Champion Rules

Chapter 107, Section 103: The New York Gang is About to Steal Everything in the Playoffs (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

LeBron James completely understands Carmelo Anthony's desire to show off after winning an award.

Men all have this need; the masculine competitive instinct always manifests itself in various forms in competitive sports.

But he was genuinely grateful to him for insisting on taking him along in the charade.

Although the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference, breaking their career drought of missing the playoffs is a foregone conclusion.

However, LBJ was not 100% certain of defeating Lynch in the playoffs.

He wasn't afraid, he was just unsure if he could make Lynch lose everything, as Melon had suggested.

Compared to LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony has no doubts about himself; such anxiety doesn't exist in him.

It's not surprising that he would say those things in the interview; his mother raised him to be that kind of person from a young age.

When Anthony's family had just moved to Baltimore, he was "borrowed" money by a little boy on a street basketball court.

Of course, the boy fully embodied the fine tradition of his community of never returning borrowed items.

When Melon got home, he cried and sobbed, but his mother didn't comfort him. Instead, she told her child, "If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll come home crying like this every day. Go to that boy's house right now and get your money back."

This is the education Anthony received from a young age, and he brought the survival skills of the Baltimore streets into his basketball career.

This kind of education allowed him to not be afraid of those college stars after entering the NCAA and to take the championship with great force.

This kind of education prevented him from succumbing to Larry Brown's iron-fisted suppression after joining the Detroit Pistons, and he rose from a substitute to become the Finals MVP.

Therefore, Carmelo Anthony will not cower before his enemies.

Lynch has chosen to challenge him this season, and he will do what he did back then: find that boy's home and take back everything that belongs to him!
Carmelo Anthony's declaration, two months ahead of schedule, warmed up the playoffs, and the battle between Lynch and Nike's twin stars became the main storyline of Eastern media narratives.

Lynch, of course, wouldn't be a coward; he added fuel to the already raging fire in the East.

"With me here, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony have no chance of winning a championship. It's that simple."

Lynch's declaration received unanimous support from the locker room. This New York Knicks team is very competitive now, and everyone is eager to make a big splash in the playoffs.

As the regular season entered March, the Knicks also received some good news.

“I spoke with Grant today,” Lynch told reporters at the press conference. “He’s feeling great, and we’re considering his return. The medical team is assessing when he can come back. Grant himself is eager to return; he wants to get back into game form in the last two months and prepare for the playoffs. Anyway, I’m very happy he’s back.”

New York fans were just as happy as Lynch, but they had a sweet dilemma – would Michael Pietrus continue to start after Grant Hill's return? Would he be willing to go back to the bench?

Since his move to New York, Frenchman Jordan has consistently performed well, fulfilling his role as a 3-and-D player admirably.

Given his young age, removing him from the starting lineup when he is in excellent form is bound to cause turmoil in the locker room.

With the playoffs just around the corner, the Knicks cannot afford the cost of locker room chaos.

But on his first day back, Grant Hill addressed the issue in a locker room interview.

"After a long recovery period, I need to gradually adapt to the intensity and pace of the game. More importantly, Michael has developed excellent offensive and defensive chemistry with the starting lineup, and maintaining the current starting lineup is the best option for the team."

This statement finally put Michael Pietrus's mind at ease. He's not the rebellious type of player, and even if the coaching staff forcibly adjusts the rotation, he will silently accept the arrangement.

But are you asking if he's willing to accept it? Of course he is.

Will the sudden change in role shake that proud focus on the game? Michael Pietrus thinks it's highly likely.

After all, he only has one year left on his rookie contract, and the Knicks have not yet extended his contract or even discussed it.

He certainly hopes to earn his next contract by playing more minutes.

The playoffs are the best stage to win a contract, and 30 minutes of playoff performance time per game is the most powerful bargaining chip. He absolutely does not want to lose his starting position before the playoffs arrive.

But at this moment, the Frenchman Jordan doesn't need to worry about such things; Grant Hill has already calmed everything down.

Grant Hill doesn't care about returning to the starting lineup; for him, the championship is the only thing that matters right now.

And so, on March 3, in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the former "Jordan successor" served as a substitute for the first time since his rookie season in 1994.

He was an All-Star player last season, but he doesn't care about saving face at all.

People in the stands were still cheering for him, his teammates still trusted him, the team's locker room wasn't thrown into chaos by his arrival, and the championship window remained open. For Grant Hill, these things were far more important than starting positions or saving face.

Grant Hill has proven to be effective even off the bench, and a player like him will never be a liability to the team.

He came on in the eighth minute of the first quarter. He can organize, defend, and drive. Except for long-range shooting, he can provide everything the team needs and can appear in any lineup combination.

