Champion Rules

Chapter 99, Episode 095: Carmelo Anthony's Trailer (Seeking monthly votes!)

The day after the Pistons-Cavaliers game, the Cleveland Plain Dealer published several photos of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James.

The two went out for a meal together after the game last night, and they appeared to be very close, arm in arm, chatting happily.

It's not uncommon for star players to become friends, especially since Anthony and James have known each other since high school.

Although they had almost no private interactions in the first two years of their professional careers, it did not prevent them from showing mutual respect in their third season.

These photos themselves are nothing special, but Carmelo Anthony's comments during an interview after returning to Detroit sparked controversy.

“LeBron has a character as pure as gold. I didn’t know him well enough before, but now I know he’s a really good person. He will genuinely congratulate me on my success and wholeheartedly cheer for my achievements. You know, I’ve met a lot of hypocritical guys who call themselves friends. They say congratulations, but they’re jealous behind my back.”

Although he didn't say it explicitly, Melo was implying something about Lynch in his words.

"Damn it, I really don't know who's jealous of whom. That bastard is trying to escalate competitive sports into personal attacks!" Stephon Marbury watched Anthony's interview on the TV in the locker room and felt indignant for his friend.

As a comrade-in-arms who spent every day together, Marbury knew Lynch's character better than anyone else.

He does have many flaws, such as speaking harshly, taking practice matches too seriously, being too arrogant, and being too handsome—being too handsome is certainly a flaw, because being around someone with the highest level of attractiveness inevitably makes teammates feel inferior, which can affect the confidence of others in the locker room to some extent.

Fortunately, the Knicks have Sam Cassell as their anchor.

It's often said that top point guards have an exceptional ability to lower the bar, and that's certainly true. Cassell successfully lowered the bar for the Knicks players' confidence.

With him around, everyone can still confidently look up at the camera.

In short, Lynch is certainly not a perfect person, but jealousy is definitely not one of his flaws.

He was never jealous of anyone. Occasionally, in some games, when Marbury scored more points than Lynch, Marbury never felt jealousy from Lynch.

What he always witnessed was Lynch's sincere high-fives and congratulations, his eyes gleaming with the purest desire for victory.

Lynch was also disappointed by Anthony's remarks, feeling insulted.

It's not that I feel insulted by being called hypocritical, it's just that... one day, someone actually compared me to LeBron James in terms of sincerity?

This is absolutely fucking insulting.

Carmelo Anthony's words sparked some discussion. Compared to cold statistics and game results, the media and fans are more interested in the rivalries and grudges between star players.

During the media open time after the Knicks' practice today, in the locker room of the Greenburg training center, reporters were gossiping about the relationship between Lynch and Anthony.

Do you think that Cameron Anthony's "hypocritical friend" refers to you?

A bunch of microphones and recorders were pointed at Lynch. Just as Lynch was about to speak, Stephon Marbury, shirtless, suddenly rushed into the crowd.

“This is my brother, my teammate, someone who works his butt off every day, but some people are always trying to ruin his reputation. He shouldn’t be treated like this. This is an insult to him, and he has absolutely no reason to pay attention to you.”

Let me answer you: the guy who lost in Detroit was the most hypocritical! He can only accept praise from others, but he's unwilling to praise others!
Does he think he can appear magnanimous by feigning praise for LeBron? If he were truly magnanimous, he wouldn't have fallen out with Lynch.

But to hell with it, the Detroit Pistons are doomed this season. It doesn’t matter whether he praises Lynch or not. The world’s cheers will drown his sour words in the sewers!
Okay, next question!

Lynch chuckled and shrugged. "You guys better listen to the locker room leader. If he says there's a question, then it's a question. How about you prepare some more technically challenging questions next time, like, how do you keep Melo at 15 points per game?"

Laughter erupted in the locker room; the Knicks' locker room atmosphere is sometimes enjoyable even for reporters.

Lynch appeared calm on the surface, but in his heart he had already set Anthony as his next target for execution.

He didn't want to appear particularly irritable, like a spoiled schoolchild.

But he absolutely cannot tolerate Melo's attacks on his personality.

Moreover, Anthony knew that Lynch and LBJ didn't get along, yet he deliberately brought him up to annoy Lynch, which made Lynch even angrier.

