Champion Rules

Chapter 235, Section 231: Always a Little Better (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Josh Smith has always believed he is a bright young man.

A smart young man should be able to listen to other people's advice.

He had learned his lesson in this matter before.

During his high school years, Josh Smith made a generous promise to attend Indiana University after graduation.

But once he realized he had a chance to make it to the middle of the first round, his clever little brain immediately started working.

Why don't I just join the NBA and take that damn million-dollar salary?
Although Josh Smith doesn't have the typical superstar attributes, he comes from a well-off family.

But ask any young person in the world, who has the audacity of LeBron James to refuse Reebok's huge offer, all for the sake of outmaneuvering Nike?

Upon hearing the news, Indiana University head coach Mike Davis left his wife behind and rushed to Atlanta overnight to try to persuade Josh Smith.

He showed Josh Smith the payslips of NBA first-round draft picks and told him:
"If you play college basketball for a year, you could become a top-five draft pick and earn more money."

He has a point. If Josh Smith becomes a top-five pick, his rookie contract will add millions of dollars to his total earnings.

Josh Smith looked at the payroll list, but swallowed hard.

Even the last pick in the first round can make this much money? I might as well play in the meager NCAA!

And so, Mike Davis's epic reverse persuasion led Josh Smith to resolutely step onto the NBA court.

But now, Josh Smith often feels a belated sense of regret.

Although he is already a star player earning tens of millions of dollars a year, as he matures, he increasingly feels that the millions of dollars he missed out on back then were not worth it.

Having learned his lesson, he has now learned to listen to advice.

This summer, his father, former ABA player Pete Smith, had a long talk with him, mainly about his poor shot selection.

He advised his son to stop taking those damn jump shots, try to take fewer mid-range shots and avoid three-pointers, and focus more on defense and on offense, making more cuts to the basket.

Although Peter Smith has a good shooting ability, he also knows that his strengths may not be his son's strengths.

Just as LeBron James' specialty is the Dream Shake, Bronny James' specialty is his elusive and unpredictable dribbling.

In the past, Josh Smith would certainly not have listened to similar advice.

He watched Michael Jordan play basketball from a young age and diligently practiced MJ's beautiful fadeaway jumper. Furthermore, he firmly believed that he possessed the innate shooting talent.

During his senior year at Oak Hill High School, his jump shot was even more accurate than the team's star guard.

Which star guard?

The famous Chris Rondo!

As a forward whose shooting accuracy surpasses that of guards, of course I need to shoot more, lest people think I only rely on my physicality to play basketball.

But this year, having matured, Josh Smith decided to listen to his father.

He reduced his jump shots and completely eliminated three-point attempts, focusing his offense primarily on attacking the basket.

The effect is immediate.

Josh Smith's offensive efficiency has improved significantly this season. Tonight, at the start of the game, he used a cut to shake off Lynch and received a pass from Mike Bibby before dunking heavily over Tyson Chandler!
Josh Smith roared to the sky after his dunk, his blood pumping.

He was very excited, after all, tonight he was facing off against the best and most famous basketball player in the world.

Some people feel intimidated when facing such a player, while others feel excited.

Josh Smith clearly belongs to the latter category.

After scoring, Jamal Crawford reminded him from the sidelines: "Don't forget the key to winning, man!"

The Hawks' super sixth man was trying to remind Josh Smith to shut up.

Such provocations before the competition serve no purpose other than increasing the difficulty of the competition.

Because it's very difficult to break Lynch's mentality.

But it is very easy to provoke him.

The astute Josh Smith immediately understood his teammate's meaning. He nodded emphatically, pounded his chest, and sent a reassuring signal to Crawford.

then
"Lin Qi, tonight I'm not only going to make sure you don't get 35 points, I'm going to score 2519 points on you!"

Mike Bibby, who was retreating on defense, lost his footing and almost fell flat on his face.

You can't spew trash like that!

You have the nerve to say 35 points compared to 19 points!

After his outburst, the clever Josh Smith winked at Jamal Crawford on the bench.

See that, buddy? Keep the ironclad rule in mind.

The key to victory is to never lose your fighting spirit!

Jamal Crawford sat back down on the bench, covering his head.

But on the court, Josh Smith remained highly motivated.

He was confident in his defense.

Since the start of this season, Lynch has unsurprisingly taken first place in the latest Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) rankings.

But the second place was not KG, Rasheed Wallace, or Dwight Howard.

It was Josh Smith.

Josh Smith has always been an outstanding defender, and he is the second youngest player in NBA history to reach 500 blocks—closely following the legendary monster at the top of the list, Lynch.

