Black Basketball: A false start

Chapter 82 Synchronization vs Misdirection
"Those two guys broke through their own data model..." Kaneki Ken had a meaningful smile on his face, and there seemed to be an endless stream of data flowing in his eyes, "This is interesting..."

"Rukawa!" Shigehiro Kabachi, who was responsible for serving the sideline ball, threw the ball to Rukawa. Rukawa didn't even look at Shigehiro Kabachi. He caught the flying basketball with one hand and slowly walked towards the front court with the ball.

"Ryukawa Kaede, didn't he watch the game just now?" Hanagata Ryo looked at Sendoh Akira with some uncertainty, "Did I see it wrong, or..."

"You're not seeing things." Sendoh Akira held his chin with one hand, staring intently at the field, "Some very interesting things happened to those two guys..."

"What happened to these two guys..." Nijimura Shuzo looked at Rukawa Kaede and Kabaji Shigehiro who were approaching the front court with a serious face, feeling a strong sense of disobedience.

Suddenly, Rukawa's eyes flashed, his calf muscles bulged, and he broke through Haizaki Shogo's blockade like a bullet.

"What! How is this possible!" With a look of surprise, Haizaki Shogo adjusted his body and tried to catch up with Rukawa, but when he finally stood in front of Rukawa again, he found that Rukawa's hands were empty.

"Where... is the ball?" Just as everyone at Teiko Junior High School was still staring at Rukawa in a daze, a loud shout brought everyone back to their senses.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!" The basketball had landed in Shigehiro Kabata's hands at some point. Shigehiro Kabata received the ball, took three steps, jumped up, and tried to smash the ball into the basket.

"It's a little too early for you to dunk on me!" Murasakibara Atsushi was the first to react. He stretched out his arms and tried to block Kabaji Shigehiro from the front.

"Don't be too arrogant! We will never lose to you, purple-haired guy!" Kabaji Shigehiro exerted a little force on his waist and abdomen, retracted his hand raised in the air, and passed the ball with a back pass, "Don't underestimate our bond, bastard!"

"It's Rukawa!" Nijimura Shuzo who was behind Kabaji Shigehiro clearly saw the ball being accurately passed to Rukawa who was slipping to the baseline. After receiving the ball, Rukawa jumped into the air, stretched his body in the air, and made a fadeaway jump shot to avoid Aomine Daiki's block, and shot the ball steadily into the basket.

"Nice pass!" After scoring, Rukawa Kaede clenched his fist and cheered excitedly.

"Nice shot!" Shigehiro Kabachi opened his big hands and came to Rukawa Kaede. With a snap, the sound of the two people high-fiving resounded throughout the venue.

"It's so rare!" Kaneki Ken exclaimed with a smile, "Such perfect synchronization actually exists..."

"Synchronous?" On the sidelines, Ah Shen also looked at Mu Shenyi curiously and asked, "What is that?"

"If zone is the strongest state of a talented individual player, then synchronization is the strongest state of a perfect team." Maki Shinichi exclaimed in disbelief, "In basketball games, players achieve a highly coordinated state through long-term training and tacit cooperation. In this state, players can accurately understand and execute each other's intentions without verbal communication or even eye contact, thus forming a powerful synergy in the game."

"So, does Toyama Junior High School still have a chance to turn defeat into victory?" Takao Kazunari interrupted excitedly. For Takao Kazunari, he hoped that Toyama Junior High School could create a miracle. In Takao Kazunari's subconscious, he would rather face the Toyama Junior High School duo who were in the same tune than face Kaneki Ken who entered the zone.

"Unlikely." Maki Shinichi shook his head with some regret, breaking Takao Kazunari's fantasy. "It's a bit of a pity, actually. If we hadn't met a team like Teiko Junior High School that is talented enough to crush all opponents, synchronization is an ability that can conquer the world..."

"What about us?" Takao Kazunari asked again, "Is it possible for us to learn this skill?" "Unlikely." Maki Shinichi once again poured cold water on Takao Kazunari, "Synchronization, in a sense, is more like a resonance of talents. The realization of the synchronization state is based on the deep trust and long-term running-in between the players. In this state, the players can accurately predict each other's actions and intentions based on their understanding of each other's habits, the adaptation of their talents, and the tacit understanding formed through long-term training."

Maki Shinichi smacked his lips, looking at the Toyama Junior High School duo who once again completed a wonderful cooperation on the defensive end and successfully stole the ball from Haizaki Shogo, and then said: "Just like zone, without enough talent, you can't even reach its threshold. And in some ways, the threshold for synchronization is even higher - the team needs at least two or more talented players, and this alone has blocked many teams."

"If that's the case, then the one who has the most talent is..." As if remembering something, Takao Kazunari felt a chill down his spine, "If Teikoku learns to synchronize, then that means...?!"

"I don't know. Let's keep watching." Mu Shenyi bit his thumb and his expression became serious.

"A great counterattack! After Rukawa stole the ball, he and Shigehiro Kabaji quickly rushed to the frontcourt. They played two-on-one in the frontcourt, bypassed the defense of Daiki Aomine, and ended the first quarter with a wonderful alley-oop slam dunk!" Tashiro Heihachi's passionate voice echoed in the stadium, "This is the first time that Toyama Junior High School has completed consecutive attacks in this game! Can they sound the clarion call for a counterattack in the next game? Let us wait and see!"

……

"Damn it!" Murasakibara Atsushi threw his towel angrily, "These two guys have suddenly become so difficult to deal with!"

"Be patient, Murasakibara." Kaneki Ken smiled and patted Murasakibara Atsushi on the back, then turned to look at Nijimura Shuzo and Kuroko Tetsuya, "After all, Synchro is just a variation of high-speed pass and cut. Kuroko, Nijimura-senpai, it's time for you to return the favor."

"Yes!" The two nodded repeatedly and responded in a deep voice.

Soon, the timer buzzed, announcing the end of the intermission, and players from both teams returned to the court.

Nijimura Shuzo took over Murasakibara Atsushi's serve and slowly brought the ball across half court.

"It's really good defense, very impressive." Nijimura Shuzo looked at Suwa Masao who was defending him and nodded slightly, expressing his appreciation for Toyama Junior High School's tight defense.

"Hmph, come on!" Suwa Masao slammed the floor as if to cheer himself up.

"Really? I'm a point guard now, not a slacker..." Nijimura Shuzo joked with a smile and passed the ball to the inside.

"What's going on? This pass is so low-level, isn't it?" Suwa Masao looked at the light pass in front of him in confusion and couldn't help but stretch out his hand, "This ball can be intercepted... Damn! Who is this guy? When did he appear here?!"

Just as Suwa Masao was about to intercept Nijimura Shuzo's pass, Kuroko Tetsuya appeared in front of him like a ghost, and passed the ball to Aomine Daiki who cut in from the left baseline before him. As everyone was attracted by Nijimura Shuzo's pass, Aomine Daiki was facing an empty basket.

"Haha, nice pass, Azhe!" Aomine Daiki laughed and took the pass from Kuroko Tetsuya, and made a simple layup, and the score came to 30:16.

(End of this chapter)