Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 164 Coach Kitano's Secret Weapon

The next morning, Kanagawa National Gymnasium.

After the top eight places were decided, the atmosphere in the stadium became more and more heated.

This day was naturally the day to decide the top four, and all four games were held at the National Stadium.

Among them, the match between Kanagawa and Osaka was scheduled for the second game, and the first game was the match between Akita and Tokyo.

At this time, the first game was coming to an end.

As the capital and the most populous city, the Tokyo team is naturally strong.

Of course, it’s just not weak.

In the summer national competition, the best result achieved by the three Tokyo teams was the quarterfinals.

Compared with Akita Prefecture where Sanno Industrial is located, the Tokyo team has a clear gap in player configuration.

Needless to say, the Tokyo team's starting lineup is made up of three teams, just like the Kanagawa team.

On the other hand, the Akita representative team only has one team, Sanno Industrial, but it has just changed its name.

Whether in terms of lineup depth or coordination, the Tokyo team is at an absolute disadvantage.

As expected, the Akita team defeated the Tokyo team by a margin of nearly 40 points.

This was because the main lineup of the Akita team did not play in the second half, otherwise the score difference would have widened further.

Soon, Kanagawa and Osaka came on the court.

The Kanagawa team and the Osaka team are both favorites in this year's Autumn National Sports Tournament, and their strength should not be underestimated.

They were rated AA and A+ teams by Basketball Weekly, respectively, and are among the top five representative teams in the country.

Hua Hua Hua~
When both teams took to the court, the entire stadium instantly became a sea of ​​energy and passion.

The fans' shouts, applause and whistles intertwined like a tide, rising one after another, passionately cheering for their favorite team.

Among them, the momentum of the Kanagawa team was even more amazing, but the Osaka team was not far behind.

The Osaka team's run-and-gun style of play made the game extremely entertaining. This style of play not only helped the team win the game, but also won the support of a large number of fans.

On the sidelines, Coach Anzai and Coach Kitano shook hands in a friendly manner.

The two are alumni, so they naturally have a close relationship.

"Coach Anzai, your Kanagawa team this year is an all-star lineup!"

Looking at Kanagawa's luxurious lineup, Coach Kitano was extremely envious, and tears seemed to be about to flow from the corners of his mouth.

"Coach Kitano, you guys in Osaka are not bad either!"

Coach Anzai is also keeping an eye on the Osaka team's lineup.

Although the Osaka team is not as luxurious as the Kanagawa team, it should not be underestimated.

While the coaches of the two teams were getting along friendly, some familiar players were also greeting each other.

Among them, Nan Lie and Kishimoto stood in front of Mu Mu.

As soon as he saw Mugure, Kishimoto raised his head slightly and said in a arrogant tone: "Mugure, this time we have found a good helper, and our strength is better than before. We will definitely win this game!"

Mu Mu stared at Kishimoto as if he was an idiot and said, "Unfortunately, I have a lot of good helpers too!"

At the side, Nan Lie covered his face with his hands, feeling inexplicably ashamed for his companions.

He really wanted to say to Kishimoto, don’t you speak without thinking?

It is true that they found good helpers, but Murasakibara found more and stronger helpers, and the gap between the two sides not only did not narrow, but became larger.

Among the best five players in the national competition, three are from Kanagawa.

In terms of lineup depth, the Kanagawa team is undoubtedly No. 1.

This can be seen from the solemn looks of many Osaka players.

Soon, Murasaki began to warm up.

After the warm-up, the competition officially began.

The starting lineups of both teams began to play, and Coach Anzai once again sent out the Kanagawa starting five.

Osaka National Team starting lineup

Center: Asakura Tianyu, 192 cm, 80 kg, third grade
Power forward: Minori Kishimoto, 186cm, 79kg, freshman
Small forward: Nan Lie, 181 cm, 73 kg, freshman
Guard: Matsushita Aoi, 177cm, 72kg, rd grade
Point guard: Jun Tsuchiya, 183 cm, 75 kg, freshman
Like the Kanagawa team, the Osaka team's starting lineup also has three first-year players.

This year, there is a feeling that there is a surge in outstanding freshmen.

This is indeed the case. This year, there are too many outstanding freshmen, including Mu Mu, Mitsui, Amu, Fujima, Akagi, Uozumi, Minami Rei, Kishimoto, Tsuchiya Jun, Matsumoto Minoru, Fukatsu, Yamato, Moroboshi Dai, Mikoshiba, Hanagata...

The starting lineup of the Osaka team is similar to that of the Shizuoka team, consisting of four Touou players and one Daiei Gakuen player, and their coordination is better than that of the Kanagawa team.

Among them, the 183-centimeter Jun Tsuchiya serves as the point guard, which is undoubtedly a huge challenge for Fujima.

Jun Tsuchiya is not as tall as he was in the plot years, and is still playing point guard. His style is similar to Sendoh in the plot years.

It was also thanks to the sudden rise of Jun Tsuchiya that Daiei Gakuen was able to win the second place in the regional competition this year and fortunately won the top eight in the country.

In contrast, Touou, the Osaka regional tournament champion, was defeated by Shohoku and only made it to the top 16 in the country.

It is precisely for this reason that Toouama’s management became increasingly dissatisfied with Coach Kitano.

