Champion Rules

Chapter 113, Page 109: Yet another player called God (Seeking monthly votes!)

Star versus star: the cruelest strategy in the playoffs.

When two star players face off directly in the playoffs, all the hype and marketing myths will shatter in the clash of offense and defense.

There's no hype here, no embellished data tables. Only hard-fought battles and decisive victories.

Just like the Admiral who, under Hakeem Olajuwon's rampage, went from a towering MVP to a complete clown.

Just like in the last round when LBJ was destroyed by Lynch in his matchup, he could only rely on his teammates' dead brother and firing the coach to distract the fans, and even that was not very successful.

This level of defeat was so blatant that it left no room for the star players to maneuver.

As it turns out, James's experience of being completely outplayed by Lynch in the previous round was a huge embarrassment for him. So much so that whenever star players face off again, the commentators immediately recall those embarrassing moments of James's performance.

"Linche destroyed LeBron in the last round, can he destroy Melo as well?" Reggie Miller is looking forward to it. If Lynche can win tonight, he will not only reach the top of the East, but also prove that he is the best individual among this generation of players.

He will completely overshadow the rising star Carmelo Anthony on both individual and team levels!
It wasn't just Reggie Miller who was excited; fans all over the world were glued to this matchup.

In the 2005-2006 season, Carmelo Anthony, a prodigy with the highest starting point, continued to become the undisputed number one in the world, approaching the golden step of establishing a dynasty with the title of "the new Michael".

But Lynch stepped forward, standing in front of his opponent who was about to reach the ultimate achievement, ready to fight. He tried to tell everyone that this era did not belong to Mello; this era belonged to him to leave a lasting mark.

Two highly anticipated geniuses will engage in an ultimate, unfiltered battle, destined to be brutal.

This is both the alliance narrative and the reality that is about to unfold.

The Pistons inbound the ball from the baseline, and the game begins.

Carmelo Anthony immediately started his run the moment the ball was inbounded, looking for an opportunity to score without the ball.

But Chauncey Billups didn't pass the ball to Anthony; instead, he lobbed it to Rasheed Wallace.

He wanted to test the rookie's defensive skills.

Amir Johnson is a short center, only 206 cm tall even with shoes on, while Rasheed Wallace is between 211 cm and 213 cm tall.

The size advantage gave Roaring Celestial confidence. He took a step back, ready to flip over and shoot with a straight arm after the confrontation.

But after clashing with Amir Johnson, Rasheed Wallace was amazed by the unexpected toughness of the kid behind him.

He fought back aggressively, constantly ramming into Rashid Wallace's body.

Rashid Wallace suddenly felt that some movies were a scam, and that older people would never like the impact of young people; it was just torture!
Rasheed Wallace withstood the pressure and executed a turnaround jump shot.

But Amir Johnson's interference was more sophisticated than Rashid Wallace had anticipated.

He is only 206 cm tall, but his actual effective height is not short at all.

His short stature is mainly due to his neck being too long, but thanks to his wingspan, his vertical reach is actually not bad.

Under Amir Johnson's tough challenge and high interference, Rasheed Wallace's signature straight-arm jump shot slammed into the front of the rim.

Lenny Wilkens waved his arms. This is not the Rasheed Wallace of his prime. If Amir Johnson maintains this level of defensive intensity, he's doomed tonight!
Can the New York Knicks be defeated by the aging Roaring Kings?
Lin Qi drove back into the paint to grab the rebound. Although he was pushed to the small forward position, he did not forget his responsibility to protect the rebound.

In the first possession after the timeout, the Knicks' defense was highly successful.

Amir Johnson felt excited. He wanted to vent his emotions by yelling and to humiliate the Roaring God with trash talk, but he really didn't know what to say.

At this moment, he recalled Lynch's words again: Treat the game in a simple and brutal way.

So Amir Johnson excitedly yelled at Rashid Wallace, "Yes baby! Yes! Oh god, come on! Yes!"

Lynch:
What kind of paid content do you usually watch?

After the Knicks attacked, Stephon Marbury used Lynch's screen to drive into the paint and scored with a layup despite Ben Wallace's help defense, narrowing the gap to just 4 points.

The Knicks started to close the gap on defense, but everyone knew the real action was yet to come.

Carmelo Anthony didn't sit idly by. He ran out to the three-point line and raised his hand: "Chauncey, give me the ball!"

The moment Anthony got the ball, TNT played a picture-in-picture in the bottom right corner, showing the disastrous performance of James defending Lynch in the previous round.

James's lips twitched; he knew these inhuman bastards would do this!

"Can Cameron make Lynch experience the same humiliation LeBron suffered?" Reggie Miller's commentary also mentioned him.

