Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 301 The Legacy of the King of Pretenders

"I wonder what techniques were recorded in these four videotapes?"

At this moment, Kogure's heart was filled with anticipation.

He eagerly took out a videotape and put it into the VCR.

After pressing play, Kogure sat in front of the television with anticipation.

To ensure he could watch the videotapes at any time, Kogure's father specially purchased recording equipment and installed it in his room.

Soon, Bird's figure gradually came into view.

Compared to the current Bird, the Bird in the video looks younger and is wearing the Celtics' number 33 jersey.

It's clear that Bird in the video is in his professional career and is around 30 years old.

At this time, Bird was still in his prime and had not yet suffered a serious back injury.

On the screen, Bird, with a confident smile, began to demonstrate various basketball skills.

Kogure stared intently at the screen, afraid of missing a single detail.

First, Bird demonstrated his incredibly accurate shooting skills.

Starting from beyond the three-point line, he made one shot after another from different positions, each shot hitting the net accurately, making him a true shooting machine.

Step-back three-pointer, fadeaway jumper, pull-up jumper, turnaround jumper, floater...

In the video, Bird demonstrates and explains the key points of each technique, which greatly benefits Kogure.

This can be seen from the frequent notification sounds he makes, which to some extent accelerated Kogure's skill advancement.

After the shooting demonstration ended, before the progress bar was even halfway through, Bird began demonstrating dribbling skills.

In terms of dribbling, Bird wasn't a player who loved to hold the ball, but that doesn't mean his dribbling skills were bad.

On the contrary, his dribbling skills are outstanding; the title of the greatest white player in history is not just empty words.

Bird's dribbling skills are practical, his transition speed is incredibly fast, and he can maintain stability even under intense pressure.

No matter how intense the training was, the basketball remained under his control.

Soon, Bird began combining dribbling and shooting.

The way he pulls up with the ball, his speed, consistency, and spatial awareness are all at the top level in the league.

In these three aspects, perhaps only Jordan can be compared to him.

In Kogure's view, Jordan and Bird were the masters of shooting while moving, and almost no one could compare to them.

This is what makes Bird so great, and it's how he survived in the NBA, a league full of muscular players.

Of course, Bird's greatness doesn't stop there.

He always positions himself accurately in both offense and defense, and can handle the ball quickly in both positional play and fast breaks.

His ball-handling skills are almost comparable to Magic Johnson's.

In addition, Bird's rebounding instincts were also outstanding.

Despite his average jumping ability, Bird was always able to grab rebounds over players who were over 210 cm tall.

This guy can even compete for rebounds with the legendary rebounding king, 'Prophet' Moses Malone.

1980-1981赛季总决赛上，逼王狂顶先知，在6场比赛中场均15.3分15.3个篮板7次助攻，帮助凯尔特人时隔6年后再次夺冠。

Moses Malone is known as the best rebounder, especially in offensive rebounds, where he holds the all-time record with 6731 offensive rebounds, a staggering 2000 ahead of the second-place player, earning him the title of "God of Offensive Rebounds"!
At the same time, Moses Malone is also the only superstar in the NBA who relies on one trick to succeed, with his scoring mainly coming from second-chance points after grabbing offensive rebounds.

In that Finals series, Bird lost the Finals MVP award because he was too exhausted from battling for rebounds with "Prophet," ultimately giving the opportunity to his teammate Cedric Maxwell.

Cedric Maxwell: Small forward, nicknamed "Cornbread," never selected as an All-Star.

If this were gOat, the 2011 season's Finals 'memorable moment' would probably be repeated!
It must be said that rebounds in that era were fought for with real intensity, unlike in later years when rebounds were often given to certain key players.

Don't be fooled by a future player known for his physical attributes averaging eight or nine rebounds per game; a closer analysis will reveal that his offensive rebounding percentage is unusually low.

Of course, Bird's greatest strength was that he actually delivered on almost all of his boasts.

You think he's bragging, but he actually pulls it off for you.

In addition to shooting and dribbling, Bird also talked about positioning techniques and ball handling experience.

Finally, Bird also shared his experience on how to read a game.

