Champion Rules

Chapter 305: Who Agreed? (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
The day after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals ended, Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals also came to a close.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 116-93.

A narrow 23-point victory.

Both matches surprised the media and fans.

Because the Knicks and Thunder won too easily.

At the same time, these two games also highlighted Chris Paul's strength.

The Knicks and Thunder fought tooth and nail, but could only beat each other by 10 or 20 points in the playoffs.

Chris Paul's natural performance allowed him to create a massive 58-point lead.

No wonder he was the god of guard and protection in ancient Greece!

Both teams displayed a level of strength clearly superior to their opponents in their respective divisional finals.

The Bulls' persistent problem lies in their over-reliance on Derrick Rose's individual scoring ability on offense.

The MVP's individual ability is certainly enough to dominate the regular season and even most of the playoffs.

But he just happened to run into Lynch, who could lock down MVP-caliber players.

The Spurs' problem is that they are trying to replicate the glory of their twin towers era in the 90s.

But the Thunder are already playing a completely different kind of basketball against them.

It's like the valiant Polish Winged Hussars mobilizing their entire force to defend their homeland, only to find themselves facing a horde of tanks when they finally drew their swords.

The Thunder's unparalleled three-point shooting ability made the Spurs' twin towers struggle.

Tim Duncan had a hard time keeping up with Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Yao Ming was caught in a dilemma – if he stayed in the paint, he could only watch Serge Ibaka unleash his full offensive firepower from the outside; if he stepped out of the paint to help defend, the Thunder's sharp attacks on the rim would dismantle the interior defense.

In the 90s, no team had the spacing and mobility that the Thunder possessed.

In fact, even in the 21st century, the Oklahoma City Thunder's style of play is quite novel.

Gregg Popovich, who studied under Larry Brown and has always adhered to the principle of "defense first," felt the impact of the times for the first time.

The impact is quite terrifying. You can imagine the sense of upheaval that comes with when the ironclad rules you once believed in no longer apply.

Compared to Derrick Rose winning the MVP award, the Spurs' veteran coach believes that he is now facing a true era of change.

Faced with the torrent of time, even the most majestic twin towers are as powerless as sandcastles.

The era of prioritizing defense has come to an end, and the glory of low-post offense has faded.

As players place increasing emphasis on developing their three-point shooting skills, and as the No HandCheck rule becomes more strictly enforced.

Three-pointers and offense are dominating the game like never before.

In the 90s, Gary Payton could grope Michael Jordan like he would a hostess.

But now, when Stephen Curry has the ball beyond the three-point line, if Gerald Wallace makes even the slightest mistake, the whistle will blare loudly.

This movement is changing subtly.

Gregg Popovich knew perfectly well that the Spurs also needed to change—not just in terms of roster, but in terms of their entire basketball philosophy.

Gregg Popovich was incredibly nostalgic for the era of the Dark Defense. In that era, the Spurs' roster was virtually flawless, practically invincible.

Of course, he also missed Bruce Bowen very much.

If Bruce Bowen were on the team, would the Spurs have been able to win so easily against the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Kevin Durant and LeBron James may be very strong, but—

They will eventually land!
Unfortunately, multi-talented individuals like Bruce Bowen, who can defy changing times and shine under any rules, are extremely rare.

At the post-game press conference, the Spurs' veteran coach appeared quite helpless:

"We have encountered an enemy that no one in the league has ever seen before, and this is a completely new challenge."

LeBron James has finally gotten to experience what it's like to be a superstar.

He has never won so decisively in the playoffs in all these years.

Most importantly, LeBron James not only wins the game, but also has the right to a share of the spoils.

As the team's primary ball handler, the basketball is in LBJ's hands most of the time, which greatly helps him rack up impressive stats.

He enjoyed the moment and couldn't help but boast at the press conference.

"Oh, you know, from the first day I arrived in Oklahoma City, I decided to carry this city on my shoulders and lead the young people to victory."

KD, Stephenson, and James are all very young and extremely talented.