Even LeBron James doesn't know what happened, why is the amount of LeBron involved in this game so inexplicably high!?
Anthony did not start with a triple threat move, but instead called for a pick and roll.

But Lynch quickly flanked from behind to set a screen, then immediately raised his arms to block the shooting space, his defense extremely suffocating. His massive size left Anthony with absolutely no chance. Aside from Kevin Garnett, this was the best power forward we'd ever seen switch on the perimeter, suffocating the offensive spacing!

Anthony was forced to use his signature turn and lean back, a fluid movement that looked like an art piece on camera.

But the moment the orange basketball left his fingertips, Lynch's overwhelming hand had already covered the entire shooting trajectory like a dark cloud obscuring the sun.

With a crisp clang of metal striking metal, all the skillful movements became futile.

"History always repeats itself!" Reggie Miller's commentary suddenly rose in pitch. "But this time it's not Lynch repeating LeBron's mistakes; it's him making Melo taste the same humiliation! He used offense to defeat LeBron, and now he's going to use defense to defeat Melo! Neither of them will survive!"

James, watching TV, spread his hands at his girlfriend: "Is that bastard without a ring unhappy with his life? He can't commentate without mentioning me?"

He held out his hand sincerely, but unfortunately, his girlfriend couldn't call a foul on Reggie Miller.

"Damn it!" Anthony chewed hard on his braces, sweat trickling down his brow bone and into his eyes, but the stinging in his eyes was nothing compared to the anxiety in his heart.

His proud eighteen martial arts skills were like a child's juggling in front of Lin Qizuo's defensive fortress.

But Anthony didn't give up. He just remembered what his mother told him when he was robbed by other kids when he was a child: "If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll be crying and going home every day like you are today."

He will continue his attack until he defeats Lynch!

Then, he failed again.

In the Pistons' next offensive possession, Anthony received the ball beyond the three-point line. Facing Lynch, who had lowered his center of gravity and was glaring at him, Anthony decided to take a few steps back to create space for his sprint.

But Lynch slapped the floor and pressed forward, saying, "Melo, where do you think you're going?! Come on!"

Anthony accelerated his drive, but his lack of explosiveness prevented him from creating space.

Lynch stayed close to Anthony's side from start to finish. Without getting rid of the defender, Anthony pulled up for a jump shot, and the result was predictable.

"Another missed shot, Lynch is dominating Melo! But Melo's courage is commendable. If LeBron were facing such a pressing defense, he might have passed the ball." Reggie Miller couldn't control his mouth. Watching the stars compete, he always thought of James in the last round.

Pistons fans looked ashen-faced; Lynch had practically been chasing Anthony on defense!

In basketball, the defending side is usually on the defensive. However, in these two possessions, Lynch took the initiative on the offensive end while maintaining a defensive presence.

After missing his shot, Lynch grabbed the rebound again, and Stephon Marbury led the fast break. Surrounded by the Pistons, he passed the ball to Amir Johnson, who was left wide open.

Amir Johnson was standing a step behind the free-throw line, completely unguarded.

Having gained confidence, he opted for a jump shot. His form was impeccable, maintaining a beautiful wrist snap after release; he was like a Michelangelo masterpiece. With sculptural grace, the basketball flew directly into Lynch's hands as he rushed into the paint—he unleashed the most outrageous trajectory with the most beautiful form.

Lynch's keen sense for offensive rebounds allowed him to anticipate an airball, so he received the ball under the basket and scored with a hook shot.

Amir Johnson smiled and pointed at Lynch: "You really understand my passing, Boss! I don't usually watch anything else, I just like to study Jason Kidd's game videos."

If he hadn't just shouted those lines that only exist in art films, Lynch would have believed him.

Although Amir Johnson's shameless and brazen boasting was laughable, the fact that the Knicks tied the score was undeniable.

Larry Brown yelled from the sidelines, "Stop being stupid, Melo! That's enough, fucking enough! Stop your damn individualism!"

Anthony didn't get obsessed with singles, and Chauncey Billups wouldn't allow him to.

In this round, Billups tried to find Hamilton, but Eddie Jones's tight defense left no room for him to receive the ball.

With the clock running out of time, Billups had no choice but to call for a screen and drive hard to Marbury. However, Marbury used his equally strong body to withstand Billups's impact, ultimately causing Billups to miss the layup due to a twisted body.

Like Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups has consistently struggled in the playoffs.

Especially as the playoffs progressed into the later rounds, Billups simply couldn't break through the top-level defenses.

The year he won the Finals MVP was purely because the Lakers' point guard defense was simply too blatant. So much so that many people overlooked the fact that before the Finals that year, against the Pacers, Billups averaged only 12 points per game with a 30% field goal percentage.

