Champion Rules

Chapter 55 052: Here is our MSG!!! (Please read!)

November 2, 2004, the opening game.

As the Pistons held up their championship rings at the Palace of Auburn Hills, all eyes were on the genius who was about to be tempered by the NBA.

Under the dome of Madison Square Garden, the backs of 19763 seats are neatly draped with Lynch's No. 20 jersey, given free of charge to every fan attending tonight.

Outside the stadium, the giant screen in Times Square and the posters on Fifth Avenue are all occupied by this 18-year-old legend.

The neon lights of the Brooklyn Bridge glowed in the deep blue and orange colors of the Knicks.

The entire city of New York seemed to be attending a carnival party named after "Lynch". The lights of the skyscrapers turned into spotlights, illuminating this basketball festival that was destined to go down in history.

Such a grand display has never been seen before, either in Serbia or in Madrid.

There has never been a more powerful debut in the entire history of the NBA.

This opening game carries the anticipation of the entire city of New York, gathers the eager attention of the entire league, and attracts the attention of basketball fans around the world.

The guy who swept the world of basketball in the past year is finally going to test his quality in an official NBA game.

Of course, a hit movie not only needs a protagonist who can carry the box office, but also an equally outstanding supporting role.

Shaquille O'Neal is simply the best choice for a supporting role.

Although his competitive form is no longer at its peak, he still has a huge influence and injects more storytelling into the ceremony.

Everything was ready, and when orange smoke rose from the player tunnel, the Knicks players filed out.

The moment Lynch stepped onto the center court, five-meter-tall pillars of golden flame erupted from the basketball hoops on either side. The 20,000 dark blue No. 20 jerseys in the stands transformed into a surging ocean, and the intermittent flashes of light intertwined under the dome into a flowing galaxy.

This dazzling starry sky was reflected in Lin Qi's suddenly constricted pupils, and he subconsciously clenched his palms, soaked with cold sweat. Even though he had experienced countless spotlights, at this moment, a tremor like an electric current still ran down his spine and up the back of his neck.

Nearby, Kurt Thomas nudged the rookie's tense triceps with his elbow-padded right arm. "Rookie, welcome to the highest echelon of basketball."

On the other side, when the shark's huge body stepped into the venue like a moving steel fortress, the temperature in the venue seemed to drop three degrees.

Most players would get nervous just by looking at his physique, which is the pressure from the three-time FMVP.

The Shark looked directly at No. 20, who had gotten him involved in trade rumors, and flames of jealousy and resentment rose in his heart.

The two sides gathered and the game was about to begin.

The Knicks' starting lineup for the new season is pretty much what the media expected: Stephen Marbury, Alan Houston, Grant Hill, Lynch and Kurt Thomas. This lineup has proven to be well-suited in the preseason.

On the Miami Heat side, the arrival of Shaq has also caused a big change in their lineup. The starting lineup of Wade, Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, Haslem and Shaq is very thought-provoking.

The shark in the center circle grinned, revealing his white teeth: "The star-making plan is over, man."

"The old dog who was kicked out by Kobe speaks toughly." Lynch's trash talk is not at all immature like a rookie. Thanks to Stephen Marbury who became the best subject for Lynch to improve his trash talk.

"Damn it." Shark gritted his teeth. His desire to destroy Lynch was stronger than the first time he wanted to destroy Shanny.

But Lynch doesn't actually care about sharks.

He looked at the eager No. 3 and knew very clearly that the guy was the trouble.

The basketball thrown up by the referee instantly turned the smell of gunpowder into tangible gunpowder smoke. The huge shadow of the shark immediately enveloped Kurt Thomas, and the Heat attacked first.

Dwyane Wade took the ball to the top of the three-point line, and Haslem came forward to set the screen.

The moment Wade accelerated, Lynch switched defense directly, but Wade's speed was too fast and he still surpassed Lynch by half a body length.

Then, Wade lowered his shoulders and used his strong body to push Lynch away to complete the breakthrough.

Many people mistakenly believe that D-Wade's greatest weapon is speed, but in fact speed is only one of his weapons.

