Champion Rules

Chapter 254: A man like me will never let his brothers down (Seeking monthly votes!)

Lynch's game has always had 1.5 weaknesses.

He almost never fakes a fall.

His ball control on offense lacked finesse and fluidity.

The second weakness is a common problem for most forwards.

Very few forwards possess top-level ball control, and ball control largely determines a player's ceiling.

This greatly limits their ability to create opportunities with the ball, severely impacting a forward's performance.

Lynch's solution was to refine the other aspects of the offense to perfection.

He can catch and shoot, post up, turn around and fade away, and his wide Euro step after catching the ball is clean and crisp.

Ultimately, these can only mask his shortcomings in ball control, but cannot truly solve the problem.

In the second regular season game against the Lakers, Kobe's weakness in defending Lynch was severely exposed during the final moments.

Against a top-class perimeter defender like Kobe, Lynch struggled to find better scoring opportunities by moving the ball around when he received the ball in a poor position.

Even moving with your back turned is extremely dangerous.

For a power forward, not having outstanding ball-handling skills isn't really a weakness.

But Lynch knew that his goal was not just to become the best power forward.

Rather, he is the best player in any position.

Just like when people mention Michael Jordan, they don't just say he's the greatest shooting guard of all time.

Therefore, Lin Qi's expectations for this talent lottery were very clear.

Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings, DeMar DeRozan, and Tyreke Evans all possess excellent ball-handling skills.

As long as he doesn't get Taj Gibson randomly, Lynch has a chance to get what he wants most.

[Goal Achieved: Help DeMar DeRozan improve, help him adapt to the league, help him grow from a boy into a man, just like you did back then. Make the All-Rookie First Team by the end of the season.]

[Rewards are being drawn.]

Watching the small circle, which resembled a progress bar, spin wildly, Lin Qi took a deep breath.

If they eventually get Taj Gibson's talent pool, it will be almost useless to him.

Fortunately, another notification has appeared.

Stephen Curry's talent pool has been acquired.

Lynch breathed a sigh of relief; Stephen Curry's talent was undoubtedly the best among the players on this year's All-Rookie First Team.

At least, this ensured that Lynch wouldn't acquire any truly terrible talent.

The small circle continued to spin, and when the final result appeared, Lynch whistled.

Although he still needs to train hard for a long time before he can convert his talent into immediate combat effectiveness.

Although he cannot use this new talent immediately this season.

But this has undoubtedly opened the way for Lynch to reach new heights.

Now, Lynch only needs to be careful of one thing—slippery surfaces.

Stephen Curry's ball-handling talent has a hidden danger: he is extremely prone to slipping.

After acquiring the talent he desired most, an elated Lynch took out his phone, ready to send a text message congratulating DeRozan on being selected to the All-Rookie First Team.

Just then, John Hollinger's comments and LeBron James's incredible post-game remarks caught his eye.

According to him, Wilt Chamberlain is number one in forming superteams, Larry Bird is number two, and Michael Jordan is number three.

And LeBron James has been successfully removed from the list.

So it's not his fault for banding together; he's just replicating the success of his great predecessors.

This absurd argument prompted Lynch to comment on LeBron James' social media post—after which LBJ posted on his own social media: Not many people like to hear the truth.

Lynch's comment:

"Stop arguing, just play one good game and shut the fans up. That's all you need to do, okay?"

Lynch fired directly from the highest register.

If Kevin Durant dared to publicly express interest in Scarlett Johansson's vaginal fluids...

Lin Qi didn't need to hide his mockery of his mortal enemy.

In fact, this is the most enjoyable aspect of the relationship between Lynch and LeBron James.

Lin Qi didn't need to consider his feelings, give him face or leeway, or pretend to be a good person.

He is always ready and willing to go all out against LBJ.

After all, they are the MJ and assassins of this era.

They are irreconcilable enemies.
-
LeBron James's comments have brought even more attention to this already highly anticipated Eastern Conference Finals series.

To be honest, LBJ's comments hurt Carmelo Anthony to some extent.

The fact is, LBJ got better teammates, thus breaking the curse of never being able to beat Lynch and never reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.

But in LBJ's own logic, he did not benefit from this at all.

What does it mean?

Does LeBron James see Carmelo Anthony, his "better teammate," as having negligible value?
Melo didn't think about it any further; LBJ was his brother, and that was enough.

As a child who grew up on the streets of Baltimore, trusting his brothers was almost instinctive for him.

Right now, Carmelo Anthony's only concern is the Eastern Conference Finals.

Carmelo Anthony has faced Lynch three times in the Eastern Conference Finals over the past five years.

