Sun Hao scored 40 points and set multiple historical records, drawing a wave of praise from the outside world, but he himself remained remarkably level-headed.
That was only because he had just acquired the First Step Master Badge and caught Barcelona Team off guard.
Once the other teams gradually adjusted and found defensive methods to deal with him, it was entirely possible that his performance would decline.
That had already been proven in previous games.
But that was the process of improvement. Only by constantly discovering weaknesses through games and then addressing them could he become a true superstar.
Kobe Bryant was the best example of that.
He always added a new weapon to his arsenal every season. Even late in his career, he learned low-post footwork from Hakeem Olajuwon.
The strong only grew stronger. To them, standing still meant falling behind.
Sun Hao kept improving, and his performances in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League became increasingly consistent.
Moreover, just like last season, because he frequently and continuously used pick-and-roll tactics in games, before the season ended, his Pick and Roll Master, Iron Wall, and Pick and Roll Evasion Badges had all upgraded from Bronze to Silver Grade.
Those Badges had visibly improved his individual ability.
He had become highly adept at using pick-and-rolls, knew how to defend against them most effectively, and also knew how to initiate plays through them.
Or, to put it another way, Sun Hao's style of play was becoming increasingly European.
Not long after, Real Madrid Team also received some good news: Prigioni was about to return from injury.
That was undoubtedly good news for Real Madrid Team. Prigioni's presence could greatly diversify the team's offensive tactics.
The same was true for Sun Hao. Prigioni could cover up his relatively weak passing and allow him to focus on scoring.
Time flew by, and Sun Hao was the first to finish his UEFA Champions League Group Stage campaign.
The UEFA Champions League format was similar to the World Cup. The first stage was the Group Stage, with 24 teams divided into Groups A, B, C, and D, each containing six teams.
After the Group Stage, the top four teams from each group, sixteen teams in total, advanced to the Second Round and were divided into Group E and Group F.
Following the principle that Group Stage opponents would not face each other again, they played another group stage in the Second Round to determine the final top four teams in the two groups—the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals.
That stage had now concluded, and Real Madrid Team successfully advanced to the Quarterfinals as the top team in Group E.
Their Quarterfinals opponent was Olympiacos, a former powerhouse of the European Basketball League from Greece.
There were two key words for this opponent: European Basketball League and former.
The UEFA Champions League was a privately operated competition, and this was its inaugural season. Before that, Europe had another tournament called the European Basketball League.
That tournament was organized by FIBA Europe, and because it lacked commercial involvement, its reach was limited.
However, last year, because the teams no longer wished to participate in that competition, it was forced to suspend operations for a year. As a result, Sun Hao had not competed in it.
But it had still been Europe's highest-level league. In that league, Olympiacos won the European Basketball League championship for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1997, becoming three-time champions.
That was Olympiacos's most glorious era.
And then there was the other keyword: former.
After reaching its peak came decline. Following the Three-peat, due to many factors such as the retirement and transfers of the team's core players, their strength began to wane. This year, they had barely made the Quarterfinals as the fourth-place team in Group F.
Against an opponent like that, Real Madrid Team displayed overwhelming dominance.
Just as they had against Radar Team last year, in a best-of-five series, they eventually defeated their opponents 3-1 and successfully advanced to the Semifinals.
Prigioni averaged 3.6 assists in the series, Gabajosa averaged a double-double of 10 points and 11.5 rebounds, while Sun Hao averaged 15 points.
One led the team in assists, one led the team in rebounds, and one led the team in scoring.
Although Real Madrid Team had gone through Prigioni's injury problems in the middle of the season, and their results had fluctuated for a time.
Looking back, though, Sun Hao's growth in ability had also come during that stretch, which had turned out to be a good thing.
Now that the Trident had truly taken shape, Real Madrid Team had a strong chance of winning the championship in this inaugural UEFA Champions League season.
And Sun Hao had another piece of good news: after a full season, his Long-Range Sharpshooter Badge was infinitely close to Gold Grade.
If it could achieve a breakthrough before the season ended, it would definitely be a massive boost to his ability.
After all, the Silver Grade Badge had already produced that kind of effect. One could only imagine the Gold Grade version.
After the various teams gradually finished their Quarterfinals series, the league also announced two extremely important awards.
The UEFA Champions League Regular Season MVP and Rookie of the Year.
The Regular Season MVP went to Panathinaikos's Zeljko Rebraca. He averaged a double-double of 14.1 points and 11.5 rebounds in the Group Stage and helped Panathinaikos reach the final four.
Rookie of the Year, meanwhile, belonged to Real Madrid Team's Sun Hao!
Sun Hao averaged 12.6 points in the Group Stage, made 2.6 three-pointers per game, and shot 40% from beyond the arc. Every one of his statistics stood out.
By winning Rookie of the Year, he also set the record as the youngest Rookie of the Year in UEFA Champions League history.
He had previously broken the European League single-game scoring record, and now he was the youngest UEFA Champions League Rookie of the Year.
With all these honors piling up, Sun Hao would probably be hated to death by Europe's young players in the future.
Because it would be practically impossible for them to break those records again.
Naturally, Sun Hao did not forget his teammates after winning Rookie of the Year.
He had made a fortune from the World Cup earlier, so he was now a little rich.
And socializing like this was necessary too.
