Champion Rules

Chapter 109, Section 105: No warnings, no bluffing, no room for compromise (Seeking monthly votes!)
Contrary to intuition, shorter players often achieve remarkable results when defending against taller players.

In the 80s, the entire league was studying how to limit Michael Jordan.

Before the "Jordan Rules," there was only one way to defend Michael Jordan—to have someone shorter than him, but with the footwork and physicality to constantly entangle him and prevent him from getting an easy shot.

Sydney Moncrief was one of the best among them. He was the original Jordan killer, and at 191 cm tall, he always gave the young MJ a tough time.

Gary Payton's defense against MJ in the 96 NBA Finals seemed to once again prove the effectiveness of this strategy.

Although the 193cm tall Glove needed to rely on the defensive support system built by Schrempf, Kemp, and others, his tenacious off-the-ball movement still reduced MJ's mid-range shooting percentage, forcing MJ to attack the crowded paint.

The same approach was used to defend Dirk Nowitzki in the 00s.

Both McGrady and Michael Pietrus broke down the German machine, which had an exaggeratedly efficient offense.

This defensive wisdom was then transplanted by Mike Brown in the 2006 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where he put LeBron James right in front of Lynch.

Mike Brown believes this will work because Lynch doesn't yet have the ability to handle the ball in the mid-range.

As long as LBJ can keep Lynch at bay in the mid-range and force Lynch to attack the Cavaliers' solid defense, victory will be within reach.

The only downside to this strategy is that LBJ will expend a lot of energy on the defensive end, which will definitely affect the offense.

But Mike Brown, a defensive fanatic, decided to give it a try.

However, things didn't go as planned in the first round of the game, as Lynch easily scored over LBJ's head.

His turns were too smooth, his speed too unconventional, and his stride and physical abilities too exaggerated.

That last offensive play seemed to have boosted Tony Parker's height to 208 centimeters and given him unparalleled jumping ability.

In basketball, winning just two possessions or even just one quarter is not enough.

Mike Brown decided to continue with this strategy.

The Cavaliers are on offense, and Larry Hughes drives to the basket for a layup, tying the game for the Cavaliers.

However, he was not the key to victory. Last season, his defense with the Wizards and Knicks showed everyone how inefficient he could be.

During the regular season, Larry Hughes was a usable offensive player.

But under the intensity of the playoffs, Larry Hughes' offense was simply unwatchable.

After this score, who knows when the next one will be?

If the Cavaliers want to win, they still need to solidify their defense.

Finding himself still matched up against James, Lynch decisively called for the ball from the right mid-range.

James pressed Lynch closely, but Lynch switched to a back-to-the-basket position and drove towards the basket.

James is very strong, but Lynch is no slouch either. Seeing Lynch gradually approaching the basket, Donyell Marshall on the weak side immediately double-teamed him.

Lynch passed the ball to Michael Pietrus without hesitation, who calmly sank the three-pointer, tearing apart the Cavaliers' defense once again.

Michael Pietrus has been getting better and better since Grant Hill returned in March.

He knew his starting position was hard-won, and he knew Grant Hill had made sacrifices for it, so he cherished it even more.

In the first half of the season, his three-point shooting percentage was only 33%, but after March, that number became 38%.

When Jordan was on defense, he deliberately held up three fingers towards the Cavaliers' bench, and Grant Hill led everyone on the sidelines in pounding the back of the seats.

The atmosphere on this team makes everyone a better person.

Before the scoreboard had even settled at 5-2, Larry Hughes missed a jump shot amidst a deafening chorus of boos from Madison Square Garden.

His scoring streak was indeed broken.

To allow LeBron James to focus his defense on Lynch, the Cavaliers planned to have Larry Hughes score the first basket in the opening stages of the game.

This strategy fully exposes how unbalanced Mike Brown is in his studies.

He knew nothing about offense, or rather, he didn't care at all.

Based on data and team performance, Mike Malone predicted that Larry Hughes' field goal percentage in this series would be no more than 30%, and unlikely to exceed 35%.

The more shots he takes, the better it is for the Knicks.

