Volume 1: The Road to the European Emperor Chapter 44: Champions League Best Rookie
Sun Hao scored 40 points and broke many historical records. He was praised by the outside world, but he himself remained calm.
This was only because he had just obtained the First Step Expert Badge and caught Barcelona off guard.
By the time other teams slowly react and find ways to defend against him, it is very likely that his performance will decline.
This has been verified in previous games.
But this is also the process of improvement. Only by constantly discovering shortcomings through competitions and then strengthening them can one become a true superstar.
Kobe Bryant is the best example of this.
He was always able to add a weapon to his arsenal every season, and even at the end of his career he studied low-post offensive footwork with Olajuwon.
The strong are always getting stronger, and standing still means regression for them.
Sun Hao is getting stronger and stronger, and his performance in La Liga and the Champions League is becoming more and more stable.
And just like last season, because of his frequent and uninterrupted use of pick-and-roll tactics in the game, before the end of the season, his pick-and-roll master, iron wall and pick-and-roll dodger badges were upgraded from bronze to silver.
These badges have obviously improved his personal strength.
He is very good at using pick-and-rolls, knows how to deal with them most effectively, and knows how to initiate tactics through them.
Or to put it in one sentence, Sun Hao's playing style is becoming more and more European.
And Real Madrid also received good news soon after that Prigioni is about to make a comeback.
This is undoubtedly good news for Real Madrid. Prigioni's presence can greatly enrich the team's offensive tactics.
The same goes for Sun Hao. Prigioni's presence can cover up his weak passing problem and allow him to concentrate on scoring.
Time flies, and Sun Hao was the first to finish his Champions League group stage journey.
The format of the Champions League is similar to that of the World Cup. The first stage is the group stage, with 24 teams divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D, with six teams in each group.
After the group stage, the top four teams in each group, a total of 16 teams, entered the semi-finals and were divided into two groups, E and F.
According to the principle that the opponents in the group stage will not play against each other again, the final top four of the two groups will be determined, that is, the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
This stage has been completed, and Real Madrid has successfully advanced to the quarter-finals as the first in Group E.
Their opponent in the quarterfinals is the former European Basketball League powerhouse, Olympiacos from Greece.
There are two key words for this opponent, European Basketball League and once.
The UEFA Champions League is a privately-run tournament and this year is its first edition. Prior to this, there was also a competition in Europe called the European Basketball League.
That competition was organized by the European Basketball Federation, and since it does not involve business, it has little promotional value.
However, last year, because all teams were unwilling to participate in this kind of event, it was forced to stop for a year, and Sun Hao did not participate in this event.
But it is the highest level league in Europe after all. It was in this league that Olympiacos won the European Basketball League championship for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1997, becoming a triple crown winner.
That was also the most glorious era of Olympiacos.
And another key word is once.
After their rise and fall, after three consecutive championships, their strength began to weaken due to many factors such as the retirement and transfer of core players. This year they barely made it into the quarterfinals with fourth place in Group F.
Facing such an opponent, Real Madrid showed enough dominance.
Just like last year's match against Radar, they played a best-of-five series and eventually defeated their opponent with a total score of 3-1, successfully advancing to the semi-finals.
Prigioni averaged 3.6 assists per game in the series, Gabayosa averaged a double-double of 10 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and Sun Hao averaged 15 points per game.
Among the three people, one leads the team in assists, one leads the team in rebounds, and one leads the team in scoring.
Although Real Madrid experienced Prigioni's injury problems in the middle of the season and their performance also fluctuated for a while.
But looking back, Sun Hao's strength also grew during that period, which was actually a good thing.
Now that the trident has truly taken shape, Real Madrid has a good chance of winning the first Champions League title.
And there is good news for Sun Hao. After one season, his long-range shooter has reached the gold level.
If he can make a breakthrough before the end of the season, it will definitely be a huge boost to his strength.
You should know that the silver-level badge had that kind of effect before, so you can imagine what the gold-level badge will have.
After the quarterfinals of each team ended one after another, the league also announced two very important awards.
Champions League regular season MVP and best rookie.
The regular season MVP was won by Panathinaikos' Zeldeko Libraca, who averaged a double-double of 14.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the group stage and helped Panathinaikos reach the final four.
The best rookie goes to Sun Hao of Real Madrid!
Sun Hao averaged 12.6 points per game in the group stage, made 2.6 three-pointers per game, and his three-point shooting percentage reached 40%. All the statistics were very outstanding.
By winning the Best Rookie award, he also set a record for the youngest rookie in the Champions League.
He previously broke the European League single-game scoring record and is now the youngest best rookie in the Champions League.
With all the honors Sun Hao has won, I am afraid that young players in Europe will hate him to death in the future.
Because it would be extremely difficult for them to break this record again.
Sun Hao won the best rookie award and naturally did not forget his teammates.
He made a fortune from the World Cup and is now a small wealthy man.
And this kind of communication is also necessary.
When a player plays on the court, it is not only about personal ability, but also about the tacit understanding between teammates. This tacit understanding is inseparable from the relationship off the court.
