Champion Rules

Chapter 97, Episode 093: San Antonio is a breeding ground for background characters (Seeking monthly votes!)

If Moses Malone relied on his offensive rebounding skills for his entire career...

Tim Duncan made a living off a single trash talk for his entire career.

Lynch hated the phrase "Nice try." Even when said in the calmest tone, those two words were full of sarcasm.

Of course, what really makes Lynch hate that statement is that he has never beaten that guy in his professional career.

The composed number 21 always gnaws at the pride in his young soul.

So whenever Duncan says those two words, Lynch feels like his heart is being torn apart.

At the ATT Center, while the players were warming up, Sam Presti was chatting with his former colleague, Spurs general manager RC Buford, in a luxury suite.

"Are there any hidden gems from the class of 06 that catch your eye? Do you have anything to share with us? Anything is fine."

"Keep an eye on Paul Millsap of LSU, he's an underrated guy." Sam Presti didn't mince words, because the Knicks might not need Millsap, and the Spurs wouldn't necessarily pick whatever he suggested.

Therefore, he is willing to share his findings.

NBA general managers are sometimes rivals, but they also sometimes exchange information, just like men who go to karaoke bars never hesitate to swap female companions.

Compared to the players, the competition among general managers is not as intense.

Moreover, Presti was originally from the Spurs system, so he was very mild in his attitude towards Buford.

"You mean that guy who's 201cm tall with shoes on, but doesn't have any small forward skills and can only play power forward? As far as I know, he doesn't have Dennis Rodman's athleticism or Charles Barkley's big butt. How is he supposed to play power forward in the NBA?" RC Buford expressed doubt about Millsap's value.

"His physique isn't great, but he has a high basketball IQ and is very smart on defense. If he can develop his shooting, he'll be a quality rotation player." Even Sam Presti thinks Millsap is at best a quality rotation player.

If someone told Presti and Buford that Millsap would be a four-time All-Star and an All-Defensive Team selection, they would definitely think that person was out of their mind.

That's enough about the draft. RC Buford pointed to Duncan, who was standing still and performing a windmill dunk: "Tim is very healthy this season, much healthier than the past two seasons. Our weight-reduction strategy is working. I think San Antonio is about to embark on a great voyage. It's just a pity that you are no longer the navigator on the ship."

The Knicks' general manager leaned back in his leather sofa, his gaze sweeping across the glass of the box as he looked at Lynch, who was warming up: "The steel warship at Madison Square Garden is also fully prepared, the locker room burning with the fighting spirit to challenge the Pistons dynasty, every rivet fitting perfectly."

"Challenge the Pistons? Then how about the Spurs?" Buford's lips curled into a mocking smile, as if he were teasing the rookie manager.

"Lin Qi will certainly run you over too."

"Hahahaha." Buford laughed happily, the Spurs' leader looking at his former deputy as if he were a child holding a toy sword and claiming he would slay a dragon.

He admitted that Sam Presti was very capable, much better than that useless Smiling Assassin.

But Sam Presti naively thought that winning the championship was too easy, like listening to a high school player who never went to college and was arrogant enough to say, "I'm going to surpass Michael Jordan."

He had no idea how many difficulties were hidden behind those words.

Previously, Sam Presti played on a team with Tim Duncan, which is why he thought winning a championship would be an easy thing.

But now, without Duncan, everything is different.

RC. Buford didn't want to reveal the harsh truth directly, because the upcoming match would show Presti just how unrealistic his fantasies were.

He'll find out soon enough.

On the field, the referee had already instructed both teams to move their players towards the center circle.

Lynch stared directly at Tim Duncan's poker face, then lightly leaped twice, the sharp sound of his shoes rubbing against the floor like a battle horn.

Just like his mindset when facing the Mavericks, this was by no means just an ordinary regular season game for Lynch.

This is about his dignity, and about the Knicks' ceiling this season.

Lynch admitted that he couldn't beat Duncan last season because of a lack of raw skill.

But after converting all the talents he gained this summer into immediate combat power, Lynch is now qualified to challenge the Stone Buddha.

Manu Ginobili's phenomenal performance in the last game created the illusion that the Spurs still dominate the Knicks, but tonight, that illusion will be shattered.

Grant Hill was at home watching TV; he wasn't there in person, but it felt like he was with his teammates.

He could feel the air in the ATT Center and hear the shouts of the fans.

He glanced at the basketball he had placed on the top shelf of the cabinet, a basketball covered with all the Knicks players' scores, and clenched his fists.

