Champion Rules

Chapter 251, Section 247: How about this trick? (Seeking monthly votes!)
Once a rift appears in a relationship between people, it usually goes through several stages.

Honeymoon period - Bland period - Aversion period.

Historically, the relationship between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade followed this pattern.

During their time with the Heat, they were closer than each other's wives.

After LBJ left the Heat, their relationship gradually cooled down.

After Dwyane Wade retired and came to his senses at home, he almost never spoke well of LBJ in public.

Of course, this is not LeBron James' fault at all.

While others form teams in their thirties, LeBron James, not yet thirty, has already decided on his second team. He just wants to avoid making five or six years of mistakes; what's wrong with that?

Even if we take a step back and assume that someone should be held responsible for this relationship, it should be entirely Tim Duncan's responsibility.

But the relationship between Ray Allen and Dwight Howard is an exception.

They went straight from the honeymoon period to the aversion period.

Last season, they were close teammates, always laughing and joking together in front of the camera.

Even though they almost never go out for meals privately, it doesn't affect their close cooperation on the field.

Since the start of this season, the two have had more and more conflicts.

Ray Allen believes that Dwight Howard doesn't want to win enough. Since successfully signing a contract extension with Adidas, the number 12 seems like a deflated balloon.

The Dwight Howard who displayed incredible determination and toughness against LeBron James in the playoffs has disappeared, replaced by a carefree, jovial beast who lacks sufficient hunger for victory.

It's as if he's given his best self to the young emperor, leaving Dwight Howard as nothing more than a soulless shell.

In Ray Allen's eyes, Warcraft is now completely devoid of any merits.

Within the team, he had absolutely no leadership qualities.

Off the field, he was always in trouble; he had more illegitimate children than he scored free throws in a single game.

You can't make shots into such a big hoop, but you hit such a small target every time!
As a child from a middle-class family, Ray Allen knew all too well that these things would ruin him.

But Ray Allen is definitely not the kind of guy who knows how to communicate with people.

He and Dwight Howard had several unpleasant conversations, and their relationship deteriorated rapidly.

Of course, the Magic's management, whose intelligence has been extremely questionable since the 90s, was not idle either. In this conflict, they once again played the role of troublemakers.

Seeing the discord between Ray Allen and Dwight Howard, the management didn't try to mediate; instead, they simply told Ray Allen to pack his bags and leave on the trade deadline—they had already traded him for Vince Carter.

Embarrassingly, the deal was called off at the last minute, much like the farce of losing Tim Duncan at the last minute years.

Ray Allen remained in Orlando as a result, but this whole ordeal only alienated him further from the team.

This isn't Ray Allen's first transfer, but his mindset has been completely different each time.

Ray Allen wasn't confused by the move from Milwaukee to Seattle; he believed the transfer would make his career better.

But Ray Allen had already experienced the pain of being abandoned once, from Seattle to Orlando. Just two months before the trade, the team told him they wouldn't trade him.

That experience deeply hurt him, and it took him a long time to recover.

In Orlando, he adopted a humble attitude, completely relinquished the ball, and dutifully assisted Dwight Howard.

He was willing to be a defensive machine, running back and forth, even though he rarely got any chance to shoot.

He never complained as he watched the technically challenged big man miss opportunity after opportunity at the free throw line.

He and Dwight Howard were never on the same page, but for the sake of the team, he pretended to have a good relationship with him.

He had done his best to help the team, but when the conflict arose, the team's first reaction was not to solve the problem, but to get rid of him directly.

This completely broke his heart.

He has now broken ties not only with Dwight Howard, but also with the Orlando Magic.

With Ray Allen's contract expiring this summer, this split signifies a complete breakdown.

Of course, Ray Allen is a very professional player.

Even though this could very well be his last few months with the Orlando Magic, he didn't give up. He continued to diligently fulfill his duties and do his best to win.

At 35 years old, he now only cares about two things: respect and victory.

These two things complement each other.

He firmly believes that if Orlando can win, he can regain respect.

Now, his only wish is to fight alongside the Magic and defeat the invincible New York Knicks.

Before the Eastern Conference semifinals began, an ESPN reporter asked Ray Allen, "Will you re-sign with the Magic this summer? Did they really offer you a three-year contract?"