He ranked sixth in Defensive Player of the Year in the 06-07 season, and this season, as he focuses more on defense, his ranking in Defensive Player of the Year has risen even higher, approaching the top spot.

His extraordinary primal physical talent forms the cornerstone of his defense, allowing him to repeatedly unleash those violent blood hats that defy the laws of gravity.

But don't mistake him for just a brainless, bouncy guy.

Josh Smith also has an excellent defensive awareness and is a very positive defensive player.

Accurate predictions, decisive rotations, and tough confrontations.
It's no exaggeration to say that his presence made the Atlanta Hawks' defense seem less terrible.

Josh Smith faced Lynch head-on, pressing close and firmly embedding his steel chest in front of Lynch.

Lynch didn't get caught up in the one-on-one fight; instead, he set up a screen for Nash, forcing Josh Smith to distract himself and make a sideways movement to block the Wind Child.

Seeing that he had successfully drawn the defense, Nash passed the ball back to Lynch, who was bouncing out of the box, without looking.

But Josh Smith's ankle snapped like a spring, instantly turning back to block the shot!
He raised his long arm high, his giant hand covering the sky and the sun, completely obscuring Lin Qi's attack trajectory.

The window of opportunity for attack was instantly shut down!

In the stands, Billy Hunter, executive director of the players' union, sighed: "Fuck, Derrick, I think we came at the wrong time today. Maybe we picked the wrong day. We should have come when the Knicks played the Charlotte Bobcats."

"how?"

"If Lynch isn't playing well or is in a bad mood, why would he have time to bother with our mess? Look at Josh, he's going all out tonight!"

As soon as Billy Hunter finished speaking, Derek Fisher burst into laughter.

"First of all, man, this isn't our problem, it's the problem of all NBA players."

Second
I would never dare say this to Kobe, but the truth is, Lynch is the hardest player in the world to defend one-on-one.

Kobe can only rank second.

No matter how good a defensive player is, they will have an extremely difficult time guarding them one-on-one.

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Qi made his move!
The King of New York used a feint to the left to lose Josh Smith's balance, and then Lynch broke through to the lower right.

Josh Smith twisted his center of gravity to chase, but then saw Lynch suddenly gather the ball, step back to create space, and shoot a jump shot.

Josh Smith jumped with all his might, but Lynch's backstep created space and his extremely high release point ultimately allowed the basketball to pass over Josh's fingertips.

This was still an effective disruption, but
"brush."

Basketball shot.

Lynch is indeed one of the most difficult players in the world to defend one-on-one.

He excels at low-post isolation plays, has a strong mid-range game, and possesses decent catch-and-shoot accuracy from beyond the arc. While his ball-handling skills aren't top-tier, this kind of firepower, capable of covering half the court, makes him incredibly difficult to contain one-on-one.

Even if that one defender is very good.

Lynch can break the law that "superstars cannot be shut down".

But that doesn't mean others can make this law invalid.

After scoring, Lynch wagged his finger at Josh Smith: "Forget 30 points, let's make it 35. If I don't get 35 points, I'll admit defeat. As for you, I can lower the bar a bit. If you get more than 15 points, you win."

The experienced Mike Bibby immediately spread his hands to the referee, because Lynch had just made a move that could have resulted in a technical foul.

But the referee pretended not to see it and ignored it.

"I want to report it!"

The referee ignored him, his eyes fixed on what was ahead.

Lin Qi really wanted to shout, "Who here accuses me?"

Theoretically speaking, the finger wag is a signature move of Dikembe Mutombo.

But as the current number one player, Lin Qi naturally has some privileges.

He casually wagged his finger near his opponent's nose more than once on the field.

This isn't really a huge privilege, but it's better than not being allowed to walk at all.

The game continued, and Josh Smith was not provoked by Lynch's words.

He didn't dribble and isolate, and he didn't attempt mid-range or long-range jump shots.

He continued to diligently set screens and drive to the basket, patiently seeking opportunities.

Mike Bibby passed the ball to Al Horford, the atypical center from the University of Florida, who delivered a beautiful back-to-the-basket pass to Josh Smith, who was cutting along the baseline.

Josh Smith leaped up, ready to smash the basket once again.

In the past, when he sprinted at full speed and jumped, almost no one could stop him.

But tonight, a large hand swiftly arrived from the side and behind, accurately and heavily knocking the basketball fan still in his hand out of bounds!

The roar from Madison Square Garden reached the dome as the best defensive player, who had taught the Spurs' twin towers a lesson with six blocks in the previous game, caught the Hawks in mid-air with his bare hands!

Josh Smith's dunk was blocked, which is rare in his entire career.

