Champion Rules

Chapter 203, page 199: Every time I perform a magic trick, it's either windy or rainy (Seeking monthly votes!)

In the final game of the regular season, Flip Saunders finally adopted a rest strategy.

Facing the New Orleans Hornets, who were going all out to secure the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and avoid the Lakers in the first round, the Knicks, who were resting their players, ultimately lost.

The team's final regular season record was 73 wins and 9 losses.

林奇常规赛82场全勤，场均能够拿下30.8分13.5个篮板5.7次助攻1.7次抢断和2.8次盖帽。

Although Dwight Howard snatched the rebounding and shot-blocking titles from Lynch this season, Lynch also had a very successful season. He won his first scoring title and also set a new career high in assists.

Steve Nash's fast-paced style of play led to a high number of rounds, ultimately propelling Lynch to a breakthrough in scoring.

勒布朗.詹姆斯的克利夫兰骑士以67胜紧随其后，除了战绩优异，LBJ本赛季的数据也相当漂亮，场均28.4分7.6个篮板7.2次助攻1.7次抢断1.1次封盖。

In most previous seasons, such a performance would have made him a strong contender for MVP.

Unfortunately, the MVP award for this year's regular season was practically decided the moment the Knicks reached 70 wins, and he could only be a supporting MVP, if that counts as an honor.

Following the Cleveland Cavaliers are the 62-win Heat, fourth is the 59-win Orlando Magic, and fifth is the 58-win Detroit Pistons.

This is the first time in history that three teams in the Eastern Conference have achieved 60 wins in a single season.

When the three 60-win giants opened fire on each other, the intensity of the competition in the East reached an all-time high.

Historically, the Western Conference also had three teams with 60 wins in 1998. This time, it's the Eastern Conference's turn to experience hellish trials.

In this competitive environment, even for the Knicks, who are first in the East, the road to the next round is not easy.

Although they won't face a 60-win team in the second round, they will still have to play against either the Magic or the Pistons, both of which are close to 60 wins.

In the third round, the Knicks will face a 60-win team head-to-head, no matter what.

Before the playoffs began, Flip Sanders' first words in a tactics session were: "Welcome to the gateway to hell, kids."

But even in the face of such fierce competition, the Knicks players remain very confident.

Raja Bale immediately retorted, "That's something you should say to other teams, because we are the masters of hell."

The first round of the NBA playoffs began on April 18.

The Knicks' first-round opponent is the Chicago Bulls, who just helped Lynch open a new chapter in history.

Derrick Rose's rise has been remarkable, leading his hometown team, which was vying for the number one draft pick the previous season, to the playoffs in his rookie season.

Such an achievement makes another hometown hero even more embarrassed.

Despite being highly anticipated, he didn't reach the playoffs until his third season in the professional league.

If Rose hadn't signed with Adidas, his reputation would be even higher now.

Just imagine, if Nike were in charge, they would have already made Derrick Rose, who led his team to the playoffs, the greatest point guard in history, even without a championship.

After all, in Nike's eyes, their star players have always been compared to MJ.

It's as if any human being with all four limbs could easily surpass five champions, like Magic Johnson who won the Finals MVP in his rookie season, and then directly challenged MJ.

Before this series even began, rumors about the Chicago Bulls and LeBron James had already spread throughout the league.

So when Lynch met Rose on the court, he teased Chicago's number 1 about it: "Derrick, are you excited about the arrival of a strong new teammate?"

Rose glanced at his teammates and responded frankly:
"I hope these guys stay here, and if they do, then LeBron should come. If the team can sign LeBron as a free agent, that would be great. But I won't go to great lengths to recruit others because I trust the players I already have."

Lynch whistled: "Looks like our LeBaby isn't that appealing."

Ross replied in a gentle yet firm voice, "It wouldn't matter if you came, Lynch."

A great answer.

At this time, Derrick Rose was at the peak of his confidence and high spirits. He was a thorny rose who dared to ask reporters "Why can't I be the MVP?" before the start of his third season in the professional league.

“I admire you, Derek,” Lynch’s praise was heartfelt, but then his almost ruthless nature as a ruler was revealed.

"I also think highly of you. To be honest, you probably have a 'high' chance of stealing a victory from me, about 5%."

Lynch wasn't talking about a series win, but a single victory.

Derek Ross rubbed his hands together, eager to try: "You'll see, Lynch."

