Champion Rules

Chapter 38 035: Someone who can defend him (Please read!)

Sonny Vaccaro held a beer in his hand, the cold air from the Nokia Arena stinging his nostrils.

This big figure who has dominated the North American basketball world for decades still felt like he was in a dream at this moment - he was sitting in the ice and snow country on the Baltic Sea, witnessing a historical moment that changed the landscape of basketball.

Sonny Vaccaro never imagined that he would one day travel to Finland to watch a basketball game.

In the narrative of the basketball temple, Finland is a place that should not be mentioned.

But now, the magical reality was shattering all preconceived notions: Wizards coach Eddie Jordan stared intently at the court, the Smiling Assassin flashed his affable smile to the camera, Bulls general manager John Paxson had a serious look, and Elgin Baylor, who once distrusted non-college players, also appeared.

Besides them, Sonny could now run into dozens of scouts he knew even when he went to buy a hot dog.

It was as if the entire NBA talent hunting ground had been uprooted and airdropped onto this icy wasteland.

They all came for just one person.

Of course, Sonny also saw the face that disgusted him.

Phil Knight sat in the front row, hugging his witch-like wife and stroking her dry, branch-like fingers.

Sonny didn't know whether that guy would meet Lynch tonight, but he had an appointment with Lynch for tomorrow.

No matter what, he would not let Lynch go to the Nike camp and would never let the Nike hook logo tarnish that rough gem.

On the field, the referee's whistle cut through the air and the game began.

The moment the ball kicked off, the entire stadium was filled with the shouts of Barcelona and Real Madrid fans, and huge waves of red, blue and pure white collided between the stands.

The two teams missed the King's Cup final and the ACB final, but met at the top of the highest hall of Europe.

What gushed out of those thirty-six thousand throats was the magma that had been suppressed for the entire season.

Under the dome of the Nokia Arena, Vallejo used his fingertips to push the ball towards his own half during the jump ball, winning Barcelona the first attack opportunity.

The commentator quipped: "Has the Greek won even one opening goal for Real Madrid this season?"

That's not important. What's important is that Carlos Navarro has invaded Real Madrid's position.

Amid the cheers of the red and blue waves, Navarro, nicknamed "Bomb", broke through with the help of Vallejo's solid cover, but ran into the iron gate-like figure of Real Madrid's No. 10 on the breakthrough path.

Carlos Navarro wasn't surprised by this. If you've watched the video of the previous game, you'll know how terrifying Lynch is when he's defending with all his might.

He had been prepared for this moment. The Catalan commander gave a light push and the basketball accurately went into the palm of Italian Giorgio Faca.

Facing the rim protection of Greek big man Fuzis, Faka's eyes flashed with contempt and he attacked the basket directly.

The Greeks' rim protection seemed to him to have no deterrent effect at all.

When George Faka jumped up and leaned against Fuzzis to prepare for a shot, a shadow suddenly emerged from behind Fuzzis' shoulder, obscuring the basket.

Facing Lynch's defensive defense, the Italian could only change the arc of his shot. The basketball passed Lynch's fingers, but also passed the basket at the same time.

Under Lynch's defense, George Faka had three misses.

This was the first time that most general managers and head coaches from the NBA witnessed Lynch's terrifying defensive mobility and coverage.

The Smiling Assassin was sure based on this round alone that if the Knicks got the No. 1 pick, he would definitely choose Lynch.

But for European fans, this kind of defense is completely normal.

This is the script that Lynch plays out every night.

Dejan Bodiroga smiled at George Faka and shrugged. "Seriously, George? You're much better at the poker table than this."

"Shut up, Dejan. When you encounter this kind of moment, you won't be able to laugh." George Faka was not angry. Dejan just liked to tease, but he was definitely not deliberately making fun of him.

The smile on Dejan Bodiroga's face vanished at the Italian's response. "No, Lynch would never let me go through such a humiliating moment."

Dejan Bodiroga admitted that Lynch's mobility on the defensive end is unparalleled.

But he couldn't defend himself.

Moreover, the fact that he defended like this today meant that he couldn't invest too much on the offensive end.

Just because Real Madrid's other players can attack Maccabi, doesn't mean they can attack Barcelona.

Dejan Bodiroga's confidence and pride are not groundless, because the European basketball scene since the 21st century basically belongs to him.