There are countless speed guards in NBA history, but no one can reach Wade's level, because in addition to his speed, Wade also possesses historical strength for his size.

Being fast and strong is the key to Wade's undefensible nature.

During the Olympics, even if Lynch was broken through, Yao Ming, who was not restricted by the defensive three-second rule, was behind him, which to a certain extent curbed Wade's attack on the basket.

But now, Lynch doesn't have much protection behind him, and the defensive three-second rule also gives the breakthrough player a bright sunshine.

Wade raced into the lane, collided with Kurt Thomas mid-air, and the basketball spun past Thomas's fingertips, bounced twice on the rim, and then crashed into the net.

The rolling net played the first accent of this magnificent performance.

And the smoke of war continued to spread on the defensive end.

Grant Hill cut in without the ball. The former Pistons icon's lightning speed diminished his three-point shooting, but his precise positioning made up for the lack of speed. Marbury's bounce pass landed precisely, and Grant Hill stretched himself to complete a textbook layup.

This goal will open a new chapter in his career.

But the clumsy shark in Los Angeles returned to the penalty area swiftly, slapped the basketball with his huge paw, and pressed back the new chapter that Grant Hill was about to open!

After arriving in Miami, Shaq was no longer the same Shaq who had been stranded in the Finals six months prior. Gone was the slowness and bulkiness he had in Los Angeles. Due to Pat Riley's strict "body fat content policy," Shaq trained almost daily, which helped him keep his weight under control.

Of course, the whole world knows that the Sharks' efforts aren't just due to Pat Riley's damn clause.

This may be the season that Shark wants to win the most in recent years. He wants to beat Kobe and get a ring before Kobe.

So he did aerobic exercise every day, and replaced his favorite donuts with some tasteless food that he had never eaten before.

His body fat percentage has dropped incredibly low to 13%—his lowest point in Los Angeles was 18%.

All these efforts are meaningful. The lateral speed and jumping explosiveness that were once rusted by the years are returning strongly with the tide of the South Coast, and are then embodied in the first defense of the new season.

The Shark blocked the shot, and Dwyane Wade intercepted the out-of-control basketball in mid-air.

The second-year guard instantly pushed the speed to fifth gear, and Stephen Marbury had the opportunity to set up the first line of defense near the midfield line and at least slow down Wade's speed.

But his defensive attitude was no different from last season. He raised his arm symbolically and let Wade pass by him.

Next, it was Wade's dunk performance.

"D-Wade!!! He's one of the most explosive dunking guards in the league right now! Even though he played at a superstar level in last season's playoffs, I still have to say that Dwyane is severely underrated! 4-0, Miami is a true championship contender this season! South Coast's twin turbo engines are fully ignited!"

ESPN commentator Mike Breen is looking forward to the combination of Shaq and Wade. Considering Shaq's age, they may not be able to establish a dynasty. But a championship trophy? That's very likely to happen.

Wade high-fived the Shark, and the gorgeous stage prepared by the New Yorkers seemed to be a wedding dress for them.

Madison Square Garden still seems to be a mecca for visiting teams to perform.

The Sharks roared, "We're going to run over New York, just like we did the past few years!"

The live camera was given to Lynch, and fans all over the world were eager for him to hit a response shot.

The offensive gears started again, and Lynch stepped up to build a human wall for Marbury.

Marbury accelerated with the ball, but Wade used his strong body to break the screen and continued to guard Marbury.

Marbury did not struggle. He had no fighting spirit left and did not even think about challenging Wade. Instead, he passed the ball directly to Lynch.

Stephon Marbury's performance disappointed New York City fans. Normally, a man only experiences Sage Time when a woman is wearing clothes. But what about Marbury? Wade had just stripped down, eager for a satisfying romp, but the son of New York was already in Sage Time.

Haslem, who was working hard, lowered his center of gravity: "There are no Greeks here to help you open up space, softie."

Sure enough, the NBA is the basketball league with the highest frequency of trash talk in the world.

Facing Haslem's defense, Lynch dribbled back to the three-point line, but Haslem did not follow.

Pat Riley has studied Lynch in detail, and there are several points that are most noteworthy.