The Pistons' first-half lead was entirely due to Anthony and Rasheed Wallace. Once they are shut down, the Pistons' offensive machine will completely stall.

The Pistons dynasty's glorious glory is slipping away like quicksand through Anthony's fingers. This team, which built its throne with its iron-blooded defense, is now being devoured by the suffocating defense that made it famous.

In the following rounds, the Pistons struggled offensively.

The Knicks' offense wasn't easy either, but the score was slowly turned around. In the sixth minute of the third quarter, Ben Wallace blocked Marbury's layup attempt, the sound of the backboard trembling telling of the terrifying power of the block.

The basketball bounced hard off the backboard and flew out to the three-point line, where it was caught by Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony dribbled the ball and ran hard. At this moment, there was no one in front of him. This was a rare opportunity to narrow the gap.

The Pistons hadn't scored in a long time, and Anthony was desperate to score, only wanting to run forward. So, he only dribbled once from midcourt to the basket.

It has a LeBron James-esque beauty to it when he plays football.

Because everything happened so fast, the referee did not call a travel.

Anthony drove to the basket and raised his hand for an easy layup.

But just as the basketball was about to drop, the sound of the backboard vibrating rang out again.

"Lynch stopped Cameron's touchdown with a chasing block!" Reggie Miller joked.

Carmelo Anthony stared in astonishment at Lynch, who hadn't scored a single point since Lynch took over his matchup in the second half.

This is an even more tragic star showdown between two players, with Hakeem Olajuwon tormenting the Admiral.

This is even more ridiculous a matchup than Lynch's domination of James in the previous round.

Because LBJ only matched up against Lynch for less than a quarter, it's foreseeable that Lynch won't leave Carmelo Anthony's side on his own initiative.

His nightmare will continue.

Last season, the Detroit Pistons were Lynch's nightmare.

Now, Lynch has become their nightmare.

In the third quarter, under Lynch's one-on-one defense, Carmelo Anthony was like a gangster stripped of all his weapons, and could only surrender.

At the end of the third quarter, Carmelo Anthony's score was exactly the same as at the end of the first half, not changing at all.

With the New Yorkers leading by 11 points going into the fourth quarter, Pistons fans were gripped by fear.

They all looked up, staring at the championship banner on the stadium's dome.

88-89和89-90赛季的两连冠曾让他们一度接近王朝，但被那个天神下凡的23号生生打断，而那也成为了23号宣布属于他的时代来临的开始。

Now, their back-to-back championships in the 03-04 and 04-05 seasons brought them closer to a dynasty. Before the season started, the Detroit media were very confident because no one in this era had the potential to become MJ, and no one could stop the birth of a dynasty.

But at this moment, the New York king who prevented Carmelo Anthony from scoring a single point made the Detroit people feel the same sense of powerlessness they felt when they were dominated by MJ.

The difference is that MJ's performance when he crushed the Pistons in 1991 was very understated, and he didn't actually leave any particularly memorable performance moments.

But Lynch's domination of the Pistons was brutal; his defense, his blocks, his roars will become a nightmare for the next decade, etched into the minds of every Detroit fan.

When the fourth quarter began and rookie Amir Johnson entered the game, no Detroit fans were taunting him anymore; instead, he was shouting at the stands.

"Lin Qi is coming, you're all finished!"

The situation with the pistons has not improved at all.

Lynch's defensive fervor continued, and he didn't make a single mistake in his defense against Anthony.

Every time the Pistons' star player had the ball, it was as if he was stepping into an invisible cage. Even if he managed to create an opening through ingenious tactics, that ghostly figure would always follow him closely, blocking all shooting angles and not even leaving the Motor City leader a chance to draw a foul.

Anthony wasn't obsessed with one-on-one, but every one of his attempts ended in failure.

Just three minutes into the fourth quarter, the point difference was already heading towards 20 points, and the Detroit players' breathing became heavier and heavier as the clock ticked.

Once the point difference exceeds 20, the noose around the defending champion's neck will tighten suddenly.

The Pistons were very patient on this offensive possession, with Chauncey Billups directing his teammates' movements until the final 13 seconds before passing the ball to Anthony.

Anthony drew all of Lynch's attention, but he didn't actually intend to attack; instead, he was waiting for Richard Hamilton to make his run.

Finally, with 7 seconds left on the shot clock, Richard Hamilton shook off Eddie Jones with a series of off-ball runs and received the ball on the right side of the mid-range.

Richard Hamilton was about to shoot when he saw Lynch's rotation help defense suddenly pounce on him, his long arms forcing him to pass the hot potato back.

But Lynch showed no signs of fatigue; while the ball was still in flight, the New York number 20 had already taken two long strides and caught up. By the time Carmelo Anthony received the ball, Lynch was already fully in position!