The Cavaliers' current strategy is practically pushing the Knicks into a winning position.

Since they're so eager to pay us, let's satisfy them to the fullest.

At least widen the score gap as much as possible before Mike Brown realizes his strategy is useless.

Lynch backed down James in mid-range and continued to call for the ball; his desire to have the ball was extremely strong today.

James used his arm to block Lynch, and the Cavaliers did not rush to double-team him. Mike Brown carefully devised a "delayed double-team" strategy for Lynch.

He instructed his players to double-team Lynch only after he got close to the basket, which would minimize Lynch's space.

If they were to attack from the front, Lin Qi could easily find his teammates who were left unattended in the open space, which would be tantamount to handing a knife to death.

James was fully focused; he was determined to prevent a game-changing moment.

Lynch started dribbling and moving backward, and LBJ seized the opportunity and suddenly stole the ball.

But Lynch almost reflexively turned his back to James in the opposite direction of his steal, easily getting past the leaning LBJ.

Because there was no double-team, Lynch was able to easily make a close-range jump shot after getting past LBJ.

With the score at 7-2, Lynch gave a thumbs-up to Mike Brown on the Cavaliers' bench: "Perfect strategy!"

Lynch hates all ungrateful people, like Dirk Nowitzki.

In 2011, LBJ did everything he could to save the German's career from the mighty Dwyane Wade, but he repeatedly mocked James in public.

Lynch is different; he knows how to be grateful, and he is thankful for everything Mike Brown has done for him.

He felt that if they continued playing like this, the game might not even make it to the fourth quarter.

Mike Brown is too good to himself.

The Cavaliers' head coach was seething with anger; all the strategies he devised for Lynch had failed so far.

But he still hadn't changed anything; he wanted to keep observing.

Mike Brown was slow to react and lacked the ability to adjust in time early in his head coaching career.

This is why Lynch doesn't want Mike Malone to take the coaching reins too early; if he were the head coach, his ability to react on the spot wouldn't be much better than the current Cavaliers head coach.

The game continued, and LBJ decided to step up his offensive efforts; he couldn't just sit idly by.

He used his terrifying raw talent to carry Michael Pietrus into the paint and force his way to the basket.

But James's usually efficient finishing touch bounced off the rim.

Just 46 hours ago he was playing overtime against the Washington Wizards, but now he faces an even stronger defense. In addition, he also has to guard Lynch.

All of this is draining LeBron James's energy pool without him even realizing it. He may not feel any discomfort yet, but the basketball bouncing off the rim doesn't lie.

The Cavaliers' offense failed again, but the looting by the New York gangs continued.

Facing James's one-on-one defense in the mid-range, Lynch faked a shoulder and scored again with a turnaround jump shot.

"No, no, no, this is not a good idea. LeBron is being destroyed. The Cavaliers must do something!" Mike Breen couldn't stand it anymore. James simply couldn't guard Lynch.

Phil Knight, who was watching the game on TV, was also furious: "Why did that idiot coach do that? Why!?"

He simply couldn't stand seeing his star player getting blown out one-on-one by Reebok's star player.

"Fuck!" James cursed loudly, a rare occurrence for him. He had made up his mind to take Hakeem Olajuwon as his sugar daddy this summer!
I can learn too, and I can become stronger!

With the score at 9-2, Mike Brown's resolve wavered.

He knew LBJ couldn't lock down Lynch, but he didn't expect he couldn't even limit him.

However, if they don't use this strategy, the Cavaliers' record of 0 wins and 8 losses in the past two seasons has shown that they also have no chance of winning.

While he hesitated, the Cavaliers' offense failed again.

Big Z tried to use his height to overpower Kurt Thomas under the basket, but Lynch quickly double-teamed him.

Big Z quickly passed the ball to Donyell Marshall, but the ball was stolen mid-flight by Eddie Jones, who had been substituted in.

Just as Marbury crossed half-court, both teams heard Lynch yelling, "Ball! Give me the ball! Quick!"

This was a huge insult to LBJ; Lynch was practically exploiting him as a defensive liability. James decided to front him, and it worked; Marbury's overhead lob failed to go through.

