Champion Rules

Chapter 176, Section 172: The Same Dream (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

For James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, and Stephen Curry, this summer marks the last of their youthful days as students.

In this summer filled with dreams and transformations, they all unanimously turned their attention to the 2009 talent show battlefield.

DeMar DeRozan, the star player of the 2008 Nike Basketball Summit, has already entered the University of Southern California amidst much anticipation. If he can lead this relatively unknown school to the March Madness tournament, a lottery ticket will be within his grasp.

James Harden had a stellar freshman season, following his high school coach to Arizona State University. Although he was selected for the NCAA March Madness Tournament, the team was considered a bubble and was completely excluded from the competition.

However, James Harden led his team to victory against Alabama State University and Southern Illinois State University with an outstanding performance, until they finally lost to the defending champion University of Florida in the third round.

The scouting report likened this left-handed player to a combination of Manu Ginobili and Brandon Roy, predicting that if he continues his explosive performance in his sophomore season, he will have a good chance of directly challenging for a top-three pick in the draft.

James Harden is about to fulfill his dream of giving his mother a better life, as well as giving a better life to the girls in the nightclub who are also struggling financially, helping their brothers go to school, and helping their mothers get medical treatment.

Stephen Curry was the most amazing player in college basketball in 2008. The miracle he created perfectly illustrated the madness of the NCAA Tournament and ignited the basketball passion of the entire United States.

The son of an NBA player who was rejected by Duke led the little-known Davidson College to a first-round match against seventh-seeded Gonzaga. The powerful Gonzaga took an 11-point lead at the start of the second half, but Curry scored 30 points in the second half and ultimately won 82-76, leading Davidson College to its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969.

On March 23, Davidson College faced the No. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round. Curry scored only 5 points in the first half, while Davidson trailed by as many as 17 points. However, he scored a whopping 25 points in the second half, helping Davidson to a 74-70 comeback victory, once again pulling off an upset.

On March 28, Curry led Davidson to another victory over the third seed, Wisconsin, miraculously helping Davidson College advance to the Elite Eight.

He's already a phenomenal player; his jump shot looks incredible.

Despite his announcement that he would return to Davidson College in his junior year, and despite being considered an older rookie by 2009, NBA teams had already placed this incredible sharpshooter on their lottery watchlists.

These three young men have become the rising stars of tomorrow, holding countless questions about the draft and professional basketball, and the person they most want answered is none other than Lynch, the King of New York, who is very likely to become their teammate.

The Timberwolves' trade of their 09 first-round draft pick to New York in 2005 was like a Damocles' sword hanging over the league. This invaluable asset allowed the Knicks to simultaneously add top-tier talent during their title defense, a strategic advantage that made other teams' management both envious and jealous.

This also excited the three young people who had a deep connection with Lynch.

Sam Cassell, one of the parties involved in the trade involving draft picks, joked in an interview with Sports Illustrated: "Only today did I realize that I was just an extra in that trade."

But fate has set up a temporary barrier for these basketball prodigies. This year's Reebok training camp had to be postponed, and they will not be able to see their good brother Lynch for the time being.

After finishing his business regarding team recruitment, Lynch flew to China, the hottest basketball destination this summer.

The world's top basketball talent is gathering there, waiting to sound the Olympic anthem at the Wukesong Arena.
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One world, one dream.

You can interpret this sentence from many angles.

But for basketball players from all over the world, their shared dream is that gold medal.

This may be the most competitive basketball tournament in Olympic history.

The defending champion Chinese team boasts Yao Ming and Lin Qi at their peak, and people believe that Lin Qi, returning with the anger of his title defense defeat, will deliver his most spectacular performance at this home Olympics, igniting a new kind of basketball storm.

Since the beginning of the new century, American basketball has lost its dominance on the international stage. Apart from Sydney at the turn of the century, they have not won any international championships since.

The 2002 Indianapolis World Championship was a complete disgrace.

The 2004 Olympics made Lynch a star.

The 2006 World Championship was a fairytale for Spain's golden generation, and it also gave LeBron James a nickname that will go down in history.

The Stars and Stripes have been covered in dust for far too long.

The series of losses led Team USA to assemble their strongest lineup in 2008: Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony.
This redemption team brings the most terrifying talent since the legendary team of 1992, and they are determined to turn the Olympic arena into a stage to showcase American dominance.

Spain's golden generation is eager to make history. People say they can't beat the Chinese team with Lynch, let alone the powerful Dream Team, but the Spanish army has the ambition to rewrite history.

The clash between three top teams has made this year's Olympic basketball event incredibly exciting.

Whether online or in real life, you can feel that overwhelming anticipation.