In 2000, 2002 and 2003, he won the European Championship, and in 2002 and 2003 he was the MVP of the EuroLeague Final Four.

His dominance of European basketball was secure, so he didn't think a kid could overturn it.

In this round of Real Madrid's attack, Bodiroga showed a little bit of his ability as the king of Europe.

When Lynch attracted the defense and Louis Bullock passed the ball to Antonios Fuzis who cut out as usual, Dejan Bodiroga suddenly appeared and intercepted the ball.

Then he rushed forward quickly, facing the interception of Louis Bullock, the European magician suddenly lowered his center of gravity while advancing at high speed, and passed by him with a smooth Sam Gold dribble.

Louis Brock, whose center of gravity was disturbed by the teasing, felt a huge pressure on his ankle and fell to the ground, looking up at the white lightning passing by.

Without slowing down, Bodiroga went straight into the restricted area and scored with a one-handed dunk.

"Counterattack is the art of turning the opponent's attack into their downfall, and Dejan is undoubtedly an artist in this regard!" The on-site commentator did not hesitate to express his praise.

2-0, Dejan Bodiroga became the source of cheers for Barcelona fans.

After one round, Lynch received the ball in the penalty area and prepared to play against Varejao, but Bodiroga came to the rescue in time, forcing Lynch to pass the ball to Louis Brock.

The latter forced a breakthrough despite Navarro's hound-like defense. Carlos Navarro used his steel and iron chest to hold his opponent, and interfered in time at the moment when Bullock made a sudden jump shot, turning this hasty shot into a sigh beside the basket.

Carlos Navarro's nickname "The Bomb" emerged during this period, and many years later people mistakenly believed that "The Bomb" referred to his floater shot. In fact, the nickname came from his extremely aggressive playing style.

Young Carlos Navarro is not the number one offensive point, so he is willing to put in a lot of effort on the defensive end. Louis Brock has no advantage in front of this Spanish supernova.

The battle for the rebound suddenly broke out in the paint area. Anderson Varejao cunningly pulled Lynch and pushed him away, while George Faka took the rebound in the chaos.

Varejao was not obsessed with grabbing the rebound himself. His task was to prevent Lynch from getting close to the landing point of the rebound.

Bodiroga demanded the ball directly, pushing it across half court himself. Herreros's defensive stance was like a taut bowstring, yet it was completely shattered by a smooth Samgold move. Bodiroga, accelerating to the right, suddenly dropped his weight and used his left hand to pull the ball toward the left wing. The ball seemed to be pulled by a magnet through the defender's stumbling form.

Sam Gold's dribbling is something that's ingrained into Bodiroga's DNA.

Considering that Bodiroga is a 204-206cm tall forward, his ability to connect with the ball is incredible. This is why all the media in North America are certain that Bodiroga will definitely be an All-Star if he goes to the NBA.

After dribbling past Herreros, Bodiroga's mid-range shot was also successfully made with the help of Lynch's defense.

4-0. The 31-year-old European king didn't even glance at Lynch. Instead, he shook his finger at Herreros, his deep Balkan voice filled with the arrogance of a king: "No one can tell me when I should retire. No one can tell me when I should lay down my scepter."

"No one can defend him, no one can defend him at all, Dejan Bodiroga is unguardable!" The commentator on the scene shouted, he didn't know who could stop this guy's attack.

Real Madrid's jump shot ended in a miss again, and this time it was Herreros who missed. The White Army's outside shots tonight were fruitless.

In the last game, Real Madrid's three-point shooting was very hot, which is why they were able to destroy Maccabi in an instant after changing their tactics.

No matter the era, a wave of three-pointers will always end the game.

But tonight, the fingertips of Real Madrid players seemed to be frozen by the extreme cold in Northern Europe.

Barcelona keenly smelled the bloody scent of expanding the opportunity. Dejan Bodiroga broke through with the pick-and-roll, and Anderson Varejao's cover opened up the offensive channel for him.

After encountering Lynch's assist defense, Bodiroga did not force an attack, but suddenly slowed down and retreated back to outside the three-point line.

Lynch switched out directly and will defend Bodiroga alone in this round!

Thirty thousand spectators surged forward like a tide, dozens of cameras frantically adjusting their focus. Under a galaxy of spotlights, the new and old generations of champions stood half a meter apart in a silent standoff, their sharp gazes sending sparks flying in the air.

