Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 642 Let's give the whole alliance a good talking-to! I am the King of the World

With the preseason over, the Knicks' regular season is about to begin!

On October 30th, the opening game of the new season, they will host the Magic at home!

Of course, whether it's magic or not is not important to New Yorkers; they don't care who they'll face in the opening game.

For the Knicks' players and fans, their only expectation this night was the moment the championship banner was raised and the moment the players put on their championship rings!

Fans are eagerly anticipating the opening game, as they are just waiting for the regular season to officially begin!

For New Yorkers, this October has been incredibly long...

Fortunately, even if it takes a long time, October only has 31 days. New York fans only need to wait 30 days to see the team's opening game!

Soon, that day arrived as promised!

Madison Square Garden was packed with enthusiastic fans early on. Not only were all 19000 seats in the stadium full, but in addition to the large number of protesters and fans who applied for tickets on the official website but didn't have any, the team opened an extra section and sold about 2000 more tickets!

This means that more than 21000 people flooded into Madison Square Garden tonight!

And this only includes the fans inside the stadium.

Outside in the square, countless fans who couldn't get tickets were walking back and forth.

Some people had already given up. They knew they couldn't get tickets, so they stopped trying and instead joined the crowd of fans celebrating wildly in the square, celebrating with them.

Another small group of people did not give up; they continued to wander around the square holding up their signs.

Some people had signs that simply said they were asking for tickets at a high price, and were willing to pay extra.

But there are also some people who, like performance art, hold up signs that say all sorts of rewards.

There were beautiful women holding signs offering to kiss people, gay men holding signs offering to let a man bite them, and even more outrageous people willing to have sex with someone for a ticket.

The most outrageous one was a middle-aged man with a pet dog, and the sign he was holding was completely unreadable!

Yes, of course, this guy who was walking his pet dog and holding up an offensive sign soon got his comeuppance.

Several NYPD officers with guns pinned him to the floor and then rescued the poor dog.

As time goes by, the start of the competition, or rather, the time for the championship ceremony, is getting closer and closer.

At least both teams' players had already entered the field and started warming up by this time.

"Allen, how are you doing?" Lin Tian saw Iverson quietly lying on the sidelines getting a massage from the physiotherapist, walked over, and started chatting with him.

"This is terrible." Iverson laughed self-deprecatingly. "I've never felt this bad. There's nothing here, absolutely nothing! Seriously, when I found out I'd been sent here by those Minnesota bastards, I was completely stunned. I'm still not fully awake."

"I hope this is all a dream!"

"I even considered not reporting here, I considered retiring altogether, but professional ethics brought me here to continue my work. But this team is too chaotic; I see no hope or opportunity!"

"Lin, come here, look at them, help me recognize my teammates! I can't even remember their names! There's really nothing about them that's worth remembering! What did I do wrong to have to come here at this age and rebuild with such a hopeless team!"

"And Lin, you know what? I swear, I swear! The moment this team finds a young, reliable guy who can carry the team, they'll kick me out without hesitation!"

It's clear that Iverson is really frustrated. He must have had a terrible few nights these past few months, and his mood is obviously awful!

But looking at the Magic players behind Iverson, Lin Tian could immediately understand Iverson's thoughts.

Looking at the people behind him, Lin Tian couldn't find a single familiar face!

Take one more look, take one more look, keep looking.

I still couldn't find any familiar faces.

If I had to pick, there was one that Hideki Tkoglülin could recognize, but the rest...

I really couldn't recognize her!

God knows why the Magic, whose performance has been terrible in recent years, could still put together such a hopeless, unremarkable, and hopeless roster.

Who did they pick in the draft?!

"Allen, I understand you! You've suffered so much! How many years are left on your contract?" Lin Tian patted Iverson on the shoulder, expressing his deepest sympathy.

Dude, you're really having a tough time!

"Don't even mention it," Iverson said with a bitter face. "Three years left! For the first time, I regret signing such a long contract."

"I really want to leave this awful place right now."

"What happens after you leave?" Lin Tian's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. He put his arm around Iverson's shoulder and said, "You're going to leave anyway. In three years, your performance will be terrible. Instead of looking for a job everywhere and begging for help, why not just leave?"

"Come to the Knicks! Come here and be my backup."

"Go to hell!" Iverson didn't hesitate to flick the middle finger. "Even if I retire, I'll never be a substitute! Especially not a substitute for a bastard like you! Don't even think about it!"

"You don't have to be a substitute, you can play the shooting guard position."

"No way. Don't even think about it." Iverson shook his head again. "I won't team up with a bastard like you!"

"Don't you want the championship?"

"think!"

