Champion Rules

Chapter 104: Should I Avoid His Edge? (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Lynch's "Winning Formula" advertising campaign set a new benchmark in the field of sports marketing with its fast, sophisticated, and highly efficient approach.

This is just a warm-up for Reebok's resurgence. Sonny Vaccaro believes that when Tinker Hadfield's next-generation basketball shoe is released, the market share in basketball will further tilt towards Reebok.

Reebok is making a remarkable comeback in the 21st century.

Shaquille O'Neal, Reebok's biggest spokesperson in the 90s, scoffed at this kind of marketing.

He knew Reebok's methods all too well, and he knew exactly how these capital operations worked.

Ultimately, the shark's grievances boiled down to the phrase, "I'm ready to smash that yellow-skinned face to pieces tomorrow night."

Although O'Neal has stated that this was a competitive statement directed at Lynch personally, the racial metaphors hidden in his remarks have already stirred up a storm in the public sphere.

Even if this wasn't a discriminatory remark targeting Asian players, it was still a huge insult to Lynch.

The day before the game, when Shaquille O'Neal finished his practice, reporters naturally didn't miss the opportunity to discuss this topic.

"Shaq, after your controversial remarks about Yao a few years ago caused you trouble, are you sure it's still appropriate to say something like this now?"

Several years ago, O'Neal also used racially charged language to comment on Yao Ming, which affected his public image. He quickly apologized at his parents' request.

This time, however, the shark was clearly taking a tougher stance.

"Stop bringing up Yao. I have the utmost respect for Yao; he's my brother, and that depends on him respecting me too. Lynch is different. Don't expect my parents to make me apologize. My father, Colonel Harrison, taught me that you deal with jerks the jerks way. I wouldn't even mind saying it again: I'm going to smash his face!"

This violent declaration was like a spark thrown into a powder keg, making it impossible for Lynch and the shark to reconcile.

As Shaquille O'Neal vented his anger fueled by jealousy, assistant coach Mike Malone's shouts echoed throughout the Greenburg training center.

"Damn it, Eddie, your rotation is slower than a taxi during Manhattan rush hour! Rotate faster! I don't want to hear excuses. If you're too old, retire. Nobody's forcing you to stay and play! Since you've chosen to continue your career, don't fucking use age as an excuse! Either sweat it out or go to a retirement home right now!"

Mike Malone is a rather fiery and tough assistant coach. Although he doesn't hold a high position, he never gives any star players any face during training and is strict with everyone.

Lenny Wilkens and Lynch both tacitly acknowledged his popularity, believing it would help improve training quality.

So even if someone on the Knicks team is unhappy, they can only keep it to themselves for the time being.

Eddie Jones raised his hand to apologize for his defensive lapse.

At this moment, the training vest, completely soaked with sweat, clung to his back like a second skin. The 34-year-old veteran stubbornly maintained his defensive posture and faced the training with a positive attitude.

He strives to maintain his hunger in every training match so that he can find the same form in actual games.

Tomorrow's match will require him to maintain this hunger even more.

He knew all too well the weight of this showdown. Ten months ago, the shark had personally kicked him off the South Shore, labeling him as a good-for-nothing, irresponsible, and a burden.

Tomorrow night's match will be the perfect stage for revenge.

The Knicks have already lost to the Heat once this season, and they absolutely cannot afford to lose a second time.

After several more sets of offensive and defensive drills, Eddie Jones lay directly on the floor, his chest heaving violently like the red light flashing on Ultraman Tiga's chest.

Although he was exhausted, Eddie Jones still seemed unsatisfied and hoarsely challenged, "Hey, anyone want to have a few rounds of one-on-one?"

Stephon Marbury deliberately walked up to Eddie Jones with a sly grin: "Save your breath, Eddie. I recently met a piano teacher who looks like Shaq's twin. Want me to invite her out? Tonight you can have a one-on-one fight with her and vent your frustrations."

Eddie Jones rolled his eyes and retorted, "WTF? A woman who looks like a shark? Even if I agreed, my brothers wouldn't!"

Laughter erupted in the training field. Lin Qi reached out and pulled up the panting veteran. "Don't waste your time, Stephen. There's only one thing that can make him cool off, and that's watching Shaq lose. It was my fault for not winning last time," he said softly, but his voice silenced the entire training hall. "This time we won't lose again. You have my guarantee."

In their last encounter, Eddie Jones played exceptionally well, scoring 15 points, including 3 of 5 three-pointers.

However, Lynch lost his way under the Heat's deep frontcourt defense, scoring 22 points but shooting less than 45%.

This is the main culprit for the Knicks' loss.

The 06 Heat were indeed very strong; after all, they were the original champions in history.