Ray Allen coldly replied, "There's still a lot to do, and I can't make a three-year commitment."

The Orlando Magic certainly want to re-sign Ray Allen, even if they have no intention of keeping him, re-signing him and then trading him could bring them some assets in return.

If Ray Allen were to enter the free agent market, the team would gain nothing.

But Ray Allen doesn't want to renew his contract with any team right now.

Unless the Orlando Magic win, he doesn't know what reason he has to stay here.

In this situation, Lynch certainly knew what to do.

He had encountered a similar situation when dealing with the San Antonio Spurs, which caused Manu Ginobili, whose contract was about to expire and who had not received a commitment from the team to renew it, to break down on the spot.

Despite Manu's strong comeback in the latter part of the season, and despite the Spurs ultimately offering him a contract extension.

But at least on the night they faced the Knicks, the Argentine maestro ultimately failed to unleash its full potential.

Therefore, the Knicks' strategy tonight is simple: do everything possible to prevent Ray Allen from receiving the ball, which will naturally make him unhappy and cause internal division within the Magic team.

Unfortunately, this tactic failed to work.

Because of their excessive defensive coverage of Ray Allen, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashad Lewis, the two long-range shooters, gained ample space to fire freely.

Ray Allen, who struggled to receive the ball, didn't collapse like Manu Ginobili. He knew that using off-ball movement to draw defenders was also part of his job.

Of course, the most important point is that, unlike Manu Ginobili, he is not eager to get a contract extension from his former team or to prove himself with statistics.

The Magic were on fire from three-point range in the first half, leading by 5 points going into halftime.

To make matters worse, Tyson Chandler picked up four fouls early on, forcing DeAndre Jordan to shoulder the burden in the second half.

After halftime, Dwight Howard told reporters with a smile, "The first team to win at Madison Square Garden this season will be decided in 24 minutes."

Inside the Magic's locker room, everyone was full of confidence, chatting and laughing.

Ray Allen sat alone in the corner, refusing to speak to anyone.

Since his falling out with Howard and the team, he has been isolated in the locker room.

Although Dwight Howard is easygoing, he gets along quite well with his teammates.

In contrast, Ray Allen has always preferred to be alone and never participates in any team activities.

He even refused to attend the Christmas impromptu.

Not only did he refuse to participate, but he also said in front of everyone, "How can you allow your souls to degenerate?"

Therefore, most people in the locker room sided with Dwight Howard.

There is only one person who is still willing to be close to him, and that is his old teammate Rashad Lewis, with whom he worked during the Supersonics era.

He sat down next to Ray Allen, patted him on the shoulder, and said gently, "Smile, Ray, why are you so serious? We're on a roll tonight."

However, Ray Allen's face remained ashen, and his voice betrayed his displeasure:

"The momentum is good? That bastard Dwight is absolutely stupid! He could have said something else, but he's like a child who has to show off his achievements."

Does this pointless boasting help in winning? Its only effect is likely to infuriate the opponent!

Ray Allen raised his voice without hesitation, and the accusations in his words clearly reached the ears of everyone in the locker room—including Dwight Howard.

This sudden dose of cold water, poured over the team when their morale was high, instantly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.

Indeed, those who interrupt and disagree during such a moment of collective revelry will never become popular.

But Dwight Howard ignored him and simply turned his head away.

He no longer wanted to say another word to that overly serious old man.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are preparing for the second half.

Philip Sanders plans to start DeAndre Jordan and DeShawn Stevenson in the second half.

Tyson Chandler is in foul trouble, and DeAndre Jordan has to step up.

Raja Bell twisted his ankle tonight, and although it wasn't serious, it prevented him from performing at his best on both ends of the court.

He struggles to keep up defensively and is off his game offensively. DeMar DeRozan lacks playoff experience, can't handle the veteran Ray Allen, and isn't suited to playing when the team is trailing.

Now, Philip Sanders needs a more secure option.

As a result, Flip Sanders has revitalized the Eastern Conference's second-best shooting guard position.

DeShawn Stevenson slowly took off his jersey: "Damn Lynch, in the end you still can't do without me."

