Champion Rules

Chapter 78, Section 074: He wouldn't mind pushing him even higher (Seeking monthly votes!)

Gilbert Arenas stood in the shadows with his arms crossed, the deafening cheers from Madison Square Garden piercing his eardrums.

Under the spotlight, Lynch was enjoying a royal entrance ceremony, which prompted Washington's Number 0 to let out a soft hum.

"Those damn lucky ones!"

Arenas has always believed that he deserved such stardom.

He was just unlucky.

Those blind general managers prevented him from getting a decent draft pick, and the Warriors' foolish former head coach Dave Cowens caused him to start his career as a substitute.

If he had been elevated to this level since his debut, he would have become a superstar long ago!
“You guys are just luckier than me!” Gilbert Arenas muttered.

He couldn't understand why people like Lynch and Anthony were more popular than him, just like people couldn't understand why the 97th Academy Award for Best Picture was "Anora," which tells a melodramatic story about a rich second-generation heir falling in love with a stripper, but his mother disapproves.

He stared at Lynch being chased by the cameras, and suddenly burst into a hysterical laugh. Yes, he had indeed been crushed by the defending champions' steel torrent in Motor City. But he knew all too well that the matchup was unfair; Anthony had only won because of a stronger roster.

Today, he will show Anthony what it means to win a real game!

If I can't beat the defending champion, I can't fucking beat you?

As the game began, Bill Walton believed that the outcome would not be easily decided.

Because the Wizards are not weak this season, having reached as high as third in the Eastern Conference, and are currently ranked fifth.

A healthy Gilbert Arenas has transformed a team that only won 25 games last season.

“Gilbert, Antoine, and Larry won’t let Lynch off easy,” Bill Walton predicted.

Arenas blew Marbury apart in the very first possession, using his monstrous upper body, honed from sweating it out in the gym in the early hours of the morning, to crush Marbury as he drove past him.

After pushing him aside, Arenas stepped back to the three-point line and launched a three-pointer, scoring successfully.

Gilbert Arenas' offensive firepower is undeniable, and he felt a strange sense of pleasure watching Marbury cursing in front of him.

Arenas, a second-round pick who felt his fate was unfair, loved to torment these talented players standing under the offensive spotlight.

"That's why you get caught up in trade rumors, Stephen, while I would never be traded by the Wizards."

This undoubtedly hit Marbury where it hurt; he thought everything had changed after he had worked so hard.

In the end, he was still put on the shelf by the assassin without hesitation.

This incident did indeed leave a lingering resentment in his heart, causing him to doubt his own worth once again.

But at this moment, he would never give up on himself like he used to because of this trash talk.

Because he knew that his good brother had slapped the assassin hard for his sake.

Lynch didn't slap the assassin entirely for Marbury's sake, but Marbury believed that Lynch stood up for him and brought that bastard down completely.

That damned assassin is no longer qualified to assess his own worth.

On the streets of Coney Island, if someone stands up for you like that, you should stand up for that person too.

Marbury would now stand up for Lynch unconditionally.

"Stephen, if it doesn't work, let Grant guard him. That bastard's physique is way beyond that of a guard," Lynch said to Marbury as he ran forward.

"Save your breath!" Marbury dribbled the ball forward. "Don't worry about things you shouldn't be worrying about, I'll handle him!"

The game continued, and Marbury passed the ball to Grant Hill, then immediately began active off-ball movement.

After half a season, the New York sons have become increasingly enthusiastic about playing off-ball.

Marbury's sharp runs tore apart the Wizards' defense, forcing brief gaps in their defensive formation.

Grant Hill immediately seized the opportunity, flicking his wrist to deliver a precise pass to the paint. Lynch, with his broad back muscles firmly holding down Antoine Jamison, calmly received the ball!

The Wizards rank 10th in the league offensively this season, but only 19th in defense.

Their weakest point on the defensive end is Antoine Jamison.

From college onwards, Antoine Jamison was a player who could only attack and not defend.

But he was very confident when facing Lin Qi's back-to-the-basket one-on-one attack, and even dared to shout: "Hey girl, turn around and let me see you."

Jamison has never been so arrogant on the defensive end in his life. Tonight, he was not suddenly courting disaster, but rather he was too familiar with the Chinese rookie's usual tactics.

Lynch's only post-up move is the back-to-the-back spin move, which worked well at the beginning of the season, but as other teams have studied him more thoroughly, Lynch's post-up efficiency has clearly decreased.

Because everyone knows that whichever shoulder Lin Qi slightly lowers, he will move to that side.

Speed ​​and physical strength alone are no longer enough for Lynch to operate efficiently in a low position.

After receiving the ball, Lynch slightly swayed his left shoulder. This offensive kaleidoscope from North Carolina, like a shark smelling blood, instantly leaned his entire body to the right.

Be on guard!
However, the next second, amidst the ear-piercing screech of his shoes on the floor, Lynch suddenly turned in the opposite direction, using an agility disproportionate to his size to switch his pivot foot and center of gravity. The gust of wind generated by his right turn swept past Jamison's temple, and Lynch completely beat him!
Jamison stood there, stunned. He had watched countless videos of Lynch's matches, but Lynch had never made a similar feint in those videos.

