Champion Rules

Chapter 298 (294): The Ultimate Form of the War Machine (Seeking monthly votes!)

LeBron James is indeed a player with incredible explosiveness.

Because Under Armour's PR team couldn't keep up with the speed at which LeBron James caused trouble!

His statement, "Lynch resolved the labor dispute, but that won't win him the championship," kept Under Armour's public relations team up all night and made him the target of public criticism.

This time, it wasn't just the media and fans who were criticizing him.

There are also many players.

Lynch's actions successfully gave the players a larger slice of the pie.

This is good for all the players.

Therefore, it is utterly absurd and foolish for LBJ to stand against the players and attack Lynch's contribution.

To be honest, Under Armour's PR team didn't quite understand LeBron James's thought process.

This is LeBron James' first win at Madison Square Garden in seven years since 2004, and his excitement is understandable.

He has countless ways to vent his emotions.

Even if he wanted to trash talk to Lynch, he had countless angles to do so.

But he chose the angle that was most disadvantageous to him.

Sometimes, reading LeBron James' quotes makes you feel like you're reading a fantasy novel even more fantastical than Harry Potter.

Even more profoundly, after all, Harry Potter is ultimately a children's book.

LeBron's quotes, on the other hand, have a more profound style of realistic magical realism.

When even Magic Johnson, who has always adhered to the principle of "avoiding offending anyone if possible," started criticizing LeBron James, many other stars could no longer tolerate it and spoke out.

Shaquille O'Neal launched into a tirade: "That bitch is a damn traitor! He betrayed his hometown, he betrayed his brothers. Now, he's betrayed the entire player community. Listen, nobody wants to see a traitor lift the championship trophy!"

Charles Barkley quickly chimed in: "Shaq, now you're firmly in second place as the most hated guy in NBA history."

DeMarcus Cousins, a 10 rookie, posted an extremely immature message criticizing LeBron James, but it was quickly ordered to be deleted by the league and he was fined $5000.

Of course, the screenshot of that post quickly spread across the entire internet.

"The biggest difference between Disney movies and PvP art films is that Disney movies make you hate your stepmother, while PvP movies make you love your stepmother."

The difference between LeBron and Lynch is similar; Lynch made people adore NBA players, while LeBron made us feel ashamed.

DeMarcus Cousins ​​may seem to be criticizing LeBron James, but he's actually helping James out of a tight spot.

Because he proved that LeBron James is not the only oddball in this league.

The Under Armour team used their limited resources to try to minimize the impact of this incident.

But this power is indeed too limited.

Since betraying Cleveland, he has once again turned himself into a major villain.

Rich Paul is in a real bind. LBJ's behavior is not only affecting his reputation, but will also directly impact his endorsement contracts.

Nobody wants to use an unpopular star as a spokesperson.

Rich Paul doesn't want LeBron James to end up as a spokesperson for silicone sex toys.

Fortunately, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a very promising outlook for this season.

A championship can make people forget that Michael Jordan is a gambler.

A championship can make people overlook the fact that Kobe Bryant betrayed his family.

The championship can also make people temporarily forget LeBron James's remarks.

Thanks to LBJ's influence, every game of the Oklahoma City Thunder has garnered impressive viewership.

Because fans really want to see LBJ get beaten up.

But things didn't go as planned. Time and again, neutral fans watched the Thunder's games hoping he would lose face.

But time and time again, the Oklahoma City Thunder won the final victory.

People hate LeBron James.

But most teams really can't take down LeBron James.

This actually made LBJ feel good.

He loves the way people hate him, yet can't get rid of him!

During his time with Nike, he always tried to be a model player.

But that's not easy.

Everything that happened this season made LBJ feel—

Being a complete villain doesn't seem so bad!
By the end of April, after the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs for the second time this season, their position as the top team in the Western Conference was unshakeable.

According to traditional basketball thinking, the Spurs, with their twin towers, should have easily defeated the Thunder, who didn't even have a proper center.

Before the match, Gregg Popovich joked, "Brazil plays with four defenders, so will they also use four defenders?"

But that's not the case. After losing weight, Tim Duncan couldn't put up a dominant low-post performance over LeBron James.