Although the 06 Finals were highly controversial, it has to be said that after seeing the league's absurd favoritism towards star players in the small-ball era, you would feel that Wade in 06 was really risking his life to get free throws.

The reason he gets so many free throws is that Wade's drives to the basket are unstoppable.

Wade's offensive prowess, combined with the defensive toughness and three-point shooting power brought by the strengthened frontcourt, transformed the Heat into a true championship team.

Therefore, against the Heat, any strategic errors or inefficiencies will cause victory to slip away.

In the next game, Wilkens decided to change his strategy, having Lynch focus more on playmaking when he had the ball, and relying more on off-ball scoring.

Avoid their strengths and play to their weaknesses.

With Lynch's assurance, the entire Knicks team was ecstatic.

This season, the Knicks have consistently ranked in the top two in the Eastern Conference, and their record is impressive against both strong teams in the East and West.

The players themselves know that the team has a great chance to compete for the championship.

Of all these championship contenders, the Knicks have only lost to the Miami Heat.

Therefore, when Lynch took the lead and declared that he wanted to eliminate everyone, his desire to win reached its peak.

The training ground erupted in howls like a pack of wolves, and the sound of players stomping their feet simultaneously left Lenny Wilkens with a complicated expression.

In his long 37-year coaching career, there were no more than two teams with a better team atmosphere than this Knicks.

Unfortunately, he could only continue to lead them for another six months.

After practice, the Knicks players returned to the locker room in high spirits.

Lenny Wilkens walked up to Lynch and said, "Are you free? I recently bought some nice beans. Want to grab a coffee?"

Lynch knew the head coach would definitely have something to say, so he didn't refuse.

Sitting in his office, Wilkens fiddled with his coffee machine. Amid the hum of the grinder, Lynch's gaze was drawn to the rows of yellowed old photographs in the office.

Among them, a group photo of Lenny Wilkens leading the SuperSonics to their only championship in 1979 is displayed on his desk, which is undoubtedly the pinnacle of Lenny Wilkens' coaching career.

Since then, a full 27 years have passed, and Lenny Wilkens has never tasted the joy of winning a championship again.

The veteran coach brought Lynch coffee and noticed Lynch staring at the photo. He couldn't help but laugh: "That's DJ (Dennis Johnson) and my perfect revenge game. I love this story. In '78, we lost to the Washington Bullets in the Finals. DJ went on a scoring drought in Game 7, missing all 14 of his shot attempts. Yes, 0 for 14 in Game 7 of the Finals, that was a fucking disaster."

Lynch knew very little about the NBA before it became fully commercialized in the 70s, so he didn't interrupt and just listened.

"Everyone says that the playoff losses are the most agonizing, but DJ didn't complain or kneel down in pain."

He admitted that he almost suffocated in that game, but vowed never to repeat the same mistake and viewed the game as an important lesson in becoming a better player.

In 79, we met the Bullets again in the finals. DJ won the FMVP, which is my favorite part of the story—it's not just the championship that's precious, but DJ and our whole team, including my growth and transformation.

Since then I've understood that boys run away from pain, while men confront it. Boys seek comfort, while men grow through discomfort.

Men are forged through pain, shaped by struggle, and tempered by failure.

What matters is not what you suffer, but how you deal with it.

This is my favorite championship story, and I see the possibility of it all happening again in you.

I know you were very disappointed when you lost to Detroit last season. But this season, your transformation is as obvious as DJ's.

Lynch, let's leave a perfect ending together in my final story, okay?

"The final story?" Lynch put down his coffee cup in surprise.

“I plan to retire after coaching this season. My family is really worried about my blood pressure, and they don’t want me to keep doing this. Last week, my little granddaughter held the stethoscope and said, ‘Grandpa’s heartbeat sounds so tired,’” he laughed, but a bitter look appeared in his eyes. “Hahaha, I really should rest.”

Lynch nodded. Lenny Wilkens was almost 70 years old, and the New York Knicks head coach position was one of the most stressful in the world.

“I don’t plan to tell anyone else about this yet, but I think as the locker room leader, you should know in advance. That way, you and Sam will at least have time to find a satisfactory successor.”

"That will definitely take time. In any case, it's time to get you a new championship ring, Lenny. The coffee is good, thanks for the treat."

Lynch glanced one last time at the photo on the table. Dennis Johnson's smile, transcending twenty-seven years, subtly overlapped with the flames in Lynch's eyes at that moment.

The next day, at Madison Square Garden, Shaquille O'Neal and his old friend Gary Payton had just entered when the Shark shouted sarcastically, "Gary, can you smell that?"

"What do you smell?"