He repeatedly emphasized that basketball is not only a contest of skills and physical strength, but also a battle of wits and mentality.

While watching the video, Kogure paused and replayed it from time to time, and took careful notes.

He decided to quickly integrate these skills and experience to further improve his basketball skills.

After watching the videotape, Kogure clearly realized how precious it was.

"This debt of gratitude is quite substantial!"

Kogure couldn't help but sigh.

This videotape records the skills and experience Bird accumulated over his many years in the professional career; it can even be described as a legacy of Bird.

After calming himself down, Kogure began to check the hints.

Tip: Observe Bird's step-back jump shot, proficiency +10!

Tip: Observe Bird's fadeaway jump shot, proficiency +10!

Tip: Observe Bird's pull-up jump shot, skill proficiency +10!

……

Compared to Bird's personal demonstration, the proficiency gained from watching videotapes is undoubtedly much less.

Even so, it can be combined with training.

Watching videotapes when you're tired from training will give you an extra boost in proficiency.

Soon, Kogure found a new technique among these tips—the straight-arm shot!
[Learable skill detected - Straight-arm shooting, learning progress 45%!]

As the name suggests, straight-arm shooting involves raising the forearm to almost full extension and using the wrist to generate power to shoot the ball.

Among the opponents Kogure encountered, the former ace of the Sanjo, Kashima Fusou, only knew this move.

However, even during the training camp, Kashima Fusou seemed unwilling to pay attention to Kogure, let alone personally demonstrate a straight-arm shot.

I believe that before long, given Kogure's understanding of shooting, he will be able to master the straight-arm shot.

Compared to a year ago, his skills and theoretical knowledge have undoubtedly improved significantly, allowing him to learn techniques more efficiently.

Soon, Kogure began playing the second videotape.

Soon, a familiar, slender figure appeared on the screen.

This is none other than the Pacers' star player – Reggie Miller!
Unlike the previous videotape, this one was undoubtedly Miller's training videos.

Kogure hadn't expected Bird to be so efficient. He'd only been an assistant coach for a short time, yet he'd already obtained training videos of the team's star player.

It's worth mentioning that the current head coach of the Pacers is Larry Brown.

As is well known, Larry Brown loves to pick peaches.

This is evident from the Pacers' roster.
In the 1993-94 season, the Pacers had a starting five: Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, Jalan Rose, Anthony Davis, and Schmitz.

These five are no ordinary players. Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, and 'Dutch national treasure' Schmitz are all top NBA stars, needless to say.

Jalan Rose was one of the Michigan Fab Five back then, and a few years later he would become one of the team's two core players and lead the team to the 2000 NBA Finals. Unfortunately, they encountered the Lakers who were at the peak of their careers and failed to win the championship.

Anthony Davis shares the same name as the future "Brow," but unlike the previous name, he is a defensive stalwart and rebounding machine. His presence can effectively compensate for Schmitz's defensive shortcomings.

This season's Pacers roster is definitely among the best in the league.

Unfortunately, Jordan's Bulls were also in the Eastern Conference.

Kogure was intently watching the videotape; Reggie Miller's training focused on catch-and-shoot.

His training methods are not limited to static shooting, but incorporate various situations in actual games, enabling him to be more adept at the game.

During training, Reggie Miller would occasionally run around in position.

Miller's basketball IQ and ability to read the game were both top-notch.

Therefore, Miller's movement is extremely deceptive. He will move quickly to get rid of the trainer, find the best position to receive the ball, and quickly complete the shot.

Reggie Miller's movement routes are very cleverly designed. He can use a variety of complex routes and feints to confuse opponents, and cleverly use his teammates' screens to find open shooting opportunities.

In this way, Reggie Miller demonstrated an amazing scoring ability during the game.

His scoring skills, which combined positioning and shooting, became a nightmare for his opponents.

This scoring method remained a constant throughout Miller's career, making him one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.

During the viewing, Kogure would occasionally hear notification sounds.

Compared to Bird, the frequency is significantly lower.

However, after watching the videotape, Kogure still gained the skills he wanted.

[Learnable skill detected - Horseback Archery, learning progress 1%!]

