Champion Rules

Chapter 215, Section 211: You actually want to escape? (Seeking monthly votes!)
Perhaps the two most tragic things in the world of basketball are:

After you retired, the team erected a statue of you that looked just like Dwyane Wade's.

At the crucial moment, in a direct confrontation that everyone was watching, you were defeated by your nemesis and lost the game.

Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant just experienced the latter firsthand in the crucial minutes of Game 1 of the Finals—he was blocked twice in a row by Lynch, who personally ended the Lakers' chances of winning the game.

After Game 1 of the Finals, Lynch was basically elevated to god-like status.

In this highest-rated Grand Prix since 1998, Lynch showed the world what the most dominant player of our time looks like.

In regular play, you could say Kobe and Lynch are evenly matched.

But at the crucial moment, Lynch achieved a complete victory.

The so-called "counterattack of the old era" may ultimately be nothing more than a fleeting dream. Because the new era wave led by Lynch is simply too powerful and overwhelming.

ESPN columnist Kevin Pelton published an article the day after the game titled "The Greatest Player of Our Time: Lynch," in which he wrote:
"Lynch is becoming the Michael Jordan of our time."

Many people say that MJ's dynasty was never interrupted, and that MJ was never defeated by an opponent during his most dominant period—and that is true if you selectively ignore the famous loss in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

However, I must point out a crucial contrast: Michael Jordan, at the age of 23, had never even experienced the second round of the playoffs. And Lynch today? He already boasts two championships, two MVPs, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, four rebounding titles, one scoring title, and five All-NBA First Team selections.
Guys! The only reason he hasn't yet reached the terrifying heights of peak MJ is precisely because Lynch himself hasn't truly entered the golden age of his career!

He has only just begun to show his talent, and it can even be considered a small test of his abilities, yet he has already achieved so much glory.

When he truly reaches his peak, we may witness an unshakeable and absolute dominance that surpasses even MJ's.

For young players like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin Durant, the question they should be asking themselves now is not how to beat Lynch, but whether they still have a chance to win a championship ring in an era where Lynch dominates the league.
Like Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Patrick Ewing, and Reggie Miller, if they could just snatch a ring from MJ's hand, it would be a huge victory.

Lynch will become the highest mountain, eternal, towering, and awe-inspiring. It is something the wind cannot blow away, and the river cannot wash away.

Others can only strive to be the longest river, which may create a different kind of greatness, but ultimately they can only detour around high mountains.

This article has already distanced Lynch from everyone else.

He is considered a one-of-a-kind competitor in this era.

Logo Man Jerry West, looking at all the praise for Lynch, felt they were making premature judgments about this era.

The 00s clearly did not belong to Lynch, because the New York Knicks were not the only team to win two consecutive championships. The Los Angeles Lakers, which he personally built at the beginning of the century, even achieved a three-peat.

So what about the upcoming decade? Jerry West also doesn't think it will belong to Lynch—because his meticulously crafted team is poised to unleash its full power.

According to Logo, all this hype surrounding Lynch's "era dominance" theory is merely the result of his sponsor Reebok's behind-the-scenes maneuvering.

He acknowledged that Lynch was indeed great, but not enough to rule an era.

In essence, Reebok's marketing of Lynch is no different from Nike's previous marketing of LBJ.

They all like to do loans.

They are being forced to accept honors that do not belong to them.

Jerry West believes the 10s will belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He conveyed the same confidence to Kevin Durant, who was visiting: "You don't have to envy Lynch. We will bring you a special kid in the draft. You and him together will win many, many championships."

However, Kevin Durant's trip wasn't about this blueprint; he simply wanted to figure out one thing: "What about Russell?"

Recently, he has heard many rumors that teams want to trade Russell Westbrook.

He didn't believe it was true, and he didn't want it to be true.

Jerry West knew that KD and Russell Westbrook had a good personal relationship. He also knew that trading that exceptionally talented kid would be controversial.

But he still decided to do it.

It feels like yesterday—back then, he had to make way for the up-and-coming All-Star Eddie Jones to give way to the promising Kobe.

Logo stood up, gently patted Kevin Durant on the shoulder, and said softly, "Russell Westbrook is a good kid, and I admire him a lot. He's sincere and pure. But Kevin, what you need is a partner who can help you achieve great things and truly build the foundation of a championship. I hope you can look at things from a professional player's perspective."

This is a cruel answer: Russell Westbrook has no place in the future of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"Who are you planning to trade him for?" KD pressed on. "I don't think there's a better guard in this league than him."

Jerry West just smiled.

He wouldn't reveal his plans to anyone until everything was agreed upon.

Meanwhile, LeBron James and his team are busy planning his future in the summer when Lynch is very likely to win his third championship.

Several teams are constantly adjusting their rosters, clearing salary cap space, and preparing to extend an olive branch to LBJ.