"Don't you want a super assist king to pass you the ball?"

"think!"

"Aren't we good buddies?"

"yes!"

"Then what the hell are you pretending for! Why aren't you here?!"

"Can't I just not be your lackey? You're the strongest of this era, I admit that." Iverson lay down on the floor again, letting the physical therapist relax his back muscles, and stopped looking at Lin Tian: "I can team up with Kevin, or I can team up with someone else."

"Because I've always believed that I'm no weaker than them. Even if we're together, I'm not their underling."

"But you, Lin, I know I'm not as good as you, I know I can't compare to you, so I won't join you! Joining you would be admitting defeat, it would be abandoning everything, so never!"

Twisted! Extremely twisted! That's Lin Tian's assessment of Iverson.

This guy probably can't even explain what he's thinking, but Lin Tian can understand him.

Ultimately, it all comes down to competitiveness, which is why there's a certain bottom line.

Pity.

It seems that Iverson's later years are destined to be bleak.

I just don't know if he'll be able to afford a hamburger this time.

After greeting Iverson, the warm-up time was basically over, and everyone consciously retreated to the sidelines. Then the lights suddenly went out.

The entire venue was plunged into darkness.

Of course it wasn't a power outage.

Everyone knew what was about to happen, and the entire stadium erupted in a frenzy of roars and cheers!

It's here! It's finally here!

After waiting all summer, it's finally here!

The fans watched with bated breath on the giant screen above the stadium, waiting...

"Whoosh!"

The first sound was the crisp thud of a basketball swishing through the net; the sound was incredibly satisfying!

Then, the big screen finally lit up, and a super long tribute video of about 3 minutes began to play.

From the Knicks' highlights last season, every key moment, every advancement, every opponent they defeated, to the moment they finally lifted the trophy at Staples Center.

Then the team's legends came out one by one, smiling as they offered their blessings to the team.

Bernard King, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe, Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley...

One by one, renowned figures appeared, smiling and offering their blessings. Then, at the very end, the person on the big screen changed to Dolan, the bearded man who chuckled and said, "Does anyone still call me 'Idiot Boss' these days?"

This narcissistic, arrogant, and obnoxious entrance naturally drew a chorus of boos, but this time, the fans had indeed accepted this spoiled brat, and the boos this time were tinged with affection.

It was just a joke, a bit of teasing.

"I am the king of the world!"

Then, as the big screen went dark, the incredibly narcissistic Dolan appeared with a microphone and shouted to the entire stadium, "Shout it with me: Dolan is the King of the World!"

"cut!"

"Shh!"

"Go to hell!"

"Dolan's on a big drink again tonight!"

Dolan was met with a chorus of boos.

However, this guy is really thick-skinned. He was not affected by the boos all over the place at all. On the contrary, he was quite enjoying it and opened his arms as if all 2 fans in the stadium were showing him love.

He deserves a beating!

Then, as the Knicks players went up one by one to receive their championship rings, the fans' attitude immediately changed. Everyone cheered and shouted wildly, and each person who stood on the podium and received their ring received a burst of cheers.

The fans were even quite considerate; after everyone had received their rings, they started chanting Hill and Brown's names again.

Both of these guys just joined the team this year and are ineligible to receive their rings.

"Grant, you'll get a ring!"

"Shannon! You'll get everything you want in New York!"

Look! Who says New York fans are picky, cold-blooded, and not nostalgic?

She's so thoughtful! She's so warm-hearted!

Finally, when Lin Tian received the ring, the crowd erupted in a long and frenzied cheer. The fans' celebration lasted for about 3-4 minutes before gradually calming down.

And clearly, they stopped at this point not because they were exhausted to the limit, but because Lin Tian told them to stop.

This guy, with a rather flamboyant air, stretched out his hand, signaling everyone to stop, then gave Dolan a wicked grin before pointing the microphone and declaring, "We are the kings of the world!"

Cheers! Crazy cheers! The entire stadium erupted in excited shouts, as if Lin Tian had ignited the entire crowd once again, unleashing even more frenzied, exciting, and hysterical shouts and cheers.

Dolan immediately pouted.

Her little expression was incredibly aggrieved.

Why?! Why is there such a big difference in treatment for the same lines?

Am I inferior to Lin? Am I unimportant in the hearts of these fans? What do I lack compared to Lin? Am I not as handsome as him? Is my reputation and public image bad?

After mentally bombarding himself with a rapid five-question-and-answer session, Dolan's resentment vanished, and he calmed down. He felt that all of this was what Lin Tian deserved.

If the fans want to cheer, then let them cheer.

"Finally, let me say a few words to my two new buddies, Grant and Shannon."