As for Yao Ming, he is not a reliable leader who can handle all the offensive plays in crucial rounds.

He also didn't develop the ability to orchestrate the entire team in the low post like Karl Malone or Larry Bird did later on.

He was very demanding in his offensive positioning, and he was unable to defend pick-and-rolls throughout his career.

Of course, his strengths are also very clear.

His dominance in the low post remains unchallenged; he is extremely lethal in the paint and possesses considerable rim protection.

However, when facing the Thunder, his strengths couldn't mask his weaknesses.

LeBron James and Kevin Durant can easily score simply by going over a screen.

Serge Ibaka's aggressive fronting, coupled with LeBron James's help defense and harassment, can put Yao Ming in a tough position.

Yao Ming's strong rim protection was also weakened by Serge Ibaka's mid-range ability.

Once he's in the paint, the Congolese-Spanish Thunder player can easily make a jump shot.

Before the game started, the whole world expected the Spurs to do justice and wipe out LBJ and his Thunder team.

But in the end, things didn't go as planned.

The villain had the last laugh.

At the end of the game, LeBron James made a crown-wearing gesture, then faced the camera and arrogantly shouted:

"Who's next?! I await your punishment!"

Listening to the boos coming from the stands at the AT&T Center, LeBron James felt proud of himself.

He is at odds with the world.

But at this moment, the world is powerless against him!
Gregg Popovich sat on the bench, hesitant to get up and shake hands with Scott Brooks.

For him, this game was more than just a blow that completely eliminated the Spurs' chance to return to the top of the Western Conference.

Instead, it overturned his basketball philosophy.

Small lineups are nothing new, but the Oklahoma City Thunder have addressed the most fatal weakness of small lineup tactics – defense.

LeBron James can drive to the basket like a shooting guard, yet he can also protect the rim with great toughness.

Serge Ibaka has good mid-range consistency, but also possesses incredibly tough defense.

Moreover, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry's production and efficiency beyond the three-point line have overturned people's perceptions.

This means you have almost no chance of “betting they miss a three-pointer and then collapsing to double-team LBJ.”

After this game, the Spurs are now three games behind the Thunder.

Ultimately, the three-game lead remained until the end of the regular season.

After 82 rounds of fierce competition, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a record of 67 wins, reign supreme in the Western Conference!

For the first time in his career, LeBron James planted the "Divisional Supreme King Flag" on his own mountain!

In the East, the Chicago Bulls, boasting Derrick Rose and Chris Bosh, have won 68 games, marking the first time they have surpassed 60 wins since the 90s.

The New York Knicks, who had won 70 games in the past two seasons, only managed 63 wins this year.

Although the Knicks' record has declined compared to the previous two seasons, they are still the biggest favorites to win the championship.

Compared to the Knicks' 63 wins, New York fans were clearly disappointed with the Los Angeles Clippers' 32 wins.

In their minds, Blake Griffin is already a contender for the title of the worst draft pick in history.

Which team had a top draft pick leading their team to 32 wins in their first year?
Even LeBron James, who was hailed as the Chosen One, only won three more games than you in his first year!
You have no shame!

I knew Blake Griffin had short arms, but I never expected him to be so shameless!

Currently, there are seven teams in the league with a worse record than the Clippers.

This means that the Knicks' chances of getting the number one draft pick are extremely slim.

Sam Presti must be incredibly busy lately, racking his brains to try and secure the Knicks' coveted number one draft pick.

Of course, the Knicks' chances of getting the number one draft pick aren't entirely zero. Stephen A. Smith has been sincerely praying for good luck for the team every time he appears on television lately.

Seemingly feeling that such prayers wouldn't bring him good fortune, this commentator even made a bold statement on the show:
"If the Knicks can get the number one pick, ladies and gentlemen..."

Then I will never mention LeBron James' name again in my life.

I do what I say! "
-
With the regular season over, the Knicks were given two days of rest.

Lynch's system also gave a notification after a long time.

As a player nearing 40, facing what could be your last chance to achieve a three-peat, you were still able to write a legendary finale, proving you're not yet past your prime!

[Goal: To become the team's leading scorer in every series.]

[Reward: Random Sixth Man of the Season talent.]