The format of the Champions League after entering the quarterfinals is the same as that of La Liga. The quarterfinals are a five-match elimination system, and the semi-finals are a single-elimination system.
After two days of rest, the semi-finals are about to begin.
Two of the four teams that advanced to the semi-finals are from La Liga, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The remaining two teams are Virtus Bologna from Italy, which is also Real Madrid's opponent in the first match of the Champions League group stage.
The other team is Panathinaikos from Greece, who have the new Champions League MVP Ribraca and Dejan Bodiroga.
After leaving Real Madrid last season, the legendary star's next stop was Greece.
The matchups for the semi-finals have also been announced, with Barcelona facing Panathinaikos and Real Madrid facing Virtus Bologna.
The semi-finals will be held at a third-party home stadium, with the match between Real Madrid and Virtus Bologna taking place at the Bercy Arena in Paris, France.
With the departure approaching, Sun Hao is also making final preparations for the competition.
Last year's example of Calderon has shown that La Liga's influence is limited. If he wants to get more attention, he must perform well in the Champions League.
In other words, whether he can lift the championship trophy will determine whether he will participate in this year's NBA draft and whether he can fulfill his five-year agreement.
It was very difficult and stressful, and under great pressure, Sun Hao chose to... invite Prigioni and Gabayosa to his home for dinner.
The best way to relieve stress is to do something you love.
But now, firstly, there is no time for Sun Hao to travel, and secondly, he is still single.
So all he can do is cook.
During the off-season last year, Sun Hao invited Prigioni and others to dinner, and he found that he quite liked that sense of accomplishment.
In particular, two people praised his cooking skills and even participated in the "Clean Plate" campaign.
Prigioni and Gabayosa couldn't believe it when they heard the news.
During the offseason, Sun Hao successfully retained their stomachs, but when the season started and they wanted to eat again, they found that Sun Hao refused to come again.
They have been craving it for the whole season, and this is what they were talking about when they went to Italy to play games.
I didn't expect that Sun Hao would take the initiative this time.
The two of them were more enthusiastic than in training. As soon as they received the news, they ran to the apartment where Sun Hao lived.
When they arrived, Sun Hao's dishes had already been cooked.
This time, in addition to the bullfrog that Prigioni had been craving for, he also prepared a very unique soup.
And just like last time, he didn't tell the two what the soup was made of.
Although Prigioni and Gabayosa were confused this time, they didn't ask and just started drinking.
"God, what is this magical thing, why does it taste so good!"
Prigioni's reaction was exactly the same as last time. This guy is a real foodie.
As for Garbajosa, he had already taken the meat out of the soup and started eating it.
That collagen-like substance is sticky and chewy.
“Is this beef tendon?”
As expected, having eaten Chinese food before, Gabayosa even knew about the existence of beef tendon.
But unfortunately he guessed wrong.
"Whatever kind of meat it is, as long as it tastes good, is there any food more unimaginable than bullfrog?"
As Prigioni spoke, he picked up the chopsticks and put a piece of meat into his mouth.
In the world of foodies, nothing is impossible.
He has actually learned to use chopsticks in private!
Eating the chewy meat and drinking the delicious soup, Prigioni really didn't care what it was.
"So what is this?"
But Gabayosa is not Prigioni, and he is still very curious.
"Bullwhip."
Sun Hao gave the answer.
However, both of them looked confused after hearing it.
They obviously don't know what part of the cow the whip is.
"The reproductive organs of a bull."
Sun Hao gave a more direct explanation.
At this moment, the expressions on the two people's faces were so wonderful.
Gabayosa, who had already finished eating, felt his stomach churning.
As for the Prigioni, which he had been eating with gusto just before, he suddenly felt that the meat in his mouth was not so fragrant anymore.
It turns out that there really is food that is more unimaginable than bullfrog...
"Wolfberry and bull whip soup is one of the most nourishing soups. It is suitable for both men and women. It nourishes the yin and kidneys for men and improves the skin and beauty for women."
When Sun Hao said this, he sounded like a man selling health supplements on the street.
However, for him, a health-conscious person who drinks wolfberry tea all year round, this is by no means a scam.
“As long as it tastes good.”
After hearing this, Fernandez finished the meat in his mouth and actually picked up a new piece.
In the world of foodies, taste is more important than what you eat.
Seeing Prigioni eating with relish, Gabayosa finally suppressed the churning in his stomach and started eating as well.
Isn't it delicious to eat such a delicious thing? Isn't it a waste if we don't eat it?
Most of the big bowl of wolfberry and bullwhip soup was eaten by Prigioni and Gabayosa, and Sun Hao only drank a little bit of the soup.
But he didn't care. It was also a good experience to watch others finish the food he cooked.
After eating and drinking, the three of them chatted for a while about tomorrow's game.
They were still brooding over the buzzer-beater from Ginobili in the opening game, so revenge was their only goal this time in the semi-finals.
And this time they were determined not to give Ginobili the chance to make the winning shot.
