Champion Rules

Chapter 277, Section 273: He's No Longer My Friend (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Last season, the San Antonio Spurs had the best interior defense in the entire league.

But the outer defense line always seemed like a leaky dam.

Without strong wing players, the Spurs' defensive system simply won't work.

Gerald Wallace's arrival filled this gap.

The Bobcats' first All-Star player is often remembered for his spectacular dunks.

But what the Spurs really valued about him was that he was selected to the All-Defensive First Team last season.

Despite being an All-Star, Gerald Wallace's humility, team spirit, and selfless attitude allowed him to seamlessly integrate into the Silver and Black Army's system.

As a result, the Spurs team that lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals last season has been completely transformed.

Without strong wing defense, the Spurs are like a seemingly dignified but actually vulnerable, lovestruck young girl.

With Gerald Wallace, the Spurs have completely transformed into the Dark Queen who always tramples their opponents underfoot!
During this year's preseason, wherever the Holy City Iron Cavalry went, the enemy ranks all prostrated themselves at the Queen's feet.

Although the Spurs' starting lineup seemed to be paid by the minute during the preseason—Craig Popovich had been so stingy with their playing time that he was like an old man who couldn't afford to add extra minutes.

But when the Spurs' starters were on the court, they delivered a surprisingly good performance and efficiency.

The day before the season started, ESPN ranked the Spurs second in this year's power rankings, second only to the defending champion Knicks.

The game started quickly, and the Spurs had possession of the ball.

With his abundant energy, Yao Ming was the Spurs' offensive spearhead in the early stages of the game.

He got into a very deep position, received the ball, and immediately turned and jumped to shoot, making the shot.

The basketball swished through the net, the dull thud seeming to strike Tyson Chandler's heart.

He was utterly impressed.

He lost to Yao Ming when he was young, and he continued to lose to Yao Ming when he matured!
From Nike training camp in 1998 until now, three years later, then another three years, then another three years, it's been 12 years and I still haven't won!

He fought countless battles and won championships, but he could never surpass Yao Ming's towering figure.

Off the court, DeAndre Jordan applauded and cheered for Tyson Chandler, but at the same time...
gloat.

Just like sleeping with a female colleague he knew well, a jolt of guilt and excitement shot through him: How could I do this? We're friends!

Competition, like a cold wall, has quietly formed between him and Tyson Chandler.

Their relationship had already undergone subtle changes.

They remain good friends on the surface, but the competition between them is constant.

Now, every defensive blunder by Tyson Chandler is a silent coin rolling into his playing time.

The thought startled him, yet it was like Pandora's box—once opened, it was irresistible.

The game continues, and the Knicks are on offense.

The recent successful score did not bring Gregg Popovich any joy.

But the current defensive round has made him quite nervous.

In the past, Lynch could only use off-ball movement to deal with the Spurs' defense.

Because his back-to-the-basket game is difficult to utilize against the Spurs' twin towers defense.

However, the lack of a ball ultimately limits production.

So overall, the Spurs can still barely compete with the Knicks.

However, in the preseason this season, Lynch has already demonstrated his ability to face the basket and handle the ball.

The smear campaign by LeBron's mouthpieces, such as David McMenamin, has been completely disproven, because Lynch did not release the training video for publicity; he has genuinely improved.

The question is, how much has Lynch's ball control actually improved?
The preseason games, limited by defensive intensity, couldn't provide the answers people were looking for.

The regular season is where the real mystery will be revealed.

Gregg Popovich stared blankly at the court; he and his Spurs would be Lynch's first judges!

The Spurs are still using their traditional strategy, with Tim Duncan leading the defense against Lynch.

Lynch received the ball at the top of the key, then waved to signal everyone to move away.

This means he's not going to deal the cards, but rather play one-on-one!
Number 20 lowered his center of gravity, and Tim Duncan frowned.

Number 20 dribbled faster, and Tim Duncan locked his legs tightly.

Number 20 made a smooth change of direction, and Tim Duncan lifted his leg without flinching.

He made a near interception with the instep, like a powerful clearance kick that sent the ball far out of bounds!
Lynch:
Lynch practiced his ball control all summer, he practically smoked the ball. But he never expected that this season would be five-a-side football!

The basketball flew out of bounds, and the whole stadium burst into laughter.

Tim Duncan shrugged at Lynch, his overly serious face appearing comical at that moment.

Like Tim Duncan, Gregg Popovich's face was like a frozen lake.

