Champion Rules

Chapter 201, Section 197: The Distance from God (Seeking monthly votes!)

As the All-Star Game lights went out, the trade deadline gates slammed shut.

However, no major mid-season trades occurred this season.

In the Pistons' locker room, Chauncey Billups, who was no longer truly with the team, was polishing his championship ring.

Midnight in Salt Lake City, the fax machine in the general manager's office lay silent as a tomb. Scraps of Deron Williams' torn tactical board still littered the locker room carpet; he and the guy who drove Jerry Sloan away were now irreconcilable enemies. But if they missed this opportunity, the Jazz would have to wait until summer to trade him.

The Cavaliers made no further personnel changes, the waves in Miami were remarkably calm, there were no new pieces to the puzzle under the Los Angeles spotlight, and no rumors circulated about the New York Knicks.
This winter in the NBA is like the Siberian tundra, where even the most greedy general managers have chosen to lie low.

The deadline for the trade was very calm, with everyone focused on the competition at hand.

As a result, the sports world's attention turned to golf superstar Tiger Woods.

One morning in February, after the All-Star break, Tiger Woods walked into the Ponte Vedra Beach Golf Club in Florida for a nationally televised event to apologize for a series of infidelities that had been exposed in the three months following his car accident.

This was no ordinary press conference, as the entire event was attended only by his family, friends, and a select few journalists.

Most journalists weren't allowed to be on-site and could only watch on television in the lobby of a Marriott hotel in Orlando.

The program was broadcast live by major terrestrial and cable television networks, giving Tiger Woods maximum exposure.

After a 15-minute self-introduction broadcast live across the United States, Tiger Woods was able to leave without answering any questions.

There were no sharp questions from reporters, and no traps for impromptu remarks.

When he said, "I betrayed my values," Fox News' ratings surged, like the decisive putt on the 18th hole.

This nationwide live broadcast not only satisfies public demand for an apology but also allows him to control the entire press conference process, preventing him from being pressured to discuss topics he doesn't want to talk about.

Although this show, themed around an apology, is just like a Japanese man casually bowing after having sex with someone else's wife, it serves no purpose whatsoever in apologizing.

But it earned Tiger Woods a lot of money and traffic.

This $2.3 million image restoration project was completed after all advertising slots were sold out.

Maverick Carter's cigar ash fell onto the Cleveland Plain Dealer's newspaper, while Tiger Woods' confession show played on a loop before his eyes.

He was inspired.

“Now that’s what you call a nuclear-level announcement,” Maverick Carter muttered to himself.

Amidst the swirling smoke, a crazy idea was taking shape.

For the past few months, he has been thinking about how LBJ would announce his personal decision.

A quiet transfer? That's too low-key. Maverick Carter would never miss an opportunity to create value using LeBron James' name, image, and influence.

A regular press conference? Not sensational enough, and it would attract a lot of annoying, pointed questions.

Tiger Woods' method of announcing major events through a nationally televised program is very worthy of emulation.

Maverick Carter knew all too well that this summer was LeBron James's all-or-nothing gamble for his entire career.

His contract renewal with Nike, the height of his basketball career, and his historical status—the success or failure of this summer is linked to too many key factors.

Of course, besides his own efforts, there is another variable that he cannot control but is crucial to LBJ – Lynch absolutely cannot succeed this season.

If he has a championship season with more than 72 wins, the gap between him and LBJ will become an insurmountable chasm.

Besides ensuring that the summer's operations went perfectly, Maverick Carter also absolutely did not want to see Lynch succeed.

He hoped that bastard would be utterly defeated.

He hoped he would fall from grace on his own.

But Lin Qi did not grant him his wish.

After the All-Star game, Lin Qi, having completed the system's tasks, received his due reward.

He obtained Carmelo Anthony's Triple Threat Jumper talent from the All-Star Role Players gacha pack.

Hmm. I wonder what Carmelo Anthony thinks when he finds out he's been relegated to a role player.

However, in that All-Star Game, the core players were clearly Lynch and Wade, and the others could indeed be considered role players.

This is a pretty good reward, and it came very easily—from the system's perspective, this task was extremely difficult; winning the All-Star MVP at the age of 36 is no easy feat. Therefore, the reward naturally had to be substantial.

But for Lin Qi, who was at the peak of his career, this task was not difficult at all.

This has resulted in a situation where the difficulty of the task is seriously mismatched with the task rewards.

Lynch was naturally very happy; anyone would be happy to spend 98 yuan and get 298 yuan worth of quality.

Lynch was also relieved that he hadn't drawn LBJ's dribbling talent; he didn't want to end up on the Shaqtin' a Fool's show every few days after Shaq retired.