A burst of laughter erupted in the locker room; everyone was used to Lynch and DeShawn Stevenson's banter.

After making the substitution decision, Flip Saunders also corrected the flawed defensive strategy he had used in the first half.

"We can't keep betting on Ray. Play normal defense in the second half."

The second half began quickly. As soon as Lin Qi ran out of space to receive the ball, Ray Allen quickly double-teamed him.

In the first half, because the Knicks' shooting guard was not in good form, any Magic player guarding the shooting guard position would not hesitate to double-team Lynch.

Lynch decisively passed the ball to DeShawn Stevenson, whose confident three-point attempt bounced off the rim.

Lynch glanced at Stevenson and spread his hands: "Yes, that's right, I can't fucking live without you, DeShawn."

"Shut up, Lynch. I have a feeling the next one will definitely be the winner."

But before DeShawn Stevenson hit his three-pointer, Ray Allen, who had barely taken any shots in the first half, had already hit one.

Noticing the Knicks' sudden relaxation of their defense against him, Ray Allen immediately transformed into a perpetual motion machine, frantically weaving through the crowd.

Dwight Howard continued to dutifully provide cover for Ray Allen, not wanting to be accused by the media of being the villain who ruined the relationship or to be accused of deliberately ostracizing him.

Therefore, he did not deliberately oppose Junzi Lei on the field.

DeShawn Stevenson was blocked, and DeAndre Jordan didn't follow up; he couldn't allow Dwight Howard an easy space to cut in.

Ray Allen easily ran to the three-point line and received the basketball, with a wide-open shooting oasis right in front of him.

Catching the ball, adjusting, and shooting—the entire movement was as smooth as flowing water.

"Shh!"

"Fuck!" DeShawn Stevenson's roar was instantly drowned out by the cheers erupting from the Magic's bench.

The Orlando Magic are leading by 6 points!

In the next possession, Lynch continued to be double-teamed, and DeShawn Stevenson took the opportunity to cut in. Lynch then delivered a Nikola Johansen-esque side-step pass to the ball.

But DeShawn Stevenson's layup attempt was completely blocked by Dwight Howard.

Lynch's complaints followed: "I've figured it out. In games we can win, you emphasize participation, but in games we might lose, you're incredibly helpful."

At this point, DeShawn Stevenson had lost all interest in engaging in a sweet verbal exchange with Lynch.

Ray Allen, on the other hand, was shouting and venting his emotions: "So what if I'm 35?! So what if I'm 35?! Lynch, do you think your tricks against Manu can stump me?!"

On the surface, Ray Allen was yelling at Lynch.

But in reality, he seemed to be shouting at the Magic, or even more so, at himself.

He wanted to remind himself that he wasn't old yet, and that he still had hope and a possibility of winning.

Lin Qi snorted and shook his head.

Poor Americans, they can't even come up with a simple "Don't underestimate the poor and elderly."

The situation is crystal clear: DeShawn Stevenson's performance tonight is clearly insufficient to solve the Knicks' problem at the shooting guard position.

Lynch can only try to put in more effort on the defensive end now.

Lynch and Steve Nash set a pick and roll, and Michael Pietrus immediately squeezed through the screen, his long arms covering Nash.

But he wasn't the biggest threat. The biggest threat was that Dwight Howard also rushed out, blocking Nash's driving routes and forcing Nash to only take mid-to-long-range pull-up jumpers.

After assessing the situation, Nash immediately passed the ball to Lynch, who had bounced out to the three-point line.

The moment Lynch received the ball, Ray Allen double-teamed him again.

This level of defensive intensity is not what he should be playing, but Ray Allen is currently too excited and relentlessly focused on defense.

Faced with two people charging towards him at the same time, Lin Qi remained calm and composed.

He quickly feinted with the ball, causing Rashad Lewis to shift his weight, and then changed direction to the left to start his run.

Ray Allen reached out to try and steal the ball, but Lynch had already gathered it. With a massive stride and a fluid Euro step, he instantly penetrated the heart of the penalty area and took to the ground!

But Dwight Howard's large hand followed closely, relentlessly blocking the shot.