After a long period of practice, Lynch's low-post footwork has improved significantly, and he can now perform some simple low-post feints.

And his talent ensures that he never travels when making these footwork feints.

Wizards center Brandon Haywood attempted to help defend, but Kurt Thomas used his rock-solid lower body to firmly block him outside the three-second zone, leaving him only able to watch as the basketball was slammed into the net.

After completing the dunk, Lynch pointed at Jamison and said, "You can only watch me turn around and put on a show, you softie."

The moment they landed, Lynch and Arenas's eyes clashed violently amidst the clamor.

Arenas glared fiercely at Lynch, but Lynch didn't look away.

Their eyes held only the purest desire, the eagerness to destroy their opponent.

The game continued, and the General made his usual strong run, his powerful physique making him extremely difficult to defend against on the back line.

However, his breakthrough wasn't so smooth because Stephon Marbury's almost frantic harassment made it difficult for him to gain speed.

Arenas was waiting for Lynch to help defend, and as soon as Lynch moved, he would immediately pass the ball to Antawn Jamison.

Although that guy's defensive ability is average, his offense is absolutely reliable.

The backup defense did arrive, but it wasn't Lynch who came; it was Grant Hill.

The general, caught in a double team, did not pass the ball because he thought the small forward Jarvis Hayes, who was left unmarked, was a lazy and unambitious jerk who didn't deserve to receive the ball from him.

Driven by his obsessive nature, he forced his way through the double-team of Grant Hill and Stephon Marbury, sending the basketball hurtling through the rim in an exaggerated arc. Lynch leaped up and grabbed the rebound.

This is Gilbert Arenas's logic: lazy people don't deserve to receive his ball, and he'd rather force a shot than easily pass the ball to those guys.

After grabbing the backboard, Lynch lightly touched his temple with his fingers: "Idiots can't play basketball. You can't get high scores by just throwing up shots."

"FVCK YOU!" Arenas's furious curse was drowned out by the deafening cheers from Madison Square Garden.

He clenched his teeth, annoyed by both Lynch's trash talk and Marbury's defense.

Facing Stephon Marbury, he actually felt like he was facing Chauncey Billups—Marbury's defensive skills were certainly not as good as Billups', but his defensive aggressiveness was just like that of the Pistons players, making every breakthrough feel like trudging through concrete.

What's wrong with this guy? Wasn't he just put on the shelf?
It wasn't surprising to Arenas that Stephon Marbury could play well for half a season; anyone can have a moment of sudden realization.

But even after being put on the trading block once again, he still devoted himself wholeheartedly to the team, which Gilbert Arenas could not understand.

What kind of magic did Lynch possess? He managed to transform Stephon Marbury into someone no one recognized at all.

The game continued, and Lynch wanted to continue his post-up game against Antawn Jamison, but it was clear that the Wizards weren't that stupid; they wouldn't just stand by and watch Lynch break his career scoring record over Jamison.

If Jamison were to guard Lynch one-on-one, it would be an easy task for Lynch to score more than 41 points. The Wizards would never allow Lynch to complete the "411 Project" of "41 points for one win".

The moment Lynch got the ball, Larry Hughes immediately double-teamed him.

This guy, who currently leads the steals list this season, is adept at stealing the ball from your hands from all angles.

Despite the pressure from the steals leader, Lynch maintained his composure. He passed the ball to Trevor Ariza, who had already secretly cut inside. This rookie, who posed no offensive threat, had been left wide open on offense.

Larry Hughes left Ariza open because he double-teamed Lynch, and the rest of the Wizards didn't rotate to Ariza either, leaving him completely open.

In the locker room culture shaped by Arenas, "trash players" like Trevor Ariza were not qualified to receive passes from the core players.

But Lynch is not Arenas.

Ariza took a long stride after receiving the ball and drove straight for the basket, but the strong Brandon Haywood lunged and knocked the slender Ariza away.

The referee blew the whistle, and Arenas gloated: "Is this how you finish the game? At least I can create opportunities to shoot when double-teamed, but what about you?"

Lynch did not respond, but simply pushed the general aside, walked up to Ariza, and helped him up.

After stepping to the free-throw line, Ariza made one of two free throws—contrary to many people's impressions, this player, who is widely recognized as a high-quality 3D shooter, has never been particularly good. Before the 12 season, his free-throw percentage had never even exceeded 75%, and in the year the Lakers won the championship, his free-throw percentage was only 71%.

His shooting talent and ball-handling skills have always been a major obstacle preventing him from going further.

But Lynch still trusted him, and whenever he got a chance, Lynch would pass him the ball.

Arenas believed that Lynch's actions were pointless.

Even if Lynch had made a strong drive, he would have had a better chance of scoring 2 points.

Trash players and lazy players don't deserve to receive the ball, they never do.

Even if they get the ball in open space, they will only hinder the attack.

But Arenas didn't know that it was these details that changed the temperament of the two teams.

Next, on the defensive end, Larry Hughes had just circled out to receive the ball when Trevor Ariza intercepted it ahead of time.