Lynch is not a greedy person. He has already received enough honors, and he should leave something for number 23.

For example, the MVP of the Five Bloopers.

Once Lynch realizes his triple threat mid-range shooting talent, combined with his already quick first step and highly refined step-back jumper, he will develop the ability to dominate in mid-range isolation plays.

So, the next thing was simple—start training like crazy.

He aims to make triple-threat shots a regular offensive weapon in the playoffs.

Lynch's momentum of improvement shows no signs of slowing down, and the New York Knicks' winning streak continues unabated.

This team continues to revel in the thrill of slaughtering their opponents.

No one on the team showed any signs of slacking off.

The Nets at Madison Square Garden were still burning with the afterglow of the previous massacre, but the next victim had already fallen in a pool of blood.

As Manu Ginobili once remarked, "There is no perfect team in this world. The Knicks' weakness is, well, we should find it soon."

Even now, when people talk about the New York Knicks' shortcomings, they can only stammer.

The countdown to 72 wins in The New York Times is drawing ever closer.

2月底和3月初，林奇分别用23分14个篮板12次助攻的三双和43分11个篮板的两双两次在主场干掉骑士，实现了连续五个赛季对骑士的横扫。

What frustrated Cleveland even more was that they not only lost to the Knicks, but also to the Magic twice.

Facing this formidable opponent, the Cavaliers seem to be in an intractable predicament.

While bringing in Shaquille O'Neal could limit Dwight Howard's offensive prowess, it would severely restrict LeBron James's offensive space.

If O'Neal is benched, Howard can dominate the paint like there's no one there.

Despite Shaq's best efforts during the game, who was still unhappy with Howard, he couldn't help the Cavaliers secure a victory.

Although the Cavaliers and Magic are tied 2-2 in their regular season matchups, Cleveland fans are not satisfied with this record.

The Cavaliers made so many improvements, yet they only managed to tie with the Orlando Magic? How could LeBron James' Cleveland fleet be mired in the same quagmire as Dwight Howard's Orlando Ark?
This is clearly not what Cleveland fans want to see.

The humiliation of being eliminated by the Magic last season has not been made up for this season.

Maverick Carter's expectations were completely dashed. While Madison Square Garden was enjoying victories every night, the Cleveland Cavaliers were being strangled by their arch-rivals.

Their regular season record was outstanding overall, but their record against their arch-rivals was pitiful.

Cleveland media can only resort to the old method to rescue LBJ – surrounding the forest to rescue James.

"The Knicks also have a 2-2 record against the Magic this season, and they also ran into trouble in Orlando! Our team is not weak, it's just that the people of Orlando have become stronger with ease."

But before the Knicks' overwhelming 72-win countdown, all the defenses crumbled into dust.

With the regular season entering April, all the focus is on the Knicks.

As the countdown in The New York Times dwindled, the anticipation and excitement among New York fans rose accordingly.

April 7, United Center, Chicago.

The New York Knicks will face the Chicago Bulls, who have finally found their next superstar.

This game was temporarily upgraded to a nationally televised event, and tickets were priced at five times the usual price.

On one hand, this is a crucial playoff seeding battle for the Bulls; on the other hand, it's a head-to-head clash between rising star Derrick Rose and Lynch.

But more importantly, this game could very well be a milestone night for the Knicks, securing their 70th win of the season!
It's like a coincidence deliberately arranged by fate.

Those Chicago fans who witnessed the miracles of the past will also be able to turn a new page in the legend tonight.

The Chicago Bulls are a tenacious team, and Derrick Rose is a determined young leader.

Facing the number 20 who instilled fear throughout the entire league, and the suffocating defense that made every team in the league feel, Derrick Rose transformed himself into a sharp blade, resolutely sprinting at full speed to fight back.

Derrick Rose's Bulls led at one point in the first half, and their excellent defense kept the Knicks from hitting three-pointers all night.

The Windy City Rose repeatedly pierced the Knicks' defense with her unstoppable breakthroughs.

The Bulls' change of using Luol Deng at the power forward position proved highly effective. If Lynch wanted to limit Luol Deng's performance, he couldn't afford to worry about Derrick Rose's drives to the basket.

Maverick Carter was very focused on this game, and every minute of the game he was thinking about one thing – would the Chicago Bulls be better if LeBron had gone?
In the first half, the answer was optimistic. If LBJ joined a team that could beat the Knicks without him, then they would definitely be even better at beating the Knicks after he joined.

But in the second half, when Lynch started to focus on Derrick Rose, the Chicago team's advantage gradually turned into a disadvantage.

Rose's breakthroughs were quick, but no matter which angle he broke through from, Lynch would immediately come to help defend.

