EuroLeague Rookie of the Year

Chapter 44: EuroLeague Rookie of the Year

Sun Hao's 40-point outburst shattered multiple records, and the outside world was full of praise, but his own mindset remained remarkably calm.

It was only because he had just obtained the First Step Master badge and caught the Barcelona team off guard.

Once other teams gradually figured things out and found defensive methods to counter him, a drop in his performance was very possible.

This had already been proven in previous games.

But this was also the process of improvement; only by constantly identifying shortcomings through competition and then reinforcing them could one become a true superstar.

In this regard, Kobe Bryant was the best example.

He always added a new weapon to his arsenal each season, even learning low-post footwork from Hakeem Olajuwon late in his career.

The strong are always getting stronger; standing still is regression for them.

As Sun Hao grew stronger, his performances in La Liga and the EuroLeague became increasingly consistent.

And just like last season, because he used pick-and-roll tactics frequently and continuously in games, before the season ended, his Pick and Roll Master, Iron Wall, and Pick and Roll Evasion badges all upgraded from Bronze to Silver Grade.

These badges significantly boosted his personal abilities.

He was adept at using the pick-and-roll, knew how to most effectively defend against it, and also knew how to initiate plays through it.

Or to put it in one sentence, Sun Hao's playing style was becoming more and more European.

Moreover, Real Madrid soon received good news: Prigioni was about to return from injury.

This was undoubtedly great news for Real Madrid; Prigioni's presence could greatly enrich the team's offensive tactics.

It was the same for Sun Hao; Prigioni's presence could mask his relatively weaker passing and allow him to focus on scoring.

Time flew by, and Sun Hao was the first to finish the EuroLeague group stage.

The EuroLeague format was similar to the World Cup; the first stage was a group stage with 24 teams divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, with 6 teams in each group.

After the group stage, the top four from each group, a total of 16 teams, advanced to the second round, divided into two groups: E and F.

Based on the principle of not replaying group stage opponents, they played the second-round group stage to determine the final top four of each group, which were the EuroLeague quarterfinalists.

This stage was already over, and Real Madrid successfully advanced to the quarterfinals as the top seed in Group E.

Their quarterfinal opponent was the former European basketball league powerhouse from Greece, Olympiacos.

This opponent had two key words: European basketball league and former.

The EuroLeague was a privately operated event; this year was its first edition. Before this, Europe also had a competition called the European Basketball League.

That competition was organized by FIBA Europe, and because it wasn't commercially driven, its promotion was limited.

However, because teams were unwilling to participate in such an event last year, it was forced to suspend for a year, which was why Sun Hao didn't participate in it.

But it was still the highest-level league in Europe at the time. In that league, Olympiacos won the European Basketball League championship for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1997, becoming a three-peat champion.

That was also the most glorious era for Olympiacos.

And the other key word: former.

After reaching the peak, decline followed. Following their three-peat, due to factors like the retirement and transfers of core players, their strength began to wane. By this year, they barely made it to the quarterfinals as the fourth seed in Group F.

Facing such an opponent, Real Madrid showed sufficient dominance.

Just like when they played the Radar Team last year, in the best-of-five series, they ultimately defeated their opponent with a 3-1 aggregate score, successfully advancing to the semifinals.

Prigioni averaged 3.6 assists per game in the series, Gabajosa averaged a double-double of 10 points and 11.5 rebounds, and Sun Hao averaged 15 points per game.

Three players: one led the team in assists, one led in rebounds, and one led in scoring.

Although Real Madrid experienced Prigioni's injury issues mid-season and their record fluctuated, Looking back, that period was also when Sun Hao's strength grew, which turned out to be a good thing.

Now that the Trident was truly formed, Real Madrid had a great chance to win this first edition of the EuroLeague championship.

And there was another piece of good news for Sun Hao: over the course of the season, his Long-Range Sharpshooter badge was infinitely close to Gold Grade.

If he could break through before the season ended, it would be a massive boost to his strength.

Considering the effect of a Silver Grade badge, one could imagine what a Gold Grade one would be like.

After the quarterfinals of each team concluded, the league also announced two very important awards.

The EuroLeague Regular Season MVP and the Rookie of the Year.

The Regular Season MVP was won by Zeljko Rebraca of Panathinaikos, who averaged a double-double of 14.1 points and 11.5 rebounds in the group stage and helped Panathinaikos reach the Final Four.

The Rookie of the Year belonged to Real Madrid's Sun Hao!

Sun Hao averaged 12.6 points per game in the group stage, hit 2.6 three-pointers per game, and had a three-point percentage of 40%. All his stats were very outstanding.

Winning this Rookie of the Year award, he also set the record for the youngest rookie in EuroLeague history.

First breaking the single-game scoring record in the European League, now the youngest EuroLeague Rookie of the Year.

With all these honors Sun Hao was collecting, future young European players would probably resent him deeply.

Because breaking these records again would be nearly impossible for them.

Sun Hao winning Rookie of the Year naturally didn't mean he'd forgotten his teammates.

He'd made a decent chunk of change from the World Cup last year, so he was sitting pretty as a minor tycoon now.

