Champion Rules

Chapter 202, Section 198: The Smoke of Battle on the Throne and the Bones of Mortals (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
The New York Knicks have a record of 70 wins and 8 losses.

This is the only team in many years to live up to the fans' expectations and raise their regular season win total to 70.

Magic Johnson explained on an ESPN show why so many teams are close to 70 wins, but ultimately only Lynch achieved that feat.

"Because he is a true superstar, and I must say, the term 'superstar' is overused these days. In the minds of our generation of players, a superstar needed to meet two conditions:"
First, even away fans flock to your games, making tickets extremely difficult to obtain.

Secondly, it can inspire teammates, enabling them to become better players and lead the team to victory.

Lynch is a true superstar, you know? Tickets for the United Center game last night skyrocketed in price, yet they still sold out early.

Ben Gordon's performance last night was superb, and Lynch was undoubtedly the key catalyst that propelled it all forward.

You call a scorer averaging 25 or 26 points a superstar now? Then Lynch will show you a true miracle with his dominance.

Magic Johnson spoke highly of Lynch, even stating, "For his age group, yes, Lynch has completely surpassed MJ. Now, many people talk about MJ as if his career only consisted of those six most glorious years. But don't forget, at Lynch's age, he was still struggling in the first round of the playoffs."

The magician's remarks are a microcosm of the current media frenzy.

Nowadays, public opinion has elevated Lynch to a god-like status.

People eagerly anticipate him becoming the legendary figure to succeed MJ.

All of this happened much faster than Reebok had anticipated.

When Lynch arrived in North America from Europe with a halo of prestige, Reebok was convinced that Lynch would become great.

But they still didn't expect that in just five seasons, Lynch's comparisons had changed from Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Tim Duncan to Michael Jordan.

The burden of seventy wins is crushing the pillars of the old era. From European champion to the throne of the basketball world, Lynch only took 1628 days and nights.

The excitement of breaking the record enveloped the entire city of New York. Steve Nash's sports car rolled down Seventh Avenue, and dozens of billboards were covered with posters announcing Lynch's impending record-breaking performance.

Nash whistled happily, feeling honored to be a part of this historic team.

Upon arriving at the training center, Steve Nash ran into his old friend Raja Bell in the parking lot.

Raja Bell greeted Nash with a smile.

"Steve, damn it, we've already won 70 games, and you're still training so early? We're already legends, baby, legends!"

Nash smiled and nodded in acknowledgment: "You seem to be in a good mood."

"What are you talking about? Should I be frowning now? Ten years from now, I can tell reporters: Sam Presti, that bastard, was blind back then and missed out on a 70-win guard! No, to be precise, a 73-win guard! I can't wait, Steve, I really can't wait!"

Nash breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that all the media hype about him being unhappy because Ben Gordon scored 42 points was nonsense.

Indeed, given Raja Bell's personality, he certainly wouldn't stand up and hug Ben Gordon, much less be jealous of him because of it.

Nash and Raja Bell changed their clothes, chatting and laughing, and walked into the training facility.

Nash was not surprised by what he saw; Lynch was already practicing mid-range isolation plays with the help of Amir Johnson.

Since the All-Star Game, Nash noticed that Lynch was practicing mid-range isolation plays much more frequently.

You have to understand, Lynch was already exceptional enough.

But he was like a bottomless pit, never satisfied, never missing an opportunity to improve.

The team leader's leadership has made everyone on the Knicks work hard in training. So far this season, the team has only been late for training twice—and both times there were valid reasons.

The first time was with Trevor Ariza, whose mother had a fever and was hospitalized, so he took time off work to take care of her.

The second incident involved DeShawn Stevenson, whose female companion suddenly got out of the car and vomited an unidentified white, viscous liquid while he was driving. He was then stopped by the NYPD for illegal parking—regardless of why his female companion in the passenger seat suddenly vomited white liquid, this was indeed a valid reason.

Meanwhile, on the training field, Amir Johnson, acting as a sparring partner, was already starting to lose heart, as Lynch had already scored 10 goals over his head.

He felt like he was guarding Carmelo Anthony, a taller and more difficult-to-intercept Carmelo Anthony.

