Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 296 If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will!

83:79
Xiangbei is in front, and the Mountain King is behind!
However, possession of the ball remains in the hands of Sannoh Industrial.

Call ~
Kogure gasped for breath, his breathing heavy and rapid.

He not only has to organize the offense, but also stand out in one-on-one situations, participate in defense, and fight for rebounds. It would be a lie to say he's not tired.

This showcased Kogure's versatility, but also took a toll on his physical strength.

Thanks to Kogure's outstanding performance, Shohoku was able to steadily suppress Sannoh Industrial.

"Wow!"

On the Shohoku bench, Emperor Kakuta, who was recording data, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Yasuda Yasuharu asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Kakuda?"

"Look at the captain's stats! Amazing, absolutely amazing!"

Emperor Kakuta handed the data book in his hand to Yasuda.

"The captain was already amazing... Holy crap!"

Yasuda was initially puzzled, but after seeing Kogure's data, he instantly transformed into a spirited young man and stood up from his seat.

Because of Kogure, "Holy crap!" became the word used by the Shohoku players to express their shock.

Yasuda's actions attracted the attention of the other Shohoku players on the bench, who all gathered around.

"Yasuda, what's wrong?"

Yasuda silently handed over the data book and pointed to Kogure's data.

"Fuck!"

For a moment, the Shohoku substitutes all showed expressions of shock.

Unfortunately, I'm uncultured, so all I can say is "fuck!"

木暮：25分16篮板18助攻3盖帽2抢断。

At first glance, this statistic seems to be just a triple-double, but here's the problem: there are still five minutes left in the game.

This means that Kogure's data will continue to grow.

Nobody knows what incredible stats Kogure will achieve after the match.

Kogure was unaware of this.

He's not gOat; he can't possibly monitor his data every single moment.

On the field, Sannoh Industrial launched another attack.

Fukatsu dribbled the basketball steadily, and Okamoto Nobuhiko didn't dare to relax at all, immediately sticking close to him.

He has already made four three-pointers in this game.

Fukatsu leaned against Okamoto Nobuhiko and then passed the ball to Sawakita, who came up to receive it.

Zebei first feinted, then broke through with a powerful shot.

However, he did not completely get past Mitsui.

Not only that, Mitsui also consciously guided Sawakita to move in Kogure's direction.

By the time Sawakita reacted, Kogure quickly stepped forward and instantly flanked Mitsui.

In an instant, Zebei was locked up by a strongman, becoming a man on top of a man.

Under pressure from the two, Zebei instinctively grabbed the basketball.

Suddenly, Sawakita felt a sharp pain in his lower back, as Mitsui had subtly delivered a kidney strike.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kogure slapped the basketball away.

"not good!"

Fukatsu immediately stepped forward, trying to grab the basketball.

Kogure's right hand slapped the basketball first, and then slapped it forward.

As the basketball passed Fukatsu, Kogure quickly circled around it and broke through Fukatsu's defense with a dribble past him.

The teammates followed up and launched a fast break.

The Shohoku lineup on the court is far from lacking in mobility.

For a time, Ito Yu and Nobe Masahiro of Sannoh Industrial were left behind.

On the contrary, the robust Kawada displayed speed and agility completely disproportionate to his size.

This is talent!
It's no wonder that many Slam Dunk fans rank Kawata's physical abilities in the top five.

In the blink of an eye, Kogure dashed into the three-point line.

Zebei followed closely behind, hanging on tightly.

At this moment, Kogure made a three-step layup move.

Zebei's eyes lit up, thinking he had found an opportunity.

So he quietly followed behind Kogure, ready to chase and block him at any moment.

"1, 2, 3... 4, oh!"

Zebei counted silently, and when he reached 3, he immediately sped up and jumped up.

To his surprise, Kogure didn't jump; instead, he took one more step, two more steps, three more steps!
"No, he's already taken six steps, why didn't the referee blow the whistle?"

In mid-air, Zebei was puzzled.

If you don't sound the whistle after taking six steps, how can you defend against it?
Because you have no idea how many steps he'll take!

Just as Zebei was about to land, a figure jumped up from the other side and barely managed to dunk the ball.

It turns out that when Kogure took the third step, he secretly passed the ball to Mitsui.

"Cool!"

Mitsui released the basket, unable to hide the smile on his face.

Although it was just a dunk, it was his first dunk in the national competition.

If Kogure is likened to Carter, then Mitsui is like LaVine from Golden State.

Zebei landed on the ground, staring at Mitsui with a grim expression.

"You have a truly filthy heart!"

The moment he saw Mitsui, he felt a dull ache in his lower back!

"That's defense!"