The Chicago Bulls were willing to trade Luol Deng to make room to sign another superstar besides LeBron James.

LeBron James' agent, Leon Rose, was originally in negotiations with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Daniel Gilbert showed great sincerity. Although LBJ became the only one in the dream team to have been eliminated by the other four at least once, the Cavaliers owner still promised to strengthen the roster regardless of cost.

Leon Rose believes that re-signing with the Cavaliers is the best option.

Even if LBJ is unable to win a championship for the time being, it provides the media with a narrative perspective of a "tragic hero".

This will help improve LBJ's declining public image.

However, his negotiations with the Cavaliers were abruptly halted. That evening, he and the "Four Cavaliers" met with Nick Harrison, Nike's Vice President of Basketball Operations for North America.

As an important asset of Nike, LBJ naturally makes Nick Harrison very concerned about this transfer.

This is because it directly relates to the prospects of Nike's negotiations with LeBron James for his next contract extension.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to cancel his original plan to recruit Stephen Curry and came specifically to hear the decision of LBJ's team.

However, Nick Harrison was completely dumbfounded when he heard LBJ's team's proposal.

"Damn it! No, you're going to ruin everything! Even a fool knows you can't win a championship like this! Whether it's the Bulls or the Pistons, three All-NBA caliber players in their twenties forming a super team in their prime, and you expect people to watch? Pshaw! Don't you find that disgusting?! And you say you want to improve LeBron's public image in front of the fans, to make them sing LeBron's praises? In one word, disgusting!"

This is absolutely the most outlandish and absurd plan Nick Harrison has ever heard in his career.

This is as absurd as Michael Jordan joining Isiah Thomas's Pistons before winning a championship.

Greatness is not defined by success, but by how one gets back up after failure.

Michael Jordan perfectly embodies this greatness.

If you choose to kneel down immediately after failing, how can you still be considered great?
Faced with Nick Harrison's fierce reaction, Rich Paul, a core member of LBJ's team, simply looked at him coldly and asked in a flat tone, "Can three young All-NBA stars in their prime win a championship?"

"Yes, but this is fucking competitive sports! LeBron, is this what you really want? You can choose to go anywhere, but you can't choose to run away!" Nick Harrison looked directly at LBJ, hoping to hear his own thoughts.

But LeBron James chose to remain silent—a man is usually reluctant to admit that he only wants to escape when he encounters difficulties.

Seeing that LBJ had tacitly approved of the plan, Nick Harrison sighed. He knew perfectly well that Nike's "key asset" himself also preferred to take this shortcut.

In any case, Nike doesn't want to completely give up on LeBron James yet. Therefore, Nick Harrison wants to see what else he can do to try and salvage the damage this will inevitably do to LeBron's public image—after all, what fan would idolize a player who lacks courage?

"So, how do you plan to announce LeBron's decision?" Nick Harrison asked tentatively. "A press conference?"

“No,” Rich Paul said flatly. “Thank God you haven’t completely gone mad; you still retain the most basic sense of reason.”

Before Nick Harris could finish speaking, Rich Paul shocked him once again.

"We plan to announce this decision via live television broadcast, just like Tiger Woods did not long ago when he apologized via live television broadcast."

Nick Harrison: ? ? ?

What?! They're even broadcasting their escape live on TV?!
Are there any normal people in your team?!
Nick Harrison pressed his temples, bewildered and helpless about LBJ's team's bizarre actions, since Nike had no real power to enforce them.

His only leverage for exerting pressure is the contract renewal agreement.

“Listen, if you’re convinced this will bring you a championship, if you believe a championship will reshape LBJ’s image, then you’d better not mess things up, otherwise—”

Nick Harrison stood up, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone in the room: "Otherwise, we will reassess the contract renewal with LeBron. Farewell, gentlemen, good night."

After saying this, Nick Harrison left the room, and the meeting ended unhappily.

Nick Harrison was heavy-hearted. With Reebok closing in, Nike's only remaining top superstars besides LeBron James were Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony.

If LBJ's team takes a risk and ultimately fails, Nike's market situation will only worsen.

He could only pray that this group of people, driven utterly mad by failure, would pull back from the brink before the final decision was made.

If they continue to be stubborn and fail even after banding together, then...
Nike may really give up on continuing its partnership with LBJ.

He vowed that he would really do it when the time came.

In stark contrast to the worried Nick Harrison, NBA Commissioner David Stern was basking in long-awaited joy.

He was full of confidence in the upcoming Finals, and the exciting Game 1 was just the beginning. He seemed to have already seen this wave of enthusiasm pushing the NBA back to its golden age of popularity.

Game 2 of the Finals continued the high level of interest from Game 1, attracting attention not only in the United States but also with a considerable number of viewers worldwide.