However, as a young Caesar, Lynch had too many people on his execution list, so Melo had to wait his turn.

In mid-December, the shadow of two consecutive losses unexpectedly descended upon New York.

The Knicks first lost to the hot Hawks in Atlanta, and then lost at home to the Pacers. Lithuanian Sarunas Jaskovicius did not terrify Lynch at the 04 Olympics, but he showed Lynch his prowess in the NBA. His 5-for-6 three-point shooting allowed the Pacers to complete a comeback in the final quarter.

However, these two losses did not cause much of a stir during the long regular season.

Even the most dominant team in basketball history, the six-time champion Chicago Bulls, only had a record of never losing three straight games.

Two consecutive losses were inevitable, and even the most demanding New York fans wouldn't complain about them.

In the regular season, some losses are acceptable, but others are unacceptable.

After two consecutive losses, the New York Knicks faced a must-win game.

On December 18, the Knicks will host the Phoenix Suns, who are still on a winning streak despite losing Amar'e Stoudemire.

Raja Bale, a player who isn't exactly a star, became the key figure in this highly anticipated match.

His words to Sam Presti when he turned down a contract with the Knicks this summer have already been widely circulated in the media:

"Screw Lynch, that brat can only bully Shaq when his back is practically aching. In Phoenix, I'll win the championship before you and that bastard you even have a beard!"

Raja Bell's chance to realize his dream has arrived.
-
The Phoenix Suns have had a very unlucky season.

This summer, due to the management's stingy salary strategy, they lost two important rotation players, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson, in the transfer market.

This fast-paced, high-scoring team had already lost two ribs, and then at the beginning of the season they lost Amar'e Stoudemire, which was like removing the spine of the team.

As the Suns' primary scorer and the most lethal battering ram in their seven-second offense, losing him is like a man losing his legs, rendering him utterly ineffective.

Many believe that the Suns will be completely defeated this season.

As a result, Steve Nash perfectly demonstrated the ability of a superstar point guard to maintain a minimum standard.

The Suns didn't plummet to the lottery as many predicted, nor did they struggle on the edge of the playoffs. Currently, they hold the third-best record in the Western Conference, behind only the Texas rivals!

The spectacular seven-second offense continues to play out in Phoenix, and Steve Nash has surpassed Dirk Nowitzki to become the number one MVP in the league thanks to this legendary story.

So when Raja Bell arrived in New York, he remained defiant, like a fighting dog, despite the media frenzy.
"We're used to being dogs, we don't need anyone's approval! Yes, I said those things, and I'll say them again in front of the flashing lights in New York! I chose Phoenix because I know better than anyone that that greenhorn and his blustering Knicks will never be able to overcome the Suns' dominance!"

Raja Bell remained tough in front of the New York media. Although the Knicks have a very good record of 16 wins and 6 losses, the Suns are still 14 wins and 8 losses despite their unfavorable situation, just two wins behind the Knicks.

By the end of the season, it's hard to say who will have a better record.

To be honest, Lynch was initially indifferent to Raja Bell's decision not to join the Knicks.

Every decision a professional player makes is a personal decision, and it has nothing to do with right or wrong.

Even if a superstar tries to curry favor with two other superstars, you can at most say he's spineless, but you can't say he did anything wrong.

Raja Bell doesn't like Sam Presti. He doesn't want to come to the Knicks; he wants to go to Phoenix. Those are his personal choices.

But while he refused to join the Knicks, he also belittled the Knicks to highlight his own strength, which annoyed Lynch.

Lynch disliked dogs, especially the snarling, barking rabid dogs in the streets of Brooklyn that would bark incessantly from a safe distance, treating their feeble howls as badges of honor.

But Raja Bell just keeps making noise like a mad dog.

Faced with such a provocation that disgusted all of New York, how could Lynch remain the King of New York if he didn't do something?

That evening, while Lynch was warming up, he heard Spike Lee yelling from the sidelines.

"Enough, Lynch! I've had enough of that idiot's nonsense! Shut him up, okay? Let's have some peace and quiet. I know you can do it easily! We can't deal with the insolent Melo right now, but there's no reason not to deal with Raja Bell right in front of us!"

Spike Lee was right; Lynch couldn't let these arrogant people leave so easily.

Before executing Melo, let's use Raja Bell as a warning to everyone.

