Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 284 Three Blocks in One Round
In fact, even if Itakura managed to gather both the "Eight Steps of the Heavenly Dragon" and the "Eight Steps to Catch the Cicada," the referee would still blow the whistle.

There's nothing he can do; he's not a GOAT and doesn't have those privileges.

Itakura looked at Kogure with a blank expression, not knowing what he meant.

However, judging from Kogure's mocking expression, this was definitely not a compliment.

Itakura instinctively wanted to retaliate, but the thought of Kogure standing in front of him made him cower.

As everyone knows, Kogure's strength is unfathomable, and it's not just in basketball!
He witnessed Kogure brutally beating up Kentaro Sakurai and then chasing after Owada.

In addition, he heard from his older brother Kenjiro Itakura that Kogure had knocked out an American player who was 210 centimeters tall.

Horror!
Itakura looked down at his own physique. Even though he was considered strong among point guards, he was no match for those centers who were over two meters tall.

Can't afford to offend!

Itakura turned around and went back to defend, looking dejected.

Kogure gave Itakura a strange look. He thought that given Itakura's temperament, he would definitely swear, but the other party didn't say a word.

He believes that the saying "one is influenced by one's company" is related to the annual addition of Toyotama to Itakura.

After gaining possession of the ball, Shohoku began to serve.

Because Kogure had instructed him to slow down the pace and reduce the number of rounds before the match, Yasuda almost made it past the halfway point.

Itakura immediately stepped forward, preparing to put pressure on Yasuda again.

Without hesitation, Yasuda immediately passed the ball to Kogure, who was positioned in a low position.

The next moment, the Shohoku players immediately moved to their preferred shooting area.

As substitutes for Shohoku High School, they usually pay great attention to their basic skills in order to get playing time.

Under Kogure's guidance, these substitute players practiced shooting in one or two specific areas.

Of course, this only applies to open shots.

Their shooting percentage cannot be guaranteed once someone is on defense.

After his teammates took away the opposing player, Kogure began to post up against Tsuchiya Jun.

bang~
As a dull thud of muscles colliding rang out, Jun Tsuchiya felt a tightness in his chest.

At the same time, a tremendous force surged from in front of him, causing him to involuntarily take a step back.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kogure quickly turned around and easily passed Tsuchiya Jun.

Shusaku Kudo, who was closest to the ball, quickly covered for him. Kogure did not force a shot but instead passed the ball to Kakuta, who was in an open position.

After receiving the basketball, Emperor Kakuta visibly hesitated for a moment.

Unlike the previous two matches, all the quarterfinal matches were held at the Nagai Stadium.

Unlike previous venues, the Nagai Stadium can accommodate more fans and the atmosphere is more enthusiastic, which makes Emperor Kakuta a little nervous!

It must be said here that Kakuta is the only player from Shohoku who started in all three games.

This shows how lucky he is.

This is a player who can bring good fortune to Shohoku.

Just as Emperor Kakuta hesitated, Shusaku Kudo pounced on him.

Emperor Kakuta threw the basketball in a flustered manner.

bang~
With Kudo Shusaku's interference, the basketball hit the backboard without even touching the rim, and flew towards Tsuchiya Jun.

Jun Tsuchiya jumped to catch the basketball, but Kogure touched it first.

The basketball stopped falling and took to the air again.

Kogure was like a spring-loaded man; as soon as he landed, he jumped up again and easily grabbed the basketball.

In terms of speed and second jump, Jun Tsuchiya is clearly no match.

After grabbing the offensive rebound, Shusaku Kudo lunged at Kogure again.

Before the game, Coach Daiei had devised a double-team strategy to limit Kogure's performance.

Without hesitation, Kogure passed the ball to Kakuta again.

"Kakuta, with me here, you can pitch with confidence!"

The center at Daiei Gakuen is similar in build to Kazuma Takasago, and he averages less than eight rebounds per game.

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be able to grab a lot of offensive rebounds.

This time, Emperor Kakuta did not hesitate and immediately threw the ball.

shuh~
The basketball hit the net.

"Kakuta, great throw!"

Kogure offered timely praise.

Praise can often effectively boost a player's confidence.

"Captain, you passed the ball so well!"

Emperor Kakuta scratched the back of his head sheepishly; he was in such a good mood that his eyes were almost completely squinted.

Offense and defense reversed!

Itakura quickly dribbled the ball past midfield. Since Tsuchiya Jun was tightly marked by Kogure, it was naturally up to him to organize the team's attack.

Seeing that Kudo Shusaku was in a low position, Itakura immediately passed the ball to him.

Shusaku Kudo possesses excellent inside skills, and he is more adept at offense than defense.

Emperor Kakuta lowered his center of gravity and braced his hands against Shusaku Kudo.

bang~
Kudo Shusaku began to exert his strength, but Kakuta Dai-ichi, who was a full ten centimeters shorter than him, did not retreat.

Bang~bang~
He tried a couple more times, but the results were still not ideal.

In Slam Dunk, Kakuta Taisuke's weight has never been mentioned.

However, judging from his physique, Emperor Kakuta had broad shoulders and was very robust.

