In June, the temperature in Athens is so high that it feels like the air itself could ignite.
Outside the Olympic Indoor Hall, tens of thousands of Greece fans waved green flags, and the cold fireworks they lit turned half the night sky a deep, ghastly green.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, who had just won Game 7 of the NBA Finals, their championship parade had ended less than two weeks prior, and they hadn't even fully adjusted to the time difference before being crammed onto a chartered plane bound for Europe.
This is the second " World Series " jointly organized by the NBA and EBA. Last year, the inaugural tournament featured the Boston Celtics against Panathinaikos, with the Celtics ultimately securing a hard-fought victory. This year, the newly crowned NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers, are representing the United States, and their opponent remains the Europe powerhouse, the Greece powerhouse Panathinaikos, who have just won the EBA title.
When Jordan, O'Neal, and Kidd walked out of the player tunnel and took in the layout of the entire arena, the faces of these veterans, who had just endured seven grueling games in the NBA Finals, instantly turned somewhat grim.
Panathinaikos ' primary color is green, and their team crest, printed on the chest of their jerseys and in the center of the stadium floor, is a giant green clover.
Ernie Johnson, the commentator for United States who was traveling with the team, couldn't help but laugh out loud in the broadcast booth, " The Los Angeles guys flew for more than ten hours, crossed the Atlantic Ocean, only to find out they're still playing the ' Celtics.' Look at all this green and clover, Panathinaikos is practically the Boston of Greece."
But it wasn't just a visual déjà vu. What really made the Lakers players uncomfortable was that the game used pure FIBA Europe rules, and the format was still a best-of-three series.
From the very start of the first game, O'Neal found himself in trouble.
Under Europe rules, there is no defensive three-second violation. Panathinaikos ' interior players don't need to engage in the kind of fierce one-on-one battles that Ben Wallace did. Two Europe heavyweight centers, both over seven feet tall, are firmly planted in the paint, like two concrete pillars blocking the basket, never leaving it.
As soon as O'Neal received the ball in the low post, the defenders around him tightened like chains. He habitually lowered his shoulder to push past the first layer of defense, preparing to jump and dunk, but instead ran head-on into the second center who was already waiting under the basket.
Without the three-second rule, the paint is completely filled. O'Neal's sheer size eliminates the space for him to sprint.
Jordan, playing on the perimeter, also struggled. FIBA rules in EuroLeague not only have a shorter three-point line but also allow defenders to play more aggressively. What makes it even harder for NBA players to adapt is that defenders can simply reach out and flick the ball away as soon as it bounces above the rim cylinder.
Midway through the first quarter, Jordan's signature fadeaway jumper bounced off the rim. Just as the ball was about to go in, Panathinaikos ' power forward leaped high and swatted the ball away from directly above the basket.
Jordan immediately spread his hands to the referee to indicate goaltending, but the referee coldly shook his head. In Europe, this was an indisputable right play.
The Lakers ' offensive rhythm was disrupted, and at the end of the first quarter, the score was 18-15, with Panathinaikos, who had home-court advantage, leading the newly crowned NBA champions by three points.
In the fourth quarter of the first game, the Europe team demonstrated exceptional tactical execution, using a barrage of accurate three-pointers and a tight zone defense to completely overwhelm the Lakers' exhausted defense.
Ultimately, under FIBA rules, this " Europe Boston Celtics " took the first game at home.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, in the suburbs of Boston.
Wearing comfortable silk pajamas, Lin Qi sat on the sofa in his study, holding a glass of chilled Burgundy red wine, watching the replay of the game on the television screen with a pleasant mood.
As the owner of the Boston Celtics, who was suspended for a year by David Stern, Lin Qi should have been the most disappointed person this summer. His team lost the decisive Game 7, and he himself was unable to be present to coach the team's draft.
But at this moment, Lin Qi had an uncontrollable smile on his lips.
Few outsiders know that, in addition to managing the Boston Celtics, Lin Qi also runs Panathinaikos, a Europe powerhouse. Whether it was the Celtics' battle against Panathinaikos last year or the Lakers' trip to Athens this year, the actual mastermind and biggest beneficiary behind this " World Series " has always been Lin Qi, who remains hidden behind the scenes in the EBA League.
Just a week before this series began, EBA Business Development Department sold the television broadcasting rights to this "highest level basketball matchup on Earth" to broadcasters in more than 120 countries and regions around the world. The courtside advertising space was bought out by major Europe car, banking and telecommunications giants for astronomical prices. The revenue from broadcasting rights and sponsorships alone was more than ten times the appearance fee paid to the Lakers.
What excited Lin Qi even more was the intangible brand value that came with the competition.
In the broadcast, Michael Jordan was clearly furious at the start of Game 2. The God of Basketball, who never gives up, obviously couldn't stand losing to a Europe team. He began to frequently use off-ball movement to tear apart the defense, forcing his way into the muscle jungle of Europe rules. O'Neal also put aside his complacency after winning the NBA Finals, gritting his teeth and wrestling with the heavy Europe centers in the paint.
The more seriously the Lakers played, and the more desperately Jordan, O'Neal, and Kidd fought, the higher the value of the EBA award was raised.
Fans all over the world are watching this game. They will directly see that the EBA champion team can actually go toe-to-toe with the NBA champions, who have Jordan and O'Neal, even under the different rules, and can even win the game at home.
"Where can you find such a good advertising spokesperson?" Lin Qi took a sip of red wine, watching Jordan on TV, sweating profusely as he took a free throw, and sighed softly.
No need to pay exorbitant shoe contracts, no need to accommodate their cumbersome business schedules. Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal O'Neal, and Jason Kidd, these three superstars representing the highest level of United States basketball, are proving to the world, for free, the competitive level and commercial value of the EBA League.
The final result of this series is no longer important to Lin Qi.
If Panathinaikos pulls off an upset and wins the series, Europe basketball's prestige will reach an unprecedented peak, and the EBA's subsequent broadcasting contracts could double.
If the Lakers manage to win two consecutive games and secure a hard-fought victory, the EBA will also prove that it has the ability to compete with top NBA teams, completely shattering the myth that United States basketball is invincible.
Lin Qi leaned back on the sofa. In this disappointing summer, with his suspension and the Celtics' NBA Finals, his business empire in Europe was experiencing an unprecedented and frenzied expansion.
He lost the O'Brien Trophy.
But he used this summer carnival in Athens to make a fortune right under the noses of the NBA.