But neither his teammates nor the coach reacted negatively.
His teammates began running their plays, while the head coach did nothing but watch intently.
In Europe, the point guard was the brain of the team, and everyone on the court followed his commands.
As for the head coach, he had personally promoted Sun Hao to the starting lineup. There was no way he would bench Sun Hao at a time like this.
As a result, Sun Hao had become a privileged player on the court.
After a series of crossovers, Sun Hao shook free a sliver of space and launched a three-pointer.
The opposing undersized guard reacted quickly as well, closing out to contest him.
It was a difficult long-range shot.
Previously, Sun Hao would have been like Novak: an open three turning into a contested one, with his shooting percentage plummeting.
But with the Long-Range Sharpshooter Badge, he had undergone a fundamental change.
Right now, it was as though he were shooting over the Shooting Training Machine in the system, calmly releasing the ball.
The ball spun through the air in a graceful arc.
Swish!
With a crisp sound, Sun Hao hit the contested three!
At the sight of it, the head coach could not stop himself from pumping his fist, his face filled with excitement.
Sun Hao had forced the issue a little on that possession, but a made shot was a good shot!
Everyone had their own personality. The fact that he had promoted Sun Hao to the starting lineup after seeing his performance meant he was not a stubborn man.
Now that Sun Hao had made the shot, he could be forgiven for not running the play.
The atmosphere in the arena was instantly ignited. The Real Madrid fans beside the opposing fans began shouting back at them.
This back-and-forth made the game even more thrilling.
Sun Hao's three-pointer was a huge boost to morale, but more importantly, it subtly changed the flow of the game.
The opposing team was good at defensive counterattacks, but their ability to break down a set defense was quite average.
Once Sun Hao started making shots, their scoring efficiency dropped sharply.
That was immediately evident on the court. The opposing team failed to execute its play and was forced into a thirty-second violation by Real Madrid Team's defense.
When the ball came back the other way, Sun Hao again signaled for everyone to clear out so he could play one-on-one.
This time, the fans got excited. Many stood up from their seats and began cheering loudly.
They had never seen anyone play like this in the Plata League before, but it felt... so exhilarating!
Sun Hao went through another series of crossover moves, but this time the opposing guard stayed tighter to him.
Seeing that, Sun Hao took a small step back and quickly rose for a three.
The undersized guard still had not been shaken off and reached out to obstruct Sun Hao's shooting vision.
This shot was even harder than the previous one.
The ball barely cleared the defender's fingertips and traced a high arc through the air.
Swish!
To the anticipation of the home fans, the basketball once again dropped cleanly through the net!
Sun Hao had made three straight three-pointers to start the game!
And each of the last two had been harder than the one before!
"Wake up already!"
In the stands, an excited male fan tugged his nearly sleeping girlfriend to her feet.
The female fan looked utterly confused. She had only come to watch the game with her boyfriend. She did not understand basketball, and she found it boring.
"Look at the rain!"
"What rain?"
"Three-Point Rain!"
Unfortunately, the excited fan failed to stir his girlfriend's interest, making him so frustrated that his nostrils flared.
That scene was a microcosm of the sidelines.
After Sun Hao completed his hat trick, became the Dragon King, and unleashed a Three-Point Rain, the emotions of the fans had been completely stirred up.
Even the opposing fans looked helpless now.
The score had been 4–3, but in the blink of an eye, it had become 4–9!
They had truly never seen anyone play like this!
After making that three, Sun Hao excitedly raised his hand and flashed a three-point gesture before turning to look toward the stands.
He saw Jocelyn waving and cheering for him just like everyone else.
She did not make a heart with her hands or blow him a kiss like last time, but seeing that reaction from her was enough!
The opposing team finally scored on its next possession. It had been a little messy, but the basket was crucial and temporarily stabilized the situation.
A 6–9 scoreline was not much of a gap.
Then, on the next possession, Sun Hao's contested shot bounced off the rim.
The opposing bench erupted in cheers, and their fans in the stands let out long breaths of relief.
The game was still up for grabs.
Real Madrid Team got back quickly, stopped the opposing fast break, and secured the defensive rebound.
After grabbing the rebound, Real Madrid Team launched a Fast Break. Sun Hao saw the opposing defenders collapse into the paint early and pulled up for a transition three.
With the aid of the Long-Range Sharpshooter Badge, Sun Hao could feel that his transition three-pointer had become more stable as well.
The moment the ball left his hand, he knew it was going in.
Swish!
Before the eyes of the fans, Sun Hao hit his fourth three-pointer of the quarter!
The Three-Point Rain had gone from moderate rain to a downpour!
The male fan in the stands glanced at his girlfriend, whom he had pulled to her feet but who still looked half-asleep, and could not resist smacking her curvy backside hard.
Smack!
With a crisp slap, his girlfriend glared at him in pain.
This guy had never put that much force into anything else. Did basketball really have that much appeal? Was it more fun than that?
She could not help turning her gaze toward the court.
Just then, Sun Hao stole the opposing guard's pass and went straight down the court on a Fast Break.
