"Infinite Range (Silver)"

Chapter 36: "Infinite Range (Silver)"

After the handshake ceremony ended, the starting lineups from both sides took the court one after another.

On Real Madrid's side, Sun Hao, Prigioni, and Gabajosa—the trident—stepped onto the floor together.

On Virtus Bologna's side, Danilovic started, while Ginobili sat on the bench.

Every sign confirmed Sun Hao's earlier speculation.

Amid the cheers of the fans, Virtus Bologna won the tip-off, officially kicking off the game.

Virtus Bologna came out running a high pick-and-roll right away. Danilovic cut without the ball, then used the center's screen to pop back out.

The play was executed beautifully, but Danilovic's shot after the catch didn't fall.

Gabajosa secured the defensive rebound, and Real Madrid pushed to the frontcourt to run a similar play.

This time, the ball went to Sun Hao. His shooting window was tighter than Danilovic's had been. The ball arced through the air—

"Clang!"

And rattled out as well.

Neither side managed to score on their opening possession.

Maybe it was the first time stepping onto the EuroLeague stage; the players' touch still seemed to be back in the practice gym.

Virtus Bologna tried the same trick again. Danilovic's three-pointer was contested by Gabajosa.

"Clang!"

Still no!

It didn't end there. After Real Madrid's pick-and-roll in the frontcourt, Gabajosa's mid-range jumper from the free-throw line also clanked off the rim!

The rim in Sicily tonight was rejecting every shot!

Virtus Bologna pushed to the frontcourt again. Danilovic caught the ball but didn't shoot this time. He faked, then drove inside.

But under Gabajosa's contest, his driving layup still missed!

He had taken three shots since tip-off and scored on none of them!

A stir rippled through the crowd.

Danilovic was Virtus Bologna's star player—this form was worrying!

But that was the downside of being a pure shooter.

Even though his driving ability wasn't bad by European standards for an established star, once his outside shot stopped falling, his entire game dropped off noticeably.

And since everyone knew he couldn't hit from deep, just defending against his mediocre drives was enough to contain him.

Gabajosa was probably the happiest man on the floor. He grabbed another rebound—three boards in just a few possessions.

Real Madrid came to the frontcourt again. This time, Prigioni passed the ball directly to Sun Hao.

Since the new season started, Sun Hao had proven one thing: after his offseason training, he was already the most consistent scorer on Real Madrid.

So, almost without anyone noticing, whenever the team struggled to break through, the ball would automatically find its way to Sun Hao's hands.

After getting the ball, Sun Hao called for Gabajosa to set a screen at the top of the arc.

Virtus Bologna's center stood near the free-throw line and didn't move.

Sun Hao raised his hand and shot from beyond the three-point line.

The opposing center tried to close out, but it was already too late.

"Swish!"

Sun Hao's shot was clean, drawing first blood for Real Madrid!

That was the difference between a scorer and a shooter.

The opening few possessions showed that both sides' touch wasn't great.

The more Danilovic missed, the more defensive pressure he faced.

If Sun Hao had just run off screens and caught-and-shot the same way, his scoring efficiency would probably have been similar.

But he could attack with the ball!

As long as the opposing center didn't step out, he could rain threes from the outside all day!

Touch was never an independent factor; it was directly influenced by defensive pressure.

Danilovic was unhappy. After all, this was Sicily—his turf.

He ran off a screen, caught the ball, and shot again. But under Gabajosa's contest, his attempt still clanked off the rim!

Virtus Bologna's coach was already rubbing his face.

Five shots, zero makes to start the game—Danilovic had turned into Iron Danilovic tonight!

After hesitating for a moment, he turned and called Ginobili up.

Sun Hao was dribbling to the frontcourt, directing the offense, when he saw Ginobili stand up and pull off his warm-up jersey.

He knew that what was coming had finally arrived.

Sun Hao took another three-pointer after a pick-and-roll on the right wing.

This time, the opposing center lunged out.

His shot clanked off the rim.

His overall touch tonight was indeed mediocre.

But Gabajosa had already cut in after the screen, grabbed the long rebound, and scored on the follow-up.