In the Xiangshan match during the storyline, the 180cm tall Kakuta Daisuke went up against the nearly 2-meter-tall Nobe Masahiro. Regardless of the outcome, he can definitely be considered a power player. Kudo Shusaku's physical condition is obviously inferior to Nobe Masahiro's, so it's not surprising that Kakuta Daisuke was able to withstand him.

This is why Emperor Kakuta plays center forward.

Seeing that he couldn't get past Kakuta, Kudo Shusaku immediately adjusted his tactics, feinting left and right before turning around and easily breaking through to the basket.

Emperor Kakuta still lacks match experience.

Just as Kudo Shusaku was about to make a layup, Kogure quickly stepped in to defend and swatted the ball away first.

The basketball flew right towards Jun Tsuchiya, who caught it and immediately shot.

As soon as Kogure landed on the ground, he rushed toward Tsuchiya Jun at top speed.

slap~
As soon as Junichi Tsuchiya threw the basketball, Kogure smashed it away with a volleyball-like spike.

The basketball bounced off the ground and flew towards the sideline.

Itakura, who was closest to the ball, grabbed it first and tried to shoot a three-pointer.

Unexpectedly, Kogure caught up again; his mobility was simply too great, like a future Garnett.

Itakura was clearly taken aback and instinctively raised his hand higher.

slap~
Unfortunately, Kogure still managed to touch the bottom of the basketball.

After landing, Kogure leaped up again and snatched the ball back.

Itakura instinctively tried to counter-attack, but Kogure easily broke through his defense.

Kogure took the lead and immediately launched a rapid attack.

Daiei players desperately tried to get back on defense, but to their dismay, they were unable to close the gap with Kogure.

Kogure, skilled and daring, delivered a three-pointer in pursuit.

shuh~
The basketball swished through the net, creating a splash.

5:0
Hua Hua Hua~
The atmosphere in the arena instantly reached a boiling point.

The shouts, cheers, and applause from the fans created a sea of ​​joy.

On the Shohoku bench, the players were also high-fiving and celebrating, thrilled by Kogure's outstanding performance.

"He's already racked up three blocks so quickly; maybe he can achieve that today."

Kogure thought to himself, deciding to devote more energy to the defensive end.

The game continued, and soon Itakura easily broke past Yasuda and scored with a pull-up jump shot.

"Okamoto, you'll switch positions with Yasuda in a bit!"

Kogure glanced at Itakura; Yasuda was too short and thin, not suitable for defending Itakura.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to hand it over to Nobuhiko Okamoto.

Like Itakura, Nobuhiko Okamoto is a heavy tank among point guards.

"Ok!"

Nobuhiko Okamoto looked eager to try, as he was best at matching up against players like Maki, Itakura, and Fukatsu.

Soon after, Kogure broke through again and passed the ball to Yamamoto Kuma, who made a mid-range shot.

When it was Daiei Gakuen's turn to attack, Itakura found that his opponent had changed to Nobuhiko Okamoto, so he wanted to give it a try.

Although Itakura's physical attributes were more explosive, Okamoto's performance was somewhat limited.

bang~
With Okamoto Nobuhiko's interference, Itakura's shot ended in a miss.

Kogure easily grabbed the rebound, outmaneuvering Jun Tsuchiya.

Daiei Academy quickly retreated to defend, fearing that Kogure would launch another fast break.

Kogure passed the ball to Nobuhiko Okamoto, who then carried the ball across the halfway line.

On the field, the intense and exciting match continues.

Surprisingly, the Shohoku team gained the upper hand, which undoubtedly shocked both the audience and their opponents.

Apart from Kogure, none of the other Shohoku players in the starting lineups were a match for them.

The reason for this phenomenon is mainly due to Kogure's overwhelming strength.

On the offensive end, aside from individual one-on-one plays, Kogure is always able to find open teammates as soon as they have an opportunity.

Under his excellent organization, Shohoku's offense was exceptionally smooth and efficient, showcasing a multi-pronged attack.

On the defensive end, the matchup between Kogure and Tsuchiya Jun became a major highlight of the game.

Unfortunately, even Jun Tsuchiya, the strongest student at Daiei Academy, was still far inferior to Kogure, by more than one level.

Faced with Kogure's defense, Jun Tsuchiya, who was originally known as an all-around fighter, became utterly incapable.

Kogure put too much pressure on Tsuchiya Jun, forcing him to struggle with even the ball and make several mistakes, let alone organize an attack.

Under these circumstances, Daiei Gakuen had no choice but to let Itakura organize the team's attack.

Even so, Kogure remained active on both offense and defense, especially on the defensive end.

He not only possesses excellent one-on-one defense, but also outstanding help defense. With his superb explosiveness, he can quickly move from one position to another, and his defensive range can even cover beyond the three-point line.

Under Kogure's leadership, Shohoku's defense became tighter, making it difficult for opponents to find easy scoring opportunities.

In short, Kogure demonstrated an extremely high level of skill in both offense and defense.

Ten minutes later, Shohoku had a double-digit lead.

"We can't go on like this!"

Coach Da Rong frowned and immediately requested a timeout.

When the timeout ended, Daiei Gakuen brought in a tall shooting guard named Matsumoto Teru.

Judging from the changes in players at Daiei Gakuen, they are preparing to focus on Yasuda.

Because of his short stature, Yasuda became the main target of the opponent's attack.

(End of this chapter)