Champion Rules

Chapter 105, Section 101: Trust is My Shield (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
Lynch's 1v3 performance greatly boosted the Knicks' morale.

Assistant coach Mike Malone was even more excited than the fans: "This bastard's got steel plates in his bones, he's fucking tough! Lenny, if I were a woman, I'd fucking marry him!"

His face flushed red as he pointed at Lynch, who had just completed a dunk. This coach, who had been the most vocal critic during training, was also Lynch's most fervent follower.

What's most captivating about Lynch is his ability to seamlessly switch between being a team player and a superstar. It's like he has a button on his body that allows him to switch modes with a simple press.

In the first quarter, Lynch was a perfect team player.

He didn't care about his score or number of shots at all; he was so calm that he didn't seem like a young man under 20 at all.

But in the second quarter, when the team needed him to step up, he could also abandon his composure at any time, revealing his youthful arrogance and instantly activating his superstar killer instinct.

This is probably the biggest difference between him and the Nike brothers.

Melo's problem is that he often loses his composure.

James' problem is that he's too calm. Even in the most critical moments, he doesn't rush to make what he considers the right decisions.

Lynch's attack just now was certainly unreasonable and did not conform to the tactical plan.

But from the coach to the teammates to the fans, no one would say that Lynch just made a mistake.

After spraying the shark, Lin Qi wiped the sweat dripping down his chin and pressed his hands down to his teammates, making a "stay calm" gesture.

"They can't catch up. Keep playing solid defense and stay focused!"

O'Neal muttered dismissively, "Fuck you, does that bastard think that just saying a few words counts as team spirit?"

PJ Brown chimed in, "We're the better team!"

Pat Riley was clearly not as optimistic as PJ Brown and Shaq.

He gritted his teeth, fully aware that the dunk he had just made was worth more than just 2 points.

That dunk interrupted the Heat's comeback and broke the Knicks' losing streak.

This will completely change the course of the game.

Sure enough, after Lynch's tough basket, the Knicks' defense became focused again.

Eddie Jones stared intently at Wade, not relaxing his gaze even though he knew it would be difficult to keep up.

Wade used a screen to drive to the left, and Lynch immediately switched to defend him. Heat's number 3 saw this and bounced the ball to PJ Brown, who was cutting to the basket. However, Nazr Muhammad's help defense was spot on, blocking the shot in front of the rim. The referee blew the whistle the moment PJ Brown collided with him.

Forces are reciprocal; PJ Brown knocked Muhammad down while also falling backward himself.

I thought I could get a free throw, but the referee called an offensive foul instead.

When PJ Brown saw O'Neal charging towards him, he reached out his hand, assuming the shark was there to help him up.

He had a smile on his face. Although he was unhappy about being called for an offensive foul, at least his teammates didn't dislike him.

“Shaq, it’s me.”

PJ Brown was about to speak when he saw O'Neal hurdle over his head and jump in front of the referee: "What the hell are you calling a whistle for?!"

PJ Brown:
His outstretched hand trembled in mid-air; he swore that even when Shark dunked, he had never jumped that high!
Eddie Jones sneered from the side, "What are you still sitting on the ground for, PJ? Don't tell me you're waiting for that fat guy to pull you up. If you're not in that fat guy's inner circle, you're worthless. That's Shaq for you, he likes to rank people."

PJ Brown was eventually pulled up by Wade, and O'Neal was still complaining until the very end.

The game continued, and the Knicks' successful team defense once again mired the Heat's comeback attempt.

Lynch received the ball in the right elbow area and suddenly started moving against PJ Brown's defense. His long legs were like sharp blades drawn from their sheaths, and a smooth Euro step pinned the defensive stalwart to the spot.

After shaking off his marker, Lynch drove straight to the basket.

O'Neal slapped Lynch across the face, and James Posey, no pushover either, forcefully knocked Lynch down in mid-air.