But Lynch immediately changed his strategy. He wasn't a heavy center like Yao Ming who could be restricted by a simple fronting maneuver.

Lynch gave James a push, then immediately ran towards the right three-point line.

James turned to chase, but ran into Kurt Thomas's well-coordinated screen.

Lynch received the ball beyond the three-point line and raised it overhead. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, forced to switch defense, leaped to intercept, only to find that Lynch had merely faked the move.

But he had no chance to make amends. Due to his excessive weight, he clumsily fell into the audience, and Lin Qi hit him amidst screams behind him.

"12-2! The Knicks are already up by double digits in less than five minutes! Mike Brown calls a timeout! Stop letting LeBron guard Lynch, damn it, he's not even in the same league as Lynch!" Mike Brown finally revealed the unpleasant side of his life.

The moment the whistle blew, Madison Square Garden erupted in thunderous cheers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers looked utterly vulnerable.

Faced with the cheers of all the home fans, Lynch shrugged and arrogantly spread his hands.

Just like Michael Jordan fourteen years ago.

LeBron James gritted his teeth, "That's it, I've become Drexler!"
This series turned into a disaster from the start, proving that using LBJ to defend Lynch was a terrible move.

Yes, Moncrief and Payton could limit MJ, but they were both top-tier defensive guards.

Yes, McGrady and Michael Pietrus could defend Dirk, but Dirk's toughness was far inferior to Lynch's.

Mike Brown finally changed tactics, bringing on Drew Gooden to continue guarding Lynch.

But it was all too late.

Sometimes, basketball is like a domino effect. Once it starts collapsing, it's hard to stop.

Watching their star player get brutally beaten by the opposing team's star player dealt a heavy blow to the Cavaliers' morale.

During this period, LBJ was not only unable to lead the team out of its predicament, but he himself was also easily affected by his emotions.

After the timeout, James attempted another forced drive, but was knocked down by Lynch's tough help defense.

He missed the best opportunity to boost the team's morale.

In the series against the Wizards, James will get two free throw opportunities as a result.

But at Madison Square Garden, the referee remained unmoved.

"That was definitely a foul!" James shouted.

"Hey, after that traveling game-winner in Game 3 of the last round, who said we should respect the referees? You can't just contradict yourself, LeBron," Lynch mocked.

"Shut up, Lynch!"

"I'll shut up if you can turn the score around."

Lynch reveled in LeBron James's exasperated expression, which was arguably the most alluring climax face in the world.

The bullet that No. 23 fired during All-Star Weekend has now hit him right between the eyebrows.

The Knicks were on offense. Seeing that LBJ was no longer guarding him, Lynch set a screen for Marbury. You have to give your teammates a chance to perform. If they don't get a chance to perform for too long, even if they don't complain, their performance will be affected.

Marbury drove to the basket, leaning on Eric Snow, drawing help defense from Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and then assisted Kurt Thomas for a mid-range jumper.

With the score at 14-2, the Cavaliers were like a severed artery, unable to stop the bleeding.

Lynch stopped his physical attacks, but his verbal attacks continued.

"LeBron, why aren't you guarding me anymore? You're already exhausted after just a few minutes? Show some of the fighting spirit you had when you were battling Tracy for the All-Star MVP during the All-Star Game!"

James gritted his teeth; he couldn't lose to Lynch, or at least not in a bad way.

But when his mid-range pull-up jump shot bounced off the rim, he could only feel despair.

The game was falling apart from the very beginning.

Gilbert Arenas excitedly waved his gun at home: "See that? This is the real LeBron without referee protection! Fuck you, die!"

The Cavaliers played aimlessly throughout the rest of the game.

They were at a loss on offense and couldn't contain Lynch on defense either.

Lynch was putting on a show, his back-to-the-basket footwork was graceful, his off-ball cuts were as precise as a Swiss watch, and the swishing sound of his mid-range jump shot and the numbers jumping on the scoreboard made the Cavaliers' despair even more intense.

After the first quarter, the score was a shocking 28 to 12!

The Cavaliers were down by 16 points in the first quarter, and LeBron James was in danger of losing face.