"He single-handedly completed a full-scale defense!" Reggie Miller's voice trembled. Before this, the dominant force in the Dark Ages of defense was Ben Wallace.

But now, the hegemon should change hands.

Anthony could only force a pull-up jumper, which resulted in his eighth missed shot of the second half.

Amir Johnson couldn't block Ben Wallace, so he jumped early and mimicked Dennis Rodman's move to grab the rebound.

The basketball flew out of bounds, but Amir Johnson made a desperate diving save to retrieve it.

Stephon Marbury forcefully shoved Billups aside with his elbow and firmly grasped the sweat-soaked basketball. At this point, the darkest hour was about to begin.

The scoreboard's scarlet 88-69 stung the nerves of every Pistons fan. If the Knicks made a play in this possession, the point difference would reach 20 points—which would be a death sentence for the Pistons.

Lynch certainly wanted to do it himself; the flames of revenge were burning fiercely in his chest.

He had been feeling frustrated for a whole year. When he suffered a defeat last year, he went to Spain, and the salty sea breeze of Ibiza still seemed to echo in his ears.

Last season, what Lynch hated most was that even though his individual performance was better than Carmelo Anthony's, the New York Knicks were completely outmatched by the Pistons.

Tonight, he can finally put an end to all of this.

Carmelo Anthony was helpless against him, and so was the Detroit Pistons.

Lynch sprinted across half the court, knowing he would be double-teamed if he had the ball, so he planned to resolve the attack off the ball.

After finally shaking off Rasheed Wallace, Lynch positioned himself on the left side of the three-point line to receive the ball.

The roaring celestial reached out to intercept the pass, but the moment he threw his weight forward, Lin Qi made a reverse run and cut into the paint!

Stephon Marbury waited for Lynch to cut inside before passing the ball, then launched an alley-oop.

Before Carmelo Anthony, who was positioned under the basket preparing to fight for a rebound, could even turn around, Lynch, with his legs spread wide, was already on top of him, grabbed the basketball with one hand, and then slammed it into the basket!

As the thunderous roar of the tomahawk dunk echoed through the dome, Anthony collapsed to the ground as if his spine had been ripped away, his forehead slamming heavily against the wooden floor. Beads of sweat, bursting forth, reflected the chilling light of a shattered dynasty under the spotlight.

At that moment, the title of "Michael of the New Era" officially disappeared, and the golden steps to the dynasty were no longer within reach.

His mother had told him, "If you don't stand up for yourself, you'll come home crying every day like you did today."

But his mother didn't tell him that if he had lost that night, he would have cried all the way home.

As the whistle blew sharply, Lynch stood like a mountain before Anthony, looking down at him, arms raised high, with the desolate Detroit stands and the frantically bouncing New York bench behind him.

"Melo, don't be so sad, at least you still have AMVP." Lin Qi ruthlessly trampled on his opponent's dignity.

That super genius who won the NCAA championship in his freshman year, the NBA championship in his first year, and the Finals MVP in his sophomore year has now become the footnote to Lynch's legendary story.

Reggie Miller knew the match was over.

He loosened his already sweat-soaked tie, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard.

"Cameron cannot defeat God, but at least he is qualified to feel God's power."

This is another player, after number 23, to be called God.

And once again, on the night of God's Descent, the people of Detroit heard the rumble of a collapsing dynasty.

The Detroit Pistons never gave up in the subsequent games, but Lenny Wilkens did not let Lynch take the court.

As a result, Carmelo Anthony failed to score a single point in the entire second half.

The Detroit Pistons lost Game 5 at home 68-96.
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I've said before that Kevin Garnett is the best defensive player in NBA history. He would guard Tracy McGrady, he would guard Tim Duncan, and when we played the 76ers he was even assigned to guard Allen Iverson—his defense was just that great! But now, I have to say, KG can only be ranked second. —Sam Cassell on Lynch's second-half performance in locking down Carmelo Anthony.

The series still goes back to New York for Game 6, but I think the Detroit fans can start preparing for the Pistons' funeral early. Game 6 isn't a game; it's Lynch's coronation ceremony as he ascends to the top of the East. — Reggie Miller on the series' trajectory.

24 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks, including a shutout performance against Melo in the second half. Lynch's individual performance was unparalleled; he emerged victorious in any star-studded matchup. He will be the best individual player of this era. — Charles Barkley's assessment of Lynch.

After this game, you must respect LeBron James. At least LBJ can win a game-winning shot against the Washington Wizards with a traveling violation. What about Melo? His traveling violation that spanned half the court today was even blocked by Lynch. I'll say it again, you must respect LeBron James! —Stephen A. Smith

(End of this chapter)