"A musty, decaying stench permeates this cursed, titleless land. This damned team hasn't won anything since 1973!"

Gary Payton smirked and chimed in, "I heard they did some futures trading for the loan champion this year?"

"Yes, if the borrower can't repay the loan, they will be shamefully thrown onto the blacklist."

Shark and Gloves have very loud voices; as long as Lynch isn't deaf, he can hear them even from halfway across the court.

Lynch turned and stared at Payton: "What have you won? The 'Best defender among those who lost to Michael Jordan' award?"

"At least I didn't use any of that bullshit 'championship rules' to justify myself before the playoffs even started."

"That's because you're spineless. All you do is hide behind a shark and spout nonsense. I'm really curious, Gary, haven't you lost enough with the Lakers? You still dare to come and hug this shark's prosthetic leg?"

Shaquille O'Neal seemed to be stung, and in a fit of rage, he snapped, "Kobe ruined the Lakers dynasty! The whole world knows that!"

"Oh, then you'd better find someone to take the blame this time."

The tension escalated during the friendly pre-match conversation.

But once the match started, Lynch remained very calm.

Facing a formidable frontcourt defense comprised of James Posey, PJ Brown, and Shaq, Lynch didn't try to be invincible. Whenever he was double-teamed, he would calmly pass the ball out.

Eddie Jones did not waste Lynch's trust. He hit two three-pointers in the first quarter and also made a 2+1 play over the Shark on a drive.

Lynch's back-to-the-basket play is reminiscent of Magic Johnson, both using height and excellent court vision to distribute the ball.

Of course, Lynch doesn't yet have Magic Johnson's ball-handling skills, and his impact on offense isn't at Magic Johnson's level.

After the first quarter, Lynch had only scored 4 points, but delivered 5 assists, 2 blocks, and only 1 turnover.

Mike Breen praised him, saying, "He dominated the offense like a magician, and then dominated the other end like a KG!"

The Heat are down by 7 points; it looks like tonight is going to be a perfect night.

But Pat Riley didn't believe that this method could defeat the Heat.

He made no adjustments and continued to double-team Lynch on the front line.

Hakeem Olajuwon himself struggled against the SuperSonics' formidable frontcourt defense, and Riley believes Lynch won't fare any better.

This mobile meat grinder will eventually crush any young person who tries to challenge the rules.

In the second quarter, Lynch continued to facilitate, but the Knicks' offense indeed ran into problems—role players started missing shots.

Although the Knicks maintained a very high level of defense, Wade's unstoppable drives gradually narrowed the gap.

That's how basketball is; if a certain tactic is effective throughout the entire game, then there's no need for a star player.

Three minutes into the second quarter, the Miami Heat had narrowed the gap to 3 points.

Lenny Wilkens paused the game, still telling the team to "avoid their strengths and play to their strengths."

This means continuing to solidify the defense, while lacking effective offensive options. Wade shut down Marbury, and the forwards contained Lynch, leaving the Knicks' two main scoring threats unable to make any progress.

But Lynch wasn't going to just sit back and take the beating; he had his own plans.

The game restarted, and Shaq, grinning triumphantly, pointed at Eddie Jones: "Hey, I told you that bastard was unreliable. He couldn't even make a shot in the second quarter. You were counting on him? You were counting on him to let you win?"

Lynch didn't respond; he continued to call for the ball in the low post this possession.

PJ Brown held off Lynch, while Shaquille O'Neal looked for an opportunity to double-team him.

But Lynch didn't continue passing the ball. Instead, before the Sharks could close in, he quickly turned around with his agile and skillful footwork and slipped through the gap between the two!
When James Posey came to help defend, Lynch didn't pass the ball but instead sprang into action.

He knew that Lenny Wilkens' strategy of "avoiding direct confrontation and playing to one's strengths" was correct.

If Lynch were LeBron James, he would feel perfectly comfortable passing the ball throughout the entire game.

But Lynch is Lynch; he will stand up when he should.

Should I avoid him?
"boom!"

"Lynch dunked over James Posey who came to help defend, and in this play he successfully dismantled the Heat's three-man defensive barrier on the front line with his individual ability!" Mike Breen pumped his fist. "That's the role of a superstar!"

Lynch looked at the shark and pointed to the score, where they were still in the lead.

"One minute you're complaining about Kobe, the next you're complaining about Eddie. I'm not like you; I don't like making excuses about my teammates."

Lynch will not be defeated, he will not sit idly by and wait for death, and he will not rigidly execute tactics.

He will step up and use his individual skills to stabilize the score until his teammates regain their form.

Lenny Wilkens is right.

Boys avoid pain, while men confront it.

(End of this chapter)