Every time Lin Qi looked at the system tasks, he had a feeling:
He just wanted to give me a reward, but he was too embarrassed to say it, so he pretended to have gotten my age wrong.

For Lynch, who is 25 years old and the team's absolute core player, completing this task was a piece of cake.

More than whether he can complete the task, Lynch is more concerned about who will be this year's best sixth man.

Lynch remembers that in the original history, the best sixth man of the season was Lamar Odom.

His talent was quite remarkable; after all, he was a man who almost died from prostitution in bed.

How can such unwavering determination not be a talent?

However, in this history, Lamar Odom left the Lakers early on due to the formation of the Big Three, so this year's Sixth Man of the Year will most likely be Jason Terry.

That's very unfair.

The system actually designated a guy who outperformed LeBron James in the Finals as a role player?

Then what about LBJ?
In any case, Lynch has been given another chance to become stronger.

The ringing of his cell phone pulled Lynch's thoughts away from the system.

The caller was Sean Battier, the second-generation White Paper Fan.

"Lin Qi, I hope you're still awake."

"Of course not, there are three more girls in line, how could I possibly sleep?"

"Huh?" Sean Battier's voice instantly compressed into a shrill high-pitched alarm, "Lynch, the playoffs are about to begin!"

"Don't be nervous, I was just joking. Is something wrong?"

"Damn it, you better be joking. I'm calling to talk to you about Ron and Jermaine."

"They drew their guns and fired at each other?"

"No, I just think they could perform better if they get back together."

But their relationship hasn't improved at all throughout the entire season. You and I have both tried quite a lot, but it's all in vain.

You know, to secure a three-peat, we need to get everyone playing at 100% potential.

"So, what brilliant idea do you have now?"

Sean Battier chuckled on the phone that day: "What's your personal relationship like with Reggie Miller?"

"not bad."

"Then you can ask him for a small favor. With your reputation, he should agree. The whole world is waiting to see us bring justice to LBJ, and for this ultimate cause of basketball justice, we are worth any attempt."
-
The playoffs began amidst LeBron James's rampant act of defying the world.

As the second seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks' first-round opponent this year is the Indiana Pacers.

Despite Danny Granger's outstanding individual skills, the Pacers still struggled to secure a win at Madison Square Garden in New York.

For New York fans aiming to defend their title, the first round is more like a warm-up game; the real test usually comes in the second round.

In Game 3 of the series, the entire Knicks team flew to Indianapolis, the "Big Cornfield".

For Lynch, these were just two ordinary victories on his journey.

But he knew that this road trip would be quite special for Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest.

In Game 3, the Knicks continued their strong performance, winning another game without much effort.

Before Game 4 began, Ron Artest was warming up when he suddenly heard a cheer from the crowd.

He looked up, following the eager gazes of the Pacers fans, and saw that the giant screen on the sidelines was already lit up, playing a tribute video.

This short film pays tribute not to any particular individual, but directly to the Indiana Pacers, who came one step away from the championship in the early 21st century.

"What's going on?" Jermaine O'Neal also put down the basketball and stared intently at the big screen.

The long-buried memories were instantly awakened, and the passion and loss that belonged to them and to this city surged forth in the interplay of light and shadow.

The images on the big screen flowed to the accompaniment of rousing music:
Reggie Miller's crucial three-pointer ignited the Indiana crowd, while the still-young Jermaine O'Neal dominated the paint with a powerful dunk that set the entire arena ablaze. Meanwhile, the fledgling Ron Artest was already showing his steel fangs, using chain-like bites to entangle the sharp arrows of his opponents.

The scene flashes back to 04, when they stormed into the Eastern Conference Finals, just one step away from the NBA Finals, only to be defeated by the Pistons' impenetrable defense and Tayshaun Prince's "The Block".

The final image freezes on Reggie Miller's dejected figure kneeling on one knee, gently touching the floor, after the Eastern Conference Finals loss that year, and the tears that O'Neal and Ron Artest were trying to hold back.

That was a team with endless possibilities, a group of fighters who gave their all for their dreams, yet their tragic backs fell before the twilight of their dynasty.

Excitement and passion fueled the energy of Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal.