He was used to using a frozen expression to cover up all the storms, but his tightly closed lips still betrayed his nervousness.

Although Lynch lost the ball, it proved that Tim Duncan had no answer for Lynch.

When Lynch accelerated and changed direction, TD didn't even have time to move.

His kicking the ball away was purely out of defensive instinct, because he was powerless to turn the tide.

The ball is thrown out, and the game continues.

Tim Duncan put some pressure on Lynch this time, his towering body holding Lynch firmly, trying to suffocate him and disrupt his ball control rhythm.

But Lynch's muscles were like springs brimming with resilience, allowing him to execute a fluid, silky turn during the confrontation—

Tim Duncan only felt a blur before his eyes as the King of New York broke free of his shackles and gracefully glided into the heart of the mid-range game.

Stop abruptly, pull up, and press down on the wrist.

The basketball traced a rainbow-like arc, piercing the net.

The entire stadium erupted in a deafening roar!

Two consecutive summers of weight loss programs greatly increased Lynch's speed, so although it was a power forward vs. power forward matchup, visually it looked like Lynch was hitting the wrong position!
Lynch scored to tie the game, and Mike Breen raised his arms amidst the cheers of the fans:
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to witness the arrival of the era of the peak Lynch!"

When Lynch could still dribble and dance with ease against Tim Duncan's impenetrable defense, it was enough to show that Lynch's ball-handling skills were more than sufficient for the power forward position.

He can not only drive to the basket in the preseason, but he can still do it under the intensity of the regular season.

He made up for his biggest shortcoming over the years and completely broke down the boundaries of the concept of "position".

Last season, the backcourt duo of Lynch and Ron Artest already hinted at the potential of "position-ambiguous" basketball.

Now, with ball control as fluid as silk threads, vision spanning the entire court, unpredictable off-ball movement, seamless pick-and-roll coordination, overwhelming rim protection, and lightning-fast sweeping of help defense, the game is unstoppable.
It's difficult to define exactly what position he plays on the court.

A power forward? His ability to control the ball puts point guards to shame.

A small forward? His dominance in the paint makes small forwards pale in comparison.

A guard? His defensive impact is unmatched by any other guard.

LeBron James has always been considered the most versatile player in the league.

He primarily played point guard in Cleveland, power forward in Detroit, and is now starting to play small forward in Oklahoma City.

At times, he can even play the running back role in American football on the basketball court!
But now, even the last title that LBJ had left has been officially taken away by Lynch.

In the following rounds, Lynch demonstrated his excellent ball control skills.

Duncan had absolutely no way to deal with Lynch. With every change of direction, sudden stop, and crossover, Lynch's every move turned the Stone Buddha's heavy steps into quicksand.

TD is certainly an excellent defensive player, but he is not good at one-on-one defense on the perimeter.

Lynch repeatedly faked him out and scored over him time and time again.

Just three minutes into the game, the Spurs had to double-team.

Gerald Wallace repeatedly double-teamed Lynch, but Lynch didn't panic and passed the ball in time.

As a result, the Spurs paid the price by allowing Wilson Chandler to hit two three-pointers.

Wilson Chandler, now in the final year of his contract, is extremely focused, and last summer he significantly improved his three-point shooting consistency to a whole new level in order to enhance his competitiveness.

He summarized his experience of being squeezed out of the starting lineup by Ron Artest midway through last season, and the biggest problem was that his offense did not have a significant difference in quality compared to Artest's, but his defense was far inferior to Artest's.

So this summer, he worked hard to practice long-range shooting in an effort to increase his offensive value.

Wilson Chandler's long-range shooting has improved significantly in both volume and efficiency during this year's training camp and preseason.

Last season, he averaged only 0.6 three-pointers per game.

In the preseason this season, that number was 2.3. And the shooting percentage was 35%.

Wilson Chandler has become a long-range artillery piece that cannot be easily fired.

Fortunately, Yao Ming was rock solid in the low post, and Tony Parker's mid-range jump shot became increasingly refined, allowing the Spurs to barely keep the score close.

When Gregg Popovich waved to stop the game, the Spurs were down by 7 points.

Duncan was drenched in sweat, his eyes fixed on the big screen in the arena, which was showing footage of him being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Lynch.

Number 20 still reigns supreme in New York, but that number 20 is completely different now. Tim Duncan won't miss the days when he dominated Lynch, because it's meaningless.

