—it was all within his grasp.

But as the basketball flew towards the basket, Lynch dominated the paint. He sprinted back to the basket in time, pinning the seemingly certain shot against the backboard!

"boom!"

Amidst the deafening crash of the basketball against the backboard, Carmelo Anthony's eyes widened as shouts of "MVP" grew louder.

Mike Brin waved his hand and shouted, "DPOY is back! Don't fly around in the restricted areas of New York!"

"Damn it!" Carmelo Anthony cursed. If this had happened in the previous two games, the ball would definitely have gone in.

Lynch's return has transformed the Knicks into a completely different team.

The Knicks were on offense, and this time when Lynch received the ball in the low post with his back to the basket, Stephen Jackson, as always, double-teamed him.

Lynch immediately passed the ball to Eddie Jones, who had failed to score in double figures in the previous two games under Stephen Jackson's tight defense. Tonight, he finally had the chance to unleash his fury.

Eddie Jones made a decisive shot, and by the time Stephen Jackson rushed back, the basketball was already in mid-air before slamming into the net!

Eddie Jones, who had been suppressed for two games, raised his right arm like a torch. With Lynch around, everything would become simple.

"Eddie hits a three-pointer! Lynch's return has given him plenty of shooting space! This is the MVP's all-around impact on the game. With him back, the Knicks have championship-level performance on both ends of the court!" Mike Breen was just as confident as millions of New York fans at this moment.

Lynch's all-around game impact sets him apart from Carmelo Anthony.

In the first two games, Carmelo Anthony looked like an invincible superstar.

But after Lynch returned, he seemed to instantly become ordinary.

Ultimately, Lynch possesses far more top-tier abilities than him.

To be honest, Carmelo Anthony has fallen behind Lynch in terms of individual ability.

To deny this is tantamount to saying that although Greg Oden is very talented, the Portland Trail Blazers are in a dilemma because Yi Jianlian speaks very good Chinese.

You can be captivated by a single shining moment, but the championship banner will always lean toward those with a broader impact on the game.

5:0.

Carmelo Anthony attacked again, gritting his teeth as he started. His drive was still sharp, Trevor Ariza's jersey ripping violently from the friction. But the moment he entered the paint, a bright orange-white figure loomed over him in his peripheral vision, pressing in with an astonishing coverage area, as if the entire Madison Square Garden was enveloped by Lynch's defensive radius.

Anthony opted to pass the ball, his attack on the rim was no longer so decisive, and Lynch's rim protection deterred him from making any rash moves.

The ball returned to Chauncey Billups, and the Finals MVP immediately sensed an opportunity, using Randolph's solid screen to drive straight into the paint. Just as Lynch shifted to help defend, the ball was surgically passed to the open Black Bear.

But Lynch turned back at incredible speed to block, causing Randolph to miss his jump shot.

"Damn defense!" Chauncey Billups was somewhat desperate; there was no weak point in this defense at all.

Nazr Muhammad shook off Dale Davis's arm and grabbed the rebound firmly.

The call for a transition between offense and defense suddenly sounded. Stephon Marbury dribbled forward, while Lynch continued to call for the ball with his back to the basket.

Just as Stephen Jackson was about to double-team, Lynch suddenly sped up and ran to the three-point line to receive the ball.

Stephen Jackson tried to give chase, but ultimately ran into Nazir Muhammad's solid cover.

After receiving the basketball, Lynch raised it above his head, and Zach Randolph jumped to block it, but it was just a feint.

The bear's massive body futilely leaped into the air as Lynch dribbled into the paint, knocking down Carmelo Anthony who came to help defend. With a do-or-die determination, he once again slammed a one-handed dunk over Dale Davis.

The veteran's cloudy pupils reflected only the afterimage of Lynch wreaking havoc on the basket.

"7-0! The King of New York is not going to give the Detroit Pistons any chance. He has completely broken down the Pistons' defense in an extremely brutal manner!"

The King of New York let go of the rim and landed, glancing at Melo lying on the ground.

His shadow fell squarely over the fallen Carmelo Anthony, as if darkness were swallowing the last vestiges of light.

“Melo, when I say it’s over, it’s over.”

(End of this chapter)