And this kind of socializing was absolutely necessary.

A player's performance on the court wasn't just about individual skill—it also depended on chemistry with teammates, and that chemistry was inseparable from their off-court relationships.

After the Champions League entered the quarterfinals, the format was the same as La Liga's: the quarterfinals were a best-of-five elimination, and the semifinals were a single-elimination knockout.

After two days of rest, the semifinals were about to kick off.

Of the four teams that made it to the semifinals, two were from La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The remaining two teams were Virtus Bologna from Italy, who had been Real Madrid's first opponent in the Champions League group stage.

The other team was Panathinaikos from Greece, boasting the new EuroLeague MVP Rakocevic and Dejan Bodiroga.

After leaving Real Madrid last season, this legendary player's next stop was Greece.

The semifinal matchups had also been set: Barcelona vs. Panathinaikos, and Real Madrid vs. Virtus Bologna.

The semifinals would be held at a neutral venue, with Real Madrid and Virtus Bologna's game taking place at the Paris Bercy Arena in France.

With the trip looming, Sun Hao was making his final preparations for the match.

Last year's example with Calderon had shown that La Liga's influence was limited; if he wanted more attention, he had to deliver results in the Champions League.

In other words, whether he could lift the championship trophy would determine if he entered this year's NBA draft, and whether he could fulfill the Five-Year Pact.

The difficulty was immense, and the pressure was immense. Under that heavy weight, Sun Hao chose to... invite Prigioni and Gabajosa over for a home-cooked meal.

The best way to relieve stress was to do what he loved.

But right now, he had no time for a vacation, and he was still single.

So all he could do was cook.

When he'd treated Prigioni and the others to a meal last offseason, Sun Hao found he really enjoyed that sense of accomplishment.

Especially when the two of them praised his cooking and even cleaned their plates.

Prigioni and Gabajosa couldn't believe it when they heard the news.

Sun Hao had successfully won over their stomachs during the offseason, but once the season started, they found he absolutely refused to cook again no matter how much they begged.

They'd been craving it all season long, and when they went to Italy to play, that was all they talked about.

They never expected Sun Hao to take the initiative this time.

The two of them were more eager than for training; as soon as they got the message, they rushed straight to Sun Hao's apartment.

By the time they arrived, Sun Hao had already finished cooking.

This time, besides the bullfrog that Prigioni had been longing for, he'd also prepared a very unique soup.

And just like last time, he didn't tell them what the soup was made of.

Prigioni and Gabajosa were curious again, but they didn't ask and just started drinking.

"God, what is this magical stuff? Why is it so good!"

Prigioni's reaction was exactly the same as last time—the guy was a true foodie.

As for Gabajosa, he'd already fished out the meat from the soup and started eating.

It was something like collagen, soft and chewy.

"Is this beef tendon?"

Sure enough, having eaten Chinese food before, Gabajosa actually knew what beef tendon was.

But unfortunately, he guessed wrong.

"Who cares what meat it is? As long as it tastes good, is there anything more unimaginable than bullfrog?"

Prigioni said as he picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of meat, putting it in his mouth.

In a foodie's world, nothing was impossible.

He'd even secretly learned to use chopsticks!

Chewing the firm meat and washing it down with the rich, savory soup, Prigioni really didn't care what this stuff was.

"So what is it?"

But Gabajosa wasn't Prigioni; he was still curious.

"Bull penis."

Sun Hao gave the answer.

But after hearing it, both of them looked confused.

They clearly had no idea what part of a bull a bull penis was.

"The reproductive organ of a bull."

Sun Hao gave a more direct explanation.

The looks on their faces couldn't have been more priceless.

Gabajosa, who had already finished eating, felt his stomach churn.

As for Prigioni, who'd been eating with such relish just moments before, the meat in his mouth suddenly didn't taste so good.

So there really were things even harder to imagine than bullfrog...

"Goji Bull Penis Soup, one of the most nourishing soups around, suitable for both men and women—nourishes yin and tonifies the kidneys for men, beautifies the skin for women."

Sun Hao sounded just like those street vendors hawking health supplements.

But for a health-conscious man like him, who always had Goji Berry Tea on hand, this was no con.

"As long as it tastes good."

Fernandez finished the meat in his mouth after hearing that, then casually picked up another piece.

In a foodie's world, taste matters more than what you're actually eating.

Watching Prigioni eat with such gusto, Gabajosa finally suppressed his stomach's revolt and joined in.

With something this delicious, who cares what it is? Wouldn't it be a waste not to eat it?

A big bowl of Goji Bull Penis Soup—most of it was polished off by Prigioni and Gabajosa, with Sun Hao only getting a little broth.

But he didn't mind. Watching others finish what he'd cooked was a satisfying experience in itself.

Full and content, the three chatted a bit about tomorrow's game.

They were still bitter about being killed by Ginobili's buzzer-beater in the Opening Game, and now that they were meeting in the Semifinals, revenge was the only goal.

And this time, they were determined not to give Ginobili another chance like that.

Thanks to Emperor Stewed You and Jun Yi Mo Lu for the tips—daily request for recommendation tickets~ tips~