But they all needed a beacon to guide them, and I was honored to fulfill that mission, leading the team from a first-round exit last season to become a Western Conference Finals contender.

In fact, I could average 30 points per game if I wanted to. But that's never been my goal. I'm focused on making my teammates better, maximizing their potential, and ensuring the success of our entire team.

Under my leadership and through my sacrifice, we are sailing on the right course.

Beside him, Kevin Durant, wearing a plaid shirt and carrying a backpack, let out a barely perceptible sneer.

I don't know if you can get 30 points.

But if we don't cooperate, you can definitely contribute a "masterpiece" of 5 points in a single game in no time.

Would it kill you to stop bragging? How many years would you get in Cleveland if you didn't brag?
Kevin Durant hates LBJ's boasting.

He called himself a leader, but he never made sacrifices like Lynch.

He calls himself a leader, but he has never helped anyone on a basketball level.

He considers himself a leader, yet he always puts the spotlight on himself.

He calls himself a leader, but he uses his teammates' mobile hotspots and other people's data all the time!

Kevin Durant maintains his view that the facts have never changed—it wasn't LBJ who made the Oklahoma City Thunder great, but rather he and Stephen Curry who made LeBron James great.

While enjoying the benefits, Number 23 is talking about responsibility, leadership, and being a leader, seemingly attributing all the success to himself. This is utterly absurd.

However, Kevin Durant's pent-up frustration remained unresolved, at most manifesting as some veiled criticism on a private account at home.

He never expressed his dissatisfaction with LBJ to his face.

All I can say is that LeBron James definitely came to the right place.

Even when LeBron James openly took credit for the job at the press conference, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant simply sat silently beside him.

The fundamental nature of these two individuals destined LeBron James to become the Thunder's sole "director" with complete control.

At this moment, an ESPN reporter stood up and asked the question that everyone was concerned about:

"LeBron, if you and Lynch really meet in the Finals, how confident are you of defeating the defending champion?"

LBJ confidently picked up the microphone, "We never predict games, but," he turned to look at KD and Stephen Curry, patted them on the shoulder, "I will do everything I can to lead them to success. Relax, guys, there's nothing to be afraid of."

He deliberately adopted a leader's posture to encourage young people, which gave KD and Stephen Curry goosebumps.

However, victory can nip all discontent in the bud.

In the following conference finals games, the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder continued to demonstrate their unparalleled dominance.

The Knicks continued to shut down Derrick Rose in Games 2 and 3. Rose continued to struggle in Game 2, but Chris Bosh scored 26 points.

But the efforts of the Ostrich King were wasted in the face of Lynch's 27 points and Steve Nash's 21 points.

Game 3 at Madison Square Garden was a hellish game for Derrick Rose.

The cheers from the New York fans were suffocating him, and Spike Lee's constant trash talk was driving him crazy.

Derrick Rose is a calm player who is rarely affected by emotions on the court.

But that doesn't mean he has no emotions at all.

The immense pressure of playing away from home and his poor performance in the first two games have placed a huge psychological burden on him.

He knew that his driving routes were blocked by Lynch, and his mid-range jump shots would also be interfered with by Lynch.

So tonight, Derrick Rose went on a three-point shooting spree, in the area where the Knicks were most lax in their defense against him.

However, as it turns out, if your opponent doesn't bother to defend your three-pointers, then you really shouldn't be shooting threes recklessly.

The MVP attempted nine three-pointers tonight, sinking one!
Joakim Noah has finally found a shooting performance even more despair-inducing than his free throws! Luol Deng, on the other hand, knows how to restrain himself, playing 41 minutes without taking a single three-pointer.

With his confidence shattered, Jordan from England is now completely afraid to take long-range shots.

Derrick Rose and Luol Deng were practically the Bulls' two dads tonight.

Lorre Deng didn't contribute a single point, so he couldn't help.

Derrick Rose missed every shot, actually hindering the team!

Tom Thibodeau's whip was smoking, but the more he whipped, the bigger the score difference became.