Horseback archery is usually a shooting technique where a guard uses the powerful momentum of running to adjust his balance in the air by lunging with both feet, and then completes a shot similar to a floater.

This move is often used when the defender has already positioned themselves, and a forced breakthrough would easily result in an offensive foul.

It got its name because the movements resembled riding a horse and shooting arrows.

In terms of movement, horseback archery cleverly combines the characteristics of shooting and layup. When a player is shooting, his hands make a shooting motion, but his feet move more like he is preparing for a layup.

There are three main characteristics to horseback archery. First, it looks like shooting arrows while riding a horse.

Secondly, the body is mostly leaning back, with the legs spread apart, and the hands in a normal shooting posture.

Finally, the action from sudden stop to shooting is often very fast, with a relatively long time spent in the air and a short glide.

The "horseback archery" shooting technique is a very practical shooting skill. It avoids contact with the opponent and incurs a foul, while also providing enough space to shoot. However, this move requires extremely fast shooting speed, otherwise it may waste a great fast break opportunity.

During a game, when a defensive player attempts to block a shot, the offensive player can use this momentary asymmetry to quickly adjust their posture and score.

This move is of great significance in improving a player's scoring efficiency.

The moment when Kobe Bryant hit the game-winning shot with 0.4 seconds left against Dwyane Wade's defense is one of the most iconic moments in NBA history.

By the time Kogure finished watching the videotape, it was almost midnight.

Too excited to fall asleep, Kogure was wide awake.

So he decided to watch all the videotapes in one go.

The last two videotapes contained training videos of Mark Jackson and Schmitz, respectively.

Unfortunately, his good luck had run out, and the two videotapes did not grant him any skills.

"Master these two skills as soon as possible!"

Kogure yawned, then turned off the TV, washed up, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

……

One week later, at the Shohoku Basketball Gymnasium!

On this day, the Kanagawa representative team roster was finally announced.

This year's Kanagawa representative team is still a mixed team.

As expected, Coach Anzai was reappointed as the head coach of the Kanagawa National Team and will represent Kanagawa in the Autumn National Sports Games.

Coach Anzai becoming the head coach of the national team was entirely expected.

If even a national championship-winning coach can't become the head coach, then who can?
As for the assistant coach, Coach Anzai once again chose the pragmatic Coach Taoka.

The difference is that Coach Anzai also invited his student, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki.

In other words, this year's Kanagawa team has two assistant coaches.

It's obvious that Coach Anzai is trying to slack off again.

This may be related to the fact that the Kanagawa team is too strong.

Besides the national champion Shohoku team, there is also the national top four team Shoyo team, and the national top eight teams Ryonan, Hainan High School, and Buri team.

These teams have several players who are core members of strong teams, not to mention Kogure, who is known as the strongest high school player in the nation in history.

There's no way around it; Kogure and the others are no longer in the same league.

After Coach Taoka and Coach Kawasaki Kazumi arrived at Shohoku, the three coaches began to discuss the selection of the representative team.

Coach Anzai included four Shohoku players on the starting roster: Kogure, Akagi, Mitsui, and Naito.

In addition, Ichiro Sato, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Kuma Yamamoto are among the candidates.

As for Miyagi, his performance in the national tournament was mediocre, and even if he were included in the reserve team, he would only face elimination.

Coach Taoka also filled in three names on the starting roster: Sendoh, Uozumi, and Ikegami, while the backup roster included Jin and Fukuda.

Coach Kawasaki Kazumi was very troubled because Tsukubu was clearly not as good as Shohoku or Ryonan.

Ultimately, Kazumi Kawasaki added Tomokazu Godai's name to the starting lineup.

In order to catch up with Kogure, Tomokazu Godai's strength is much stronger than that of his contemporaries, and he has reached the level of a pseudo-strong team's core player.

This is why Kazumi Kawasaki became an assistant coach; otherwise, given Tomokazu Godai's abilities, he might have been eliminated in Kanagawa.

With the combined efforts of the three coaches, the Kanagawa representative team roster was officially announced in no time.

(End of this chapter)