The atmosphere of the competition was not very friendly from the beginning.

Raja Bell tackled Stephon Marbury in the very first possession. As a highly aggressive defender, Raja Bell's defense always hovered on the edge of fouls, and he was known for his dirty tricks.

Just now, when Marbury was driving to the basket, Raja Bell subtly bumped him with his elbow, causing Marbury to fall heavily and miss the layup.

The Suns immediately launched a fast-paced offensive surge. Boris Diaw grabbed the rebound and immediately found Nash. Nash received the ball near the midcourt line, allowing the Suns to launch an even faster offensive attack.

Although the Suns lost Amar'e Stoudemire, they also gained something else.

Boris Diaw can do things that Stoudemire can't, such as getting the ball up quickly and orchestrating midfield plays.

Boris Diaw doesn't have Stoudemire's scoring ability, but he can make the Suns play faster and make their half-court offense more varied.

Nash broke through the defense and found Raja Bell at the right 45-degree three-point line in the crowd.

The latter swiftly drained a three-pointer. After scoring, Raja Bell stared at Lynch, continuing his smug barking.

"Don't blame me, blame your idiot general manager. He's the one who made you lose the opportunity to work with a player like me."

"Who the hell wants to work with a piece of trash dog?"

Lynch's response caught Raja Bell off guard.

"What did you say!?"

“Who the hell wants to work with a self-important piece of trash?” Lynch deliberately raised his voice. “You think you’re in high demand? Phoenix only chose you as a cheap replacement because they didn’t want to spend money to keep Joe Johnson. They only valued you because you were cheap, not because you were capable.”

"New York No. 20" continued with a smile.

"If the fans had to vote between Joe Johnson and you, Phoenix would kick you, you piece of trash, without a second thought."

It's fucking ridiculous. A cheap commodity thinking it's in high demand is like a stripper thinking she's a great artist.

Raja Bale's pride was wounded: "Have you said enough? If you have, then hurry up and equalize the score!"

"That's not enough, Raja. This night is going to be very long for you."

After saying that, Lynch turned his back to Boris Diaw and asked for the ball. The King of New York lowered his shoulder and exerted force. In the instant the Frenchman staggered back, the rim was already trembling from the impact of the slam dunk.

Lynch easily turned around and scored with a powerful layup.

With Kurt Thomas on the Knicks roster, the Phoenix Suns' interior defense in this historic era was utterly ineffective.

At least Stoudemire had a size, but Boris Diaw didn't even have that in the paint.

To deal with them, Lin Qi didn't even need to use low footwork.

With a score of 2 to 3, the tone of the all-out offensive battle was set.

Attack against attack—it's an old-fashioned approach, but it's the only correct answer to dealing with top-class attacking teams.

Nash called for Diaw and Marion to set a screen, and Stephon Marbury stayed close to the Wind Child, but still lost half a body length because of the screen.

Lynch immediately helped defend, and Nash almost reflexively passed the ball behind his back to Marion, who was temporarily left out by Lynch beyond the three-point line.

Marion began honing his shooting skills in high school because he was afraid of heights and didn't dare to dunk frequently in games, preferring to be a quiet shooter.

For kids of that era, there was only one perfect template for learning to shoot – Reggie Miller.

Reggie Miller was his idol, and he wore number 31 as a tribute to Miller. Shawn Marion studied Reggie Miller's shooting form day and night, but heaven knows what went wrong, and he ended up looking like the grotesque, inhuman figure he is now.

Marion's unusual shooting form, while accurate, resulted in a release point that was too low.

Marion lacked confidence as Lynch came to fill in for him with his long arms.

Finally, he passed the ball to Raja Bell, who had cut in.

Raja Bell doesn't have strong ball-handling skills, but he's good at spot-up three-pointers and drives to the basket.

After shaking off Eddie Jones and receiving the ball, he headed straight for the basket. Because Kurt Thomas was pulled away by Diaw, Raja Bell only needed a layup to easily score 2 points.

He lifted the basketball and leaped into the air.

He knew that Sam Presti, that bastard, was somewhere watching him right now, regretting what he had done back then.

And that damn 19-year-old greenhorn could only drool over himself wearing a Suns jersey!

The basketball slipped from his fingertips, and Raja Bell's body began to fall.