Mitsui glanced at Sawakita. The defense was already on the defensive, and combining it with small movements could effectively strengthen the defensive intensity.

Besides, he held back a lot of force in that elbow strike; otherwise, Zebei probably wouldn't have even had a chance to pursue.

In this day and age, an elbow strike of this intensity is quite common.

This can be seen from the intensity of Jordan's matchup against the Bad Boys.

beep~
At this point, Coach Domoto requested a substitution.

During this period, Shohoku has already launched several fast breaks.

The simplest way to stop Shohoku's fast break is to substitute players.

"Matsumoto, get ready to go on stage!"

Coach Domoto's gaze fell on Minoru Matsumoto.

Without a doubt, Minoru Matsumoto is the most suitable candidate.

Minoru Matsumoto silently stood up and went to the sidelines to replace Masahiro Nobe.

Unlike the players on the field, Minoru Matsumoto was well-rested and spent a long time on the sidelines, maintaining almost peak condition.

Fukatsu patted Matsumoto Minoru on the shoulder and said, "Matsumoto, I'll pass you the ball later, so make sure you seize the opportunity!"

Matsumoto Minoru calmly replied, "Don't worry, I won't let you down."

Matsumoto Minoru appeared more composed than before, his eyes revealing a depth and determination, as if he had made a firm decision.

Seeing the change in his friend's expression, Fukatsu felt a sense of doubt.

He scrutinized Matsumoto Minoru, sensing that something had changed about him, and felt inexplicably uneasy.

Fukatsu didn't think much of it and quickly dribbled the ball past midfield.

After Masahiro Nobe left the court, Kawada once again took over as the center for Sannoh.

To Kawada's utter rage and impotence, Kogure continued to relentlessly pursue him.

As for the task of defending against Matsumoto Minoru, it can only be left to Sato Ichiro.

Ichiro Sato is tall and has long arms, so he's not entirely without merit, except for his lack of athletic ability.

Soon, Fukatsu passed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru. Facing Sato Ichiro's tight defense, Matsumoto Minoru began dribbling, trying to find an opening to break through.

Ichiro Sato quickly stepped forward and pressed close to Matsumoto Minoru, trying to entangle him.

It was at this moment that Matsumoto Minoru displayed excellent ball control skills, using his explosive power to easily get rid of Sato Ichiro's defense.

Compared to Ichiro Sato, Minoru Matsumoto's athletic ability is significantly stronger.

In addition, Minoru Matsumoto also has an advantage in physical fitness.

Ichiro Sato turned and chased after him, while Minoru Matsumoto drove straight to the basket with the ball.

The next moment, Minoru Matsumoto leaped high into the air, assuming a layup stance.

Ichiro Sato also jumped up and slapped the basketball with his right hand.

Suddenly, Matsumoto Minoru pulled back in mid-air, causing Sato Ichiro's right hand to slap his ball-protecting hand.

beep~
The referee's shrill whistle rang out.

Minoru Matsumoto struggled to maintain his balance, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, the basketball traced a beautiful arc, piercing the net with perfect accuracy.

Hua Hua Hua~
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

85:81
"Matsumoto, well done!"

As Matsumoto Minoru scored a difficult goal, the Sannoh players cheered for his outstanding performance.

Minoru Matsumoto stepped to the free-throw line, glanced at the ball, and then released it.

shuh~
Minoru Matsumoto successfully completed 2+1!

As a result, Shohoku's lead was further eroded, leaving them with only 3 points.

The morale of Sannoh Industrial is high!

When Shohoku served, the Sannoh players did not leave, but instead kept a close watch on the Shohoku players.

It was clear that they employed a tight pressing defense in the final four minutes!
Unfortunately, Shohoku is not Hainan High School, and it's impossible for them to be completely crushed by Sannoh Industrial High School in just four minutes.

"Everyone, start running!"

At Kogure's signal, the Shohoku players began to run.

Naito was preparing to serve from the baseline, but he couldn't find an opportunity for a long time.

Just then, Kogure came to his aid.

Naito, as if throwing away a hot potato, immediately passed the ball to Kogure.
It was at this moment that Sawakita and Matsumoto rushed over together, wanting to join forces with Kawada to flank Kogure.

Before the three could surround him, Kogure quickly lowered his center of gravity and, with his powerful explosive force, overtook Kawada in one step.

"So fast!"

Before Kawada could even react, Kogure easily broke through his defenses.

After breaking through Kawada's defenses, Kogure adjusted his pace slightly.

As a result, the two of them changed simultaneously, with Sawakita going to meet Kogure first.

bang~
Kogure dribbled past his opponent and made a reasonable challenge.

After the training camp ended, Zebei consciously intensified his combat training, but the time was too short and there were not many results yet.

