Champion Rules

Chapter 48 045: When he has a top-tier No. 4 player next to him (Please read!)
This is why the Smiling Assassin is so nervous during drafts. Every choice he makes is like pressing the countdown button on a time bomb. The only difference is whether the explosion will cause fireworks or cause disaster.

But to be honest, the Assassin should have anticipated the current result. After all, negative news about Stephen Marbury is nothing new.

He's been a villain ever since he left Minneapolis.

According to Marbury himself, he wasn't jealous, but rather that Minneapolis was too cold, and he had nothing else to do there besides playing basketball. He had no hope other than basketball, and he wanted to return to New York. Abandoning a close friend from high school for such a reason clearly didn't earn him the support and understanding of others.

He was traded to the New Jersey Nets, but Nets players told The New York Times that he argued with nearly everyone in the locker room.

He later moved to the Phoenix Suns, where he was summarized by Sports Illustrated as "a teammate known for not sharing the ball."

So it wasn't a surprise to fans when he and Lynch sparked a heated exchange during their first meeting.

Everyone is waiting for New York, a city full of dramatic tension, to start the next chapter of the ups and downs of sports feuds.

Lynch didn't think too much about it. What he cared about most now was the game.

China lost to Italy in their first group match simply because the Italians shot 42% from three-point range, a rare feat in this era.

Among them, Italy's 210-centimeter center Giacomo Galanda made 6 shots from beyond the three-point line alone.

Yao Ming's weakness in defense, which was limited by his range of movement and inability to expand, was fully exposed. Lynch, who was supposed to take on the responsibility of assisting in defense, was unable to focus on one thing while focusing on another under Italy's multi-point tactics.

However, this game was not fatal, because in basketball of this era, it is rare to see a team win purely by three-pointers.

The defensive system customized by "Silver Fox" Del Harris for the Chinese team remains solid - Yao Ming sits under the basket to build a no-fly zone, and Lynch covers the perimeter with his flexible footwork. This twin tower combination ensures the lower limit of the Chinese team's defensive level.

You can't expect every team to be as crazy as the Italians from beyond the arc.

Sure enough, in the second group match, New Zealand became the first sacrifice of Lynch, the supernova, in the international arena.

They also knew that the best way to beat the Chinese team was to shoot more three-pointers, so they started shooting frantically from the start, like gamblers seizing the opportunity for a last-ditch effort.

They lost the gamble, as New Zealand shot just 9 for 40 from beyond the arc – they only attempted 66 shots in the entire game.

When 60% of their shots came from beyond the three-point line and they only made 9 of them, failure was inevitable.

In fact, New Zealanders' choice is also helpless.

When the team opposite you has two tall players, Lynch and Yao Ming, mid-range shots and attacking the basket become luxuries, and the gamble outside the three-point line is the only chance.

The new generation of mobile Great Wall formed by Yao Ming and Lynch is forcing China's opponents to play in a way that is not suitable for the current version, which shows their defensive deterrent power.

Del Harris' "defense first" strategy was very successful. He had no expectations for the Chinese team's offense at all. Only defense could save the team.

Who can you count on to attack? Liu Wei? He can just dribble the ball across half court and that's it.

Zhu Fangyu? His most effective fake move is to order a case of beer and then drink a bottle and retreat. His most powerful offense is only triggered at special moments.

This strategy that relies entirely on defense is unlikely to succeed in the second decade of the 21st century, but in an era when both the NBA and FIBA ​​place more emphasis on defense, and when each team's long-range shooting ability is not strong, the Chinese team may be able to make history with this strategy.

Before the third game against Argentina, Luis Scola and Andres Nocioni repeatedly wiped the cold sweat from their palms in the locker room.

The shadow of being dominated by Lynch's defensive iron curtain in the European arena last season still vibrates in our blood.

The moment they saw Lynch, Scola and Nocioni both had a physical reaction. Not just one part stiffening, but their entire body stiffened.

During a pre-game interview, a reporter shared a tidbit with Nocioni: "A Chinese feng shui master, after looking at a photo of your palm lines, believes you're destined to be controlled by Lynch. He's the biggest calamity in your life. What do you think?"

Facing the camera, Nocioni seemed to have made a great determination.

"This is ridiculous. Listen, I don't believe in the lines on the palm of your hand. I only believe in the power of a clenched fist! I won't be afraid, absolutely not!"

This was an incredible scene. It was the first time that Chinese fans saw a FIBA ​​star so nervous that he had to say such words to encourage himself when he was about to face a Chinese player, as if he was going to play against a Dream Team superstar.

However, just five minutes into the show, Lynch told Nocioni, "Why don't you just trust your palm prints, buddy?"

In five minutes, Lynch blocked two attempts by Nocioni to get to the basket. The Argentine had dunked over a young Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, but he couldn't get past the moving wall.

Luis Scola's situation is not much better, he has no room to play at all.

Argentina's star striker completely lost his momentum, a scenario Lynch knew all too well.

But unlike in the European League, Argentina's Manu Ginobili stepped up. They stepped onto the Olympic stage with swords in hand.