This will be a duel for the handover of the scepter!

No one can stop Bodiroga from scoring, but what if that person is Lynch?

Dejan Bodiroga dribbled the ball alternately with his left and right hands, a smile on his face. "Kid, you want the crown? Reach out and take it if you can reach it!"

Bodiroga accelerated, his crossover dribble and change of direction flowing smoothly. Amid the sharp clatter of his shoes against the floor, this supposedly bulky forward displayed a more daring driving aesthetic than even a point guard.

But Lynch was faster, and he waved his arms to block Bodiroga.

"Hmph." Bodiroga sneered, stopping abruptly, his muscles tensing like springs. The moment he clapped the ball, he deliberately cast his gaze toward the basket.

Lynch reflexively raised his center of gravity and reached out to interfere. In that instant, the Serbian magician's left hand had already completed the variation.

Dejan Bodiroga caught Lynch's change of center of gravity, passed the ball again, and used his tall body to turn around, leaving the defender behind him forever.

He didn't really hold the ball just now, but made a fake bow.

The basket zoomed in and out of the Serbian's field of vision. Bodiroga could even hear the sighs of the NBA scouts on the sidelines. So what about Lynch? Was he that great?

Real Madrid's No. 10 is indeed a little more difficult to deal with than others, but it can only add a few steps to their attack.

He had said long ago that even Lynch would never let him experience the humiliating moment that George Faka had experienced.

Bodiroga gracefully lifted the basketball, and the elegant arc was about to kiss the net. The Barcelona fans at the Nokia Arena were ready to cheer for the king.

This round is over.

But suddenly, the smile on Bodiroga's face disappeared.

"boom!"

The sound of the basketball hitting the backboard exploded in the Nokia Arena, and the hairs on the back of Bodiroga's neck stood on end.

how come?
He has obviously been completely left behind by me!

"Lynch! He blocked Bodiroga's determined layup! Even the king of Europe couldn't gain an advantage in a one-on-one match with Lynch!" The commentator on the scene shouted.

On the sidelines, NBA scouts once again witnessed how top talent crushes top technology.

The huge impact that followed knocked Bodiroga down directly, and his ending was even more embarrassing than George Faka's before.

And as George Faka said, Bodiroga is completely unable to laugh now.

He saw that the opponent whom he regarded as a child had swept across the court like a hurricane, advancing with the ball.

When he got to the three-point line, Lynch directly took the ball and took two big steps. Everyone thought he was going to layup, but he took a step inside the free throw line, raised his arms like fire, glided for a distance, and then slammed the ball into the net!

Bodiroga's absolute dominance over European basketball was now shattered by the young man who blocked a shot and then dunked it.

Lynch fell from the basket and stared straight at Bodiroga who was lying on the floor in the opposite half of the court.

The touch of the Rolls-Royce leather seats, the alluring red lips of the saleswoman, the scorching figures of the billion-dollar contract, the spotlight of the NBA draft night - all these burning desires have now become a concrete goal: let Dejan Bodiroga die!

Lynch's chest heaved violently, as if to suck all the oxygen out of the entire stadium - along with Bodiroga's last gasp, the cheers of the Catalan fans, and the arrogance oozing from his 31-year-old bones, all burned to ashes in his alveoli.

In the following rounds, the invincible Bodiroga failed to attack due to Lynch's defense.

Those magic tricks of the magician that once made Europe tremble now lost their magic in front of Lynch.

After the first quarter, Barcelona was trailing by 5 points.

Bodiroga made 2 of 7 shots in the first quarter, and the team's offense was completely supported by Carlos Navarro's jump shots.

When the buzzer sounded at the end of the first quarter, Bodiroga sat on the bench, gritting his teeth.

The entire stadium was fixated on the man who could defend Dejan Bodiroga. Perhaps he would be the next to wear the crown.

At this moment, shouts from Real Madrid fans suddenly came from the stands.

"Hey Dejan, it's time to retire your useless old bones!"

In the past 31 years, Bodiroga has heard people insult him by calling him a "tyrant," a "dictator," and even a "devil," but no one has ever used the word "retirement" to humiliate him.

But as Herreros said, the younger generation will always give you answers you never thought of.

(End of this chapter)