He only won one of those games.

In their playoff matchups, he was consistently outmatched by Lynch.

This year, he has the opportunity to tie the playoff head-to-head record at 2-2.

Most importantly, he has the opportunity to tie the total number of championships at 3-3.

Therefore, in Carmelo Anthony's view, this is a conference final that will determine the height of his career.

If they lose, considering the immense influence of the Detroit Pistons, they will be forced to play the role of pursuer for a long time to come.

He has now reached a point where his career is on the brink of collapse.

On the plane to New York with the entire Detroit team, Carmelo Anthony deliberately sat next to LeBron James.

He certainly doesn't want LBJ to carry his poor performance from the last game into Madison Square Garden, a place no one has been able to conquer so far.

Carmelo Anthony is confident of beating the New York Knicks, but that doesn't mean he thinks it's an easy task.

Everyone needs to be at their best to defeat that legendary team with an unprecedented 70 wins in two seasons.

LeBron James took off his headphones, looking exhausted.

The recent media storm has already left him overwhelmed, but what's even more suffocating is that Nike has yet to begin contract renewal negotiations with him.

The two sides did not even have any substantive contact.

Rich Paul told LBJ, "Nike is just waiting to see how it goes."

As Nike's chosen one, LeBron James was expected to follow in Michael Jordan's footsteps and win an award in his seventh season.

This is the result Nike wanted.

Ever since "The Decision," the media and fans have always viewed him with prejudice.

On the night he beat the Heat, even Craig Sager, who has always had a good relationship with players and coaches, started asking him extremely pointed questions.

Previously, LeBron James firmly believed that a championship would temporarily quell these doubts and criticisms.

But now he realizes that things are not that simple at all.

How can he prove himself? What attitude should he adopt to win this ring?

If he won a championship as Scottie Pippen, would Nike offer him a lifetime contract? Would fans and the media stop belittling him?

"LeBron, you seem distracted lately." Carmelo Anthony could tell that his good friend wasn't in good spirits.

LeBron James covered his forehead and gave a wry smile:
“You know what I mean, Melo. I’m practically a supervillain right now. When I retire, some other unlucky guy will definitely experience what I’m going through. But right now? I’m probably the most hated person in the entire league, hated for absolutely no reason!”

He felt very wronged.

He believed the league needed a villain, and Reebok, with its enormous media influence, successfully made him that target. He was a deliberately targeted victim.

Otherwise, how do you explain that Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams, who are just like him, actively teamed up to take shortcuts, but he alone has received the most criticism?

Carmelo Anthony was stunned; he had no idea when his good friend had become so abnormal.

Hatred without reason?
This hatred is so perfectly justified!

At this moment, LeBron James seems to have forgotten his promise, made more than once, that "I will not leave Cleveland."

They seem to have forgotten that cold statement that severed their connection with Cavaliers fans: "I'm from Akron, not Cleveland."

It seems they've forgotten "The Decision," the nationally sensational show that raked in millions of dollars in advertising revenue—the television show that utterly shattered the dignity of Daniel Gilbert and millions of Cavaliers fans.

After doing all that, he still thinks he's the victim?!

Deron Williams never promised to stay in Salt Lake City, and then turned around and announced his departure on a nationally televised broadcast.

Wake up, LeBron. This isn't targeted. This is a bullet you fired in the past that has now hit you squarely in the head.

Of course, Melon kept these words buried deep in his heart.

These were not the purposes of his conversation.

He took a deep breath and made his own "decision".

“Listen, LeBron, we need you. This team needs you to lead, this team needs you to step up. Deron and I have discussed it, and in the next game we will play more off-ball, so you can fully utilize your ball-handling skills.”

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly brightening LeBron James's dull eyes.

His stats skyrocket once he has the ball a lot.

If he can secure another victory, he will have the opportunity to truly become the undisputed master of the Detroit Pistons, a player who excels in both statistics and influence.

This is exactly what he desires.

Carmelo Anthony didn't think too much about it; his thought was simple: LBJ's off-ball movement was too poor.

He is also a very emotional guy. Once he can't touch the ball or score for a long time, his frustration will immediately show on the defensive end.

In the last game, even Pau Gasol could easily dominate him.

No matter how capable you are, you can't stop anyone even if you stand with your hands on your hips.

Therefore, Carmelo Anthony decided to let LeBron James be the primary point guard, playing the point guard position that he has been most comfortable with for many years.

Carmelo Anthony's actions were not a voluntary relinquishment. In fact, he acted as a leader, trying to bring everyone to their best.