Game start.

During the regular season, the Knicks swept the Bulls 4-0. However, in those games, the Knicks' tactical setup was relatively loose, and they did not make any detailed plans to counter the Bulls.

In the first game of the playoffs, Flip Saunders was still testing the waters.

In the first half, he mainly assigned Raja Bale to defend Rose; in the second half, he used Trevor Ariza to carry out the marking duties.

He wanted to see who could defend Rose most effectively.

The final assessment concluded that neither of them could defend Rose.

Derrick Rose scored an astonishing 36 points in his first playoff game, shooting an impressive 63.2% from the field – making him the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to score 36 points in his rookie season playoff debut.

Against Raja Bell, Rose's mid-range pull-up jump shot was surprisingly accurate.

Rose's sharp drives to the basket were unstoppable against Trevor Ariza.

In his rookie season, Lynch made his first playoff appearance and hit a game-winning shot in the final seconds of his career to defeat Gilbert Arenas' Washington Wizards, but he didn't score as many as 36 points in that game.

This is the young and promising Derrick Rose, which is why he has the confidence not to curry favor with any superstars.

But Rose couldn't win the game, as Lynch scored repeatedly in the low post against double teams in the final moments, leading his team to a 7-point victory.

At the end of the game, Derrick Rose was very disappointed: "We were so close to Lynch, and the odds of us winning a game were definitely not as low as 5%."

Lynch replied, "No, perhaps you haven't realized it yet, but this is the closest you've ever come to victory."

Lynch wasn't lying, because the Knicks were just testing the waters today.

Next, the real defensive setup against Rose will begin.

In Game 2 of the series, the initial probing ended, and the Knicks displayed the terror of a 73-win team.

Flip Saunders decided to double-team Rose, allowing the rest of the Bulls to attack.

This had an immediate effect, limiting Derrick Rose to 4-for-14 shooting and a mere 9 points. Furthermore, under the Knicks' highly mobile defense, Rose committed 8 turnovers, almost all of them passing errors.

Despite John Salmons' 21 points, it was all for naught. Luol Deng, who was initially expected to perform well, only managed 5 points under Lynch's defense. With both of the Bulls' stars effectively shut down, the Knicks easily defeated the Bulls 107-86.

It was during this game that Derrick Rose truly realized what the playoffs really meant.

His opponents' meticulous and targeted tactics left him with almost no room to breathe. He was not only double-teamed, but even the route of every pass seemed to be calculated.

In the regular season, most of the time it's just a routine competition. But in the playoffs, your opponents are all thinking about how to kill you.

Back at the United Center, despite playing at home, Derrick Rose was unable to replicate his stunning performance from the first game, and the Bulls never played a game as respectable as they did in the first game.

Rose scored 14 points in one game and 17 points in another.

It's clear that he's gradually getting used to the playoffs.

However, on this stage where every match is a life-or-death struggle, there is no room for you to gradually adapt.

The playoffs are where you really shine.

You can never tell your opponent in a real gunfight, "Stop, I can't keep going, I need to get back into shape."

As expected, the New York Knicks swept the Bulls 4-0.

After the fourth game, Rose was clearly dissatisfied, but he still showed his sportsmanship and congratulated Lynch: "Go win the championship, legend."

Lynch gently patted Ross's head. "Remember this feeling, remember the burning pain of being crushed right now. When you achieve great success, I will still be here, waiting for you."

The two embraced, marking the end of the Bulls' 08-09 season.

While the Knicks effortlessly defeated the Chicago Bulls, Carmelo Anthony was experiencing the biggest crisis of his career.

In his six years in the league, Carmelo Anthony has not only won two championship rings, but has also reached the conference finals for five consecutive seasons.

This year, however, he is in great danger of being eliminated in the first round.

Rasheed Wallace's injury left the Pistons short-handed at the center position, while the Orlando Magic's strongest position was precisely the center.

Whether it's rebounding or rim protection, the Detroit Pistons have no advantage whatsoever.

In Game 4 of the series, Carmelo Anthony had a chance to tie the game.

With 29 seconds left in the game, he hit a pull-up jumper over Turkoglu's defense, forcing overtime.

With 23 seconds left in overtime, Carmelo Anthony stepped up again, hitting a turnaround jumper to force a second overtime.

However, the pistons' tenacious resistance ultimately fell short in the second overtime.