Although the referee called a foul, Lynch undoubtedly paid a heavy price.

Lynch knew this would be the outcome; Pat Riley's team didn't have a soft defense.

But he still chose to use this method to create scoring opportunities and help the team score goals.

After making both free throws, the Knicks regained a 7-point lead.

O'Neal deliberately picked a fight: "How did that slap feel? I told you I'd smash your face in!"

Lynch pressed his tongue against his bleeding gums, not to be outdone, "Bite down on your mouthguard, or I guarantee your face will suffer too."

In the next offensive possession, O'Neal went for a low-post one-on-one. The moment he stepped up, Lynch, who had come over to help defend, swung his arm and slapped O'Neal hard across his shiny left cheek.

Fans on the sidelines could clearly see that the shark's mouthguard was knocked off.

Lin Qi is not the kind of person who bluffs; if he says he will retaliate, he definitely will.

O'Neill immediately covered his face and bent over, and the referee called a foul.

Instead of feigning concern, Lynch arrogantly walked up to Shark's ear and began to chatter incessantly: "Hey, you're not going to cry, are you? By the way, your face feels better than many of the big asses I've slapped. Oh, I forgot, your spitting spot is also considered an ass."

"Get out of the way, kid!" James Posey reached out and shoved Lynch aside; he'd been playing the role of bodyguard for Wade and Shaq all season.

But who doesn't have a few bodyguards?

Michael Pietrus and Stephon Marbury rushed over to James Posey almost immediately: "Get your dirty hands off him, don't soil the King of New York's clothes!"

"Stephen, so you've gotten used to being a dog by now?"

"Sorry, I'm Lynch's teammate. But in Shaq's eyes, you're the dogs he can just step over at any time. Guess if Shaq will give you a bone next time he steps over your head?"

More and more players gathered together, and the players from both sides pushed each other like two opposing tides.

The substitutes from both sides were also very restless, with Trevor Ariza and Amir Johnson eager to make their moves.

Amir Johnson was the most excited. When he joined the team this year, Wilkens told him, "As a role player, you just need to follow behind the senior players and help them out."

Isn't this a perfect opportunity to help out the big brothers?
How did Charles Barkley establish himself with the 76ers? It was because in his sixth game that he seized the opportunity to play second fiddle to Dr. J, thus gaining entry into the team's core circle.

Amir Johnson really wanted to go up and help out!

As a second-round pick with limited playing time, he needs to make a name for himself to stay with the team.

How to increase his visibility? Thinking about money, he felt that he was most suitable to be a henchman.

On the Heat's side, Gary Payton is also looking to match the game.

Mike Malone, as a member of the coaching staff, even went so far as to yell, "Get up there! Get up there! Anyone who stands still and acts like a coward will be suspended for one game!"

The assistant coach resembled a gladiator on the sidelines of a gladiatorial arena; the bulging veins on his neck and his bloodshot eyes made his face almost ferocious.

Lenny Wilkens shook his head. Mike Malone's temper sometimes made him too attention-seeking, as if he were the head coach.

Wilkens can tolerate this, but he doesn't know if the Knicks' next head coach can.

Of course, Mike Malone's shouts were completely unnecessary; none of the Knicks players would back down at that moment.

As championship contenders, both teams have very strong cohesion.

However, strong cohesion is precisely what is most likely to trigger large-scale brawls.

The referees issued technical fouls to Lynch, Shaq, Marbury, PJ Brown, and Michael Pietrus, which stabilized the situation.

O'Neal wiped the blood from his mouth and roared angrily, "I'm going to tear that bastard's throat apart!"

"Save your breath, Shaq. Have you ever won a fight? You're clumsier at fighting than at shooting free throws!" Stephon Marbury retorted without fear.

"Say one more word and I'll send you all off!" The referee tried to completely control the situation.

The game resumed as normal, but the tension had completely filled the air.

In the subsequent game, both sides played very aggressively, with the Heat committing fouls for the sake of fouling in some possessions.

