Champion Rules

Chapter 265, Section 261: Ultimately, he wasn't a god (Seeking monthly votes!)
Lynch's successful beachcombing once again brought the two biggest NBA teams together in the Finals.

Kevin Garnett stepped onto the floor of Madison Square Garden and stomped his foot heavily.

Time has passed, and he is no longer wearing Adidas sneakers, but a brand he had never heard of a few years ago – Anta.

Lynch changed this league.

Look around the field, all the billboards are in Chinese.

Look at the basketball hoop; it's covered with square, unfamiliar characters.

More and more star athletes are signing with Chinese sneaker brands and wearing them in matches.

Yao Ming opened the door to Chinese elements in the NBA, while Lynch made Chinese elements take over the NBA.

According to KG, when people discuss Lynch's close relationship with MJ, they often overlook the enormous impact he had on the development of the NBA.

MJ's greatness lies not only in the fact that he could go play in other sports and then win three more championships, but also in the fact that he transformed the NBA into a cultural phenomenon that swept across America, propelling the NBA to unprecedented heights in the United States.

Looking at the current league, your idol may not be MJ, but your idol's idol is definitely MJ. This is the eternal mark of influence.

Lynch is doing the same thing; he has propelled the NBA to unprecedented heights globally.

They were not only winners, but also had an irreplaceable impact on the sport of basketball.

This is why Lynch is qualified to be compared to MJ; in this respect, his popularity far surpasses that of Kobe, whose playing style is more similar to MJ's.

You need to have some truly great achievements to get close to the best in history.

When people think of the player who is closest to MJ, they can't just think of traveling, hands on hips, and "very very smart man."

Now, KG needs to face such a groundbreaking young god.

He knew clearly that the gap between them was already very large.

But as he said in an interview with John Thompson eight years ago, this is not tennis, it is not golf.

This is a team sport.

The best individual is not necessarily the one who wins.

The best team always wins.

The match is about to begin, the ratings are already soaring, and the emotions of the fans at the stadium are boiling.

Besides celebrities from the entertainment industry, basketball stars such as Dwyane Wade, Yao Ming, and Stephon Marbury, a legend from Beijing, also appeared on the sidelines, eager to witness the splendor of the highest-level NBA matchup in the 21st century.

Ten minutes before the game started, Phil Jackson gathered everyone together.

The usually composed old man from KFC looked serious tonight because he made a series of highly targeted and bold defensive decisions to limit the guy who won the unanimous MVP.

This series of strategies wasn't something he came up with on a whim. Phil Jackson had been preparing for tonight's game since the early rounds of the playoffs, or even during the regular season.

Tonight is a test.

He wanted to find out the limits of Lynch's power under this defensive cage.

He wants to test the limits of the world's number one.

Phil Jackson's eyes, behind his glasses, swept over everyone, and he clapped his hands:
"Listen, no matter how frightening Lynch's stats are tonight, our defense cannot relax for a second, cannot retreat even half a step, and cannot collapse at all."

The old man paused deliberately, making his tone more weighty:
Ultimately, he is not a god.

With both teams' starting lineups assembled, Mike Brin began introducing the starting rosters for the evening.

The Knicks' starting lineup remained unchanged, and when discussing Lynch and Ron Artest, he deliberately emphasized:
"This fluid 'two-headed spear' is the most distinctive feature of the New York Knicks. They don't have fixed positions. Sometimes, Lynch will become a meat grinder at the power forward position, and sometimes he will transform into a cutter at the small forward position."

Even within a single match, they would switch positions multiple times.

At this point, Mike Brin tried hard to suppress a laugh:

"As for Ron, his position on the field is more complex. It could be his temple, the back of his head, or even the fifth to eighth intercostal spaces."

He may not be able to score 20 points every night to benefit New York fans, but he can always eliminate them with an elbow.

The commentary booth and millions of living rooms around the world instantly erupted in maniacal laughter.

Rich Paul was trying to figure out why LeBron James wasn't smiling.

It's probably because Ron Artest didn't even receive a one-minute suspension after delivering that elbow strike that was enough to end the consciousness of all carbon-based beings.

Yes, he did receive a massive $100,000 fine.

But to LeBron James, that flimsy piece of paper was undoubtedly a meticulously planned ultimate humiliation.

So it turns out that David Stern was the one who treated me the least like a human being!

Before the draft, they called them the chosen ones; after the draft, they told them to be careful next time.

Am I even human?!
In fact, David Stern's decision did cause controversy. Shaquille O'Neal, the "Great Judge" who had just retired and quickly signed with TNT, believed that even a ten-game suspension would not be excessive for Ron Artest's egregious actions.