Those damned three-threat maneuvers completely outmaneuvered him.

When Lynch hit his 11th consecutive basket with a triple-threat fake followed by a pull-up jumper, Amir Johnson simply lay down on the ground and said, "I surrender, Lynch, I give up completely."

Lin Qi pulled up his collar, wiped the sweat from his chin, and joked, "Is this all the second-best power forward in the East is capable of? You should quit playing basketball. This summer I'll send you to the Shaolin Temple in China for some advanced training. Maybe that will help you get a bigger contract."

"You think I'm bad? If you want, you can find our top center or second-best shooting guard in the East to play with you. They won't do any better than me!"

Raja Bell's sneer cut through the air: "Damn it, among those first and second place teams in the East that you guys are talking about, is there even one of them averaging double digits in points this season?!"

Amir Johnson's veins bulged: "How can you measure historical rankings by points? Even if I score 5 points in a game, after 20 years, my points will surpass most people in the league. So shut up, you're just the third-best shooting guard in the East! Let your fingers taste the metal of the ring before you bark!"

A burst of cheerful laughter erupted in the training hall.

Lynch smiled and stepped forward, reaching out to help Amir Johnson up from the ground.

As it turns out, Lynch's new weapon—the mid-range triple-threat jump shot—has proven quite effective against a matchup of Amir Johnson's caliber.

Although he may still be inexperienced when dealing with truly top-tier defensive players, he has undoubtedly become a useful weapon on the offensive end.

Nash tossed Amir Johnson a bottle of water: "Stop complaining, Amir. Think about it, you only have to match up against Lynch for ten or twenty minutes every day. Look at our opponents, they get tortured for a full 48 minutes and are destined to be crushed. Compared to that, God has been really kind to you."

After hearing this, Amir Johnson seemed to remember something, then looked at Lynch who was drinking water: "Lynch, you didn't do this for LaMarcus Aldridge, did you? Damn, it seems like you'll never be satisfied until you bring everyone under your rule."

Lynch and LaMarcus Aldridge had some history two months ago when Aldridge scored a game-high 32 points in the Knicks' victory over the Trail Blazers.

Although the Trail Blazers still lost the game, The Oregonian insisted: "Lynch also has many shortcomings. For example, in terms of mid-range one-on-one, he is far inferior to L-Train (Aldridge's nickname)."

Of course, because Aldridge is not a very influential star player, this incident did not cause a huge uproar.

It wasn't until the day after the match that Amir Johnson showed Lynch the newspaper, and Lynch learned about it.

However, Lynch did not respond to anything. Who would care about the nonsense from the local Portland media?

But Nash's words reminded Amir Johnson that this leader was notoriously vengeful and determined to fight for every inch of ground against his opponents.

Could he have kept this debt to himself until now?
Three days later, the Knicks will face the Portland Trail Blazers.

So, is this why Lynch has been practicing his mid-range one-on-one game like crazy lately?
Lynch looked bewildered: "LaMarcus? What does this have to do with him?"

Lynch genuinely didn't recall having any conflict with LaMarcus Aldridge.
“Ha,” Amir Johnson laughed gleefully, “We’ll see what this has to do with him once the match starts.”

That night, the Knicks easily defeated the New Jersey Nets at home.

The Nets, already in a rebuilding phase, couldn't hurt the Knicks in the slightest.

Lynch's omnipresent defense held the Nets to just 29% shooting percentage in the first half.

Even just sitting in front of the TV, Nets fans could feel the suffocating pressure brought by Lynch's terrifying dominance.

The word "dominance" was embodied in Lynch's timely help defense, blocks, and steals.

It's as if, if Lynch wanted to, he could lead the Knicks to a 100-0 victory over the Nets.

Of course, for Chinese fans, the Nets weren't entirely without merit tonight.

At least Yi Jianlian's performance was commendable.

Despite Lynch's defense, he still managed to score 6 points, grab 8 rebounds, and block 1 shot.

After the game, Yi Jianlian smiled slightly.

He has regained the coach's trust.

The Knicks have won 71 games, and the New York Times countdown shows only one game left.