For example, Gary Payton fouled Marbury with a clothesline foul in the first round after entering the game, further escalating the conflict between the two sides, and the second time it almost broke into a fight.

The hatred between the two sides intensified with each round, and they seemed to want to kill each other in order to win the match.

The fans finally breathed a sigh of relief when the halftime whistle blew.

At the end of the second quarter, Mike Brin loosened his tie and said, "God, I feel like I'm sitting on a lit powder keg!"

As the Heat returned to the locker room and the door slammed shut, Pat Riley slammed his clipboard on the floor and erupted in fury.

"You all think you're so tough? Ha!? We're down by 8 points, almost double digits! Forget those stupid fouls, I told you to be tough, not stupid! Our goal is to win, you fucking idiots, didn't you lose enough Game 7s last season?! Stop being stupid, stop those pointless fouls, we're going to win!"

The reprimands echoed between the walls; the coach's anger was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the Heat players' adrenaline-fueled brains.

Everyone calmed down a bit; they had indeed been too carried away in the first half.

At the start of the third quarter, the tension eased slightly, and the Heat's defensive actions became noticeably more restrained, but the competition between the two teams remained intense.

However, the Heat did not close the gap in the score because of this.

Wade had a tough day; Eddie Jones attacked him like a mad dog, sparing no effort.

This completely ruined his accurate mid-range jump shot this season.

In this round, after being entangled by Eddie Jones once again, Wade couldn't help but yell, "Old man, aren't you fucking tired?!"

The result was only a more ferocious response from the opponent.

When he was teammates with Eddie Jones last season, Wade didn't realize how much the guy would contribute on the defensive end.

He felt that everything Eddie Jones did was perfectly reasonable.

But tonight, he admitted, this was a tough guy.

Eddie Jones blocked Wade's mid-range shot, but couldn't stop his drives. However, Lynch's help defense and block made Wade's drives extremely difficult.

Pat Riley adjusted the lineup, bringing in James Posey and Antoine Walker in an attempt to clear the way for Wade's takeoff with stretch fours.

Even so, Lynch still resolutely chose to help defend Wade. When Wade drove to the basket, he would decisively leave James Posey wide open.

This season, James Posey's three-point shooting percentage reached a career-high 40%, but Lynch knew that his three-pointers could only draw blood, while Wade's drives could kill.

Lynch continued to closely guard Wade, recording 5 blocks in the third quarter, 4 of which were against Wade.

The Knicks' gamble also faced a severe test in the third quarter, when James Posey hit three three-pointers, helping the Heat close the gap to just one point.

Finally, in the fourth quarter, James Posey's three-point shooting touch was completely worn down.

James Posey had already exhausted too much energy due to the constant battles with Lynch on the defensive end.

He can't keep making three-pointers.

Antoine Walker, under the relentless defense of Michael Pietrus, failed to score a single three-pointer.

Lynch made the right bet; the Heat's stretch fours caused the Knicks to bleed, but ultimately they couldn't kill the game.

Now, their attack has become extremely difficult.

Pat Riley had no choice but to substitute Antoine Walker for PJ Brown. He sacrificed spacing to continue pushing up defensive intensity.

Everything returned to square one, and the game fell back into the lackluster defensive battle of the first half.

Lynch's shooting percentage began to decline under the defense of this tough frontcourt, but he knew that his toughness had given his teammates enough breathing room and time to adjust.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Knicks had a five-point lead and were pushing their opponents to the brink of elimination. Lynch received the ball on the right side of the three-point line.

But the Heat's defense against Lynch had become insane, with James Posey and PJ Brown double-teaming him directly outside the three-point line.

The Heat's defensive rotation was textbook perfect, immediately blocking all passing lanes and leaving only the left corner, the furthest point from Lynch, an open space where passing the ball would be difficult.

However, despite being double-teamed, Lin Qi managed to swing the ball over the heads of both defenders and throw it precisely into the left corner!