The soul of this arena trembled; the afterimage of MJ leaping from the free-throw line was turning into Lynch's shadow covering half the court.

This certainly gave Luol Deng plenty of opportunities, but the British Jordan wasn't the kind of finisher who could single-handedly kill the game.

Rose's offensive space was compressed, forcing him to rely more on his still-developing mid-range jump shot, which greatly reduced his offensive threat.

To make matters worse, Ben Gordon was on fire tonight.

God knows if it was the excitement of returning to Chicago, the city that had abandoned him, but tonight Ben Gordon was like a ravenous beast, with an incredibly strong desire to make a move.

This ghost, abandoned by Wind City, is now tearing open its chest, releasing its pent-up poisonous fire.

In the third quarter, he hit four consecutive three-pointers.

Seeing this, Lynch pressed down on Ben Gordon's shoulder: "You can throw whatever you want tonight, I'll clear the obstacles for you."

Ben Gordon, as a role player, never imagined he would receive such treatment.

Having gained such trust from the core leadership, Ben Gordon did not hesitate and his fighting spirit burned even brighter.

After that, Lynch indeed changed his playing style, reducing his shots and frantically setting screens for Ben Gordon.

Ben Gordon, the man who had struggled in the abyss, took Lynch's hand and helped him clear the fog on the Chicago court.

After three consecutive baskets, he pierced through the gap in Lynch's screen, the basketball like a scalpel slicing open the bull's throat.

After a fake screen, he drove in the opposite direction of the pick-and-roll, fooling the inexperienced Rose, and pulled up for a three-pointer.

In the fourth quarter, Lynch backed down Ben Gordon. At this point, Rose was already blocked by DeAndre Jordan's off-ball screen, and Luol Deng immediately rotated in to help.

It wasn't a wide-open opportunity, but Ben Gordon still mustered the courage to take the shot.

The basketball flew past Luol Deng's fingertips. Lynch glanced at the arc and direction of the basketball's flight, and his right hand, anticipating the plot, seemed to transform into a sword of judgment—his posture of stabbing the dome with three fingers was more arrogant than MJ's last shot at the United Center.

"brush!"

6-for-6 from three-point range in the first half!

Ben Gordon scored 42 points in the game, a new season high!

The suspense of the game was over, because after that three-pointer, the Knicks led by 23 points.

For a team with a strong defense but a weak offense, the Chicago Bulls have almost no chance of making a comeback.

When Flip Saunders substituted all the starters, everyone high-fived Ben Gordon in celebration.

Raja Bell was the only one who remained seated on the bench, but given the unpleasantness between them, his reaction was understandable.

With Ben Gordon's phenomenal performance and Lynch's solid 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks, the New York Knicks pulled the thorns out of the Crimson Rose.

They turned the page on the glory of the old era in Chicago and ushered in the dawn of a new one.

With 70 wins and four games remaining in the regular season, the Knicks are just two games away from the Bulls' record!

The final whistle swallowed up Windy City's last sob.

When Ben Gordon walked to the center of the field to be interviewed by reporters, he couldn't help but bend over, cover his face, and cry, like a bulldog whose spine had been removed.

From the G League to scoring 42 points in a single game, only he knows what he has been through.

Coughing up, Ben Gordon could barely speak. Lynch appeared beside him, handed him a towel, and gently patted his back: "Hey, this is your moment of glory, Ben, don't fucking cry."

Ben Gordon took the towel, glanced at the man who had never given up on him, nestled against him, and tears streamed down his face once more.

Lynch patted his head gently, turned to the camera and shrugged, his tone slightly teasing: "Does this scene look familiar? Looks like tonight, I'll have to play Scottie Pippen."

At the same time, Maverick Carter turned off the television.

Can LeBron succeed in Chicago?
He was horrified to discover that even though the Bulls' roster was incredibly talented, and even though the team had some good players,
He couldn't give a confident answer to that question.
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Ben Gordon may not get a max contract this summer, but his new contract will definitely be much bigger than last summer's. He chose a good place, a good leader, and the right choice has redeemed him. —Mark Jackson's assessment of Ben Gordon's performance tonight.

When Ben found his rhythm, Lynch didn't steal the show at all. Many people say that New York's strength comes from the abilities of Lynch and Nash. No, if Ben had played for another team, he might still be in the G League. Admit it, Lynch is not just a great player, and the gap between him and others is not just in individual ability. — Stephen A. Smith's post-game summary.

The 70-win monument at Madison Square Garden has risen from the ruins of Chicago. —A rare roar from Steve Nash during an interview.

Lynch is just two games away from God. —The New York Times is counting down the days.

(End of this chapter)