Chris Bosh was bewildered by the huge point difference.

They initially agreed that I would come to Chicago to ride their coattails, but damn it, I became the one riding their coattails in the playoffs!

Ultimately, the Bulls lost Game 3 of the series by a whopping 32 points.

Derrick Rose shot 8-for-27, with his field goal percentage dropping below 30%.

Luol Deng made 5 of 16 shots, a slightly better shooting percentage than Derrick Rose.

A 3-0 lead has sealed the series' fate, and the Chicago Bulls' destiny is beyond saving.

It was a disastrous night for Derrick Rose.

As the MVP, he was completely outmatched and could only desperately try to fight back with three-pointers like a headless fly, but he failed.

Game 4 of the series was hopeless and without any miracles; it was a complete replay of Game 3.

Derrick Rose went 9-for-29, and Luol Deng went 6-for-17.

When the two players who take the most shots on a team can't even maintain a 40% shooting percentage, then victory is just a pipe dream.

This was a truly terrifying series, not only because the Knicks completely crushed the Chicago Bulls, who were first in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, with a score of 4-0, but also because Lynch had locked up an MVP for the first time ever – in four games, Derrick Rose did not deliver a single performance worthy of his honor!
At the end of the series, Derrick Rose stood with his hands on his hips in the center of Madison Square Garden, looking somewhat bewildered.

A week ago, the regular season MVP award was the highest honor for him.

But now, that MVP trophy seems like a disgrace. The bronze trophy constantly reminds him that he is the most undeserving MVP in the world.

Despite the huge setback, Derrick Rose maintained his composure and gave Lynch a polite hug.

Lin Qi stared at the rose that had bloomed briefly before withering away so quickly, wanting to tell him, "You're not the worst MVP. At least you were still standing at the last moment. There will be a floor-wiping center in the future, and he will be the real disgrace to MVP. Even if no one touches him, he will still be lying on the ground, yes, literally lying on the ground."

Of course, he couldn't say these words aloud.

Derrick Rose is heartbroken and can only wait for Joel Embiid's meteoric rise to heal him.

In the studio, Charles Barkley, like Derrick Rose, was speechless.

How can this be?

The New York Knicks swept the Chicago Bulls 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Unlike the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Miami Heat at least put up a remarkable comeback in Game 3, nearly upset the Knicks.

The Chicago Bulls suffered four crushing defeats in their last four games.

In other words, the New York Knicks can't find a worthy opponent in the East!

This kind of dominance is not surprising; the 86 Celtics, 91 Bulls, and 01 Lakers all delivered similar dominant performances.

The key point is that the New York Knicks had already won two championships!

Their players should have become complacent about winning the championship, their roster should be aging, their salaries should be in trouble, and they should be facing a lot of contract renewal problems.

In fact, the Knicks did encounter these problems.

Yet they maintained their dominance.

This is truly a exhausted army, on the verge of a three-peat.

They have defied the historical pattern that "the third title is often the hardest to win"!

The live broadcast switched back to the studio, where Charles Barkley fell into a long silence, leaving his partner Kenny Smith struggling to hold on in front of the microphone.

The awkward silence nearly crushed the atmosphere of the live broadcast. Kenny had almost exhausted all the words he could use to describe the game. Just when he felt he was about to run out of things to say and even started seriously considering whether to talk about the players' colors tonight, Charles Barkley finally let out a long sigh of relief:

"Fortunately!"

"What do you mean, 'alright'?" Kenny Smith almost couldn't believe his ears. He made up his mind to send Flying Pig to the animal hospital after the game.

He may have contracted swine fever!

“Thankfully,” Charles Barkley continued, speaking to himself, “thankfully, the Oklahoma City Thunder also showed a superior level of strength. Otherwise, we might have witnessed the most boring and unsuspecting playoffs in NBA history. At least for the New York Knicks, they have a worthy opponent.”

The following day, the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs by 8 points, winning the series 4-0 and advancing to the NBA Finals.

