Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel

Chapter 47: Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel

After the game ended, the Real Madrid fans at the scene erupted into a sea of jubilation.

The cheers and screams of the fans traveled through the canyon, making one's blood boil.

Sun Hao jumped up and chest-bumped Gabajosa, hugged Prigioni fiercely, and finally roared at the sky for a good while.

They had said last night they wouldn't give Ginobili another chance to hit a game-winner, and they had done it!

At this moment, he wasn't even afraid of Gabajosa's body odor anymore!

And what made Sun Hao so excited wasn't just winning this semifinal, but also because right before the game ended, Long-Range Sharpshooter had upgraded!

Long-Range Sharpshooter (Gold): Significantly increases long-range shooting percentage!

Sun Hao had obtained his first Gold Grade badge!

The Silver Grade badge had already given him such a big boost; he couldn't wait to see what the Gold Grade could do!

And at such a critical juncture, whether the next final was against Barcelona or Panathinaikos, he felt much more confident.

After the game, the players from both teams performed the post-game handshake ritual.

The Virtus Bologna players were visibly dejected, Ginobili especially so.

He had already been drafted by the Spurs. If he could have dominated the EuroLeague, he might have had a chance to debut in the NBA this year.

He even knew that the Spurs' assistant general manager had come to watch the game live today.

But now, not only had his team stopped at the semifinals, his own performance had been terrible.

In other words, he had let this opportunity slip through his fingers.

The next chance would be at least a year away.

By then he'd be 24, a year less of potential.

A player's career is very short; losing a year is losing a year. He might even be given up on by the NBA for being too old.

After all, he was just a late second-round pick.

He had ambition; staying in Europe forever was never his goal.

Sun Hao shook hands with each Virtus Bologna player. When he got to Ginobili, he could feel the latter's dejection.

That kind of rock-bottom emotion felt almost tangible.

He could probably guess how Ginobili felt after the loss.

He reached out his hand, but instead of shaking Ginobili's, he reached up and patted Ginobili's head.

Ginobili immediately looked up at him, a face full of O'Neal-style question marks.

???

You again!

Seeing Ginobili's expression, Sun Hao's own face showed a hint of awkwardness.

Last time he had been a bit out of it, but this time he really wanted to encourage Ginobili!

"Keep it up. You've done well enough. If your interior players were a bit stronger, the game would have been completely different."

Luckily, Sun Hao reacted quickly and immediately changed the subject.

Hearing what Sun Hao said, Ginobili gave a bitter smile.

Praise from an opponent was the greatest comfort he could get in his disappointment.

And besides, because of what happened in Sicily before, Sun Hao was... someone he didn't want to mess with.

"Thanks. I hope to meet you on this court again next year."

Ginobili returned some polite words, and along with the courtesy, he issued a challenge.

Fall where you stand, get up where you stand.

Defeated by Sun Hao, he definitely wanted to win it back!

Sun Hao smiled but didn't say anything, just hugged Ginobili.

The Five-Year Pact was coming up. If Ginobili wanted revenge, he might have to go to the NBA by then.

After parting with Ginobili, Sun Hao couldn't help rubbing his hands together.

Don't say it, the hair was a bit longer and felt smoother to touch.

He was actually looking forward to the scene when Ginobili had long hair.

In the post-game locker room, the Real Madrid players found champagne and drenched Sun Hao again and again.

Sun Hao chased after his teammates in retaliation, and the locker room instantly descended into chaos.

Just as the locker room was full of sweaty men, struggling to move, and things were getting intense, the locker room door was pushed open.

It was head coach Laso.

"Great job, guys. I'm proud of you."

Laso's expression was excited—he finally had the chance to follow in the footsteps of those before him and touch La Liga's highest honor.

The locker room, which had just been quiet during the timeout, instantly erupted in cheers again.

"And also, our opponent for the finals has been decided."

Once the cheers died down, Laso continued.

In the Champions League schedule, both semifinals were played at the same time.

Communications weren't advanced in this era, so this kind of information could only be relayed through phone calls between team management and staff.

The locker room quickly fell silent. Sun Hao wrapped himself in a towel and perked up his ears to listen.

Last year, he and Gasol had agreed to meet in the finals, but they fell short in the semifinals.

Although that was La Liga and this was the Champions League, it was still a final.

He was still looking forward to meeting Barcelona in the finals.

It would fulfill his promise to Gasol and also give back to the Spanish fans.