After a day of rest, the Knicks will host the Detroit Pistons—although the season is nearing its end, the intensity of the competition between the two teams has not diminished. The matchup between Lynch and Carmelo Anthony is always a rivalry, regardless of the final standings.

Zach Randolph scored 15 points tonight, but only shot 35% from the field.

He attempted to use his size to counter the shrunk Lynch, but the Knicks' rapid pressure and double-teaming made it difficult for Zach Randolph to move.

Carmelo Anthony scored 28 points, but Lynch sealed the victory with an even higher 36 points.

Lynch's all-around offensive skills are another way he demonstrates his dominance.

Against their arch-rival, the Detroit Pistons, Lynch achieved a record-tying 72 wins!
At that moment, the distance between Lynch and God was zero!

“Next, it will be the process of Lynch distancing himself from God!” Reggie Miller exclaimed.

He experienced the Michael Jordan era, the 72-win season, and knew very well how terrifying that Bulls team was.

That's why he was so amazed; Lynch had actually created a new miracle with his dominance. With only two regular-season games left, the Knicks will face the Portland Trail Blazers in a back-to-back game tomorrow night.

That might be a glorious night of setting a new record.

Of course, it might not be.

The Portland Trail Blazers are no pushovers.

They are currently ranked third in the Western Conference, with the same record as the second-place Spurs.

You can think of it this way: apart from the Lakers' Big Three who are in a league of their own, the Portland Trail Blazers are the best team in the West.

More importantly, they don't plan to rest any players. Because compared to the Dallas Mavericks, the Trail Blazers prefer to face the New Orleans Hornets – this year's Western Conference is incredibly competitive, and while the Mavericks are in the bottom half of the standings, they are still a 50-win team, definitely not an opponent the Trail Blazers want to face.

To achieve their goal, they must secure second place in the Western Conference.

Therefore, they will definitely put up a strong fight against the Knicks tomorrow night.

God knows what kind of belief this team, whose head coach suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and could only coach from the sidelines on crutches, had to fight to the death at the end of the regular season.

During the interview, Lynch casually spread his hands: "Stop? I've heard that word enough in the last few months. But look at us now, we're at the top of 72 wins, who can stop us?"

Lynch is very arrogant, just like number 23 of the past.

But he has the right to be arrogant.

On the second night, this arrogance transformed into dominance—even in the tiring final stages of the season, Lynch's control on the court showed no signs of diminishing.

Today, Nate McMillan decided not to double-team Lynch.

The New York Knicks rank fourth in the league in three-point shooting percentage and third in three-pointers made this season.

Squeezing Lynch from both sides is an extremely dangerous thing.

In the last game at the Rose Garden, the Portlanders were killed by the Knicks' three-pointers.

He decided to use LaMarcus Aldridge to guard Lynch one-on-one. Lynch might score 40 points, but the Knicks would definitely not win.

His individual score could never exceed the combined total of Roy and Aldridge.

After the game started, Lin Qi immediately noticed that the Trail Blazers had surprisingly chosen to defend him one-on-one.

This even made Lynch feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Aside from when he's doing something, he rarely engages in intense one-on-one battles anymore.

Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Lynch began a frenzy of one-on-one play.

LaMarcus Aldridge knew that Lynch was not good at mid-range face-up offense, so when Lynch had the ball, he gave him half a step to limit his drives.

Lin Qi lowered his center of gravity and took a step forward, pretending to break through.

After shifting Aldridge's center of gravity, Lynch took advantage of the slight opening and launched a direct attack.

"brush!"

The basketball went in, and Lynch easily defeated LaMarcus Aldridge in a one-on-one situation.

On the bench, Amir Johnson shook his head: "What a hypocrite! He says he can't remember, but he's ruthless when it comes to toying with people!"

Lynch couldn't recall that old article from The Oregonian, but
The feeling of crushing your opponent one-on-one is really great.

The following matches were a nightmare cycle for LaMarcus Aldridge.

On the defensive end, Lynch focused on guarding him, handing over the Yellow Mamba Roy to his teammates.

On offense, Lynch took one-on-one shots far more frequently than in other games.

Furthermore, LaMarcus Aldridge was completely unable to defend number 20.