Stephon Marbury pressed his forehead against the car window, his pupils reflecting the surging crowds on both sides of the road.

The New York point guard, who had seen countless big moments, stared in astonishment—although the Knicks had visited China many times, he knew how popular the Knicks players were in China because of Lynch's influence.

Even with the support of the Olympics, the cheering matrix stretching for kilometers before him still far exceeded the boundaries of his understanding.

As the car pulled up at the end of the red carpet, Marbury was immediately engulfed in a whirlwind of sound as soon as he opened the door. He instinctively held onto his baseball cap, which was nearly blown off. Beside him, Grant Hill, now a FIBA ​​ambassador, was speechless with surprise. The elegant Duke graduate was clearly completely overwhelmed by the fervor of the Chinese fans.

"My God!" Marbury wiped the sweat from his temples and yelled at his old teammates, "Even New York isn't this crazy!"

His last words were instantly drowned out by the sudden, rising screams, and the crowd surged backward like a receding tide.

Thirty meters away, the door of another car opened like Pandora's box. The moment that tall, slender figure stepped out of the vehicle, a palpable tremor ran through the ground.

The moment Lynch raised his hand in greeting, a tsunami-like roar made the cheers that Marbury and Hill had been enjoying earlier seem as quiet as a church morning prayer.

Grant Hill slapped Marbury hard on the shoulder: "Take off those damn sunglasses, Stephen! They make us look like Lynch's bodyguards!"

Lin Qi was already used to the frenzied scene before him, but when he saw countless Asian faces holding up their jerseys and shouting wildly outside the cordon, an absurd contrast suddenly flashed through his mind—in the original timeline, some public opinion actually tried to crown Shohei Ohtani with the title of "Asia's No. 1 athlete".

This argument seems especially ridiculous now.

Let alone being the number one athlete in Asia, even within the realm of baseball players, Shohei Ohtani's fame in Asia would only rank fifth at best. The top four are Suneo Honekawa, Daigo Nobi, Takeshi Gouda, and Michael Jordan.

His fame in Asia is even less than that of some female teachers in the action movie industry.

The massive crowds that Lynch draws wherever he goes are redefining the criteria for measuring "Asian sports dominance".

Not only in China, but in many countries in Asia, he receives the same treatment.

Today's event mainly promoted Beats headphones, with Lynch being the brand's spokesperson—or more precisely, one of its shareholders.

Paul Wachter, a member of Beats' board of directors, facilitated the deal six months ago. Beats would not pay Lynch any endorsement fee, but instead allow Lynch to hold approximately 3% of the Beats brand.

Today's event included not only Lynch, Stephon Marbury, and Grant Hill, but also many athletes from other countries.

At the event, Lynch presented them with custom-made headphones that matched the colors of the national flag. Leveraging the Olympic Games, the event greatly increased the brand awareness of the Beats headphones.

The event concluded successfully, and back in the car, Lynch's agent, Misco Raznatovic, was incredibly excited.

He believes that with Lynch's immense influence, Beats Electronics' market value will skyrocket within a few years. "I predict that 3% stake will bring you at least $5000 million in revenue, and of course, it could even reach hundreds of millions. My God, this is insane! This event instantly turns Bests into a global brand! Besides the shoe and NBA contracts, this will be another major business opportunity in your life!"

Lin Qi simply nodded, staring at the game recording on his laptop screen.

Making money is one thing, but Lin Qi's most important goal in returning to China this summer is still to win games.

He never forgot that.

Those deafening cheers and those priceless stock contracts ultimately stemmed from his absolute dominance on the basketball court, not from media hype, league support, or your powerful teammates.

This clear understanding is what distinguishes him from all those who pursue fame and fortune in the sports world.

Because of the presence of superstar Lynch, this year's already highly anticipated Olympics has become a truly global event.

When Lynch entered the stadium carrying the red flag at the opening ceremony, he received the most close-up shots of the entire event.

The opening game of the Olympic basketball tournament, China vs. the United States, attracted billions of viewers worldwide.

Unfortunately, in the group stage, the Chinese team lost to the Dream Team due to Yao Ming's five fouls and subsequent ejection.

Fortunately, the bad news didn't last long, because the Chinese team immediately defeated another title favorite, Spain, in their second match.

In the original history, the Chinese team was reversed by Spain, missing the opportunity to make history. The person who should take the blame the most was very unexpected - Yao Ming.

Despite the excellent performance of the entire Chinese team, Yao Ming's performance in that game was disastrous.

His 2-for-14 shooting percentage is completely unacceptable for his height; statistically, he was utterly outmatched by Pau Gasol.

There were countless instances of slips and mistakes on the court.