The Champions League final turning into El Clásico—just imagining that scene was thrilling.

"Panathinaikos."

But the result Laso announced was different from what Sun Hao had expected.

Not just Sun Hao—the other players also let out a chorus of disappointed sighs.

As sworn rivals, they really wanted to play Barcelona in the finals.

"Barcelona lost by 15 points, guys. Let's give it our all in the finals."

Laso seemed to know what his players were thinking.

After he said that, the locker room quickly quieted down again.

15 points—that was a crushing defeat in the Champions League.

Just like when they played Virtus Bologna, the opponent basically had no chance the whole game.

They had faced Barcelona this season too, with a 1-1 record.

That meant Panathinaikos was strong.

And since they'd never played them before, Real Madrid wasn't even familiar with Panathinaikos's playstyle or core players.

This final was bound to be tough.

"Guys, aren't we going to win the most prestigious Champions League title there is?"

After Laso left, Sun Hao saw that his teammates' morale wasn't high, so he shouted out.

His skill at hyping up players from his NCAA days came in handy.

As soon as he said that, first Gabajosa, then the others, started shouting one after another.

And the shouts grew louder and louder.

Even Sun Hao was a bit surprised.

He found that European guys were easier to get fired up than American guys!

But then again, thinking about the scenes of fans brawling in the streets during the World Cup every year, it kind of made sense.

After all, they were born warriors.

After another round of excitement, the players finally tired out, showered, changed clothes, and got ready to head home.

Sun Hao didn't leave right away. Instead, he stayed behind to talk with Prigioni about Dejan Bodiroga.

In his past life, since he was in the NCAA, he didn't know much about players who spent their careers in Europe.

As for Bodiroga, all he really knew was that he was the most decorated player in Europe and that two years ago, he led Yugoslavia to defeat Team USA and won the World Championships MVP.

He didn't know his playstyle or habits—he hadn't even paid attention to Bodiroga after he stopped playing in Spain.

"He's the most versatile player in Europe right now, no question. You can call him the White Magician."

Everyone in this era knew who the Magician was—Magic Johnson, the best point guard of all time.

Johnson was black, so calling someone the White Magician showed just how high the praise was.

And this was coming from Prigioni, a player known for his passing.

That evaluation also hinted at his playstyle—a tall, all-around guard.

"He can make unbelievable passes, he can handle the ball, push the fast break, shoot, even post up. He can play from the one to the four."

What Prigioni said confirmed that.

"You know Shammgod, right?"

Prigioni suddenly asked.

Sun Hao nodded.

Shammgod—created by New York streetball guard God Shammgod, famous since the early '90s—was a flashy dribbling and driving technique.

"He can do that too, right?"

Sun Hao asked back.

He was a guard, that was true, but at 2.05 meters, if it was true, Prigioni wasn't exaggerating at all.

You had to know that completing a Shammgod required a very low center of gravity, which doubled the difficulty for a tall player.

"Yes, here it's called El Latigo, meaning 'the whip'—whipping the opponent mercilessly."

A signature move that existed because of a player.

After hearing what Prigioni said, even though he hadn't faced him yet, Sun Hao had gained a new understanding of Bodiroga's strength.

Although he hadn't gone to the NBA, being called the strongest player outside the NBA by so many players wasn't just hype.

Without exaggeration, after Sabonis went to the NBA, he was the current number one player in Europe.

Add to that the Greek Monster, Zeljko Rebraca, who had just won the UEFA Champions League Regular Season MVP.

With an inside-outside dual core, Panathinaikos Team's lineup was far stronger than Virtus Bologna, Barcelona Team, and even Real Madrid Team.

The more he learned about this decisive battle, the more he realized how tough it would be.

But the tougher it was, the more Sun Hao looked forward to the game.

Back when he didn't even have the system, he dared to flip off the sky.

Now that he had a golden finger and had been through so many years, if a strong opponent made him afraid, then he wouldn't be himself anymore.

Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel.

Only by defeating stronger opponents could he achieve greater improvement.

Sun Hao had just about finished talking with Prigioni and was about to leave.

The locker room door was knocked twice.

Sun Hao looked up and saw two familiar faces, one tall and one short.

ps: Please vote for recommendation tickets. Just a few hundred or thousand more, and we'll see Shui Duanqiao's pink chrysanthemum.

How do you say "I like you" in your hometown dialect?