Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel

Chapter 47: Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel

After the game ended, the Real Madrid fans at the venue erupted into a boiling sea of excitement.

The cheers and screams of the fans carried through the canyon, setting everyone's blood racing.

Sun Hao leaped up to bump chests with Gabajosa, then threw his arms around Prigioni in a fierce hug before finally roaring toward the sky.

They had said last night that they would not give Ginobili another chance for a game-winner. They had done it!

At that moment, he was no longer even afraid of Gabajosa's body fragrance!

And the reason Sun Hao was so excited was not simply because they had won this semifinal. More importantly, just before the game ended, Long-Range Sharpshooter had upgraded!

Long-Range Sharpshooter (Gold): Greatly increased the shooting percentage of long-range shots!

Sun Hao had obtained his first Gold Grade Badge!

The Silver Grade Badge had already given him such a huge boost. The Gold Grade one was truly something to look forward to!

And at such a crucial moment, whether they faced Barcelona or Panathinaikos in the next final, he was far more confident now.

After the game, the players from both teams exchanged postgame handshakes.

The Virtus Bologna players were deeply dejected, with Ginobili especially so.

He had already been drafted by the Spurs. If he could become a legend in the UEFA Champions League, he would have had a chance to debut in the NBA this very year.

He even knew that the Spurs' assistant General Manager had come to watch the game in person today.

But now, not only had his team fallen short in the Semifinals, his own performance had also been terrible.

In other words, he had already missed this opportunity.

The next chance would be at least a year away.

By then, he would be twenty-four, with another year of potential gone.

A player's career was very short. One less year was one less year, and he might even be passed over by the NBA because he was too old.

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

He had ambitions. Playing in Europe forever had never been his goal.

Sun Hao shook hands with the Virtus Bologna players one by one. When he reached Ginobili, he could sense the latter's dejection.

That emotion had sunk to the absolute bottom, as though it had taken physical form.

He could more or less guess how Ginobili felt after losing.

He reached out, but instead of shaking Ginobili's hand, he lifted it and patted Ginobili on the head.

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

???

You're doing this again!

Seeing Ginobili's expression, Sun Hao looked slightly embarrassed.

Last time, he really had been a little muddleheaded, but this time he genuinely wanted to encourage Ginobili!

"Keep it up. You've already done well enough. If your interior had been stronger, the game would have been completely different."

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

Hearing Sun Hao's words, Ginobili gave a bitter smile.

Praise from an opponent was probably the greatest comfort he could receive after such a disappointment.

Besides, because of what had happened in Sicily before, Sun Hao was someone he... could not afford to provoke.

"Thank you. I hope we can meet again on this court next year."

Ginobili replied with a few polite words. Beyond the courtesy, he also issued a challenge.

Wherever you fell, that was where you had to get back up.

Having been defeated by Sun Hao, he naturally wanted to win it back!

Sun Hao smiled without saying anything and gave Ginobili a hug.

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

After separating from Ginobili, Sun Hao unconsciously rubbed his hands together.

He had to admit, the longer hair did feel better to the touch.

He was actually beginning to look forward to seeing Ginobili with long hair.

In the postgame locker room, the Real Madrid players found some champagne and drenched Sun Hao over and over again.

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

Just as the locker room was filled with burly men, difficult steps, and men on top of men, the door was pushed open.

It was head coach Laso.

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

Laso looked excited. He had finally gotten the chance to follow in his predecessors' footsteps and win the most prestigious trophy in La Liga.

The locker room, which had briefly quieted down, instantly erupted in cheers again.

"Also, our opponent in the final has been decided."

Once the cheers died down, Laso continued.

Under the UEFA Champions League schedule, the two semifinals were played at the same time.

Communications were underdeveloped in this era, so such 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 listened intently.

Last year, he and Gasol had agreed to meet in the final, but they had ultimately fallen in the Semifinals.

Although that had been La Liga and this was the UEFA Champions League, a final was still a final.

He had still been looking forward to meeting Barcelona in the final.

It would fulfill his agreement with Gasol and also repay the Spanish fans.

