Real Madrid Team was introduced first.
Once the introductions ended, the battle anthem shifted into the national anthem. The entire crowd went wild, even more so than during warmups.
Then came the Panathinaikos Team.
By the time the announcer introduced Bodiroga, the emotions of the fans were already beyond control.
First, the fans all rose to their feet and began wildly shaking enormous banners of Bodiroga.
Then the fans in the front rows picked up massive team flags and frantically waved them from side to side.
The battle anthem began, and their unified roar shook the arena as if it would blow off the roof.
After that came fireworks drifting through the air.
Roars, white smoke, and countless streamers thrown onto the court.
Sun Hao felt surrounded by the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke, and breathing it into his lungs was especially unpleasant.
This did not look like they were about to play basketball. It looked like they were heading onto a battlefield to fight to the death!
Beneath the white haze, the court had become the Roman Colosseum.
Looking at the scene before him, Sun Hao suddenly found himself worried about how they would leave after winning.
What a bunch of fucking lunatics.
By the time their opening ceremony ended, the court was covered in streamers.
Fortunately, the organizers had prepared for this. While the two head coaches arranged their opening tactics after the ceremony, a group of staff members came onto the court and cleaned it up.
It seemed Greece's pregame style had long since become notorious.
With the final pregame tactical instructions over, the starting players of both teams took the floor one after another.
The Panathinaikos Team fans... started again.
Their chanting sounded like the rallying cries of medieval legions before battle.
Fuck, they really were forcing people to charge in with shields and spears to risk their lives!
Gabajosa and Zeljko Rebraca went up for the tip.
Standing 2.15 meters tall, Rebraca used his long arms to tap the ball back into Panathinaikos Team territory, officially raising the curtain on the EuroLeague Final.
At that moment, the Panathinaikos Team fans had already reached a fever pitch.
Their roars hit a new peak, and the flag-wavers began swinging their flags again.
Sun Hao felt tired just watching them. The damn game had only just started.
Could they really keep this up all game?
This was not football. If they did this every time a basket was scored, would their throats not be ruined by the end?
But Sun Hao quickly refocused, because Bodiroga started putting on a show as soon as he reached the frontcourt.
Bodiroga played the three, and Trinidad guarded him. The latter was Real Madrid Team's best perimeter defender.
Trinidad was a Swingman, 1.96 meters tall, not much shorter than Bodiroga.
But apparently, height was not the key factor in this matchup.
Bodiroga did not even call for a screen. With a crossover, he blew past Trinidad and ducked low as he drove into the paint.
That speed and the range of that crossover were things a 2.05-meter player should not have possessed.
Gabajosa rotated over to help, but Bodiroga remained calm and threw out a sudden stop-and-shoot fake.
The move was so convincing that Gabajosa bit hard and flew past him.
Bodiroga spun in place around him and softly sent the ball into the basket with his right hand.
Smooth. So fucking smooth!
From the crossover to the sudden stop, then the pump fake and spin, every technical move flowed together flawlessly.
It was not that Trinidad's defense was poor, nor that Gabajosa was stupid. Bodiroga was simply on another level.
It was like a Nascent Soul cultivator facing a Golden Core cultivator in a fantasy novel—an overwhelming advantage in every aspect.
Your full speed looked like slow motion to me. I could calmly assess the situation and make my choice.
Honestly, Sun Hao was rather shaken at that moment.
Because this was even more incredible than what he had seen in videos.
This was the active European Emperor who had led Real Madrid to the La Liga title three years ago, shortly after arriving.
Now, three years later, the 27-year-old had reached the peak of his individual abilities.
It was not that he lacked the ability to go to the NBA. He simply did not want to go!
Real Madrid Team brought the ball into the frontcourt.
At that moment, Sun Hao noticed that the Panathinaikos Team had opened with a 3-2 Zone Defense.
The center stood high, the two guards were positioned at the left and right forty-five-degree angles, while the two forwards dropped to the low posts.
Unlike the 2-3 Zone Defense Virtus Bologna had used before, the 3-2 Zone Defense was designed mainly to defend Three-pointers.
If Real Madrid Team were compared to a car, Prigioni was the engine, while Sun Hao was the transmission.
The two most critical parts both came from the perimeter.
And with Rebraca inside, they did not need to worry about their interior collapsing like Virtus Bologna's had in the previous game.
This defensive formation was far too targeted.
Not only was the Panathinaikos Team strong in its own right, it had also done its homework before the game.
With no opening on the perimeter, Prigioni drove with the ball, but Rebraca disrupted his layup and he missed. Rebraca then snatched down the defensive rebound.
Although Rebraca was tall, he was faster than expected.