5-0!

Real Madrid had taken the lead.

Just then, a short whistle sounded from the sideline.

Ginobili came on to replace Danilovic.

The substitution came very early and was quite unexpected.

Even Danilovic ignored Ginobili's outstretched hand for a high-five as he left the court.

The Bosnian was having an off night shooting, and being pulled early by the coach had clearly soured his mood.

Ginobili, however, kept a good attitude. When the high-five missed, he smoothly turned it into a clap for himself, then rubbed his hands together vigorously as he ran onto the court.

Virtus Bologna's interior offense was disrupted by Gabajosa again—no score!

Nearly three minutes into the game, they still hadn't scored a single point!

The crowd grew restless.

Real Madrid was a European powerhouse, but the gap shouldn't be this big!

Sun Hao dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and called for another screen.

But Gabajosa, who had set successful picks every time before, failed twice in a row this time.

It wasn't because his screening ability had suddenly plummeted, but because the newly substituted Ginobili was as slippery as an eel.

And unlike the agile short guards Sun Hao had faced before with Plata, Ginobili relied on anticipation.

The Demon Blade's basketball IQ was high!

Unable to get a screen going, Sun Hao tried to drive right.

He had been working on his first step since last season, and his driving ability had improved noticeably.

But he still couldn't get past Ginobili in one step.

Moreover, despite looking thin, Ginobili's physicality wasn't much weaker than his.

Reaching the free-throw line, with weak-side help defense closing in, he had no choice but to pass back to Prigioni.

The ball moved around, but Gabajosa's shot in the paint ultimately missed.

The rebound was secured by Virtus Bologna.

Just then, Ginobili was already beyond the three-point line.

His fast-break instincts were top-notch.

A long pass from the backcourt, and Ginobili caught it while sprinting down the court under Prigioni's defense.

The two ran from midcourt to the free-throw line.

Ginobili wasn't fast, but at the free-throw line, he faked a drive right while gathering the ball and taking a big step left.

Euro step!

Prigioni bit on the fake during his movement, and Ginobili was past him.

After getting by Prigioni, Ginobili took another step, gathered his strength, leaped, and slammed the ball into the basket with his right hand.

"Boom!"

Ginobili finished the fast break with a dunk!

The moment the ball went in, Virtus Bologna's bench erupted, and the crowd turned into a sea of excitement.

Earlier, Danilovic had been playing like the Milan blacksmith, and Virtus Bologna couldn't buy a score.

This fast break only netted two points, but the way it was scored was incredibly uplifting!

Sun Hao saw this and nearly spat out his tomatoes. Was Ginobili's playing style this explosive when he was in Europe?

The dunk boosted Virtus Bologna's morale immensely, with the home crowd's cheers and a sudden spike in defensive intensity.

Real Madrid's offense came up empty!

Coming back on defense in the half-court, the ball went straight to Ginobili.

Danilovic was the core of this Virtus Bologna team, but he was now sitting on the bench with a towel over his head.

With Gabajosa guarding the paint for Real Madrid, attacking inside was tough, so giving the ball to Ginobili, who had just broken the scoring drought, was only natural.

Ginobili signaled for the court to be cleared and then drove straight at Prigioni.

Prigioni was at a disadvantage in the physical battle. Ginobili drove to the free-throw line, and Gabajosa's interior help defense came out.

Just then, Ginobili faked a pass into the paint, fooling both defenders into turning their heads. He gathered the ball and took a big step to the right.

Another Euro Step!

By the time Prigioni and Gabajosa turned back, it was too late.

Ginobili took another step, completely shaking off both defenders, and floated a layup off the glass that kissed in.

He had scored 4 straight points!

The key was his Euro Step—it worked every time!

The whistles and cheers from the crowd wouldn't stop.

Their emotions had been ignited by this young man who had just joined the team!

"I know him—Manu Ginobili!"

Near the middle of the stands, a middle-aged man looked excited.

Because of where he was sitting, the players on the court basically never glanced over here.

But if Sun Hao had walked over and looked closely, he would have been shocked.

