"First Step Master"

Sun Hao had long since set his sights on fulfilling the Five-Year Pact in the NBA. The NCAA was never in his plans.

But he did not state that outright. After all, even the Spurs had only offered him a tryout opportunity for now.

Every NBA team invited plenty of players to tryouts before the draft each year.

If he truly wanted to make it into the NBA, he still had much more to accomplish.

After giving them both a vague answer and exchanging contact information, Sun Hao returned to the game.

But in the following game against Murcia Team, he suffered a Waterloo just like the real Napoleon.

He went 1-for-6 from beyond the three-point line and scored only 11 points through free throws and fast breaks.

Just as James occasionally traveled, even the greatest shooters could not hit shots every single night.

More importantly, after his wild week of performances, opponents had clearly begun studying and targeting him.

During games, it became difficult for him to receive the ball comfortably. Even when he got it, he was quickly double-teamed.

Because Trinidad, his backcourt partner, had no Three-point shooting ability, that double-team lasted almost the entire night.

Sun Hao spent most of the game tightly wrapped up by two hulking defenders.

It was the first time he had received this kind of "superstar-level" defensive treatment in La Liga.

That also proved one thing: he was now being treated like a superstar.

Shouting, "I'm not a star, stop double-teaming me!" was obviously unrealistic. What he needed to do was figure out how to crack that defense.

There were two ways to break a double-team. One was a breakthrough—finishing the attack before the double-team formed. Simple and brutal.

The other was passing, creating a four-on-three opportunity for his teammates.

There were many types of Breakthroughs: Irving's flashy handles, Alphabet Brother's physical drives, Doncic's changes of pace, Anthony's Triple Threat, and so on.

Sun Hao had foreseen this situation last season and had already begun training for it in the system.

What he practiced was the First Step in a drive.

There were many NBA players who relied on their First Step to blow by defenders. The most typical examples were Rose, Wade, and Tracy McGrady.

Sun Hao had chosen this style of breakthrough because it could be combined with his Three-point shooting ability.

If you double-team me, I'll beat you with a drive before the double-team arrives.

If you don't double-team me, I might just pull up from outside.

That was like forcing the defense to answer a multiple-choice question.

He had kept up his training in the system. What he needed to do next was use it more often in games and trigger a Badge in that area.

As for passing, it was not his strength, but with his basketball IQ, ordinary passes were no problem at all.

The problem was the team's roster construction.

Trinidad, his backcourt partner, had absolutely no outside shooting ability, which allowed opponents to double-team Sun Hao without restraint.

So if he wanted to solve this issue through passing, the best option was to replace him with a guard who could shoot, defend, and would not be targeted.

Unfortunately, Real Madrid Team did not have one.

But there was more than one way to solve a problem.

Even in the NBA, players like Tony Allen, who had no outside shooting at all, could remain starters on strong teams. La Liga could naturally do the same.

The other solution was to move Trinidad to the Off-ball Side.

Before practice began the next day, Sun Hao took the initiative and went to discuss his idea with Laso.

Laso had also been troubled by this issue. He was not surprised when Sun Hao came to him; instead, he was ready to listen.

After more than a year together, he knew very well that Sun Hao was a player with high basketball IQ.

Trinidad had no outside shooting ability, but that did not mean he had no offensive ability. On the contrary, defense alone was not enough for him to play for Real Madrid. Fast breaks and baseline cuts were both his specialties.

So Laso fully agreed with Sun Hao's proposal to move him to the Off-ball Side.

The so-called Off-ball Side meant exactly what it sounded like. The half court had left and right sides; the side with the ball was the ball side, while the Off-ball Side was the other side.

If Trinidad was moved to the Off-ball Side, then because he and Sun Hao would not be on the same side, defenders could not abandon him and run across the court to double-team Sun Hao.

Because doing so would mean leaving Trinidad open for a cut, and Sun Hao could simply wait for the defender to cross the court before safely passing the ball over.

In truth, no one would be foolish enough to run across the court for a double-team. If Real Madrid Team made this adjustment, opponents would most likely switch who double-teamed.