His shot-blocking ability is indeed strong, but he is, after all, only the second youngest player to reach 500 blocks.

But in the end, he will have to look up to the number one in front of him!
The Hawks retained possession of the ball, and on the next possession, Nash's former teammate Joe Johnson scored against Raja Bell in a one-on-one situation.

But Hawks fans didn't enjoy their happiness for long.

After one round, Lynch continued to run pick-and-roll plays with Nash.

In the last game, Nash was on fire, scoring a game-high 33 points.

But that was just a tactical necessity; the Knicks needed him to punish Yao Ming for his decline.

Today, Steve Nash has returned to being the master who prioritizes passing.

The moment Lynch drove in, Steve Nash immediately tossed the ball into the air.

Josh Smith scoffed at the attack, because he hadn't been completely outmaneuvered by Lynch.

He has never suffered a loss in aerial operations; that is his absolutely inviolable territory!

The two of them suddenly took off at the same time, rising into the air at an incredible speed.

This was a fierce clash between top-tier talents.

Lynch caught the basketball with one hand in mid-air, ahead of Josh Smith.

Although Josh was a fraction behind, his massive hand still covered the sky and created a formidable barrier.

Then, "Bang!"
A muffled thunderclap resounded in the penalty area as the two collided heavily in mid-air!

Josh Smith was physically strong, and Lynch was not able to completely overpower him after the collision. His center of gravity began to lean backward, and he looked like he was about to fall.

Of course, the same was true for Josh Smith; two enormous forces bounced them away.

Josh Smith swung his arms, his body leaning back so that his fingertips could only touch the ball as it slid past the lingering scorching heat.

Using his wingspan, and with his body slightly tilted, Lynch slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
"boom!"

The basketball hoop shook violently, and Josh Smith crashed out of bounds like a weightless meteorite.

Lin Qi landed, staggered back three steps, his knees feeling as if they were bearing a thousand pounds.

Finally, amidst the deafening roar of Madison Square Garden, he steadied his imposing figure like a pillar of strength, and let out a long howl to the heavens!
In this pure clash of talents, Lynch delivered a heartbreaking defeat to Josh Smith in his most prized territory—the inviolable airspace!

Josh Smith slumped to the ground, cold sweat instantly soaking through his hair.

No one has ever been able to give him such a complete sense of being overwhelmed in terms of talent.

Their supposedly formidable defense always seemed to fall short of that decisive edge against Lynch.

After venting his anger, Lynch and Steve Nash high-fived each other and retreated side by side.

He jokingly blamed the unhygienic point guard, saying, "You dare to pass that ball? That's Josh Smith, the league's best shot blocker!"

Faced with Lynch's "accusations," Steve Nash simply shrugged indifferently: "Whatever, I know you can handle it. Talent is the most worthless thing in front of you."

In the following rounds, Josh Smith was always just a little bit short of defending Lynch.

The Hawks' strongest defensive pillar is being torn to pieces by Lynch.

Hawks head coach Mike Woodson is preparing to bring Jamal Crawford in early.

He knew all too well that the illusion that had locked Lynch away had shattered, leaving only a bloody clash of spears against spears!

During a dead ball situation, Mike Woodson swung his hand down, and the Hawks substituted Jamal Crawford for Marvin Williams.

Atlanta's strongest five-man squad has finally arrived at Madison Square Garden.

This thrilled Atlanta fans watching on television.

ESPN has conducted data analysis.

When Mike Bibby, Jamal Clifford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford team up, their offensive efficiency is—

Second in the league!

Jamal Crawford was eager to make his mark; he could finally unleash his full potential.

Josh Smith spat out his frustration, but he still refused to give in and continued to rant at Lynch:

"Alright, game time is over. Tonight, we'll make Madison Square Garden suffer defeat!"

Lynch remained calm. Josh Smith said a lot tonight, but Lynch didn't seem angry.

His incessant barrage of words crashed against Lynch's rocky shore, only stirring up a few futile bubbles.

Lin Qi turned around leisurely, his voice like an ice blade cutting through the clamor:

"Hey, you should know that you're only the second youngest Mr. 500, right?"

"So what!?" Josh Smith, who had been trying to make Lynch angry, lost his temper first.

"It's nothing, just reminding you. Your roster has the second-best offensive efficiency in the entire league. Do you know who has the best?"

After saying that, Lin Qi's lips curled into a playful smile, like a hunter toying with his prey:

“It is us.”

Sorry, I'm still a bit better than you.

Why should he get angry?
He is better than the other person in everything.

Everything was under the control of the King of New York.

(End of this chapter)