But LeBron James clearly misunderstood; he smiled and made a promise:

"Maybe I have let Cleveland down, but believe me, a man like me would never let my brother down."
-
Madison Square Garden, New York.

Carmelo Anthony had never seen such a hostile home game.

When the Pistons came on the court to warm up, shouts and boos rang out simultaneously.

Carmelo Anthony is unpopular in New York, and LeBron James is even less popular there.

Two very unpopular people coming together gave New York fans a reason to go crazy.

However, LeBron James, who was at the center of the storm, seemed unusually relaxed.

He knew the opportunity to regain control of the game had arrived, so he was beaming with confidence, certain that he would deliver a dominant performance tonight.

That long-awaited dream, the moment when he leads the Pistons to victory at Madison Square Garden, seems to be just around the corner.

On the other hand, Ron Artest was on fire with his shooting touch tonight.

According to him, "Last night I found a stripper about the size of a basketball and we did nothing else but practice basketball all night. She even got blisters."

Lynch didn't believe this nonsense at all, and he didn't care whether Ron Artest was practicing or stirring up trouble last night.

All he knew was that Ron Artest was having an excellent game tonight.

The good news doesn't stop there; Raja Bell also seems to have regained his shooting touch tonight.

Raja Bell has been in very poor form since spraining his ankle in Game 1 of the series against the Magic.

Fortunately, the Knicks' clean 4-0 sweep gave them a precious respite.

Although he is still injured, his condition has improved significantly compared to the previous series.

Then, during their warm-up, the two of them, who were in hot form, asked Lynch for the ball one after the other.

"At the start of the game, I want to try a few shots beyond the three-point line."

The King of New York has granted his request.

Lynch has never been the type of person obsessed with possession of the ball. If his teammates can find their rhythm in the early stages of the game, it will obviously be more helpful for victory.

Thirty minutes later, the two sides converged in the center circle.

Ray Allen was closely watching the game, and with the Miami Heat being swept by the Detroit Pistons, South Beach was removed from his list of "potential teams to join".

He knew that if the Heat couldn't even beat the Pistons, then they had absolutely no chance of defeating the Knicks.

Now, his next destinations are focused on the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs.

The latter two teams are currently meeting in the Western Conference Finals, and the loser of that match will be automatically eliminated by Ray Allen.

Therefore, Ray Allen is paying close attention to both of these matchups.

In his mind, he longed for this Pistons team to push the Knicks to the brink of defeat.

This at least gives him a reason to join the Pistons.

LeBron James started rambling on after seeing Lynch; he was clearly furious.

“Lynch, you’re not welcome on my social media accounts. I didn’t say anything wrong. Wasn’t Wilt playing in the Big Three? Wasn’t Larry? Wasn’t Michael? Me.”

Lin Qi was too lazy to listen; it was all nonsense.

He didn't respond, but just kept moving his body around on his own.

The game begins, and the referee tosses the ball into the air.

LeBron James brought the ball across half-court, a move that came as no surprise.

Throughout the season, Deron Williams has been the one who has controlled the ball most of the time.

Even the previous round of matches was the same.

People were curious about what effect this change would have. LeBron James saw Deron Williams cutting in and was about to pass the ball when Ron Artest aggressively closed in on him.

This affected LBJ's passing accuracy and timing.

As a result, the basketball was easily intercepted by Steve Nash.

This is an embarrassing scene.

With his first pass of the game, he responded to Carmelo Anthony and the entire team's trust with a turnover.

Lynch chuckled: "Mello, did you allow him to do this?"

Carmelo Anthony just rolled his eyes at Lynch, and LeBron James didn't get discouraged by his recent mistake.

He was extremely aggressive on defense, immediately sticking close to Lynch.

It must be acknowledged that when LBJ is serious about defense, his defense is among the best in the league.

Lynch set up a screen for Ron Artest, creating space for him to shoot.

Steve Nash passed the ball to Artest, who took the shot decisively.

But LBJ switched on defense the instant the pick-and-roll was set, and his hand effectively interfered with Ron Artest.

"Boom!"

The basketball hit the rim, and LBJ was overjoyed.

"Damn it! Lynch, you can't beat me tonight! From now on, you have no right to criticize me! I'm leading this team, I'm getting my brothers back on track! You think you can keep suppressing me? You're just another Isaiah Thomas with more championships, you..."

"Shut up!" Lin Qi spoke for the first time today, his tone serious and angry.

He was thoroughly fed up with this nagging woman.

"You don't need to talk so much nonsense, just play a good game, and the whole world will love you. If you can do that, then play a game like that!"

LeBron James smiled and held up four fingers.

"I'll give you four great games!"

(End of this chapter)