At the moment the game ended, looking at Yao Ming who came up to shake his hand, looking at the disappointed Spurs fans, and looking at the colorful confetti falling from the sky, LeBron James' mind went blank.

He did it.

Seven years of hard work and repeated defeats. At this moment, he finally stepped onto the floor of the finals he had always dreamed of!
A brief moment of distraction was quickly overwhelmed by a surge of immense joy. LeBron James grinned, his smile spreading wildly across his face.

He was quickly surrounded by reporters and shoved in front of the microphone, his voice rising slightly with excitement:
"Seven years of journey, every battle, every struggle, all for this moment! The clamor of the doubters? The clamor of the doubters has always been just pebbles under my feet! I don't care what happened in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I don't care about the story in the West right now. Right now, I only care about one thing—the Finals!"

LBJ took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping across the camera, as if piercing through the live broadcast signal to reach that formidable rival on the East Coast:
"There are always people arguing about who is the strongest in history and where they should rank. Let me tell you, I never bother arguing about who is the strongest or where they should rank in history. That's something only internet celebrities do. True champions only care about how to lift that golden trophy!"

The New York Knicks? We respect their past and their glory. But the road to the championship always belongs to the next conqueror!
This year, the pen of history is in our hands!

The skies of Oklahoma will be illuminated by KD's brilliance, Stephen's firepower, and—our determination!

After saying that, LBJ buried his face deeply in his hands.

Even now, he still can't believe it's true.

He defected from his hometown and earned a bad reputation.

He experienced the most humiliating defeat of his career in Detroit.

After ending its partnership with Nike, only brands like Under Armour, which had just entered the basketball market, were willing to take a gamble on him.

He was as if he had been exiled by the whole world to Oklahoma, a remote town that had never been recorded in NBA history.

His career looks like it's completely over.

At this very moment, he arrived at the ultimate stage of his dreams in the most powerful manner.

LeBron James covered his face and cried, and it took him a long time to calm down.

In front of the television, all people could hear was LBJ muttering to himself:

"The curse is over, the curse is over!"

As Kevin Durant watched LeBron James's genuine emotions, for the first time in a year, he didn't dislike him as much.

Thinking about it carefully, he can be considered a fighter this season.

Although he always loves to boast, although he always loves to inflate his stats, although he always loves to call himself a leader, although he always loves to travel, although he always loves to flop, although...
But he was still a fighter who persevered to the very end after experiencing hardships.

Just like Scarlett Johansson, even though she's about to give birth, she's still pure and innocent in KD's eyes.

But the next second, LeBron James's actions left Kevin Durant stunned.

He raised his hands, his face streaked with tears, and made a crown-wearing gesture in front of the live broadcast camera:
"You must respect the one and only king!"

KD:
Well, the LeBron James abstract will never die.
-
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New York Knicks, 23 vs. 20! The script the whole world has been waiting for is unfolding! — Sports Illustrated

The only king, meaning the only winner in the league! I'm confident that Lynch will never win a three-peat from me! — LeBron James declared during the awards ceremony.

Yes, I think the curse of failure in my career is over. And now, Oklahoma City's championship drought will end! — LeBron James explaining his post-game mutterings.

"Lin Qi, congratulations on your overwhelming run into the finals. This time, you're just one step away from a three-peat. How is this different from your last attempt at a three-peat?"

“I’m more mature now, and our lineup is more complete. Last time, we did our best, but we were still far from being a dynasty. This time, we’ve almost touched the dynasty’s aura.”

What are your thoughts on the Oklahoma City Thunder, their opponent in the Finals?

"They're amazing. Just two years ago, I was at the draft and I saw Stephen, James, and DeMar enter the draft. Now, they're on the Finals stage. It's incredible."

"Did you forget about LeBron? He believes the curse that haunted his career is over, and he vowed that you would never get a three-peat over him. What do you think?"

"The curse is over? Who said so?"

— Lynch in an interview with Mark Stein.

(End of this chapter)