His return has made the Knicks' bench even more robust.

In his first game back, Grant Hill delivered an outstanding performance, racking up an all-around stat line of 8 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds in just 16 minutes.

Every second he was there was valuable; he was always making a positive contribution.

After Grant Hill's admirable humility and incredible speed in transitioning his career, more and more people believe that Lynch's response to the Nike duo will become a reality.

After the game, Stephen A. Smith in the ESPN studio took off his glasses, looked at the lights, and wiped his eyes.

His voice trembled: "I was only 5 years old when the New York Knicks last won the championship, and now I'm 39! Just now, at the very end of the game, I vaguely heard the championship gears turning in New York. Finally, ladies and gentlemen, this day has finally come! We've waited long enough, and thankfully we don't have to wait any longer!"

At the scene, all the New York fans were also cheering.

"Champion! Champion! Champion!"

Lynch stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the frenzy at Madison Square Garden, and took a deep breath.

He carried a heavy burden.

The old coach's wish for his last dance.

The team's trust.

The desire of New York fans.

The curse of this city.

The enemy is watching us closely.

And their own glory.

At the beginning, Lin Qi only wanted to make money by playing basketball.

But now, unexpectedly, the burden is heavier than before.

Grant Hill walked up and patted Lynch on the shoulder. He didn't ask anything, but just whispered in Lynch's ear.

“We’re all with you, Caesar.”

He always puts him at ease.

Hill's return led the Knicks to a seven-game winning streak in March, including consecutive victories against their Eastern Conference rivals, the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons, which sent the entire city of New York into a frenzy.

In mid-March, Lin Qi received a second piece of good news—he had saved up 200 talent points again and could finally make a purchase in the system shop.

[Raise steal ability ceiling to Eric Snow level, Price: 200 Talent Points.]

[Raise performance potential to Anderson Varejao level. Price: 150 Talent Points.]

[Raises free throw consistency to the level of Mohammed Abdul Rauf. Price: 200 Talent Points.]

Lynch first ruled out the second option.

Given Lynch's current status, if he really wants to gain the judges' sympathy, his acting skills are completely irrelevant. As long as he's thick-skinned enough and willing to kneel, even with terrible acting, the judges will still give him a whistle.

True superstars don't need acting skills at all.

Free throw consistency is also important, but Lynch's serve itself isn't bad—although not as accurate as Mohammed Abdul Rauf's career 90% free throw percentage, it's good enough for now.

Therefore, Lynch ultimately purchased Eric Snow's stealing talent.

Lynch is known for his powerful blocks and quick help defense, but stealing the ball and intercepting passes are not his strengths.

By addressing this weakness, Lynch's defensive prowess will become even more formidable.

In any era, excellent defense is the foundation for a player's success.

With his 200 talent points cleared again, Lin Qi gained a new talent.

At this point, both Lynch and the entire New York Knicks team are ready for the playoffs.

In mid-April, Lenny Wilkens began resting the starters, as the Knicks had already determined they couldn't catch the Detroit Pistons to become the top team in the East. Given this, it was better to give the veterans a break.

The regular season ended on April 19th, with the Pistons achieving a franchise-record 66 wins in their extreme desire for a three-peat.

The New York Knicks followed closely behind with a record of 60 wins and 22 losses, marking the first time the Knicks had achieved 60 wins in the regular season since 1993.

除了出色的团队成绩外，林奇场均26.4分12.8个篮板4.8次助攻1.1次抢断2.7次封盖也较之上赛季再次进步，成为了NBA历史上最年轻的篮板王。

Lynch's outstanding performance also terrified Pat Riley.

The Miami Heat don't want to face the Knicks again early; they'd rather play the Pistons directly. They don't have an inexplicable confidence in beating the Pistons, but they have a clear and rational understanding of their ability to defeat the Knicks.

Pat Riley has no desire to face Lynch; if he must, he'll wait until the regional finals.

So he took time off at the end of the season, causing the Heat to drop to fourth place.

This also means that the Cleveland Cavaliers, who failed to make the playoffs last season, have jumped to third place in the Eastern Conference.

This should have been a moment of celebration for LeBron James, who finally led his hometown team out of the shadow of failing to make the playoffs and could finally loudly proclaim the Cleveland Cavaliers as a powerhouse in the East.

But when he faced the camera at the end of the match, he looked very serious.

He knew very well that if the Cavaliers eliminated the Wizards in the first round, he would inevitably face Lynch head-on in the playoffs.

If they win, they will achieve great success and fame.

But if he loses, he knows very well that he will face a darker summer than the previous two years.

He can lose to anyone in the playoffs, but not Lynch.

As one of Nike's flagship brands, if he loses to Lynch, Reebok's media will undoubtedly give it their all in the publicity.