1. By comparing with Kurt Thomas, Lynch's real height is at least 208 cm.

2. Lynch's shooting has improved significantly, becoming much more consistent than in Europe. However, he is still limited to spot-up catch-and-shoot jumpers from beyond the arc, and his frequency and accuracy in shooting three-pointers are very low.

Anyone with any sense would know which piece of information is most worthy of attention at this moment. Of course, it's the second one.

Haslem is not afraid of Lynch shooting three-pointers with the ball. In fact, if Lynch does that, it just represents Haslem's success on the defensive end, so he won't stick to him at all.

But after Lynch retreated to the three-point line, he did not shoot, but suddenly dribbled and accelerated.

Haslem was ready for battle, confident in his ability to fight. He was charging forward? You think this is weak Europe!?

"Bang!" The dribbling sound suddenly disappeared, Haslem's pupils shrank suddenly, and the opponent actually took the ball half a step outside the free throw line!

Lynch stepped to the left after receiving the ball. Just as Haslem blocked the breakthrough route on the left and the Shark behind him moved to the left side of the basket to prepare for assisting defense, Lynch switched his center of gravity like a ballet dancer and stepped to the right, using his excellent explosive power to complete an extremely fast European step change of direction!
During the long offseason, Lynch certainly didn't just practice his jump shot.

He knew that he was not good enough at handling the ball, so he had been studying some simple and efficient ways of attacking with the ball, just like he had studied the "gorgeous back turn" before.

This method is the European step, which is to dribble the ball and then directly pass it to the ball. It is the best choice for Lynch who has poor control of the ball.

If you close the ball too early and it's too far from the basket, that's not a problem at all.

The lines of Lynch's right leg muscles instantly tensed up were clearly visible. Although he was catching the ball outside the free throw line, his huge stride allowed him to reach the dunk range in just one step, and his terrifying bounce allowed him to glide freely in the air.

The Shark, who made the wrong judgment, had no time to block Lynch's Euro-step layup. It all happened too quickly, and Lynch seemed to come out from the other side of Haslem in an instant.

But the shark soon discovered that he was wrong.

Lynch wasn't going for a layup, this was a fucking dunk after a Eurostep!

Well, distance to the basket has never been an issue.

"Unbelievable!!!" Mike Breen's roar mixed with the sound of the basket exploding, and the stands seemed to be stirred up by a ten-meter-high wave of fans.

A gliding slam dunk that combined the aesthetics of European steps with the aesthetics of violence easily broke through the Heat's blockade.

And Haslem was standing at the free throw line like a puppet with its strings cut.

Lynch punched hard and took back the magnificent stage in New York.

Afterward, he yelled and fired up his teammates' defense, just as he did in practice and preseason games.

"Retreat, retreat! Retreat! This is MSG (Madison Square Garden), our MSG! This is not a place for others to run wild, from now on, no longer!"

Lynch's voice, packed with adrenaline, spread throughout the half court, and Grant Hill's hair stood on end. He had this reaction every time Lynch yelled.

In his 10-year career, he has never met such an infectious teammate.

Grant Hill, who longed for rebirth, frowned, scanned the entire field with sharp eyes, and quickly deduced the opponent's tactical intentions two steps later.

Kurt Thomas, who had a very painful game last season, was also infected by Lynch and spared no effort to go around the Sharks.

Even veteran Alan Houston played defense seriously in such an atmosphere.

Seeing that the Shark had no chance to catch the ball, Wade passed the ball to Rasual Butler.

0.3 seconds before Heat No. 3 raised his elbow to pass the ball, the focused Grant Hill took two diagonal steps as if he could foresee the future and rushed to the side of his opponent Rasual Butler.

As soon as the orange-red track left Dwyane Wade's fingertips, it was caught by Hill!
The reshaped team culture has made the New York Knicks' defense no longer weak. This is both the rebirth of Grant Hill and the rebirth of the New York Knicks.

While Rasual Butler was still processing what had just happened, Hill had already thrown the ball upcourt.

Lynch ran across half court to catch the ball, with Haslem cursing and chasing him.