But then, a deafening thud of the ball filled Raja Bell's ears. A large hand slammed the ball away, and the immense impact sent him flying out of bounds like a kite with a broken string, his back slamming heavily onto the floor.

Lynch delivered a timely bloody slap, sending Raja Bell flying along with the ball!
Raja Bell may be a good defender and a good three-point shooter, but his dynamic talent is just average; his explosiveness and speed are mediocre.

Therefore, Lynch was fully capable of coming back and making the block.

The referee didn't blow the whistle. Lynch swatted the ball away first, which inevitably led to a collision with Raja Bell. So, according to the referee's standards in this era, they wouldn't call a foul on this play.

Madison Square Garden erupted like a volcano, with Spike Lee yelling at the top of his lungs from the sidelines: "Go to hell, Raja!"

Raja Bell clutched his back and looked up to see only a mocking Lynch.

"Cheap stuff and you think you can get points?"

Raja Bale, known for his aggressive style, was rendered speechless by an even more aggressive defense.

He silently stood up, ready to wait for the team to kick off.

He finally calmed down.

But Lynch didn't let him off the hook.

"You worthless dog, you and your Phoenix will never win a championship. As for you, I hope you've learned some basic social etiquette. Come to my place and keep quiet!"

The game continued, and the Suns inbounded the ball. Boris Diaw used a crossover dribble to get past Kurt Thomas and scored on a one-on-one play.

The Knicks are still trailing 2-5.

But Raja Bell didn't continue his boastful remarks; the collision had given him a fleeting glimpse of his deceased grandfather.

That collision made it clear to him that the King of New York was not someone to be trifled with.

Yes, Raja Bell dares to go toe-to-toe with any guard, even Kobe Bryant.

He and Kobe could elbow each other and use dirty tricks against each other.

But you can't play like that with Lynch.

Given Lynch's massive weight, if he were to insist on defending him as aggressively as he had just done, Raja Bell felt he might die.

So he simply retreated to defense and stayed in front of Stephon Marbury.

Of course, this doesn't mean Raja Bell has surrendered.

He simply stopped provoking Lynch, but that doesn't mean he didn't want to win.

He wants to return to the safety of the locker room after the win and continue to taunt these New York bastards!

Raja Bell played aggressive defense, which made things difficult for Stephon Marbury, so he called for a screen.

But Raja Bell was not intimidated by the cover; he quickly bypassed it and soon continued to use rough confrontation against Marbury.

Marbury gritted his teeth and drove straight to the basket, but instead of attacking the rim directly, he tossed the ball behind his head without even turning his head.

This Coney Island juggler knew exactly how to create a stage for Lynch's performance.

Raja Bell turned around in surprise, only to realize that he was right in front of the basket.

Before him, Lynch, who had already caught the basketball in mid-air, loomed over him like a terrifying shadow. Anyone who has been dunked on knows how intense the sense of despair can be at that moment.

He was like an insignificant piece of dead wood standing in front of a torrent of steel, and Lynch had no intention of protecting his opponent.

He remained in a bent-knee position in mid-air—not intentionally, but he certainly didn't deliberately pull it back.

"boom!"

Raja Bell felt dizzy, his feet left the ground again, and he was sent flying like a withered branch in a hurricane, only to be slammed heavily onto the floor once more.

"Trial slam! God, heaven knows how much impact Raja Bell endured; he was like he'd been uprooted! Lynch showed no mercy; he was furious!"

The shouts of the on-site commentators, the frenzied cheers of New Yorkers, Lynch's cold expression, and the blinding spotlights all intertwined to create Raja Bell's nightmare.

He felt dizzy, and excruciating pain spread throughout his body, as if his entire body had fallen apart. His vision was blurry, and he felt as if the whole stadium was spinning.

Lin Qi looked at him as if he were trash, and said coldly:
“A bargain is a bargain. By the way, I haven’t said enough yet, Raju. Get up and continue.”

Spike Lee, who had just been shouting and yelling, was unusually calm this time.

Yes, the King of New York would not allow anyone who uttered such blatant lies to leave safely. Then, something even more exciting suddenly occurred to him.

The devastation Raja Bell suffered tonight might just be a preview of Cameron Anthony's career.

Lin Qi would never easily forgive people like them.

(End of this chapter)