Eddie Jones received the ball, but instead of gambling on his three-point shooting touch, he dribbled along the baseline into the paint and scored with a mid-range layup before Wade could recover from the defense!

"Ball in! Lynch assists Eddie Jones for a successful score! This was a brilliant strong-side pass. Lynch has already racked up 22 points, 9 assists, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks tonight! What a terrifying impact he has on the game!" Mike Breen was stunned; Lynch's stats were ridiculously exaggerated.

Eddie Jones roared to the sky, "Shaq, how was that shot?!"

O'Neal gritted his teeth. He hadn't actively rushed out to defend Eddie Jones; instead, he had habitually crouched down in the pit, which gave Eddie Jones space to shoot a layup.

Sometimes, you can't overestimate the mentality of a lazy defender.

They defend like a lazy gorilla in ordinary games, and they might still defend like a lazy gorilla in crucial games.

Some defenders' complacency is ingrained in their genes.

O'Neal was furious; the score difference was 7 points, and the timer had already started with "2".

Dwyane Wade knows it's time for him to take the team's burden upon himself.

Instead of calling out to PJ Brown, he gestured with his chin toward O'Neal.

He knew that Kurt Thomas's defensive switches weren't as quick as Lynch's, which would create scoring opportunities for him.

Lynch positioned himself as a center in the paint, waiting for Wade. However, upon seeing Wade drive to the left, he immediately abandoned PJ Brown and rushed out to intercept him.

Having watched countless game replays until he was sick of them, Lynch had already figured out Wade's pattern: when Wade moved to the left, he would more often choose a pull-up jumper, and when he moved to the right, he would choose a one-step shot to the stomach.

So, he was definitely trying to take advantage of Lynch guarding the basket to stop and shoot!

As Wade jumped to shoot, Lynch had already blocked his shot in the face. The Heat's number 3 clearly hadn't expected Lynch to anticipate his choice; he knew that if he shot, he would be 100% blocked.

"Damn it!"

Wade didn't have time to think about how Lynch had managed to play defense to that extent. He folded in the air and passed the ball from Lynch's waist to PJ Brown under the basket.

PJ Brown got the ball, turned and drove hard, but was met with Michael Pietrus' timely rotation to protect the rim.

Frenchman Jordan was knocked out of bounds, but PJ Brown, despite his height advantage, still missed the shot due to his lack of finishing ability.

However, he immediately grabbed the offensive rebound, shoved the French Jordan aside, and sprang into action again!
Unfortunately, the guardian of the rim has returned.

"Oh!"

"A huge block! The first opportunity was wasted, and Lynch won't give you a second one! Lynch makes a long pass, and Eddie Jones is already running up the court! Dwyane is incredibly fast, he chases after him, can he make the block!? Eddie suddenly slows down and gives Dwyane a challenge, 2+1! Eddie makes the layup, and Dwyane commits a foul!"

林奇22分10个助攻11个篮板7封盖，他是大卫.瑟蒙德和海军上将之后，NBA历史上第三个能轰下20+10+10+7的球员！”

Mike Breen's shout sealed the Heat's fate. Shaq covered his head with his hands. In the final moments of the game, Lynch, whom he disliked the most, and Eddie Jones, whom he despised the most, teamed up to kill the game!

After Eddie Jones made the free throw, he hugged Lynch as the Heat called a timeout, and then shouted out the words he had been holding back since last season.

"Shaq, you'll never fucking beat Lynch!"

O'Neal's 300-pound body suddenly stiffened, and the floor creaked as he slowly turned around.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Eddie Jones, the discarded general he had once kicked off the South Coast like a rag doll, who now dared to trample on his dignity.

"What did you say!?"

Lynch quickly stepped between the two, pressing one hand against O'Neal's mountain-like chest: "Do you need a hearing aid?"

The enraged shark suddenly ripped Lynch aside and grabbed Eddie Jones by the collar with both hands.