It was still a double-team, but the situation would be completely different from before.

Because everyone else on Real Madrid Team had some shooting ability. Even Gabajosa had a solid mid-range shot.

Sun Hao's suggestion gave Laso a new idea, and Laso quickly made targeted tactical arrangements.

When practice began afterward, a new team tactic was born.

The pick-and-roll offense between Sun Hao and Gabajosa.

Sun Hao was an excellent Three-point shooter, while Gabajosa was strong at cutting to the rim. Their skill sets ensured that opponents would face a difficult choice.

If they chose to double-team Sun Hao, Gabajosa would get an opportunity.

And if they chose neither to double-team nor switch, Sun Hao could exploit the timing gap in their defense around the screen and shoot a three-pointer directly.

Even if the opponent did not double-team and chose to switch, Sun Hao could attack the big with the smaller matchup.

In short, based on Sun Hao's suggestion, Laso built a tactic that best suited the team at this stage.

After two days of practice, their pick-and-roll tactic was used in the game against Andorra Riverside Team, and it was used right from the opening tip.

Laso stood on the sideline as soon as the game began, looking slightly tense.

The reason this tactic could be conceived and put into use so quickly was not because his coaching ability was particularly remarkable, but because Prigioni and Gabajosa had often run pick-and-rolls before this.

After all, pick-and-roll tactics were unavoidable in European basketball.

Now the screener had changed from Prigioni to Sun Hao, and what Laso worried about was Sun Hao's passing ability.

But once the game truly began, he found that his worries had been unnecessary.

When Prigioni ran pick-and-rolls with Gabajosa, he often drove inside, which required more drive-and-kick passing.

But Sun Hao and Gabajosa's pick-and-roll was exactly the opposite. Sun Hao basically moved outward.

Correspondingly, Gabajosa basically cut inward.

The opponent did not dare let Gabajosa cut that freely.

With Gabajosa's ability in La Liga, as long as Sun Hao got him the ball, scoring would be highly likely.

So by the end of the game, the thing Laso had worried about never happened.

Freed from double-teams, Sun Hao's outside scoring ability was unleashed again. He scored 19 points once more and helped Real Madrid Team win the game.

After the game, the gloom and tension on Laso's face had completely disappeared. The moment the game ended, he went straight to Sun Hao and high-fived him.

The facts proved his judgment had been correct. Sun Hao really was a player with high basketball IQ!

In the games that followed, Sun Hao and Gabajosa continued refining their pick-and-roll, while opponents' defenses also began changing.

At first, they neither double-teamed nor switched, but Sun Hao was too good at exploiting the timing gap when they fought over screens.

When opponents saw that this defense did not work, they switched directly instead.

It was after they began switching that Sun Hao finally had more opportunities to use his First Step in games.

Against a bigger defender, he could drive, or he could drive and then Step-Back for a shot. Either way, a threatening First Step would make everything twice as effective with half the effort.

Although his performances fluctuated at first due to the experimentation, and he failed to score more than 15 points for several straight games—scoring only single digits in one of them—

Constant attempts brought constant improvement in his skills.

Just after the league passed the halfway point of Round 22, Sun Hao finally unlocked the Badge he wanted.

First Step Master (Bronze): Slightly increases First Step speed when driving, as well as the ability to see through an opponent's defense!

It did not merely increase the speed of his First Step. The key was the latter part: the ability to see through defenses!

That was incredible!

It was practically like activating the Emperor Eye in Kuroko's Basketball!

Two days after Sun Hao obtained "First Step Master," Real Madrid Team hosted Barcelona Team again. It was also the second meeting between the two sides that season.

In their previous matchup, Real Madrid Team had narrowly lost on the road, and Prigioni had been sidelined with an injury ever since. It was still unknown whether he could even return in time for the playoffs.

Facing their archrivals, who were also potential title contenders, this game was crucial for Real Madrid Team.

If Prigioni truly could not play in the playoffs, this might very well be a preview of their playoff matchup.

"Sun, be more decisive when you get a mismatch."

After the pregame tactical briefing, Laso pulled Sun Hao aside and gave him a reminder.