In the second quarter, the Cavaliers began trying to close the gap from beyond the three-point line.

But shooters like Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, and Alexander Pavlovic are in a cold spell.

The continuous away games and the huge point difference affected their shooting touch, and the poor shooting touch further affected their morale.

Lynch hasn't been idle lately; he's been making a lot of mid-range shots using his off-ball movement.

Just as James and Anthony completely ignored Lynch during the All-Star Game, Lynch also completely disregarded the dignity of the Cavaliers and James.

The score continued to widen, and LeBron James was powerless to change anything.

At halftime, the score difference had become 25 points!
LeBron James stared at the scoreboard in disbelief; things were worse than he had ever imagined.

He couldn't help but think, if he had been able to contain Lynch at the start of the game, even just once or twice...
"Damn it!" James roared as he strode into the player tunnel. He would rather trade that damned AMVP trophy for a chance to start the game again.

In the third quarter, the Cavaliers continued to struggle, but with little success, as the Knicks' transitions were far superior to the Cavaliers'.

The Cavaliers' transitional lineup of Cassell, Ariza, Grant Hill, and Jamal Crawford forced them to bring their starters back as soon as possible.

Lynch showed no signs of stopping after returning in the third quarter. Despite leading by more than 20 points, his offensive desire remained high.

"Lynch wants to completely destroy LeBron!" Mike Brin saw through Lynch's intentions. "He really acts like a ruthless mob boss, showing no mercy!"

With seven minutes left in the third quarter, the Cavaliers were already down by 30 points.

LeBron James attacked the basket like a madman, trying to salvage his last shred of dignity in this way.

After James made contact and passed the ball, Trevor Ariza counted James' steps, preparing to jump and block the shot when James took the second step.

The instant he took his second step, Ariza was airborne, and then he actually took a third step!

Ariza immediately realized that Lynch's pace was far inferior to LBJ's.

James used a controversial footwork move to create space and was about to bring the point difference back within 30.

Unlike the game against the Wizards, LBJ failed to score. Just as he raised the basketball to release it, the New York number 20 intervened and intervened on behalf of the referee.

"Linche chased back into the paint and made a huge block! LeBron and the ball both flew out of bounds! God, tonight has been so cruel to LBJ, Lynch has once again taken the blame for an opponent!"

Amid Mike Brin's shouts, Lynch looked at LeBron James, who had fallen to the ground, and slowly squatted down in front of him, as if the Sicilian Mafia were looking at a trembling lamb to the slaughter under his gun, announcing in advance that everything had come to an end.

"Trying to take advantage of me? In my territory, shut your damned footsteps!" Lin Qi practically berated him.

James's desire to narrow the gap to within 30 points was shattered by Lynch, and the Cavaliers, watching their star player being severely reprimanded, completely lost the power to resist from that moment on.

In the fourth quarter, both sides fielded their rotation players.

However, due to Jamal Crawford's presence during garbage time, the score difference at the end of the game was still a very humiliating 47 points, with the shameful score of 127 to 80 deeply etched into the Cavaliers' history.

詹姆斯全场23分5个篮板3次助攻6次失误，林奇36分13个篮板7次助攻4次封盖。

This first playoff matchup between the two was like a warning to Cleveland, telling the people that the statement "With me here, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony can forget about winning a championship" was not just empty talk.

No warnings, no bluster, no room for compromise.

This is how the New York mob operates.
-
From this day forward, Clyde Drexler will never have to wake up from nightmares again. Because tonight's performance was even more thorough than the 1992 Finals, a true "you're not on my level" show. — Charles Barkley's assessment of the massacre.

LeBron was completely dominated by Lynch from the start, and he was still being dominated in the third quarter. His performance was incredibly consistent. — Stephen A. Smith's sarcastic remark.

There's not much to say. We played a bad game, but the important thing now is to look ahead. We have other games to play. — LeBron James on tonight's loss.

I thought LeBron could guard him. — Mike Brown on his strategy at the start of the game.

That's it. There won't be a fifth game. — Kenny Smith predicts the series' outcome.

(End of this chapter)