Because the man speaking was none other than Lartigue, who had "hosted" him at the police station a few months ago!

"We all know him now. We all know him. We're so lucky this season!"

Lartigue's friend was also excited, shouting loudly in agreement.

"Swish!"

Just then, a crisp sound came from the court.

The cheers in the arena came to an abrupt halt.

Sun Hao, after a screen, stepped out and pulled up for a three-pointer a full meter behind the three-point line.

A super-long three—and it went in as soon as he shot it!

Ginobili could anticipate and fight through screens, but this time Sun Hao didn't give him the time.

Super-long range and threes—for Sun Hao, it was just a matter of distance now!

"I know him!"

That three-pointer was domineering. Lartigue now noticed Sun Hao too.

His friend snapped out of it and looked at Lartigue, a little confused.

Was he just too hyped up?

Lartigue didn't notice his friend's gaze. Inside, he was already overjoyed.

To be precise, he was even happier than Sun Hao right now.

One thought he'd found a romantic encounter and ended up cleaned out; the other went for a hooker, couldn't agree on the price, and got hauled to the police station.

Both of them were professional basketball players, and now both were the core players of their respective teams.

And the key was, they were actually going head-to-head on the EuroLeague court!

He could imagine how Sun Hao and Ginobili must feel seeing each other—probably a mix of emotions.

But as the third party, he was really having a blast!

He'd lived this long, and this was the most joyful thing he'd ever seen!

Happiness is always built on someone else's misery!

Ginobili tried another Euro Step at the frontcourt but missed. However, he drew a foul on Real Madrid and stepped to the free-throw line.

Danilovic was having an off night shooting, so Ginobili stepped up and carried the team on his shoulders.

The home fans had already fallen in love with this newly arrived 22-year-old.

With Ginobili stepping up, Virtus Bologna's offense got back on track.

On the other side, Real Madrid continued their attack under Sun Hao's leadership.

Even though his overall shooting touch wasn't there tonight, the occasional three-pointer and his fast-break scoring were still impressive.

Watching the two duel on the court, Lartigue slapped his forehead as if remembering something.

Right, Sun Hao's case had already been solved, and there was something very interesting about it.

Because so much time had passed, he'd almost forgotten. But now that he remembered, he'd find Sun Hao after the game and chat about it.

The stalemate on the court lasted until halftime.

With 20 seconds left before the break, the score was tied at 39 to 40.

Real Madrid was trailing, but they had the last possession of the half.

Virtus Bologna's defense was fierce, and Real Madrid couldn't find an opening with their continuous plays.

After a hard-fought half, whoever could take the lead into the locker room would have a huge psychological advantage.

As the shot clock wound down, Prigioni instinctively threw the ball to Sun Hao.

Sun Hao caught it a full two meters beyond the three-point line.

Familiar spot, familiar hot potato.

Right now, he was LeBron's favorite teammate.

Seeing Ginobili keeping his distance, Sun Hao didn't wait for the clock to expire—he launched an ultra-long three-pointer.

This spot was even farther than his previous ultra-long shot.

"No one takes a shot from there—unless he's Sun Hao!"

The on-site commentator couldn't help but exclaim in awe.

The three-point shot arced through the air in a high, sweeping parabola, like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Everyone in the arena followed it with their eyes.

"Bzzz!"

"Swish!"

A crisp, satisfying sound—Sun Hao's buzzer-beating ultra-long three sank cleanly through the net!

42 to 40!

Real Madrid led at halftime!

The crowd erupted in uproar.

That spot, that degree of difficulty, and it still went in—there was simply no Fxcking words for it.

After the shot went in, Sun Hao's smile was radiant.

Not just because he'd helped the team gain a dual advantage in score and momentum, but because Infinite Range, which had been stuck at a bottleneck, had finally broken through!

From Bronze, it advanced to Silver!

Infinite Range (Silver): Effectively increases the hit rate and stability of three-point shots taken from farther distances.

Shui Qie has already apologized. Big shots, since he's sincere and pitiful enough, please throw your recommendation votes his way!

Today's cheesy love line:

Do you like drinking water? Then you've already fallen for 70% of me.