Although Sun Hao had been in poor form over the past few games, Laso still chose to trust him.

That trust moved Sun Hao somewhat.

Players could only unleash their greatest potential when they encountered the right coach.

Jordan met Dean Smith, Kobe met Phil Jackson, and Curry met Steve Kerr.

From that perspective, Sun Hao meeting Laso was also a kind of good fortune.

During pregame warmups, Sun Hao and Gasol were still chatting by the scorer's table.

Perhaps because of the changes in their status within their teams, Gasol no longer talked literature with Sun Hao. Instead, he talked about the game.

"Last season, you swept us. This season, it's my turn."

"Your style of play has already been targeted. It's not realistic for you to score like before."

"How about joining Barcelona next season? I can give you the most comfortable passes. You won't win a championship if you stay with Real Madrid."

Listening to Gasol's words, Sun Hao could not help but sigh.

Life had still turned people into the kind of person they hated most.

Everyone from Real Madrid and Barcelona was destined to become enemies in the end.

After warmups ended, the arena moved into the opening ceremony.

Cheers shook the venue as fans passionately roared for Real Madrid Team.

Although Real Madrid Team's recent form had declined considerably compared to the beginning of the season, against Barcelona, there was no word other than fight.

But on the sideline, Laso wore a troubled expression.

Real Madrid Team had lost the last time they faced each other even with Prigioni. This time, Prigioni was absent, and Sun Hao's recent form had been fairly ordinary.

The odds were stacked against them.

But they were playing at home. If they lost, the outside pressure the team would face was easy to imagine.

After the player introductions, the two teams' starters took the court one after another.

Gasol and Navarro led Barcelona Team, while Sun Hao and Gabajosa anchored Real Madrid Team.

Gabajosa leaped high and tipped the ball back into his half, officially opening the game.

Sun Hao dribbled into the frontcourt and made a tactical gesture at the top of the key, signaling for Gabajosa to come up for a high pick-and-roll.

"Switch! Switch!"

Barcelona Team head coach Enrique shouted from the sideline.

In previous games, Sun Hao had not been very effective offensively after getting switched onto by a big man. It seemed Barcelona Team had done their homework before the game.

Gasol switched onto Sun Hao, while Gabajosa cut beneath the basket and dragged his defender away. Sun Hao got a one-on-one opportunity at the top of the key, with the smaller player attacking the bigger one.

The two men who had a good relationship off the court had ultimately reached the point where they had to battle each other.

Sun Hao did not begin dribbling immediately. Instead, he first observed Gasol's defense.

Gasol leaned his center of gravity backward and raised both arms high.

Keeping his weight back was to defend against Sun Hao's drive, while raising his arms was to defend against Sun Hao's shot.

Though still young, Gasol had already displayed elite basketball talent.

But from that very stance, Sun Hao could vaguely sense that Gasol was primarily guarding against his shot.

The effect of the First Step Master Badge: seeing through defenses!

Though the feeling was faint, combined with Sun Hao's basketball IQ, he became certain that Gasol was mainly guarding against his shot.

Compared with driving, the three-pointer was still Sun Hao's greatest weapon.

Sun Hao raised the ball and made a shooting motion.

Gasol quickly lunged forward, his long arms obstructing Sun Hao's vision.

The saying that basketball was a giant's sport existed for a reason. Gasol was so tall, and his arms were so long, that he blocked out the sky. Sun Hao could no longer see the basket at all.

But Sun Hao had only sold a fake. He suddenly gathered the ball, accelerated with one step, and drove right.

Gasol had anticipated it and retreated with him.

But at that moment, he realized he was completely too late!

Big men and small guards already had an absolute difference in speed, and now Sun Hao had become even faster than before!

Amid the fans' gasps, Sun Hao faked the shot, drove for real, and blew straight past Gasol.

The result caught Barcelona Team completely off guard. With everyone else spread wide, once Sun Hao beat Gasol, the lane was wide open.

Sun Hao did not waste the opportunity. Before the weak-side help could arrive, he laid the ball in quickly and firmly.

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