As it turns out, David Stern was right to end the era of dark defense. While the Lakers and Knicks' defense remains tight, Lynch and Kobe at least still give fans some reason to cheer.

At the scene, countless New York fans held up signs that read "YPLL".

Zhang Weiping, who was providing commentary at the scene, was somewhat puzzled: "What does this mean? Many fans are holding up signs like this."

Yu Jia, who was standing nearby, explained: "I just asked the staff on site, and it's an abbreviation for 'You play like LeBron.'"

Tonight, the two sides continued to play a close game, with the lead changing hands frequently and the score remaining close.

In the final moments of the fourth quarter, Kevin Garnett and Jason Kidd made two consecutive steals, ultimately securing the victory for the Los Angeles Lakers.

With the score tied 1-1, the Los Angeles team actually gained home-court advantage.

Game 3 of the series was surprisingly predictable, as Ben Gordon and Trevor Ariza's explosive performances from beyond the arc helped the Knicks secure an 11-point victory.

Ben Gordon made 4 of 5 three-pointers tonight, scoring 22 points, second only to Lynch.

After that match, rumors about his transfer multiplied.

Although no one knows where he will go next season, one thing is certain: to acquire this excellent sixth man, the price will be absolutely exorbitant, and you'd better have enough zeros in your contract.

In Game 4, the Los Angeles Lakers continued to play at home and finally salvaged some pride.

Kobe scored a game-high 37 points, but most importantly, all of the Lakers' starters scored in double figures.

Even Kendrick Perkins, a rough-and-tumble blue-collar player, scored 11 points.

The score is tied at 2-2, leaving the question of who will win the highest honor unanswered.

In the crucial Game 5, held at home in Los Angeles, the Lakers once again tenaciously dragged the game to the very end.

This was a truly bloody battle; except for Game 3, the final score difference between the two sides was in the single digits.

And this fierce battle for the top spot continued to be amplified.

The two sides' persistence, fighting, and contest have once again reached the final moment.

With 43 seconds left, the Knicks were down by 3 points.

When Lynch received the ball in the low post and prepared to finish the attack in his most reliable way, he was immediately double-teamed by the Lakers' Big Three.

Kidd, Garnett, and Kobe gritted their teeth and tore at Lynch like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey.

You can clearly see how eager the stars of the old era were to consolidate their dominance.

They knew this was their best chance to gain the upper hand in the series.

After this game, the Lakers will no longer have the opportunity to play at home. They must win this pivotal Game 5 at home, even if it means fighting until they are exhausted.

Lynch didn't hesitate. He caught sight of his most important partner this season, the guy with the long, flowing hair.

Steve Nash catches the ball and raises his hand to shoot.

Lynch stared at the basketball as it flew through the air, feeling as if it had been suspended in the air for a full hour—a crucial shot that could determine the league's dominance, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it had been flying for an hour.

Of course, the actual process was far less lengthy.

Shortly after Philip Sanders saw Nash make his shot, he heard a sigh coming from the Staples Center.

Steve Nash made the shot, just like he has done countless times from beyond the three-point line.

He clenched his fist, roared, and gave Raja Bell a high five in celebration.

After years of ups and downs, for the first time in his career, the coveted championship trophy was within his grasp. At this pivotal moment, how could he possibly hold back the man who had brought him to the brink of glory?
The score was tied. In the next Lakers possession, KG's strong drive to the basket was blocked by Lynch. Kendrick Perkins fought hard to grab the ball, but before he could even get a grip on it, Trevor Ariza cleverly swiped it away.

By some twist of fate, the basketball ended up in Raja Bell's hands. He dribbled the ball up the court, drove to the basket while holding off Kobe, and drew a foul.

As Raja Bell stepped to the free-throw line, amidst boos from Lakers fans, a relieved smile appeared on his face.

This guard, who had previously always underperformed in crucial games, made both free throws. After suppressing his emotions for so long, he finally raised his head and roared at Kobe, "I am definitely not a heavy burden next to number 13!"

These two free throws gave the Knicks a two-point lead.

Time relentlessly ticked away. On the Lakers' final possession, Kobe, under immense pressure, launched a difficult three-pointer. The basketball arced through despair, bouncing off the rim.

Los Angeles fans covered their heads in frustration as the Lakers lost Game 5, bringing the series score to 3-2.

Lynch hugged Nash and Raja Bell, then gave an interview to reporters on the sidelines.

"Lynch, will you seize the match point in New York?"

Lynch glanced around, his gaze sweeping over the Los Angeles faces etched with resentment and fear, then approached the microphone and answered emotionlessly:
"You all know the answer."

At the same time, Jerry West, who had just turned off the TV, received a phone call.

The voice on the other end told him.

"We accept the trade regarding Russell Westbrook."

(End of this chapter)