Of course, it wasn't a humiliating game like the one in the Finals where Yao Ming gave up with only 8 points; he played with great effort throughout the entire game.

However, the Gasol brothers' combined efforts plunged Yao Ming into the abyss.

On offense, Pau Gasol used his superior mobility to wear down Yao Ming.

On the defensive end, Marc Gasol's solid physique and aggressive fronting made it difficult for Yao Ming to receive the ball, and the fierce contact drained a lot of his energy.

Among them, Marc Gasol had a particularly significant impact on Yao Ming.

Yao Ming's performance wasn't too bad in the first half, but he seemed to be sleepwalking throughout the second half. Under Marc Gasol's fierce competition, his ability to receive the ball was even reduced to the same level as Kwame Brown.

As the pinnacle of European center, and a greatly underestimated low-post defensive specialist, Marc Gasol had already given another top center, Yao Ming, a lot of trouble before he made Joel Embiid cry.

That's why the Memphis Grizzlies were willing to trade Paul for his brother.

But now, Lin Qi's presence has relieved the pressure on Yao Ming. On the defensive end, Yao Ming doesn't need to worry about Paul; he can just focus on protecting the rim.

With more energy to allocate, Yao Ming was less likely to be overwhelmed by Marc Gasol on the offensive end.

In the first half, Yao Ming's several low-post plays made Marc Gasol realize the gap between himself and top NBA centers.

In the second half, as Yao Ming's stamina began to decline and Marc Gasol gradually gained the upper hand in the brutal low-post battles, Lynch took over the game again.

In the crowded FIBA ​​arena, Pau Gasol, who prefers to score through cuts, seemed to be reliving the nightmare of being completely dominated by Lynch in the NBA playoffs when facing a more mobile player.

He was completely dominated by Lynch and only scored 8 points throughout the game.

NBC's Olympic basketball commentator Bob Costas bluntly stated, "I've said it before: if it weren't for Dwyane, Paul would just be an average technical big man."

The Spanish team had almost no way to defend Lynch. His breakthroughs were incredibly fast, and he could even take a step-back jump shot like a guard—a new talent Lynch acquired in the 07-08 season, having used his talent points to buy Wesley Matthews' step-back jump shot talent.

Despite being positioned as a shooter, Wesley Matthews has consistently maintained a respectable step-back jump shot accuracy.

However, during the NBA season, Lynch's skill was not yet fully developed.

The intensive training that began in May allowed Lin Qi to use the step-back jump shot as a regular offensive weapon at the Olympics.

Lynch focused on defense in the first half, scoring only 5 points, but scored 26 points in the second half, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds.

With Chinese role players raining down three-pointers, the Chinese team ultimately defeated Spain after a fierce battle, dispelling the gloom of their first defeat.

The image of the Spanish star holding his head in his hands when the final buzzer sounded was a stark contrast to the arrogance of the Heat when they eliminated the Knicks three months earlier.

This defeat not only cost him the Olympic group stage, but also shattered the prestige of Spain's 2006 World Championship title on the Wukesong Arena.

Because that assumption came true that night—Spain simply couldn't beat the Chinese team, which had Lynch.

The pride of Catalonia was once again humiliated by Lynch, who also avenged his playoff defeat.

As usual, Lynch hugged Pau Gasol after the game.

"Dear Catalan Gummy Bears, the playoffs three months ago were the last time I congratulated you on your victory."

In the subsequent group stage, the Chinese team made great strides forward.

In the semifinals of the knockout stage, Lynch's victory in the rematch against Spain definitively cemented his dominance over Spain's golden generation.

Then, the most anticipated showdown took place.

On August 24, 2008, the Olympic men's basketball final was a rematch between China and the United States.

The same dream will be realized or shattered in the same place.
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No matter how many times Lynch comes, it's the same. I'll show him who rules the basketball world now. — Kobe Bryant smiling during an interview.

"Beating Lynch isn't so hard anymore; I'll be able to do it again soon. And I'll do it many more times in the NBA." —LeBron James, who finally beat Lynch once in five years of his career with the star-studded Dream Team lineup, told reporters.

Superstar vs. Superstar, believe me, we'll witness greatness on Finals Night. — Stephen A. Smith's prediction on the show.

Will Kobe dominate Lynch? Or will Lynch's vengeful fury scorch Americans? Either way, this will be the greatest game in FIBA ​​history! — Sports Illustrated

Fuck USA! Destroy Southampton! — New York fans celebrating in the streets, as seen through ESPN's lens.

(Thank you so much to Lin Yu and other big shots for the generous donations! I'm extremely grateful!)
(End of this chapter)