David Stern genuinely dislikes violence and doesn't want to see similar incidents occur.

But he also wanted to send a message: those who are eager to make dirty tricks, underhanded attacks, and dirty tricks should stay far away from Lin Qi!
Every groundbreaking superstar has some power, and Lynch is no exception.

David Stern allowed Lynch to have a bodyguard.

He certainly doesn't want a repeat of LeBron James' actions to happen to Lynch.

The iconic figures of this league can lose, can be defeated.

But it must not fade from people's view just because it was maliciously scrapped.

Lynch moved close to the midfield line, and the Lakers looked ready to fight to the death.

Kevin Garnett pounded his chest and growled, while Jason Kidd rubbed his fists together.

Kobe Bryant leaned forward and said something that deeply surprised Lynch:

"Past championship banners are all fleeting; you can't always be a winner."

This sentence seems simple, but the key point is that Kobe said it in Chinese.

They even used the term "floating clouds," which was very popular on the Chinese internet in 2010.

Kobe Bryant really enjoys learning foreign languages, the serious kind.

He likes to use other people's native languages ​​to spew trash talk and disrupt his opponents' minds.

It means: In order to deal with you, we have thoroughly studied every detail of you, including hurling insults at you in your native language.

For most players, this can create a certain psychological deterrent.

After saying that, Kobe stepped back, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

On the sidelines, Phil Jackson took a deep breath and then slowly sank into the shadows of the bench.

This is destined to be a spectacular night.

The only question is, what will Madison Square Garden leave behind at the end: gold dust drifting through New York? Or the wreckage of the Knicks?

The Knicks got the first possession, and the Lakers' defense looked no different from the regular season, with Kevin Garnett still guarding Lynch.

But Lynch soon sensed the difference.

When he received the ball at the high post, the Lakers did not double-team him; their defensive formation remained unchanged.

Kevin Garnett becomes a lone beacon, single-handedly guarding Lynch!
Conversely, Lynch also had no opportunity to pass the ball.

The others were tightly bound, completely cutting off all communication channels.

Lynch had to find a way to develop his own attack and complete the offensive.

Lynch glanced at KG in front of him and said calmly, "Is this your strategy? Leave me open at the high post, block my driving routes, and then double-team me in the paint? Have you forgotten about the Detroit Pistons in the last round? They lost badly in Game 1." Lionel Hollins had used this defensive strategy briefly in the final moments of the last round.

Because the Knicks' role players were on fire that night, he had to have Carmelo Anthony guard Lynch one-on-one at the high post, denying anyone else open looks, in an attempt to freeze the Knicks' team-oriented offense.
Ultimately, Lynch put up an epic 20+20+20 performance, leading his team to victory.

But Phil Jackson believes that the reason for that loss was not that Lynch was allowed to go one-on-one from the high post.

The key point is that the Pistons didn't cut off Lynch's connection with the others from the start, which allowed the others to get hot early on.

Because Lynch conserved a lot of energy on offense in the first three quarters, he was able to deliver an epic performance on defense.

Ultimately, the final straw that broke the Pistons' back wasn't a flawed defensive strategy, but rather LeBron James's inability to respond effectively.

His traveling, his mistakes, his missed shots, and his hesitation at crucial moments were the main reasons for the strategy's failure.

Phil Jackson also didn't quite understand Lionel Hollins; who the hell would use Scottie Pippen to break through defenses?

The Zen Master was different. From the very beginning, he forced Lynch to play one-on-one, forced him to develop a lot of shots, and squeezed his physical energy so that he had no time to focus on defense.

Of course, Lynch will definitely score a lot of points.

Individual scores are bound to skyrocket to terrifying levels.

But the Los Angeles Lakers have a better responder than LeBron James.

Kevin Garnett wasn't intimidated by Lynch's provocation: "Don't lump us together with that bunch of maggots who can't even stand together!"

Lynch moved, using his back to block KG's muscle barrier and pushing forward.

The Lakers' defense tightened up slightly, making it difficult for Lynch to drive straight through.

So he opted for a turnaround jump shot after faking his shoulder, but the ball missed.

Although Lynch's shooting has been honed into a top-tier killing weapon, he has not been able to break the simplest basic logic of basketball: the closer you are to the basket, the higher your shooting percentage and the stronger your stability.

That's why Phil Jackson preferred Lynch to shoot from the outside rather than let him go into the low post.

Lynch's signature Dream Shake, combined with his excellent turnaround jump shot and hook shot, always allows him to score with extreme efficiency and ease in the low post.

At mid-range, Lynch's efficiency can at least be reduced to an acceptable level.