He was then easily knocked aside by Kogure.

It was at this moment that Minoru Matsumoto saw an opportunity and immediately made a steal.

With his maximum reaction speed, Kogure dribbled the basketball, avoiding Matsumoto Minoru's attempt to steal it, and then broke through, flying past him.

In just two or three seconds, Kogure charged past three people, and the area ahead opened up.

Suddenly, Kogure saw an opportunity.

Instead of continuing to dribble, he forcefully passed the ball forward.

At this moment, Mitsui, Ichiro Sato, and Nobuhiko Okamoto had already appeared in the front field.

As for the Sannoh players, only Fukatsu is available in the frontcourt.

This created a three-on-one situation in the frontcourt.

In this way, scoring becomes very simple.

Nobuhiko Okamoto received the basketball at a 45° angle beyond the three-point line on the right, and he even had time to adjust.

By the time Fukatsu rushed toward Okamoto Nobuhiko, Okamoto Nobuhiko had already thrown the basketball.

shuh~
The basketball hits the net!

88:82
After this three-pointer, Shohoku's lead reached 6 points.

This put pressure on Sannoh Industrial.

This time, it was Matsumoto Minoru who took the lead again, breaking past Sato Ichiro and charging towards the basket.

Naito had to cover, and Matsumoto Minoru made a passing feint. Naito thought he was going to pass to Ito Yu, so he instinctively stopped.

It was at this moment that Matsumoto Minoru lunged forward and instantly broke through.

"drink!"

Matsumoto Minoru roared, as if to vent his inner resentment, and delivered a tomahawk dunk.

Bang~
With a loud thud, the entire basketball hoop shook violently.

After landing, Minoru Matsumoto silently turned around and went back to defend.

Kogure easily broke through the tight defense, forcing Coach Domoto to give up.

Instead of wasting energy, it's better to further strengthen offense and defense.

Watching Matsumoto Minoru's retreating figure, Mitsui couldn't help but mutter, "He seems like a completely different person."

Kogure shook his head and denied it: "No, he hasn't changed. He plays with the same passion as last year, unlike the struggle he had in the first half."

"Makes sense!"

Mitsui couldn't help but smile and continued, "Sannoh Industrial is really something else, letting Matsumoto Minoru play without the ball, what a waste!"

It wasn't that he looked down on Minoru Matsumoto, but rather that Matsumoto simply wasn't good at playing off-ball.

If you force a player who isn't good at playing off the ball to play, it's no wonder he won't perform well.

This is also why Matsumoto Minoru played so frustratingly in the first half.

"There's no way around it, one ball isn't enough to go around!"

Kogure spread his hands.

This is similar to the combination of 'God, Demon, Emperor, Buddha, and Shark'. The combination is very strong, but one ball is not enough to divide it.

Because most players in this combination need the ball, especially gOat.

A player without the ball is even less reliable than a role player.

Sannoh Industrial's problem is that they lack players with excellent off-the-ball skills.

If they had players like Mitsui or Jin, the situation would be very different.

Whether it's Fukatsu, Sawakita, Matsumoto, or even Kawata, they all need a lot of ball possession.

This is also the main reason why Coach Domoto tried to reform Minoru Matsumoto.

When choosing a persimmon, you should pick the soft one to squeeze. No matter how you look at it, Minoru Matsumoto is the most suitable candidate.

However, Coach Domoto seemed to have overestimated his own abilities and underestimated Minoru Matsumoto's ambition.

Minoru Matsumoto was unwilling to waste his time at Sannoh Industrial High School until graduation in this manner, especially since he was in the prime of his career to improve his skills.

He didn't want to stay here and suffer any more!

If you don’t want to stay here, you will have a place to stay!

As for why Matsumoto Minoru made such a decision, it was mainly because he had communicated with Kogure during the training camp.

At the time, Kogure gave him some advice, suggesting that he should change his environment. He offered suggestions such as Aiwa Academy, Daiei Academy, Hainan High School, Buri, and Ryonan High School, and analyzed the pros and cons.

These teams not only fit him well, but also make it easier for him to achieve results.

However, Minoru Matsumoto aspires to become the star player of a particular team.

As for what he will choose, that's hard to say.

Compared to Sannoh Industrial, Shohoku's tactical execution and player roles differed significantly.

In Shohoku, possession of the ball was mainly concentrated in Kogure's hands, who was responsible for distributing the ball.

In addition to organizing the offense, Kogure also needs to make the right decisions and use his personal abilities to score at crucial moments.

Apart from Kogure, the other Shohoku players each had their own roles, mainly focusing on utilizing their strengths.

This was also the main reason why Shohoku won the Winter Tournament last year.

(End of this chapter)