After the game, the two teams exchanged postgame handshakes.
Sun Hao saw that Gasol was still dejected. When he approached, he gestured for him to lower his head.
Gasol thought Sun Hao wanted to say something, so he lowered his head.
But immediately afterward, he felt a gentle force on top of his head.
From the crown of his head to the back of his skull.
Then from the crown of his head to the back of his skull again.
"Keep it up. See you in the playoffs."
Gasol had said those words to Sun Hao last season.
But in the end, they had failed to keep that appointment.
Now, Sun Hao said the same thing back to Gasol.
It was encouragement, and it was also a promise.
The only difference was... why the hell were you patting my head?!
That was Gasol's first reaction.
But after the fact, he realized it actually felt pretty good.
Especially while he was feeling down, the gesture lifted his spirits quite a bit.
It was like when his father had patted his head as a child.
Comforting and warm.
He nodded.
They had been swept last season. Even though they had lost this game, the Regular Season series was now tied 1-1.
Sun Hao's breakthrough had suddenly become sharper in this game. They had been caught off guard, which was why Sun Hao had scored so many points.
If they truly faced off in the playoffs, it was hard to say who would win.
And this time, they would definitely meet in the playoffs.
Either in the UEFA Champions League or La Liga.
Sun Hao had broken Europe's single-game scoring record. Such a major event naturally called for celebration in the locker room after the game.
By the time Sun Hao "escaped" from the clutches of the big men, he was utterly exhausted.
To be honest, scoring 40 points in La Liga had taken far more out of him than scoring 81 in the EBA League.
The higher the level of competition, the harder and more exhausting it was to pile up points.
He admired Kobe even more now.
Scoring 81 points in the NBA—setting aside skill and ability alone—the stamina required was beyond ordinary people.
There was also Raja Bell's famous remark: "Anyone can score 40 points if you give them 30 shots."
The facts proved that if you were not an efficient scorer, even with 30 shot attempts, by the end you would only become a guardian of the rim.
As one of Kobe's diehard fans, Westbrook often proved Raja Bell wrong in that regard.
Back at his apartment, Sun Hao threw himself onto the bed and prepared to sleep.
He was truly exhausted.
"Congratulations to the host for breaking the single-game scoring record in a top-tier European league. The system rewards you with one Shooting Assistant Machine."
Just as his upper and lower eyelids were about to start fighting, the system prompt suddenly rang out in his mind.
His drowsiness vanished in an instant.
This was the second time he had heard the system issue a reward.
And he realized the system had to be doing it on purpose, always springing something like this on him when he was completely spent.
Couldn't he have a little post-battle bliss?
Though he cursed inwardly, Sun Hao still entered the system happily.
The Shooting Training Machine the system had given him last time had benefited him immensely. He wondered what this Shooting Assistant Machine was.
The moment he entered the system, he understood.
And his first reaction upon seeing it was: So this thing is called a Shooting Assistant Machine!
Before him stood five racks, each holding five basketballs.
Wasn't this the ball rack used in the Three-Point Contest?
For a moment, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
The Shooting Training Machine from last time had been a robot, while this Shooting Assistant Machine was a ball rack.
Could it be that this system, like certain lazy webnovel authors, suffered from naming difficulties?
Still, he was in an excellent mood.
Version 1.0 of the system really was outdated. Other than basketballs and hoops, it had nothing else.
He had to retrieve every ball after shooting it.
Even if he gathered the balls together, he still had to shoot one, then bend down to pick up another.
That method was much less efficient, and it was easy for it to disrupt his shooting rhythm.
If system time had not been at a 1:2 ratio, he would have thought it was worse than training in reality.
Now that he had this Assistant Machine, his training efficiency would definitely improve by a huge margin.
Learning without practice was a waste of a hundred years.
With that thought, Sun Hao went over to the Assistant Machine and began trying it out.
The moment he walked up to it, the Assistant Machine suddenly moved.
It adjusted its height to the most comfortable position for him to receive the ball, and the basketballs on it began rolling.
When he moved toward the Logo, the Assistant Machine even followed and moved beside him.
High tech!
Sorry!
Sun Hao formally apologized to the system.
The system's equipment really was different from ordinary equipment.
This was not a ball rack. It was a Shooting Assistant Machine!
He grabbed a ball and took a shot, then turned around to take the second one.
That seamless feeling made him feel as if he were floating.
It was like adding lubricant to a piston pump, making everything smooth in an instant.
He could finally practice One-Minute Rapid Fire.
So-called One-Minute Rapid Fire was high-intensity training completed within one minute.
The main purpose of this training was to improve shooting speed.
Besides accuracy, this was also something Sun Hao needed to improve at the same time.
Fast and accurate—that was the mark of a super shooter.
Just like Stephen Curry.
Curry was not only accurate; supposedly, he only needed 0.33 seconds to get off a shot.
After practicing for a while, Sun Hao discovered another benefit of the Assistant Machine.
He could directly train for the Three-Point Contest inside the system!
You did not fear shooting accurately; you feared not practicing enough.
This was practically reserving the Three-Point Contest Champion title for him in advance!
After practicing for a while, Sun Hao called the Shooting Training Machine over as well.
With the two machines working together, everything was complete.
He could feel that he was one step closer to upgrading his Badge level!
It seemed he would have to break a few more records in the future. These extra system rewards could really be a huge help!
After tiring himself out, Sun Hao sat on a bench beside the court to rest.
The ever-improving training environment made him look forward to the future even more.
This was only the most basic version of the system. If the system could be upgraded, would that mean there would be other items?
For example... a ball boy.
A ball boy whose face he could customize himself?
Make it a female ball boy?
Make it look like Jocelyn?
Pah, pah, what was he thinking?!
But if there really were a ball boy, that would be wonderful.
After all, no matter how good machines were, they could not compare to people. Official NBA practices came with professional Ball Boys and trainers.
If the upgraded system had such functions, he really could become a second O'Neal.
He could look like he never trained, yet still be incredibly powerful.
Why be Kobe? Let others compete for the hardworking image. He wanted to be a real-life genius prodigy!
Thanks to Lin Pengpengpeng, Should Make a Move, Shishui Yefeng 7, Half a Lifetime of Love, Standing Alone and Gazing at a Beauty, and Achievement Is Humanity's Ideal for the tips. Thank you, bosses, for your support~
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