This was the first time that Lynch experienced how sharp the cold light of the demon sword was. He scored a lot of points in the penalty area with some twisted breakthroughs and incredible moves. His presence alone made the game tense.

But in the end, Lynch and Yao Ming ended the game with two unreasonable attacks on the basket respectively.

Yao Ming rose from the ground like a mountain, jumped on the spot and completed a thunderous dunk over Oberto's head. The sound of the ball hitting the rim and the referee's whistle intertwined into a prelude to victory.

Lynch, surrounded by Nocioni, Scola and Oberto, hit the frontcourt rebounds three times in a row and finally tipped the ball into the net with his fingertips, putting an end to everything.

When the scoreboard froze at 69 to 65, the red wave instantly overwhelmed Greece.

The entire Chinese team hugged each other. Two victories in the group stage were enough to achieve the goal of reaching the quarterfinals, which was once the boldest goal of Chinese basketball.

Yao Ming clasped Lynch's shoulders tightly with his shaking hands. You can imagine how happy the center, who had been poisoned by the Rockets, was at this moment - it turned out that with a top-notch power forward by his side, winning was so easy.

This kind of happiness is no less than that of a young person who just graduated from college and experiences for the first time the warmth of a KTV princess waiting at the toilet door with paper to wipe your hands. It is simply overwhelming.

Lynch's emotions are the most stable in the Chinese team. After all, he has seen big scenes. He is the Caesar who swept across Europe at the age of 18.

Reaching the quarterfinals is only a temporary achievement. What Lin Qi is really aiming for is the top spot in the group.

Why must they be first in their group? Many people may not believe it, but it’s because the US team is so lame.

If nothing unexpected happens, they will qualify for this Olympics as the fourth in the group in a shameful manner.

According to the rule that the first team in Group A plays against the fourth team in Group B, if Lynch wants to play against the US team, he must ensure that the Chinese team does not lose again.

In order to play against the US team, we have to finish first in the group. The threshold to meet them is indeed very high.

Fortunately, Lynch achieved his small goal.

Against Serbia and Montenegro, Yao Ming showed his prowess, scoring 27 points on 9 of 12 shots.

Del Harris tried several times to substitute Yao Ming in the crucial moments, but the sweat-drenched giant just yelled, "No!!!"

Lynch was happy to focus all his attention on the defensive end. Poor Dejan Bodiroga only made 1 of 9 shots under Lynch's ubiquitous help defense, as if it were just yesterday.

After the game, Dejan Bodiroga smiled helplessly at the camera: "It's like these Olympics were specially designed to give us one last taste of Lynch's terror. I'm sure Luis Scola and Andrés Nocioni know what I'm talking about."

In the last group match against Spain, Pau Gasol was in trouble as expected, and Carlos Navarro turned out to be the surprise player, scoring 20 points.

But the Chinese team also had a surprise player today. Li Nan used the bullhorn tactics, taking advantage of Lynch's off-ball screens and defensive attraction, and shot 5 of 7 from beyond the three-point line. He scored 16 points in the game, 15 of which came from beyond the three-point line.

Now Lynch can understand why he likes the bull horn tactics so much. Once a basketball player has tasted the sweetness of something, he will habitually use it.

For example, McGrady always likes to pull up against the defense, Kobe always likes to fade away unreasonably, and LeBron always likes to make unique breakthroughs.

After the match, both China and Spain had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss. However, with the advantage of the win-loss record, the Chinese men's basketball team, relying on world-class defense, has historically topped Group A.

The Dream Team lived up to expectations and qualified with a humiliating fourth place in Group B.

This means that the Chinese team will meet the American team in the knockout stage of the Olympics!
Although the US team has lost two games in this Olympics, the game against Puerto Rico was a humiliating 19-point defeat.

But the Dream Team is still like a huge piece of candy hanging in front of us, desired by many children but rarely within our reach.

World basketball still takes pride in defeating them.

The US team still has some breathing room after the previous defeat, but if they lose to the Chinese men's basketball team in the knockout stage, this team, which carries the dignity of the basketball kingdom, will fall to a historic low.

The whole world is holding its breath, wondering if the sharp sword that will pierce the heart of the Dream Team has been quietly unsheathed.
And New York fans are obviously more concerned about another thing: What impact will this game have on the Knicks next season?
If the US team is eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage, they should publicly apologize to all American fans on national television! —Bill Simmons column

Larry Brown's biggest mistake was giving Melo too much playing time and too little to LeBron. —David McMenamin column

If I were Spike Lee, I'd definitely fly to Greece to watch this fight. Lynch could give him a taste of his own medicine after he's been eating shit at Madison Square Garden. — Stephen A. Smith, host of WEPN-FM in New York City.

We've experienced some losses, but we've also found a winning rhythm. Lynch had the misfortune of meeting us, but he still made it to the Olympic finals because I got front-row seats for my Chinese teammates. Hahaha. Love you, Lynch. —Stephen Marbury in an interview with ESPN.

(End of this chapter)