Ariza can't translate Lynch's trust into scoring, but he can translate it into defensive intensity.

After receiving the ball, Ariza, who was not good at dribbling, immediately passed it to Lynch, who was already sprinting forward.

Then, the differences between the two teams began to emerge.

Jarvis Hayes did not forcefully block Lynch; he simply waved ceremonially and watched Lynch carry the ball through.

Because of Arenas's distrust, his honor was not fully tied to Arenas's honor.

Whether Arenas can beat Lynch is none of my business. I might embarrass myself if I try my best to defend.

Lynch slammed his hands against the rim, Arenas cursed Jarvis Hayes's cowardly defense, and then made up his mind not to pass the ball to that lazy bum all night!
Arenas will never know that when he categorized his teammates as "passers worth passing" and "trash unworthy of receiving the ball," Lynch had already forged another, even more terrifying force with his trust.

In the rest of the game, the Wizards were completely dominated.

Arenas could certainly use his incredible individual skills to keep the score close, but everyone watching the game could feel the Wizards' decline.

Their defense wasn't as aggressive as the Knicks', and their play wasn't as fluid as the Knicks'.

In terms of scoring ability alone, Gilbert Arena has a more diverse range of skills and a stronger scoring burst compared to Lynch.

He made many amazing plays: tough shots over defenders, incredible layups, and game-winning buzzer-beaters.

But these brilliant moments, like scattered pearls, can never be strung together to form a necklace of victory.

His Washington Wizards, however, were always chasing the score, forever chasing, always just missing something to catch up.

With the game nearing the end of the fourth quarter, Stephon Marbury had only scored 12 points so far tonight, while Gilbert Arenas on his team had already scored 33 points.

He was utterly and brutally beaten.

Arenas, radiating heat, dribbled the ball, grinning at the Son of New York, and pointed to the scoreboard on the big screen above his head: "Is this how your trusted Lynch protects you from behind?"

Marbury wiped the sweat from his chin and looked up at the scoreboard on the big screen.

Arenas thought Marbury must be feeling desperate after seeing the score difference; his mental defenses must have crumbled. Tonight, he might just be able to score 40 points and lead his team to a comeback victory!

Marbury, however, curled the corners of his mouth into a smile.

"You're calling for a transfer, aren't you guys still down by 9 points?"

Marbury wasn't looking at personal stats at all; he was looking at the score.

Arenas fell silent, wanting to tear the bald man in front of him apart, but Marbury's defense showed no signs of letting up.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He didn't know why this bastard wouldn't submit to him.

He ignored all the players wearing Wizards jerseys, drove into the paint, and forced a layup.

Most of the time, Gilbert Arenas was actually a guard with excellent passing vision.

But the theory that "trash doesn't deserve to receive the ball" and his obsession with tearing apart his opponent made him completely blind to his surroundings, seeing only the basket.

Unbeknownst to him, Lynch was not by Jamison's side this time.

He had already charged toward the restricted area.

As the basketball passed Marbury's fingers, about to fall towards the rim, Gilbert Arenas gritted his teeth, thinking he had finally torn Marbury apart once again.

New York's number 20, however, stretched out his arms, leaped up from behind Marbury, and grabbed the ball directly!

"A block!!!" Bill Walton had barely finished speaking when Lynch had already passed the ball to Grant Hill.

Grant Hill pushed the ball to the three-point line and tossed it into the air.

Stephon Marbury cut into the middle, caught the ball in the air, turned, and dunked to complete the alley-oop.

The Washington Wizards are down by 11 points with only 2 minutes and 21 seconds left in the game.

The thick glass of the luxury suite couldn't block out the earth-shattering cheers. James Dolan stood up amidst the cheers and put down his wine glass.

He had seen enough and had no more doubts about number 20.

"Leaving already? Aren't you waiting to celebrate the victory?" The secretary asked, somewhat surprised.

"No, there will be too much traffic later."

The balding tycoon walked into the parking lot, only to encounter some reporters who had been lying in wait.

Normally, James Dolan would ignore them.

The car slowly drove through the middle of the reporters' area, about to leave the parking lot.

At that moment, he heard a question.

Who will be the next general manager of the New York Knicks? Who do you think could handle a troublemaker like Lynch?

The car came to a sudden stop, and James Dolan, for the first time ever, rolled down the window.

"Why should Lynch adapt to others?" He scoffed, loosening his Hermès tie. "The next general manager must be someone who can adapt to Lynch."

After saying that, Dolan closed the car window again and signaled the driver to start the car.

The car hadn't gone far when the commentator roared from the car radio: "The New York Knicks have crushed the Washington Wizards! Cry, Gilbert, you have no choice but to accept the new order commissioned by Lynch and Cameron!"

Dolan closed his eyes and leaned back against the headrest, his fingertips tracing the newly signed termination agreement.

He wouldn't mind pushing the child to even greater heights, as long as the child has the ability.

Isaiah Thomas was foolish, but at least he wasn't wrong about one thing.

James Dolan only cares about results.

(Thank you so much to the generous donors like Confirmed Goods Received, Fenglingyueyingzongyuanershao, Yixizero, and others! I am deeply grateful!)

(End of this chapter)