"It's time," Hill whispered to the screen, the throbbing in his chest perfectly synchronized with Lynch's leap for the ball.

Lynch wins the first possession for the Knicks – ever since New York fans complained that the Knicks never get the first possession, Lenny Wilkens has been using Lynch to fight for the ball in the last few games.

The amazing thing is that the Knicks won every single game in which Lynch was used to contest the ball.

So this became a little superstition among New York fans and the Knicks: whenever Lynch gets the ball, we'll have good luck.

Stephon Marbury was matched up against Bruce Bowen. Bowen knew that Marbury wasn't a strong shooter with the ball, so he gave him some space.

Marbury didn't rush to accelerate; instead, he called for Lynch to set a screen.

Faced with a pick-and-roll, Duncan did not switch on defense, but merely delayed Marbury before quickly returning to Lynch's side.

Marbury passed the ball to Lynch, who bounced out to the free-throw line after the screen. Duncan raised his arm to block the space, but Lynch suddenly lowered his center of gravity and drove to the basket.

Duncan couldn't keep up with Lynch's speed, but the Spurs also had the 213cm tall Rasheed Nesterovic as their second line of defense under the basket.

Lynch's best opportunity was to pull up and shoot a jump shot from mid-range. Of course, as always, the Knicks lacked a player who could handle the ball and shoot from mid-range.

However, Lynch had other ways to solve the problem.

He suddenly paused under the basket, raised the basketball, and faked a shot. Although Duncan wasn't faked out, his rhythm began to become chaotic.

Lynch seized a fleeting defensive gap, spun on one foot like a ballerina, flicked the ball from his fingertips, turned and hooked it in, 2-0!

These are offensive skills that Lynch didn't possess last season. The reckless young star who only knew how to violently attack the basket last season has now transformed into a rim artist.

Lynch was very aggressive tonight; he was desperate to gain an advantage over Duncan.

The stone Buddha, however, interprets dominance in a different way.

This season, the Spurs' way of easing Duncan's burden wasn't by reducing his playing time, but by further distributing his shot attempts to Parker and Ginobili.

On the court, especially on the offensive end, Duncan no longer needs to shoulder the entire burden.

He didn't really engage in much physical contact with Lynch this round, because he was constantly moving around and setting screens for his teammates, and he didn't seem to be thinking about receiving the ball himself.

Ginobili cut in along the baseline with a ghostly motion, while Duncan's broad shoulders formed a mobile barrier for the Argentine maestro.

Eddie Jones correctly judged his direction of movement and quickly bypassed the cover, but unfortunately the Argentine was just too fast.

Parker's pass weaved through the crowd, and Manu Ginobili's blade flashed with a cold light.

Ginobili flew over the basket and scored with a layup.

"Manu Ginobili will always be a thorn in the Knicks' side!" Mike Breen remarked.

Manu Ginobili is a phenomenal player, never mentioned when people discuss superstars. But whether facing the Pistons, who benefited from the dark defensive era, in last season's Finals, or the Knicks, who rekindled their fighting spirit, Ginobili delivered a more efficient performance than many superstars.

Don't forget, the best offensive player in last season's Finals wasn't Carmelo Anthony, who won the Finals MVP, but Manu Ginobili.

Despite averaging only 2 points less than Carmelo Anthony, Ginobili displayed an efficiency on a completely different level.

But the demonic sword will eventually be sheathed.

He couldn't play for much time, and Popovich basically kept track of his playing time with the clock, limiting it to below 30 minutes.

Once he's on the court for more than 30 minutes, Ginobili becomes a complete liability.

They can neither guarantee offensive efficiency nor defend seriously.

A demonic sword with a blunted blade cannot harm anyone.

The reason the Spurs lost to the Pistons last season was that when Ginobili was off the court, the Pistons were still able to score thanks to Carmelo Anthony, while the Spurs' offense simply came to a standstill.

Therefore, what Lynch had to do was quite simple.

Make sure the Spurs can't gain an advantage when Ginobili is on the court, and then keep scoring for the team when Ginobili is off the court!

If Carmelo Anthony can do it, Lynch believes he can too.

The next five minutes were a tense moment, with Ginobili using various unconventional moves to tear apart the defense, while Lynch used his already excellent low-post offense to keep the score close.

Duncan found it incredibly difficult to defend Lynch. Last season, when Lynch's mid-range shot wasn't falling, he would just force his way to the basket, which was exactly the type of player Duncan loved to defend.

This season, however, Lynch's mid-range shooting touch has become much more consistent, and his moves around the basket have become much more varied.

