Rome, August 5.
Fans of the " Eternal City " greeted the reigning champions from across the Atlantic Ocean with near-fanatical enthusiasm. Outside the Stadio Rome, scalped tickets tripled in price in just one morning.
That night, Virtus Rome played a fierce defense. But faced with overwhelming talent, this ferocity only lasted for half the game. In the third quarter, Rick Carlisle made a bold move, substituting Artest and Kirilenko. Artest's suffocating defense completely silenced Rome's key player Anthony Parker, while Kirilenko silenced the entire arena with a thunderous block.
Final score: 106-79, the Celtics easily won another game.
At 11 Late Night., Virtus Rome released a brief statement to the media. "The club has officially joined the EBA League."
August 7, Madrid.
If Milan and Rome are just going through the motions, then Royal Madrid, with its nine Europe Champions Cup, is the toughest and most crucial nut to crack in the EBA plan.
Inside the VIP room of the Sports Palace in Madrid, Gherardini faced Florentino Pérez, a top figure in Europe football and business who had just been elected president of Real Madrid.
This shrewd businessman, who single-handedly built the "Galacticos" and is also the owner of Spain's largest construction group (ACS), simply glanced at EBA's proposal and pushed it back onto the table.
"Mr. Gherardini, Real Madrid has no shortage of honors, nor is it short of broadcasting fees." Florentino pushed up his glasses. "Trying to buy out the Real Madrid basketball team's brand endorsement with a €300 million stadium? That's a very shrewd calculation."
Gherardini smiled. Dealing with a business shrew of this caliber, empty promises are useless; only a transaction of interests will suffice.
"President Pérez, we've checked. Your ACS Construction Group is currently vying for the development rights to a new city in northwest Madrid." Gherardini leaned forward. "EBA's mega-complex in Madrid is an investment of 300 million euros. If you're willing to let Real Madrid's basketball team join EBA..."
Gherardini lowered his voice. "For this €300 million infrastructure project, the investors behind EBA can designate ACS Group as the sole general contractor."
Florentino's gaze froze instantly.
This is real negotiation. He used the basketball brand to secure huge engineering contracts from construction groups, and the 300 million euro investment would also greatly increase his bargaining power in Madrid's political circles.
"After tomorrow's match," Florentino said, putting away the proposal, his tone becoming extremely gentle, "Have the representatives of your investors come to see me with a letter of intent for the project."
That evening, at the Madrid Sports Palace.
Under the guidance of legendary coach Obradović, Real Madrid showcased the pinnacle of Europe basketball. Their tight half-court offense kept the score close until the final whistle.
But in the second half, Boston's superior stamina and talent completely destroyed Real Madrid's defense. Pierce scored three consecutive one-on-one goals, tearing apart Europe's tightest defense with his most unreasonable scoring performance.
The Celtics won by 14 points, 102-88.
At midnight, Real Madrid issued a press release to the media.
Royal Madrid Basketball Club, as a founding member, has officially joined the EBA League.
At that moment, sports media across Europe realized: the world had truly changed.
Real Madrid's entry completely triggered a domino effect. Over the next ten days, Gherardini and Celtics unleashed a devastating storm across Europe.
August 8, Barcelona.
Seeing their arch-rivals Real Madrid join the EBA, the young Barça president Laporta couldn't sit still. On the night Celtics's 106-81 victory over Barça, Barcelona swiftly announced their joining the EBA.
The two Spain giants have entered the fray.
August 10-12, Athens.
The Greece powerhouses Panathinaikos and Olympiacos.
After the Celtics defeated Athens by 11 and 17 points respectively.
The two Greece giants have entered the fray.
Istanbul, August 14-16.
At the crossroads of Eurasia, Fenerbahçe and Efes, having witnessed Boston's devastating dynamic offense, signed the agreement without hesitation.
The two Turkey giants have entered the fray.
August 18, Moscow.
Facing Kushchenko, the chairman of CSKA Moscow with military background and a tough style, Gherardini offered the following bargaining chip. "The EBA will connect its broadcast signal to North America, which is the best window for Russia basketball to flex its muscles to the West."
The game that night was extremely fierce. Rasheed clashed with the opposing center during a physical battle, and the two almost came to blows. However, the Celtics calmed down and still managed to take the victory 101-90.
CSKA Moscow, in the game.
Immediately afterwards.
Belgrade Red Star joins.
Maccabi Tel Aviv joins.
Paris Saint-Germain joins.
Bayern Munich, join.
In just 24 days, 12 cities, 13 matches.
The Celtics left with a terrifying record of 13 wins and 0 losses, with an average net point differential of 20.7 points per game.
Meanwhile, Gherardini returned to Milan, the epicenter of the storm, with 13 memoranda signed by Europe's most powerful elites.
Celtics's performance during their 2000 Europe tour.
13 games, 13 wins and 0 losses
Average net points: 20.7 points
Total attendance: 198,000 (average attendance rate of 97.3%)
The founding members of the EBA League have been confirmed.
Olympia Milan ( Italy )
Virtus Rome ( Italy )
Royal Madrid ( Spain )
Barcelona ( Spain )
Panathinaikos ( Greece )
Olympiacos ( Greece )
Fenerbahçe ( Turkey )
Efes ( Turkey )
CSKA Moscow ( Russia )
Belgrade Red Star ( Serbia )
Maccabi Tel Aviv ( Israel )
Paris Saint-Germain ( France )
Bayern Munich ( Germany )
Lin Qi made a phone call to Gherardini.
" Maurizio, I will not attend the signing ceremony tomorrow."
Gherardini on the other end of the phone was stunned. "Boss!? This is a historic moment! You are the creator of all this, how could you..."
"Proceed as planned." Lin Qi's tone was completely flat. "You sit in the center of the stage and preside over the entire ceremony. The presidents of the 13 clubs will come up one by one and sign their names on the bylaws. I want all the media in Europe to see that this is a sign of Europe basketball's awakening."
"Boss," Gherardini's voice trembled slightly, a deep respect for a shrewd and calculating strategist, "You've invested so much effort and money, yet you're relinquishing all the glory in history..."
" Maurizio, since you value this so much, then enjoy this historic moment for me."
Tomorrow, the Forum in Milan will witness an unprecedented new era in Europe basketball history. Countless champagne bottles will be opened, and the leaders of 13 top teams will raise a toast together.
The person who started all of this would simply sit in their hotel suite, quietly sipping a glass of ice water.