"The fans were right! You can get everything you want here!"

"Let's do it again this time next year!"

"Roar roar roar roar roar!"

"Long live!"

"Lin! Victory is certain!"

"Dry them to death!"

"Crush the entire league!"

"Dynasty! Dynasty! Dynasty! We want a dynasty!"

"Victory is certain! Let's try again!"

"Keep coming! Keep coming, again and again!"

The fans at the scene were completely ignited by Lin Tian, ​​and after another round of crazy cheers, the event could finally continue.

The championship banner was slowly raised. This banner, representing the final winner of the 2005-2006 season and the greatest honor and achievement in the NBA, slowly reached the ceiling. Next to it were the Knicks' three championship banners from 99, 70, and 73.

The Knicks' fourth NBA championship in franchise history!

When the lights came on, Lin Tian remained standing in the center of the venue. As is customary, he had to say a few more words.

This guy's remarks continued his usual arrogant, disdainful, and invincible style!

"We all know that this great team has won three championships before and has contributed many wonderful Finals moments."

"For example, Willis Reed's triumphant return back then, scoring 4 points with one leg to lead his team to a comeback victory, stunning Chamberlain face-to-face, and leading his team to the championship!"

"Take Patrick, for example. He once shot 6-for-20 in Game 6 of the 1994 NBA Finals, sending the Rockets to a Game 7!"

"For example, in the 1994 NBA Finals, John Starks, who shot 2-for-18 in Game 7, was instrumental in helping the Rockets win Game 7 and become champions!"

"Those two were the true MVPs for the Rockets' championship in '94!"

"I've always believed that Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets owe each of them a championship ring!"

Lin Tian's words instantly ignited Madison Square Garden. All the fans burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs. The big screen was particularly mischievous, pointing it directly at Ewing and Starks, who were sitting in the front row, causing the two of them to jeer and curse at Lin Tian.

It's only because these guys won the championship in '99 that they're still here. Otherwise, they'd probably be so angry they'd just stand up and leave the court, instead of stabbing each other in the heart like this.

That's so mean!

"Okay, what I really want to say is that before this, although we had won three championships, we never won back-to-back titles, never successfully defended our title! Let alone a dynasty."

"So, you probably already guessed what I'm going to say today!"

"I want to defend my title! I want a dynasty too!"

"Let's meet here again this time next year and the year after!"

"Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!"

"MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"Dynasty! Dynasty!"

"We are the strongest! Number one in history!"

The fans were once again thrilled by Lin Tian's performance. They were genuinely happy and trusted him wholeheartedly!

If you say you can, we believe you! If you say you can lead the team to victory, we believe you too!

Who told you to put up such outrageous and unbelievable stats last season, stats that were exactly like those in a computer game?

It's like using a cheat engine!

With this, Lin Tian's pre-match declaration, or rather, his declaration of war against the entire league, came to an end.

He's finished speaking.

His words tonight will surely spread rapidly throughout the United States, and everyone will know about them very quickly. The Knicks will also become the target of the entire league!

Those strong teams will be eager to defeat the Knicks and prove that they can contend for the championship!

Teams fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot will also be eager to beat the Knicks to gain an advantage in the playoff race.

Those bottom-tier teams are also eager to beat the Knicks. They hope to pull off an upset in this highly anticipated game and show everyone: we're not really bad, we're just waiting for our chance! Our chance to rise again!

Being able to beat the strongest team in the league is enough to prove themselves! They can then be content with being bad.

As for those ordinary stars who haven't yet made a name for themselves, or ambitious rookies eager to prove themselves, fringe players waiting for their chance to shine, or veterans whose performance has declined due to injuries...

Everyone, every team, every player—they all yearn to defeat the Knicks in the new season, even if only once, to prove themselves and make a name for themselves.

This is the resistance and predicament that every defending champion will inevitably encounter, and it is also the reason why so many talented teams can win a championship once, but cannot become a dynasty or successfully defend their title.

After each championship win, they become the target of public criticism!

Teams will study them, explore them, find their weaknesses, and try to counter them.

Only truly strong teams and champions can remain unaffected by these things, undistracted by these situations, undefeated by these things, and untargetable, thus enabling them to successfully defend their titles.

But of course, most championship teams don't actually attract that much hatred or are targeted like this.

The main reason is still Lin Tian.

This guy is so arrogant that every time his team wins a championship, he's bound to be targeted and severely attacked.

But this also shows how strong Lin Tian is.

Even when he was targeted, even when he was studied, even when the entire league was against him, he was still able to win one championship after another, and achieve that unprecedented super dynasty in Indiana.

And now, Lin Tian's second dynasty has begun! (End of Chapter)