He pressed too close, and Lynch was able to blow past him and drive to the basket. Even though Lynch isn't a master of ball-handling offense, LaMarcus Aldridge isn't a defensive stalwart either, so Lynch's drives were very smooth.

If he leaves some distance, Lin Qi's mid-range pull-up jumper after a three-point threat is so accurate it's almost hopeless.

When he closes down Lynch and prevents him from getting the ball down, Lynch's back-to-the-basket moves and step-backs will continue to teach him a lesson.

Every triple threat Lynch made after receiving the ball put LaMarcus Aldridge on edge.

At the end of the third quarter, when Lynch scored again in a one-on-one situation, he, who had barely spoken throughout the game, spread his hands and shrugged.

Lynch didn't say a word, but he had already plunged LaMarcus Aldridge into an abyss.

Portland fans watching on television felt a chill run down their spines.

The previous league rulers also humiliated their star players in this way.

This is enough to demonstrate that Lynch's dominance has reached this level.

Nate McMillan, leaning on his cane, was equally disheartened, because judging from this trend, Brandon Roy and Aldridge's combined points tonight didn't seem to be as high as Lynch's!
In the fourth quarter, Nate McMillan finally changed his strategy after Lynch had already scored 45 points, but it was too late.

The final step of the Temple of 73 is being cast onto the bones of the Portlanders.

Lynch ultimately outscored Aldridge with 51 points and led his team to victory.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the number "73" appeared on the big screen.

All the fans stood up and cheered for Caesar, who had slaughtered his opponents.

A dominant performance made tonight's record-breaking night truly convincing.

Spike Lee, unusually, did not stand up. He remained seated on his bench, his hands trembling with excitement.

He couldn't believe that Madison Square Garden had its own god.

Thirteen years later, someone finally climbed that peak.

Lynch's reaction was different from that of the fans.

He looked at his departing opponent and the 51-point score, smiled, pointed to the stands, and said it all so casually.

When interviewed, the King of New York maintained a very calm gaze.

"People say that chasing records will exhaust me, but I feel that 73 wins is nothing special."
-
If Lynch did this because of that report from two months ago, then all I can say is, please, please, never report on me again. — LaMarcus Aldridge's helpless remarks after the game regarding Lynch's 51 points tonight.

Yes, it was all my fault; it was an incredibly stupid strategy. Don't give Lynch a chance to go one-on-one, or tonight will be the end of the game. Brandon and LaMarcus were both excellent tonight, combining for 42 points. But as you can see, Lynch scored 51 points by himself. —Nate McMillan on the reasons for tonight's loss.

Revenge? Lynch isn't the type to hold grudges; he just played normally. — Philip Sanders denies that his 51 points tonight were intended to make Aldridge look bad.

The team's weaknesses? Perhaps they're hidden in the password box of their 73rd win. But the key to that password box will surely be melted down by Lynch into a championship ring. — Reggie Miller after the game, discussing the Knicks' shortcomings.

"Lynch, great game, great record. Although there's still one game left in the regular season, we can already say you've had a huge success. Next up is the playoffs, where you'll face the winner of the Pistons vs. Magic series in the second round. Which team do you think poses a greater threat?"

"You guys are being incredibly disrespectful to the Chicago Bulls, you're even assuming we'll make it to the second round. Okay, that's true. Detroit and Orlando? What a letdown, I'd rather play the Cleveland Cavaliers."

You haven't answered my question directly yet.

"They are all very good, but I will eventually advance."

"I can understand that you think neither the Pistons nor the Magic pose a threat, is that right?"

"Whatever you say."

"In fact, you do have a chance to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. If LBJ can lead his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, you will meet him."

"Ha-ha-ha, you have no sense of humor, Mark. Next question."

Will you keep Ben Gordon this summer? He's currently in the top three in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

“I don’t know, but I hope he gets the contract he wants. In any case, I wish him all the best. And I’d rather talk about the present.”

If you had to sum up this season in one sentence, how would you say it?

"Perhaps, the smoke of battle on the throne of gods, and the bones of mortals."

— Lynch in an interview with ESPN writer Marc Stein.

(End of this chapter)