Beep~
As the referee's whistle blows, the game officially begins.

During the jump ball phase, Watanabe Masao took the lead in passing the ball to Fujima.

Facing this Osaka representative team which was basically composed of Touou, Fujima had no intention of launching a fast break.

Before the game, Coach Anzai told him to keep the rhythm steady and focus on positional warfare. When playing against the Osaka team, you must not be led by the opponent's rhythm, otherwise they will use their rich experience to ravage you!
As Fujima crossed half court with the ball, Tsuchiya Jun immediately waved his long arms in an attempt to harass him.

Fujima moved his body sideways, controlled the basketball steadily, and waited for his teammates to get into position.

Soon, Masao Watanabe landed in the low post and reached for the ball.

Fujima passed the ball without hesitation.

Masao Watanabe caught the ball with both hands and started back-to-the-basket mode.

bang~
Accompanied by the sound of muscles colliding, Asakura Tianyu couldn't help but take a step back.

There was an obvious difference in tonnage between the two, and he couldn't stop Watanabe Masao's powerful attack at all.

Just as Asakura Tianyu lowered his center of gravity, suddenly, Watanabe Masao turned around quickly and easily completed the breakthrough.

Just like Akagi dealt with Iwata Miaki, Watanabe Masao also had an easy time dealing with Asakura Tenha.

The players on both sides are completely not at the same level. The reason why Asakura Tianyu became the starting player is mainly because of his speed and shooting ability.

Not far away, Kishimoto tried to make up for the defense, but Watanabe Masao made a fake pass, causing Kishimoto to hesitate and lose the opportunity to make up for the defense.

Masao Watanabe seized the fleeting opportunity, rushed into the basket and slammed it with both hands.

Bang~

Masao Watanabe took the lead and scored the first two points.

After landing, Watanabe Masao ran away.

Just at this time, Kishimoto served quickly, trying to catch the opponent off guard.

This is also the Osaka team's forte.

Unfortunately, the Kanagawa players retreated in time and the Osaka team failed to launch a fast break.

Jun Tsuchiya quickly controlled the ball across half court and began to observe the situation on the field.

Compared to Gao Yi Sendou, Tsuchiya Jun is more stable.

As we all know, Sendoh in his first year of high school was a completely different Rukawa Kaede.

Big idiot!
Of course, Jun Tsuchiya is not necessarily stronger than Sendoh.

Facing Fujima's defense, Tsuchiya Jun broke through with the ball.

His speed and explosiveness are not as good as Fujima's, but his confrontation ability is obviously better than Fujima.

When Fujima intercepted, Tsuchiya Jun took the initiative to fight back.

Relying on his strength and weight advantage, Jun Tsuchiya used a bulldozer style to overpower Fujima.

Unexpectedly, Jun Tsuchiya also learned the true skills of goat.

During this process, Matsushita Kura ran into an open space with the help of his teammates' cover.

In the first moment, Jun Tsuchiya passed the ball on the ground and it was accurately passed to Matsushita Kura.

Before Mitsui arrived, Matsushita made a mid-range shot.

Offense and defense transition!

After a series of passes, Watanabe Masao received the pass from Fujima again.

At the moment Watanabe Masao received the ball, Tsuchiya Jun resolutely abandoned Fujima and started to double-team Watanabe Masao with Asakura Tianyu.

This was the tactic arranged by Coach Kitano. He was well aware that Osaka's center was a weak point, and if Watanabe Masao could do whatever he wanted, the consequences would be disastrous.

Masao Watanabe is the tactical core of the Kanagawa team. If the Osaka team wants to win, the top priority is to limit his performance.

Only if Kanagawa fails to implement the one-star-four-shooting tactic, Osaka has a chance of winning.

Under the double-team, Watanabe Masao first feinted, then crashed backwards, and Asakura Tianyu couldn't help but take a step back.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Watanabe Masao half turned around and passed the ball to Murasakibara who came over to receive it.

At the first moment, Mu Mu raised his hand to shoot, and Nan Lie rushed over.

Suddenly, Murasakibara passed the ball on the ground and the basketball fell accurately into Fujima's hands.

Outside the 45° three-point line on the left, Fujima made no adjustments and just made a three-pointer.

shuh~
The basketball went into the net, creating a splash of color on the net.

The game on the field continued. Under the organization and command of Jun Tsuchiya, Osaka players moved quickly and orderly on the field, passing and cutting from time to time, and brought the run-and-gun tactics to the fullest.

If you want to play the run-and-gun tactics, you must have a point guard with strong organizational skills.

Therefore, compared with Toyotama in the national competition, this Osaka team is obviously stronger.

Facing the fierce Osaka team, the Kanagawa team showed no weakness.

Although Osaka players adopted a double-team strategy when defending, trying to limit Watanabe Masao's performance.

With his excellent supporting ability, Masao Watanabe can always pass the ball in time.

After Watanabe Masao attracted the defense, Kanagawa players always had easy scoring opportunities.

25:20
After ten minutes, even though the Kanagawa team only won by 5 points, they had the upper hand on the field.

If this continues, it will be very disadvantageous for the Osaka team.

Coach Kitano immediately requested a timeout and substituted a center named Oki Satoshi.

This is a secret weapon he prepared specifically for Watanabe Masao, but he doesn't know if it will work.

(End of this chapter)