Duncan is the most underrated defensive player in NBA history, and one of the best defensive players in NBA history.

But there's another rule in the NBA—superstars are unguardable.

That's the feeling Lynch gave Spurs fans at the ATT Center tonight.

Despite facing Duncan's defense, Lynch was still able to execute some impressive offensive plays.

Five minutes later, Lynch scored 8 points in the quarter, and Ginobili scored 9 points in the quarter.

The Spurs were down by 3 points when a timeout was called. It was obvious that Ginobili should be taken off the court.

At that time, the Spurs' offensive firepower will be greatly reduced.

This is the perfect opportunity for Lynch to tear open the Iron Curtain of the Holy City.

Sitting on the bench, Lynch clapped his hands loudly: "The Spurs' offense will start relying on Tim Duncan, and I'll handle him. The Spurs' game strategy will start relying on Tim Duncan's defense, and I'll still handle him. Believe me, we can smash the AT&T Center!"

No one doubted Lynch; they all believed that this young leader could put the great Tim Duncan in a tough fight.

Lynch went back on the court and saw Duncan, whose expression remained calm.

Tonight, he's going to seal that damn "Nice try" deep in Duncan's throat forever.

The game continued, with the Spurs taking the lead.

Sure enough, Duncan stopped playing the screen game and instead went into the low post, backing down Lynch.

Lynch didn't try to get around Duncan; he couldn't give Duncan any room to turn around when facing his superior skills.

Number 21 calmly received the ball, and Kurt Thomas immediately double-teamed him.

Duncan turned and jumped to shoot, but missed the shot under tight defense.

Lynch grabbed the rebound, ran to the frontcourt, and raised his hand to call for the ball in the mid-range.

You can't directly post up against Duncan; that would be asking for trouble.

Duncan decided to test Lynch's mid-range shooting touch, not sticking to him completely, leaving him a step of space.

Without hesitation, Lynch made a mid-range jump shot.

"Tim, what's going on? Where did you go?" Lynch asked as he backed down, spewing trash talk.

But Tim Duncan didn't react at all, as if he had gone deaf.

After one round, Tony Parker unleashed his breakthrough technique.

However, the crowded paint caused his layup to miss the rim, and Lynch secured the rebound again, turning the Spurs' offense into a one-off deal.

Then came almost the same script.

Tim Duncan wanted to test Lynch's long-range shooting ability, so he didn't press him.

Lynch easily took the shot, and the basketball went in again!
"WTF? Tim? Have you been possessed by that lazy shark from Miami? If you keep defending like that, I'll give you a point that will humiliate you!"

Lynch continued to verbally provoke Duncan, but Duncan showed no expression and didn't even glance at Lynch.

Now, Lynch understands what Garnett meant when he said, "Trash-talking TD is the worst thing in the world."

In his presence, any trash talk is like a stone thrown into an abyss, failing to elicit the slightest echo.

But Lin Qi did not feel defeated. Since words could not penetrate the stone Buddha, he would melt it with even more violent flames!
In the next possession, Lynch hit another long two-pointer. After the timeout, Lynch had scored 6 consecutive points.

Craig Popovich whistled and made several hand gestures from the sidelines.

When Lynch attacked again, the Spurs changed their defensive strategy.

Duncan was no longer directly matched up against Lynch; instead, Rajo Nesterovic guarded Lynch.

When Lynch received the ball in the mid-range, Nestenovic immediately closed in, while Bruce Bowen double-teamed him.

Lynch passed the ball to Marbury, who was left wide open. Marbury received the ball and drove straight to the basket, but was blocked by Duncan in the paint and missed the layup.

The Spurs finally stopped the Knicks' offensive onslaught. Popovich's tactical change was essentially to move Duncan to the center position to guard the paint, allowing Nestorovic to outwit and outmaneuver Lynch.

Although Lynch could easily break past Nestenovic, he couldn't score easily against the shadow of number 21 under the basket.

The Spurs' defense ultimately reverted to its old routine—guiding others to break through from the middle and face Duncan directly.

Popovich's defensive system, centered around Duncan, has been rampant in the league for many years, seemingly outdated yet consistently effective.

After all, how many players in the entire league are like Kobe and Anthony, who are masters of mid-range ball handling?
Lynch must find a way to counter the Spurs' defensive strategy; he can't make shots from mid-range, but he can find other ways.

The Spurs' defense finally succeeded, and the point difference was fixed at 9 points.

But their attacks continued to fail.