But the pain of regret also tormented them once again.

They knew that it was all beyond repair.

Just as the short film ended and the atmosphere fell into a deep silence of reminiscence, a well-dressed figure slowly walked out of the players' tunnel and stood under the spotlight.

"Ron, Jermaine." A familiar and gentle voice, yet carrying an undeniable power, rang out.

Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal turned their heads at the same time, and there stood the Pacers' icon, their former leader and mentor, looking at them with deep eyes.

Reggie Miller's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced the silence of the arena.

"We fought side by side for the glory of the same team, and bled and sweated for the fans of this city. Back then, you were each other's most trusted comrades-in-arms, the twin stars who supported the backbone of the team."

He paused for a moment, his sharp gaze like a searchlight, piercing into the deepest resentment between the two.

"I know there have been frictions between you, whether it's youthful impetuosity or differing philosophies. But look at where you are now! Look at these brand-new jerseys you're wearing, symbolizing limitless possibilities! The stage where you stand side by side is the journey to pursue a three-peat!"

"You are luckier than me, and luckier than everyone on that Pacers team! Because you still have a golden opportunity to make up for the regrets of that year together!"

Are you really going to let trivial matters of the past hinder what could be the last and most brilliant dream of your careers? Do you want those damn regrets to repeat themselves?!

“Damn it, put aside those pointless arguments, lads, grow up,” Reggie Miller’s tone softened again. “Think about the battles you’ve fought together, think about the sweat and tears you’ve shed together. Now, hold each other’s arms tight! For the dreams you didn’t achieve back then!”
Jermaine, Ron has changed. You should give him a chance.

Ron, if you've ever tasted the bitterness of regret, then lift that damn trophy with Jermaine!

Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest remained silent, the memories of their shared struggles, the scars they bore, and their eventual failures washing over them and creating a rift between them.

In the instant their eyes met, years of estrangement began to crumble in the face of their deep gazes and heavy memories.

Ron Artest was the first to extend his hand; his palm was broad and strong, trembling slightly.

He kept trying to be the one to take the first step, but Jermaine O'Neill was never willing to let go of his hatred.

The silence lasted for a few seconds, as if time had frozen.

Finally, Jermaine O'Neal sniffed hard, the last trace of awkwardness in his eyes completely disappearing, replaced by a resolute determination that had settled down.

He suddenly raised his right hand, not to shake hands, but to slam it heavily and without reservation onto Ron Artest's palm.

Snapped!
A crisp and resounding clap was like unlocking a long-sealed lock on the heart.

Immediately afterwards, Ron Artest stepped forward and firmly wrapped his arms around Jermaine O'Neal.

At that moment, Conseco Arena erupted in even more enthusiastic applause.

The Knicks teammates around him, witnessing this "reconciliation of the century," all wore relieved smiles.

Lynch stood a short distance away, hands on his hips, nodding his thanks to Reggie Miller.

The ice of estrangement has finally melted away completely.

This once dominant forward duo, after countless years and trials, finally let go of their past grievances under the witness of their former leader and inspired by their dreams.

They punched each other in the chest, their eyes burning with a pure fighting spirit and will to fight that they hadn't felt in years.

Of course, this fighting spirit doesn't belong to just the two of them.

An even stronger aura has already gathered within the Knicks team.

Lynch looked around at his soldiers. He knew that this Knicks team, which had been honed and had overcome all internal obstacles, this war machine that had been rid of its last flaws, had now truly transformed into its ultimate form, shrouded in the will to dominate the three-peat championship!
At this moment, the team is truly fully prepared for the upcoming, most grueling, third consecutive title defense.

In Game 4 of the series, Ron Artest and Jermaine O'Neal shone on the defensive end, and the Pacers were already in garbage time just five minutes into the third quarter.

With a score of 4-0, the defending champions easily advanced past the first round.

On the other hand, the "villain" Oklahoma City Thunder's dominance continues.

The world is still waiting for a just verdict.

At the press conference following the end of the series, Lynch said something cliché but very relevant to the current context.

Justice may be delayed, but believe me, it will not be absent.

Of course, if LeBron is absent, then don't blame me.

(End of this chapter)