The Panathinaikos Team dared to open with a Zone Defense because it was extremely confident in the newly crowned MVP's abilities.
Sun Hao turned to look at the Panathinaikos Team bench and realized their coach looked familiar.
After taking a closer look, he quickly remembered who it was.
Panagiotis Giannakis.
It was not just him. Most Chinese fans probably knew Giannakis because he had had a very unpleasant stint with the Chinese Men's National Basketball Team.
There had also been plenty of controversy around him. Some said his reputation exceeded his ability, while others said he lacked control over his team.
But in the end, people realized that he had not chosen the players, the players had not run the plays as instructed, and after only a few months of practice, they had been expected to compete in major tournaments.
From start to finish, he had merely been dragged in as a temporary scapegoat.
Sun Hao had never deliberately looked into him before, but judging from the opening tactical setup, Giannakis truly deserved his reputation as a top European coach.
He was only 39, yet he had already led the Greek team to the World Championships semifinals last year, even taking eventual champion Yugoslavia into Overtime.
Facts spoke louder than words.
After stopping Real Madrid Team's offense, they went to the frontcourt, and Bodiroga began showing off again.
This time, he posted up Trinidad and called for the ball.
The other Panathinaikos Team players all spread to the weak side after seeing that.
Bodiroga had the advantage in weight and strength. After receiving the ball, he quickly backed down with a half turn and bulldozed his way to the low post.
They played the same position, but this looked like a mismatch no matter how one viewed it.
At the low post, Bodiroga turned toward the baseline and rose for a quick jumper.
Trinidad lunged out.
But the very next second, Bodiroga spun back the other way, turning directly against Trinidad's body.
Then, just as Gabajosa rotated over to help, he squeezed through with a small jab step and softly banked the ball in.
What a dazzling display.
The Panathinaikos Team crowd erupted again.
The enormous Bodiroga banner used during the introductions was raised once more, and all the fans stood up and let out wave after wave of howls.
It was as if he had not merely scored a basket, but like a gladiator had kicked his opponent to the ground.
4-0.
Bodiroga scored four points in a row with drives and dazzling moves, giving the Greek team a perfect start.
And Real Madrid Team still failed to score on its next possession.
Gabajosa caught Prigioni's kick-out pass, but his mid-range jumper clanged off the rim.
It had to be said that the crazed Greek fans gave Real Madrid Team plenty of psychological pressure.
By comparison, Real Madrid Team's fans seemed completely suppressed.
A neutral venue had somehow become the Panathinaikos Team's home court.
Rebraca secured the defensive rebound and immediately handed the ball to Bodiroga.
Bodiroga turned the instant he caught it and launched straight into transition.
Prigioni tried to steal it, but Bodiroga never slowed down. He dribbled behind his back with his right hand and split past Prigioni with the ball.
Sun Hao saw the opening and lunged over as well, but Bodiroga switched to a left-handed behind-the-back dribble and actually blew past him too!
Fuck, this guy was practically inhuman!
Bodiroga pushed into the frontcourt, saw Trinidad ahead of him, and after taking off for a layup, fired a between-the-legs pass in midair to the middle.
A guard followed up, caught the ball, and flew in for the layup.
6-0!
What a show. It made people's scalps tingle.
Sun Hao's expression was somewhat helpless at that moment.
After four years in Europe, he was seeing a genuine European superstar for the first time.
Compared with the still-unpolished Ginobili and the Gasol who had only just become a starter, Bodiroga before him was on a completely different level.
Although Sun Hao had made every mental preparation, and even prepared himself physically, Bodiroga's performance still exceeded his expectations.
This was the strength of the active European Emperor.
Laso had long since risen from the bench and walked to the sideline, his eyes filled with anxiety.
He knew the Panathinaikos Team was strong, but he had not expected it to be this strong.
Especially Bodiroga. Since he had left just as Laso began coaching him, Laso was experiencing him firsthand for the first time as well.
Coupled with the wild cheers of the Greek fans around him, he was already overwhelmed.
Seeing that Laso had not called a timeout, Sun Hao asked Prigioni for the ball and, after reaching the frontcourt, signaled for a High Double Screen.
A 3-2 Zone Defense was not easy to break. He had to use his head.
Seeing what was happening on the court, Giannakis, seated at the sideline, revealed a faint smile.
He knew Sun Hao's three-pointer was excellent, but even Danilovic could not guarantee his shooting percentage when launching threes against a 3-2 Zone Defense.
Real Madrid Team had been completely thrown into disarray by Bodiroga.
P.S. A new week has begun. Please support Shui Qie with your recommendation votes, everyone! If you like Shui Qie, bury him in votes!
I suspect you all have a crush on me.
Nonsense, we do not.
Looks like you like me openly, then.
Before you continue