He is like a silent reef, accustomed to confronting the waves with the hardness of facing reality head-on.

TD looked away from the big screen and told Greg Popovich in a low voice, "Listen, Greg, it might not be a good idea for me to guard him one-on-one."

This is not an excuse for surrendering; he is simply stating the facts.

Facing the facts is always more responsible than making excuses like "Yao Ming did his best, but Yao Ming is in the CBA."

Gregg Popovich did not deny that the current TD is no longer suitable for defending Lynch.

If this had happened last season, it would have been almost a death sentence for the Spurs, because they had no way to deal with Lynch.

But this season, they have someone they can rely on on the perimeter.

“Gerrard,” Gregg Popovich yelled, “get him bogged down like Kobe did. You were both All-Defensive First Team last season, you’re no different. If Kobe could do it, so can you.”

Gerald Wallace nodded firmly; this tough guy was never afraid to go up against any star player.

The game continued, and the Spurs continued to close the gap with mid-range jumpers following pick-and-rolls between Parker and Yao Ming.

Like Lynch, Tony Parker has officially entered his prime.

The Frenchman's mid-range game has been quite good this season, which has greatly enriched the Spurs' offensive options.

But now nobody cares about Tony Parker's progress; everyone wants to see Lynch continue to outmaneuver his opponents.

Unfortunately, New York fans did not get their wish.

For the next three rounds, Lynch simply read the defense calmly and became a card-dealing machine.

Gregg Popovich's tense nerves finally relaxed for a moment, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Lynch has not yet transformed into a ball-handling powerhouse capable of ignoring top-tier perimeter defense.

Using a top-tier perimeter defender to limit Lynch remains the optimal solution.

After the timeout, on the Knicks' fourth offensive possession, Lynch passed the ball to DeMar DeRozan, but his layup attempt was blocked by Yao Ming, leaving the Knicks with only a 2-point lead.

The Spurs' comeback storm was just around the corner. In the blink of an eye, the offense and defense shifted, but Yao Ming's turnaround jump shot on the offensive end was a step behind, and the decline in efficiency due to fluctuations in physical strength was beginning to show.

Halfway through the game, it was indeed time for Yao Ming to rest.

No problem, Tony Parker will take the lead next, and the Spurs will be able to tie the score.

As long as Lynch is firmly shut down by Gerald Wallace, the Spurs will always have the initiative to turn the tide.

But then, during the Knicks' next offensive possession, Gregg Popovich saw that same move that sent chills down his spine once again.

Lynch stood firmly at the top of the arc, the basketball lightly touching the ground with his fingertips. Then, his hand decisively swept through the air.

Let's start one-on-one!

Gregg Popovich's pupils constricted sharply. Who did Lynch think he was choosing as his opponent?!
Even a pure perimeter player might not be able to break through Gerald Wallace's iron wall!
Gerald Wallace remained vigilant, keeping his center of gravity low and avoiding any openings.

He knew that most forwards weren't as good at controlling the ball as they looked. As long as he defended diligently, it wouldn't be a big problem.

Why do you know?
Ah, because he's the same way!
Lynch started his drive, breaking through to the left. Gerald Wallace slid in with the precision of a steel gate, his right hand slicing straight down on the basketball!

In a flash, Lin Qi flicked his wrist, and the basketball was magically pulled behind his back.

The King of New York used a behind-the-back crossover to create space and slipped past Gerald Wallace!
Gerald Wallace roared and twisted back to chase, his shoes screeching as they rubbed together, but he hadn't completely lost his position.

In fact, the Spurs' defensive system is functioning.

The twin towers Yao Ming and Deng Chao have stood like giants in the paint, while Gerald Wallace remains firmly glued to Lynch's side.

Now, Lynch either has to take a difficult mid-range shot against Gerald Wallace's defense.

Alternatively, they could force their way through the super twin towers of TD and Yao Ming.

Neither option presents an easy scoring opportunity.

Gerald Wallace still had a chance to steal the ball the moment Lynch finished his shot.

But after Lynch stopped abruptly, his assistant shoved Gerald Wallace, followed by a step-back jump shot.

"Shh!"

Gregg Popovich stared incredulously at the scoreboard as Lynch used a pure face-up dribble to overpower Gerald Wallace, last season's All-Defensive First Team player!
The fleeting sense of relief he had just felt was instantly evaporated by Lynch's goal.

He finally realized that he had completely misunderstood.