LeBron James recalled the post-All-Star interview and Carmelo Anthony's arrogant declaration.

At that moment, he truly wished his good brother had never said those words.

On the morning of the day after the regular season ended, Stephon Marbury drove his Hummer into the parking lot of the Greenburg training center, as usual.

After parking his car in his designated spot, he saw workers carrying suits and sunglasses into the dressing room.

After getting out of the car, Marbury glanced at Trevor Ariza, who was also standing there in a daze. Ariza immediately waved his hand nervously: "Don't ask me anything. I'm definitely not betting with you this time!"

Marbury:
"Why are you so nervous? All the money I win from you ends up being spent on you anyway."

"Really? Why didn't I know?"

"I used that money to buy some new furniture, which made me happy, and that happy mood put me in great shape. As a result, I helped you win a lot of games. Ultimately, you are the one who benefits the most."

Trevor Ariza was so angry he laughed. Marbury truly lived up to his reputation as a Coney Island genius; all his talent points were put into making money.

The two men walked through the moving team into the dressing room, puzzled, and found that well-tailored black suits were neatly hung in front of each person's locker like soldiers waiting for inspection.

In addition, each person had a pair of Oakley sunglasses endorsed by Lynch on their bench.

Marbury glanced at Grant Hill, but Hill's head-shaking gesture indicated that he shared the same confusion.

The high-achieving student simply ran his fingers through the fabric: "Who would send us such an expensive custom-made suit?"

Ariza touched it too: "Is it expensive?"

Marbury tapped him on the head: "Don't you even look at what kind of material this is?"

Just then, Lin Qi burst into the dressing room. Seeing that the clothes were already in place, he clapped his hands excitedly.

"Hey, try on the suit to see if it fits. I got your body measurements from the equipment manager to have it custom-made; under normal circumstances, there shouldn't be any problems."

Marbury picked up his sunglasses and looked them over, still puzzled. "What's going on, Lynch? Are you getting married to Alexandra Daddario today? Are we supposed to wear these to your wedding?"

“LeBron James isn’t in a rush to get married, and neither am I. Let’s all get dressed. The Sports Illustrated photographer is shooting the whole team for the magazine cover today, and I don’t want everyone standing in two rows wearing jerseys. That’s too ordinary, isn’t it? So, I gave them some creative ideas. We need some unconventional tough-guy aesthetics.”

“Oh, an outfit like Al Pacino’s?” Amir Johnson’s eyes lit up.

Lin Qi smiled and nodded: "Let's not waste any more time."

Everyone immediately changed their clothes. The basketball players' excellent physiques made them look outstanding in suits—unless you're Kevin Durant, you generally won't have a bad time wearing a suit.

The suited thugs, now dressed in their new uniforms, were taken to the team bus and headed to a retro-style bar in Brooklyn.

That's where the cover photo was taken.

Under the direction of photographer Paul Rovesi, the oak bar became the stage for showcasing the team's power symbol.

Under the photographer's guidance, the players found their respective positions around the wooden bar.

Lynch sat upright on a high stool in the center, his right hand, holding a cigar, seemed to be holding a scepter.

Stephon Marbury, to his left, holds a cigar gun, posing as if to light Lynch's cigar, the flickering flame flashing between his sly raised eyebrows.

On the right, Grant Hill wasn't wearing sunglasses, but rather gold-rimmed glasses. His refined yet cunning expression perfectly complemented the "Profit Report on the Annihilation of the Cavaliers and Pistons" in his hand.

Amir Johnson stood like a black tower behind the three, his tight-fitting vest almost bursting from his bulging muscles, looking like a formidable thug.

The others also had their own actions, and each person's position and posture were carefully choreographed by the photographer to represent their role in the team.

This doesn't look like a team photo shoot; it looks more like a new poster shoot for Peaky Blinders.

Just as filming was about to begin, Sam Cassell raised his hand.

"I have a question: why am I the only one who has to face away from the camera? Why can't I show my face?"

Sports Illustrated photographer Paul Roversie adjusted his baseball cap, cleared his throat, and told him seriously, "Being cool like this also means you're the man behind Lynch, and that's the role you're playing. Stand up straight, Sam, you're the most unique presence in this photo."

“Cool.” Cassel nodded happily in response.

As the shutter clicked and the cigar smoke froze together, the New York Knicks completed this special team photo, creating one of the most dramatic covers in Sports Illustrated history.

The latest issue of Sports Illustrated featured this cover the day before the playoffs began.

Beneath the deliberately aged film-like texture, the silver magazine title, like a declaration of war, stands out like a stark reminder of the intense masculinity emanating from this group of suit-clad thugs.

"The New York gangsters are about to steal everything in the playoffs!"

(End of this chapter)