Lynch's inability to dribble and penetrate, relying solely on his stride and Euro step to directly attack the basket, certainly has its drawbacks, namely that his timing for jumping to lay up is too easy to predict.

Especially for a top defender like Dwight Howard, this was practically a block.

But Lynch possesses skills that other big men don't have.

In the instant he was completely enveloped by Dwight Howard, Lynch displayed a level of touch and coordination that was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

He forcefully retrieved the ball, deftly switching from his left hand to his right in mid-air, twisting his waist to pull the cue stick, and flicking his wrist lightly.

The basketball, with an elegant slight arc, narrowly passed over Dwight Howard's fingertips and precisely swished off the backboard into the net.

Score!

The New York Knicks narrowed the gap to just 4 points.

In the next round, Ray Allen created another opportunity, but just as he bent his knee and raised his arm, Lynch's figure appeared like a ghost to cover the defense.

Without hesitation, the experienced Ray Allen immediately passed the ball to Hedo Turkoglu, who was temporarily left unmarked. Lynch reached out and intercepted the ball almost at the same moment the pass was formed!
After getting the basketball, Lynch immediately passed it hard, giving the opportunity to DeShawn Stevenson, who had just made a steal and was running up the court.

The latter easily scored a layup, narrowing the gap to just 2 points!
"Boo-Yah!" DeShawn Stevenson swaggered around, pounding his chest and stamping his feet. "See Lynch? I knew this shot was going in! That's me, the second-best shooting guard in the East, with my skills and confidence!"

Ray Allen gritted his teeth; as a severe obsessive-compulsive, he was deeply tormented by mistakes.

On Magic's offensive possession, Turkoglu carefully fed the ball to Dwight Howard.

The spacing has been completely widened, giving Dwight Howard a golden opportunity to isolate and attack DeAndre Jordan.

Dwight Howard didn't have many one-on-one opportunities tonight, but he was extremely efficient, which is why Tyson Chandler was willing to commit four fouls to stop him.

Howard delivered two vicious shoulder strikes to the back of the ball, followed by a slightly stiff but powerful back spin drive that drove the ball past the defender!

His back-turn footwork is nothing to praise except for his inability to walk properly; his breakthrough relies purely on speed and physical strength.

But as soon as Howard reached the basket, he saw Lynch rush back into the paint.

In the second half, Lynch increased his defensive range, running back and forth between the three-point line and the paint.

This will undoubtedly deplete his stamina even faster, but with the playoffs reaching the second round, it's time to really go all out.

Howard's alarm bells rang, but without hesitation, he passed the ball to Hedo Turkoglu.

Even if Lin Qi is fast, he can't catch up immediately.

But just as the Turk was about to receive the basketball, DeShawn Stevenson reached out and made a clean steal!
Perhaps he can't solve the team's predicament on the offensive end.

But on the defensive end, he filled the void left by Raja Bell, who was injured in the ankle.

The Magic made a series of turnovers, and DeShawn Stevenson immediately took the ball and advanced the ball.

Ray Allen quickly pressed closer, using almost violent confrontation to try and force him to stop.

DeShawn Stevenson's dribbling looked clumsy, but he stubbornly pushed forward, finally managing to reach the heart of the basket despite his stumbling.

Seemingly out of balance, DeShawn Stevenson slammed the ball hard against the backboard.

The next second, Ray Allen under the basket felt his hair stand on end and his heart almost stop beating.

He looked up in horror and saw only the number 20's hands catching the basketball as it bounced back off the backboard.

"boom!"

The rim trembled as Ray Allen was dunked on and fell to the ground.

After landing, Lynch did not leave immediately, but walked up to Ray Allen:

"If the tricks used against Manu don't work, how about this one?"

Looking at the enraged Lynch, Ray Allen suddenly realized something tragically.

I don't think I'm much smarter than Dwight Howard.

The score was tied, and the cheers at Madison Square Garden reached another climax.

Mike Breen whistled, and the Knicks simply brought in DeShawn Stevenson to relieve some of the defensive pressure on Lynch, and the team immediately tied the score.

He moved closer to the microphone and said gloatingly:

"The first team to win at Madison Square Garden will be born in 24 minutes? No, it won't happen even in 240 minutes!"

(End of this chapter)