Lynch's previous consecutive passes were not due to Gerald Wallace's iron grip at all.

He was just dividing the cake.

As a seasoned leader who has already led his team to four championships, Lynch knows that going it alone cannot solve all problems.

Even if you can completely dominate your opponent, you still need to share some of the pie with your teammates, allowing role players to have possession, get into form, and inject their fighting spirit into the defensive end.

Lynch perfectly controlled the pace, subtly switching the game into a team nurturing mode after a series of singles plays at the start, giving his teammates some opportunities to shine.

When the score difference narrows and the alarm sounds, Lynch will immediately take back possession of the ball and take over the offense.

In basketball, dividing the cake is an art.

Lynch is the Vincent van Gogh of this art.

After this round, almost all fans, except for New York fans, will feel despair.

Clearly, Lynch passed the "test".

His ball-handling skills weren't just effective against inside players like Tim Duncan.

It works just as well against a pure perimeter defender like Gerald Wallace!

While the entire league was holding the Lakers' "small guard against big" bible from last season's Finals, trying to replicate their miracle.

Lynch has welded shut that window of miracle!

With Tony Parker's hasty jump shot hitting the rim, the San Antonio Spurs not only failed to tie the score, but instead sank deeper into a quagmire where the point difference was about to be torn apart.

Steve Nash continued to pass the ball to Lynch, and Gerald Wallace, who was originally the hunter, now felt like he was the prey that had been surrounded.

Lynch continued to initiate one-on-one attacks from the outside on the wing. Mike Breen, watching his posture, felt that Lynch had completely transformed into a small forward.

A tsunami erupted at Madison Square Garden—"Get past him! Get past him! Get past him!"

As the sound waves swept over him, Lin Qi moved, thrusting towards the left wing, then immediately changing direction to the right.

But Gerald Wallace is, after all, an experienced and excellent defensive player, and he successfully blocked Lynch's double crossover.

Lynch dribbled behind his back and stepped back, seemingly wanting to return to the three-point line to start again.

In that moment when everyone was most likely to let their guard down, Lynch suddenly changed direction and accelerated past Gerald Wallace's defense. This series of feints sent shockwaves through Madison Square Garden!
After getting past Gerald Wallace, Lynch drove straight to the basket, twisting and turning in mid-air under the interference of Yao Ming, a towering figure, and scored with a layup!
With the point difference reduced to 6, the New York Knicks still maintain the initiative!
Amid cheers from the crowd and the incredulous, desperate gazes of the Spurs fans, the Spurs called their second timeout.

Lin Qi pointed at Yao Ming and blinked: "You really should retire after this season, Yao, because you simply don't have a chance!"

On the sidelines, Ray Allen's gaze was fixed, mirroring that of the Spurs players on the other side.

Lynch has certainly demonstrated his current ball-handling skills in the preseason and training camp, but to be honest, it still surprised Ray Allen.

Fortunately, he did not choose to fight the monster.

The live television signal then switched from the stadium to the TNT television studio.

Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Kenny Smith exchanged bewildered glances.

Shaq spoke first: "Listen, if Lynch wins another championship this season, I admit, he will completely leave me behind."

Charles Barkley laughed: "Don't flatter yourself. He swept your Heat out of the playoffs in his rookie year. Why would he wait until now?"

The shark waved its hand: "I was already an old shark back then."

"Oh, what about you, the one who got swept by the Spurs in '99?"

"Back then, I was still a baby shark."

Barkley didn't continue arguing with the shark, perhaps for the sake of the show, or perhaps he was genuinely impressed by Lynch's performance; instead, he made a shocking statement:
"Linch isn't trying to surpass you; he's chasing Michael Jordan."

After Lynch has evolved once again, I find it hard to imagine anyone in this league being able to stop him.

Michael Jordan's time on the GOAT throne has officially entered its countdown.

I love Michael, but that's a fact. Even though you're one of my best friends, I stand by my current opinion.

At least, no one will ever again lie and say Michael is handsome.

Michael Jordan, who was playing cards, heard Charles Barkley's comments about him on television.

Charles Barkley had previously overpowered him once on the golf course.

Now, he's saying it again on a nationally televised program.

Beside him, Yvette Prieto, the Cuban beauty whom MJ adored, chuckled: "Your friend certainly dares to say that."

Michael Jordan's gaze did not soften, and he gave a cold, hard reply.

“Charles is no longer my friend.”

(End of this chapter)