The Lakers countered, with Kevin Garnett pivoting in the low post and finding Tayshaun Prince cutting in after a screen.

But the latter's layup was blocked by Lynch.

The sound of the basketball slamming against the backboard ignited the first wave of cheers at Madison Square Garden.

Eight years ago, Kevin Garnett believed that there was no one in the world who could defend an entire half of the court by himself.

There is still no such person.

But two people were even closer to that height.

Ron Artest is already quite skilled in boxing and elbowing. Once he develops joint locks, he could easily defend half the court by himself.

After one match, the opposing team will all be wearing suits for the next one!
Lynch, on the other hand, elevated the impact of individual defense to a whole new level.

He cannot defend the entire half single-handedly, but he could easily make it difficult for every player on the opposing team to attack.

Before Lynch, Kevin Garnett was the most terrifying defensive sweeping monster in the league.

After Lynch, KG can only rank second in this regard.

This defensive play further solidified Phil Jackson's determination to execute his strategy.

Lynch's defense is terrifying; in some ways, he thinks Lynch's defense is even more terrifying than his scoring.

Although Lynch won the scoring title twice in a row, his scoring ability was not far ahead of everyone else in the league.

But there was absolutely no way to break through his defense.

The Lakers must force Lynch to take a lot of shots and use all his energy on offense.

The Knicks were on offense, and Lynch and Nash ran a pick-and-roll, but Kevin Garnett didn't help Nash; he stayed right next to Lynch the whole time.

Tonight, the Lakers didn't use Jason Kidd, who set a winning streak record in the previous round, to match up against Nash. Instead, they used Tayshaun Prince to deal with Nash.

The skinny TyShon Prince lacks physical strength, but his physique is perfect for maneuvering around screens, making him a mirror image of Ron Artest.

The Little Prince immediately used his speed and wingspan to block Nash's shooting space, and the Son of the Wind was unable to disrupt the formation, so he had to pass the ball back to Lynch.

Lynch waved his hand, signaling Tyson Chandler to come out and run a 4-5 pick-and-roll with him.

The New York Kings' move was an attempt to test the Lakers' defense and see how they would respond to their high pick-and-roll.

Since they don't double-team at the high post, will they double-team at the high post pick-and-roll?

The answer is a pincer attack, and a very decisive one at that!

The moment Lynch moved under cover, Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett teamed up to pressure and double-team him.

This move was not intended to block Lynch's shot, but rather to block the path Lynch could take to the basket after using a screen.

So after forcing Lynch to slow down, Kendrick Perkins immediately chased back Tyson Chandler, forcing Lynch back into a high-post one-on-one situation with no one to pass to.

The testing and probing have come to an end.

Now, both Lynch and Flip Saunders understand one thing: facing this Lakers team with unparalleled discipline and teamwork, and with pick-and-rolls inevitably resulting in double teams, blocked driving lanes, inability to get deep into the post with their backs to the basket, and no passing opportunities, Lynch can only rely on his individual skills to create scoring opportunities for the time being.

He transcends tactics.

Or rather, he is destined to be unable to rely on any tactics tonight.

After the initial probing, Lin Qi started moving, pushed KG aside, and gained half a body length over him, whose pace had slowed down.

Emergency stop, retreat, pull up.

The movement was fluid and graceful, and the basketball went in smoothly.

Lynch became the first player to score in the game.

But Kevin Garnett was not discouraged and continued to run forward aggressively, ready to participate in the offense.

KG, who is making a final push for his career, will not collapse like LBJ did in the last game due to a mental breakdown.

The Lakers' offense failed once again. When Kobe took the jump shot, Lynch decisively helped defend and interfered, successfully completing the defensive play.

The Lakers had already thwarted two consecutive attacks by Lynch, but Phil Jackson remained calm and composed.

Lynch's help defense requires a lot of physical support, and as long as he continues to develop his shooting on the offensive end, he is destined to lose his defense.

If Lynch can only dominate one end, he cannot win the game.

Fate is so strange. The guy who won six rings for Phil Jackson was once pushed into a similar predicament by the New York Knicks of the 90s, a team with a historic defense.

Now, it's Phil Jackson's team's turn to push the Knicks' star player to the brink of defeat.

Michael Jordan was able to survive against near-perfect defensive strategies because he was the god of basketball.

Another crucial point is that the Bulls' defense can rely on Scottie Pippen, which allows MJ to focus entirely on offense.

But what about Lynch?

Phil Jackson still holds the same view.

Ultimately, that kid wasn't some kind of god.

It is even more impossible for them to surpass God.

(End of this chapter)