Players did not rely solely on individual ability on the court. They also relied on chemistry with their teammates, and that chemistry was inseparable from their relationships off the court.
After the UEFA Champions League entered the Quarterfinals, its format was the same as La Liga's. The Quarterfinals were best-of-five elimination series, while the Semifinals were Single Elimination.
After resting for two days, the Semifinals were about to begin.
Of the four teams that reached the Semifinals, two came from La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Of the remaining two teams, one was Virtus Bologna from Italy, which had also been Real Madrid Team's opponent in their opening UEFA Champions League Group Stage game.
The other team was Panathinaikos from Greece. They had the newly crowned UEFA Champions League MVP Rakocevic, as well as Dejan Bodiroga.
After leaving Real Madrid Team last season, the legendary star's next stop had been Greece.
The Semifinals matchups had also been decided: Barcelona would face Panathinaikos, while Real Madrid would take on Virtus Bologna.
The Semifinals would be held at a neutral venue, and the game between Real Madrid and Virtus Bologna would take place at Paris Bercy Arena in France.
With the trip imminent, Sun Hao was also making his final preparations for the game.
Calderon's example last year had already shown that La Liga's influence was limited. If he wanted more attention, he had to produce results on the UEFA Champions League stage.
In other words, whether he could lift the championship trophy would determine whether he entered this year's NBA draft, and whether he could fulfill the Five-Year Pact.
The difficulty was immense, and so was the pressure. Under that pressure, Sun Hao chose to... invite Prigioni and Gabajosa over for dinner.
The best way to relieve pressure was to do something he loved.
But first, Sun Hao had no time to travel, and second, he was still single.
So the only thing he could do was cook.
After inviting Prigioni and the others over for a meal last Offseason, Sun Hao had discovered that he quite liked that sense of accomplishment.
Especially when the two of them praised his cooking and cleaned every plate.
Prigioni and Gabajosa could hardly believe the news when they heard it.
During the Offseason, Sun Hao had successfully won over their stomachs. But once the season began, whenever they wanted to eat his food again, Sun Hao stubbornly refused.
They had craved it for an entire season. When they had gone to Italy for a game earlier, this was what they had kept talking about.
They had not expected Sun Hao to take the initiative this time.
The two of them were even more enthusiastic than they were for practice. The moment they got the news, they rushed to Sun Hao's apartment.
By the time they arrived, Sun Hao had already finished cooking.
This time, besides the bullfrog Prigioni had been longing for, he had also prepared a very unique soup.
And just like last time, he did not tell the two of them what the soup was made from.
Although Prigioni and Gabajosa were puzzled this time, neither of them asked. They simply started drinking.
"God, what is this magical thing? Why is it so delicious!"
Prigioni's reaction was exactly the same as last time. This guy really was a foodie.
As for Gabajosa, he had already fished out the meat from the soup and begun eating it.
It was something like collagen, soft and chewy with plenty of bite.
"Is this beef tendon?"
As expected of someone who had eaten Chinese food before, Gabajosa even knew that beef tendon existed.
Unfortunately, he had guessed wrong.
"Who cares what kind of meat it is? As long as it tastes good. Is there really anything harder to imagine than bullfrog?"
As Prigioni spoke, he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
In a foodie's world, nothing was impossible.
He had actually learned how to use chopsticks in private!
Chewing the springy meat and drinking the richly flavored soup, Prigioni truly did not care what this thing was.
"So what is it?"
But Gabajosa was not Prigioni. He was still very curious.
"Bull penis."
Sun Hao gave him the answer.
But both of them looked completely confused after hearing it.
They clearly did not know which part of the bull a bull penis was.
"A bull's reproductive organ."
Sun Hao gave them a more direct explanation.
This time, their expressions became indescribably spectacular.
Gabajosa, who had already finished eating, felt his stomach churn.
As for Prigioni, who had been eating with relish moments ago, he suddenly felt that the meat in his mouth was no longer quite so tasty.
So there really was something harder to imagine than bullfrog...
"Goji Bull Penis Soup, one of the most nourishing soups. It is suitable for both men and women. It nourishes the kidneys for men and beautifies the complexion for women."
When Sun Hao said that, he sounded exactly like a roadside health supplement salesman.
But for someone who carried Goji Berry Tea with him all year round and cared about wellness, this definitely was not a scam.
"As long as it tastes good."
After Fernandez heard that, he finished the meat in his mouth and actually picked up another piece.
In a foodie's world, whether something tasted good mattered more than what it was.
Watching Prigioni eat with such enjoyment, Gabajosa finally suppressed the churning in his stomach and started eating again as well.
Something this delicious—wasn't it fragrant when eaten? Wouldn't it be a waste not to eat it?
Most of the large bowl of Goji Bull Penis Soup was wiped out by Prigioni and Gabajosa. Sun Hao only managed to drink a little soup.
But he did not mind. Watching others finish the food he had cooked was also a wonderful experience.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the three of them talked for a while longer about tomorrow's game.
They still had not gotten over Ginobili's buzzer-beater in the Opening Game. Meeting again in the Semifinals, revenge was their only goal.
And this time, they had also made up their minds not to give Ginobili another chance at a buzzer-beater like that.
Thanks to "I Stewed You" and "You Have Become a Stranger" for the rewards. As always, please vote and send rewards~
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