In this possession, Duncan drove hard to the basket, drawing a foul from Lynch, but despite the intense competition, Duncan missed both free throws.

Free throws are almost Duncan's biggest weakness on offense. This season, Duncan's free throw percentage is only 62%, and missing two free throws is a common occurrence.

However, Duncan showed no sign of frustration; you couldn't sense any emotion in this man.

Marbury dribbled the ball past half-court and passed it to Lynch for a mid-range shot.

Nestenovic immediately pressed forward, and Bruce Bowen joined the attack without hesitation.

Inside the private room, RC. Buford smiled and said, "Expecting him to crush Tim? Sam, the championship isn't as easy as you think."

Under Sam Presti's watchful eye, Lynch passed the ball to Marbury, who took a three-pointer, but the basketball slammed against the rim.

Fortunately, Lynch's excellent rebounding instincts and superior athleticism allowed him to grab offensive rebounds, giving the Knicks a chance to widen the gap.

However, Popovich believes that as long as the Spurs' stable defensive system continues to function, the outcome will be the same no matter how many times the Knicks try again.

The moment Lynch grabbed the rebound, Nestenovic and Bruce Bowen launched a double-team attack.

Lynch decided to break through, and as the two players rushed at him, he dribbled the ball and accelerated, heading straight for Duncan.

R.C. Buford gloated, swirling his wine glass. Lynch had made the worst possible choice.

Any player who attempts to challenge Duncan in this way will ultimately fail.

People always laugh at Tim Duncan's embarrassing moments of being dunked on, but they overlook the countless perfect rim protections Duncan has provided behind the occasional successful dunks.

Those who only know how to run up the court and launch fast breaks will certainly not get dunked on.

Buford is confident in his defense against Duncan, and Lynch will suffer a crushing defeat.

Lynch drove to the basket and lifted the ball up from behind Duncan, who had his arms outstretched.

But instead of jumping or shooting, he suddenly paused with his excellent body control, turned around, and seemed to be about to turn around and shoot!
Duncan had to take a step forward. He knew Lynch might fake a move, but he couldn't afford to let his turnaround jumper slip away this season.

Sure enough, seeing Duncan take a step forward, Lynch stepped to the basket again.

At that moment, the fans at ATT Center were filled with terrible memories, as if they could see Hakeem Olajuwon shaking off The Admiral on the court again!

Hakeem Olajuwon seems to have crawled out of the videotape and is now attached to this New York madman!
But Duncan isn't an admiral; he won't jump to block shots easily.

He only took one step; he didn't jump to block the shot.

So now, he can still get back into the paint in time, staring at the basketball Lin Qi is holding above his head, with both feet off the ground.

The show's over, kid.

However, as soon as Duncan's toes left the ground, he was shocked to discover that Lynch's move was still just a feint!

He was very patient, and his third fake finally shook up Tim Duncan, who was known for never making mistakes!

As Lin Qi faked out Duncan, he did a back spin move and followed up with a hook shot, the basketball going in off the backboard without any interference!

"A dream come true! Tim Duncan is just like the Admiral who was once outmaneuvered by the Hakeem Olajuwon! History seems to have come full circle. My God, this is an offensive play that is destined to be replayed on major TV stations for many years to come. The Spurs' big men can't escape the fate of becoming the background for their fancy footwork!"

That's right, San Antonio is famous for its backdrops.

With Mike Breen yelling, the Knicks extended their lead to 11 points, forcing the Spurs to call a timeout!

RC. Buford's glass froze in mid-air, while Sam Presti made a cheerful "clapping" sound next to him.

The applause was like a series of resounding slaps.

"You're right, I wouldn't have won the championship so easily without Tim. But RC, even though I've left, I'm still standing on the shoulders of giants!"

After scoring such a brilliant goal, Lynch didn't roar as people expected.

He simply looked calmly at Duncan, lowered his voice, and spat a poisoned arrow at the staggering Duncan as he landed:

"Bad try, Timmy."

The thrill of revenge made Lin Qi's lips curl into a smile; he was enjoying the moment.

Let's see if you'll still utter those two words in the future!
This time, Lynch's trash talk created ripples in the abyss.

Duncan's usually impassive mask finally cracked, and curses mixed with sweat splattered onto the floor.

The shadow of the stone Buddha finally showed its first crack.

Grant Hill looked at the Knicks, who were leading by 11 points after the first quarter, and once again glanced at the basketball on the top shelf of the cabinet.

The words "For the Championship" on the basketball became three-dimensional, giving Grant Hill a glimpse into the future.

(End of this chapter)