The Miami star's eyes burned with the fierceness of an old-time defender, and he wanted to use a brutal foul that was enough to appear on the cover of the New York Times to shatter this lightning at the edge of the penalty area.

This has nothing to do with personal grudges. Haslem just wants Lynch to pay the price and let Lynch know that the Heat's restricted area cannot be attacked casually. This is the choice most people would make in the dark defensive era.

But Lynch took three steps directly with the ball outside the three-point line, which once again overturned Haslem's prediction.

Before he could make a move, Lynch stepped into the penalty area.

"boom!"

Second dunk! Lynch shattered the Heat's fantasy of crushing New York!

Lynch is right. This is no longer a place for other stars to perform freely, and it is no longer the exclusive graveyard of the Knicks.

Spike Lee looked at Lynch, who was gritting his teeth after landing. He stood up, punched the air with his fist, and shouted in Lynch's tone, "Did you hear that, Shaq? This is our territory. This is our fucking MSG!"

The first shout exploded from the VIP seats and swept through the stands like wildfire.

Twenty thousand pairs of shoes stomped on the floor at the same time, and the sound waves turned into tangible shock waves that surged through the steel frames of the arena's dome.

A deep blue wave began to surge from the lower stands, each row of seats rising with louder voices, eventually converging into a devastating tsunami: "This! Is! Our! MSG!!!"

“Here’s our MSG!!!”

“Here’s our MSG!!!”

“Here’s our MSG!!!”

Lynch stood on the edge of the penalty area with his arms open, cheering with the fans. His figure was frozen by countless flashes of light as the totem of the Deep Blue Dynasty.

Madison Square Garden is no longer a basketball graveyard that is trampled upon by anyone!
On the bench, Lenny Wilkens swallowed.

There hasn't been such passion here for many years. Lynch has really changed this place completely.

In this atmosphere, the old coach unconsciously clenched his hands: "This is our MSG!"

After the first quarter, the New York Knicks' defensive focus remained at an extremely high level.

The Miami Heat's offense, especially Shark's offense, was not smooth, and his first field goal of the new season was delayed.

In the eighth minute of the first quarter, the Sharks finally got to a deep position and received a pass from Wade.

He didn't make any unnecessary moves, just turned around and hooked the ball.

The Shark has always been concise in handling the ball in the low post, which is why he can develop a lot of shots in limited catching opportunities.

Kurt Thomas's deformed body showed the severity of the collision, and he was powerless to do anything about it.

The shark seemed to be finally about to tear apart its first prey in a mobile fight.

But after the basketball passed Kurt Thomas, Lynch rushed back from the free throw line, and the giant hands that once made Europe tremble nailed the ball to the tempered glass!

The shark's score is still 0!

Lynch passed the ball to Grant Hill, who pretended to break through and passed the ball to Alan Houston with his wide vision when entering the penalty area.

Houston shot quickly and the three-pointer went into the net.

The New York Knicks led by 8 points with this shot!
The Shark looked up at his empty score column, and his furious pupils reflected the number 20 who was celebrating with his teammates by bumping chests.

Spike Lee stood up from the front row on the sidelines. This die-hard New York City fan, constantly humiliated by visiting stars, finally felt free to fire his guns tonight. "Shaq, what's going on? Still zero points, huh? You're a relic, man!"

Shark bent over and supported his knees to breathe, and beads of sweat fell to the ground along his bald scalp.

Spike took the opportunity to take a step forward, almost stepping into the sideline.

"Being used as a bargaining chip in Lynch's trade is not a shame, but your greatest honor! Twenty years from now, people will only remember—" He turned and opened his arms to the audience, as if conducting a symphony orchestra, "It was Lynch who stepped on your corpse and ushered in a new era for New York!"

The shark just wiped the sweat from his face and didn't respond.

He didn't have the guts to respond.

Spike Lee looked at the shark that avoided his gaze and showed a smug expression.jpg.

Finally, I finally got a script that is not a tragedy!
(Thanks to Mucha Shijiuhao, Sitting Alone on the Beach Watching the Sunrise, Reader 1900800841591480320, Very Cola 2022, Dabing Fangpao and other big guys for the rewards, thank you very much!)
(End of this chapter)