Just as Lynch was about to go up, a handsome young man rushed up at incredible speed, jumped up, and punched Shaquille O'Neal on the head.

Amir Johnson, who has averaged less than five minutes of playing time per game this season, has finally been given his chance to be rotated in.

He wanted to help his senior colleagues out.

The mouthguard, along with blood and foam, splattered out, and the 216-centimeter-long behemoth crashed to the ground.

The hot-headed Amir Johnson, fresh out of high school, wasn't going to hold back like Barkley did. After he was knocked to the ground, he punched the fathead fish several more times.

Although they were quickly separated, the shark was still injured.

Lynch also rushed into the crowd, and in the chaos, he bumped into Gary Payton.

Gary Payton has finally been matched.

Pulled by Haslem, Payton cursed and desperately tried to break free and rush toward Lynch.

"Come on, you bitch! Come on! The ruler? I'm going to break you in half!"

But when Haslem suddenly let go to help the shark who was wrestling with Marbury again, Payton comically remained frozen in place, still in his forward lunge position, like a puppet whose power had suddenly gone out, and stared at Lynch for two seconds.

His tone softened from his previous arrogance: "Lin Qi, stop messing around, okay?"

He knew that the huge size difference would make the outcome of the battle between the two sides a foregone conclusion.

He's so adorably cowardly.

Lynch walked over to Payton, grabbed him by the collar with one hand, and stared at the blustering but cowardly veteran:

"You coward who only knows how to hide behind your teammates, next time you see one, you better shut up, understand?"

After saying that, Lynch threw Payton to the ground like he was throwing away trash, and his curled-up figure was quickly swallowed up by the surging crowd.

The conflict was quelled shortly afterward.

Shaquille O'Neal, who had been incredibly arrogant just moments before, left the court in a disheveled state, clutching his bleeding eye, while Gary Payton was also helped off the court.

The whistling hisses in his ears crushed his dignity into dust.

They mocked Lynch for gaining stardom through "hype," believing that they should be the focus of the spotlight.

But tell them tonight that they have been swept into the dustbin of history.

Pat Riley was yelling and cursing, while Lynch waved his arms to signal the New York fans to cheer.

Eddie Jones roared, "You'll never fucking beat Lynch, never! Have you heard enough? You'll never fucking beat Lynch!"

After venting all his emotions, Eddie Jones put his hands on his knees and wiped his face.

A few seconds later, he straightened up again, looked at his teammates who had stood up for him, and his eyes were a little red.

He had never been trusted and valued so much in a team before; he realized how wonderful it felt to be supported by a team.

The referee also ejected Amir Johnson from the game. As he walked past Lynch, Johnson scratched his head sheepishly.

"Boss, could you lend me some money? I'm afraid I can't afford the fine."

Lin Qi patted him on the shoulder: "Young people should go all out and do things for me. Don't worry about the fine."

Amir Johnson smiled happily.

He will give it his all and do a good job.
-
Shaquille O'Neal was suspended for five games, and Amir Johnson was suspended for seven games, fined $20,000, and sentenced to 72 hours of community service. Stephon Marbury, Udonis Haslem, and James Posey were each suspended for one game. NBA Commissioner David Stern repeatedly emphasized that this is a league with zero tolerance for violence. —SportsCenter

I cunningly tried to provoke Lynch into attacking me, but unfortunately, I slipped and fell prematurely. Afraid? No, I'll emphasize again, I slipped! —Gary Payton explaining his conflict with Lynch.

"I'd give anything for the Knicks' championship," Eddie Jones told reporters after the game.

What else can I say? You have to respect me because of these stats? No, it's nothing special. The important thing is, we won the game. — Lynch talking about becoming the third player in history to record 20+10+10+7.

The Champion's Code, Chapter Two: Trust is My Shield. — Part Two of the Champion's Code Advertising Series.

(End of this chapter)