In the second overtime, Ray Allen gave his opponents no further chances. He hit a crucial three-pointer with seven seconds left in the game, sealing the Pistons' fate.

Ray Allen's final score in this game was a staggering 51 points, shooting 18-for-32 from the field and 9-for-18 from three-point range, setting a new career playoff scoring record.

This three-pointer brought the series score to 3-1, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it determined the course of the entire series.

Seeing his good friend Carmelo Anthony lose, LeBron James's feelings were self-evident.

He was so happy!

There wasn't a trace of regret or sadness in my heart!

His brotherhood with Anthony is genuine.

The happiness I feel right now is genuine.

More than his brothers' misfortune, LBJ is afraid that his brothers will beat Dwight Howard and drive a Land Rover.

The outcome of this series serves as a clear mirror: the Cavaliers' failure to avenge their loss to the Magic last season and their unsuccessful attempt at revenge in the regular season this season are not due to LeBron James's lack of ability.

So what if Carmelo Anthony has two rings? He still got thrashed by the Magic.

However, during the post-game press conference, a comment made by Dwight Howard during an interview caused LBJ's smile to vanish.

Dwight Howard told reporters, "Linche said something harsh to me during last year's Olympic finals—'Don't treat me like LeBron James.' Now, I'm passing that on to Melo: 'Man, don't treat me like LeBron.'"

LBJ: ? ? ?
Are you even speaking human language?!
In Game 5 of the series, the Detroit Pistons, whose mentality had been shattered, failed to recover.

Even more devastating was Chauncey Billups's performance, which was marked by his dissatisfaction with the team's decision to offer him only a short-term contract and a breakdown in their relationship. The former Finals MVP only managed 4 points and 4 assists with a 34% field goal percentage.

The Orlando Magic easily defeated the Pistons at home, ending Carmelo Anthony's streak of reaching at least the conference finals for five consecutive seasons.

The first-round exit left Carmelo Anthony furious. On the night after the game, in the locker room, watching the extinguished fighting spirit in his former teammate Chauncey Billups' eyes, Anthony picked up his phone and sent a resolute text message to team president Joe Dumars.

"I only want to see people who want to win in this locker room!"

On the other side, Dwight Howard was beaming with pride. He put his arm around Ray Allen's shoulder and declared to the camera, "I know very well how strong our next opponent is, but look at my brother! He's a cold-blooded killer! We just upset the Pistons who have dominated the East for years, so why can't we take down the Knicks?"

Ray Allen was clearly uncomfortable with Howard's excessive intimacy.

He could never share the same interests with someone like Howard, and he would never be able to build a genuine friendship with someone like Howard.

In front of the camera, he just smiled awkwardly, patted Howard on the shoulder, and then turned and walked away.

Such a reaction can be described as indifferent.

Dwight Howard wasn't oblivious; he knew that Ray Allen wasn't even a brother to him, let alone a friend. They were from completely different worlds.

One likes the loud DJ music in nightclubs, the other likes piano music.

One loved reading, while the other couldn't even finish reading the title page.

But so what?

Look at his 51 points in Game 4, he'll get through this tough time.

Ray Allen may not have been a good friend, but no one can deny that he was an unparalleled helper.

She's like the kind of girl Dwight Howard likes best: a girl who doesn't talk much but is very practical—she never talks nonsense, she just talks nonsense to you.

Since the Shaq-Penny Hardaway duo, the Orlando Magic have made a strong run into the Eastern Conference semifinals.

They are confident they can run rampant over a 73-win team.

They firmly believed that victory was not out of reach.
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The New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the second round. Who will ultimately emerge victorious? — Sports Illustrated.

Oh, you know, Carmelo Anthony is an extremely good player. Losing to the Magic wasn't his fault; we have to give the Orlando Magic some respect, they are really very strong. — LeBron James "thoughtfully" defends Carmelo Anthony.

A large-scale brawl broke out in Queens last night, escalating into a shooting. The incident was reportedly triggered by a high school student insulting an opponent on a basketball court: "You play like LeBron James." —The New York Times

Look at LBJ and his good friend Melo, letting them beat the Magic is a piece of cake. But soon, Lynch will tear down their last shred of dignity. Because he will prove that Orlando isn't that strong at all. — Stephen A. Smith on the show.

(Thank you so much to the generous donors like Li Bai Maybe Not So White, I'm extremely grateful!)

(End of this chapter)