A UEFA Champions League final becoming El Clásico—just thinking about that scene was thrilling.

"Panathinaikos Team."

But what Laso said was different from what Sun Hao had expected.

Not only Sun Hao, but the other players also let out disappointed sighs.

As bitter rivals, they had really wanted to face Barcelona in the final.

"Barcelona Team lost by fifteen points. Guys, give it everything you've got in the final."

Laso seemed to understand what the players were thinking.

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

Fifteen points was a crushing defeat on the UEFA Champions League stage.

Just like when they played Virtus Bologna, the other side had basically had no chance throughout the game.

They had faced Barcelona Team this season before and gone 1-1.

That meant Panathinaikos was very strong.

And because they had never faced them before, Real Madrid Team was not even very familiar with Panathinaikos' style of play or core players.

This final was bound to be difficult.

"Guys, are we about to win the most prestigious UEFA Champions League title ever?"

After Laso left, Sun Hao saw that his teammates were not in high spirits and shouted directly.

His ability to fire up players from his NCAA days finally had a place to shine.

As soon as he said that, Gabajosa went first, followed by everyone else, and they began shouting one after another.

Their shouts grew louder and louder.

Even Sun Hao was a little stunned.

He realized that European guys were even easier to fire up than American guys!

But when he thought of fans brawling in the streets every year during the World Cup, it suddenly seemed perfectly understandable.

After all, they were born a fighting people.

After partying for a while longer, the players were finally tired. They showered, changed clothes, and prepared to go home.

Sun Hao did not leave immediately. Instead, he began talking with Prigioni about Dejan Bodiroga.

In his previous life, because he had been in the NCAA, he did not know much about stars who had spent their careers in Europe.

As for Bodiroga, all he knew was that he had won more honors than anyone else in Europe and that he had led Yugoslavia past Team USA two years ago to win World Championships MVP.

He knew nothing about Bodiroga's playing style or habits. Since Bodiroga had not continued playing in Spain, Sun Hao had never paid much attention to him either.

"He is the most complete player in Europe right now, without question. You can call him the White Magician."

Everyone in that era knew who Magic Johnson was: Alvin Johnson, the best point guard in history.

Johnson was Black. Calling someone the White Magician showed just how highly he was rated.

And those words had come from Prigioni, a player known for his passing.

That assessment also described Bodiroga's style: an all-around big guard.

"He can make unbelievable passes. He can handle the ball, run the break, shoot, and even post up. He can play from the one through the four."

What Prigioni said also confirmed something.

"You know Shammgod, right?"

Prigioni suddenly asked.

Sun Hao nodded.

Shammgod was a flashy dribbling breakthrough move created by New York streetball guard Shamgod. It had already become famous in the early nineties.

"He can do it too, right?"

Sun Hao asked in return.

He was a guard, true, but he was also 2.05 meters tall. If that was the case, Prigioni was not exaggerating at all.

Executing a Shammgod required an extremely low center of gravity, making it doubly difficult for taller players.

"Yes. Here, it is called El Latigo. It means Whip—whipping opponents without mercy."

A signature move that existed because of one player.

After hearing Prigioni's words, Sun Hao had gained a new understanding of Bodiroga's strength, even before facing him.

Although he had not gone to the NBA, being called the strongest player outside the NBA by so many players was not merely empty praise.

It was no exaggeration to say that after Sabonis went to the NBA, Bodiroga had become Europe's Best active player.

And then there was Greek Monster Zeljko Rakocevic, who had just won the UEFA Champions League Regular Season MVP.

With twin cores inside and out, Panathinaikos Team had a roster far stronger than Virtus Bologna, Barcelona Team, and even Real Madrid Team.

The more he learned about this decisive battle, the more he understood how hard it would be.

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

Even before obtaining the system, he had dared to raise his middle finger at the sky.

Now that he had a cheat, and after all these years, if a strong opponent could make him afraid, then he would no longer be himself.

Mamba Mentality, Tempered Steel.

Only by defeating stronger opponents could he achieve greater improvement.

Sun Hao and Prigioni had talked for a while, and just as he was about to leave—

There were two knocks on the locker room door.

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

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