The player who had been stripped tried to chase him down, but missed and fell into a Flat Sand Goose Fall.
The scene was a little funny, but it only made Sun Hao's figure look even more agile.
And after the opposing guard came over to help defend, Sun Hao used his ballhandling and physical strength to drive all the way into the frontcourt, then powered through the defender for the score.
The opposing guard apparently had not expected Sun Hao to be so strong and was knocked straight out of bounds.
The girlfriend suddenly became interested when she saw that.
That Asian guy was actually so strong!
The opposing team failed to score on its next possession. Back in the frontcourt set, Sun Hao directly launched a three in the face of the opposing guard's smothering defense.
Swish!
It went in again!
He had made his fifth three-pointer of the quarter!
Sun Hao's first game after receiving the Badge was exactly like when he scored 81 points in the EBA League!
That three-pointer ignited the arena once more. This time, even the female fan in the stands stood up and got into it.
She still did not really understand the game, but watching Sun Hao play felt incredible!
After making it, Sun Hao turned and looked toward the stands again.
But this time, he could not see Jocelyn because a female fan in front was standing up, waving her arms around in excitement.
Hey, miss, could you move aside? Your chest is blocking my view!
When he raised his gaze to look again, perhaps noticing where he was looking, the woman's boyfriend stood up as well and started waving.
Now he could not even see a trace of Jocelyn.
He could only withdraw his gaze and refocus on the game.
Sun Hao's wild performance at the start was a microcosm of his entire game. His touch was scorching hot, and he remained steady even when shooting under pressure.
But he ultimately did not explode for 81 points like he had in the EBA League.
For one thing, Real Madrid Team had blown the game open by the third quarter, and the final period became pure garbage time.
For another, the opposing team's strategy was different from that of the Student Team.
After realizing at the end of the first quarter that Sun Hao was on fire, they began trapping him full-court for the rest of the game.
But that approach also caused their defense to collapse early.
In the end, Real Madrid Team crushed the opposing team 82–51 at home, winning the City Derby.
Sun Hao made nine three-pointers in a single game, setting a new Plata League record for most made threes in one game.
He scored 32 points, setting his personal Plata League single-game scoring record as well as the Plata League single-game scoring record for players under eighteen.
After the game, fans gradually left the arena. Once the players from both sides had completed the handshake line, they headed toward their respective tunnels.
However, Sun Hao did not return to the locker room with his teammates. Instead, he jumped straight into the stands.
His appearance immediately caused a commotion among the spectators.
Some held cameras, while others reached out their hands. Everyone wanted a close encounter with the star of the arena that night.
But Sun Hao did not stop. He hurried up toward the upper levels of the stands.
His agile figure could practically be described as parkour.
The fans all turned curiously, wondering what had made Sun Hao so impatient.
Sun Hao was frantic. After the game ended, he had seen Jocelyn leaving with the others.
He did not know why Jocelyn had ignored him and left, but he had to catch up to her.
Finally, before Jocelyn could leave through the second-floor exit, Sun Hao grabbed her shoulder.
"Jo..."
The name had already left his mouth.
But when she turned around, the rest of his words caught in his throat.
This woman was not Jocelyn. Her build and clothes were very similar to Jocelyn's, but she definitely was not Jocelyn.
Sun Hao's mood, which had soared to its peak, instantly crashed to rock bottom.
He had not expected to run into such a TV-drama-like embarrassment: he had mistaken someone else for her.
Still, it was understandable.
He had desperately wanted to see Jocelyn again, and from that distance, he could not actually see her face clearly.
"It's you, Napoleon of China!"
The female fan had not expected Sun Hao to grab her alone and was pleasantly surprised.
She reacted quickly, pulling out her camera and asking someone to take a photo of them.
Before long, the surrounding fans realized what was happening as well, and Sun Hao was soon surrounded.
He had not played many games in the Plata League, but tonight he was undoubtedly the main character, and the Madrid fans were incredibly enthusiastic.
Sun Hao was dejected, but he still forced a smile and satisfied the fans' requests.
To him, everything he did now was meant to build his reputation in Madrid.
With his hopes dashed, Sun Hao's mood over the next few days was even lower than before.
He still checked his email occasionally, but there was still no reply from Jocelyn.
He gradually realized that Jocelyn might have only been a passing figure in his life.
Even though that made him a little sad.
But bad news always came with good news.
Only a few days after Sun Hao's breakout performance, a familiar scene played out again with Plata Real Madrid team.
Because Raul Lopez of Oro Real Madrid had been called up to the first team, a roster spot had opened up.
After Sun Hao delivered an outstanding enough performance, Oro Real Madrid decided to call him up to join the team.
Sun Hao had played five games in the EBA League and, including the earlier Training Camp, had spent nearly three months there.
But in the Plata League, he had only stayed for about a week before being called up!
In other words, he had gone from the lowest-tier EBA League to Oro, the Spanish Second Division, in only three months!
Now, he was only one step away from completing Gasol's goal of Three-Step Jump in one year!
Before you continue