Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 310 What you can’t get is always turbulent

Therefore, the Kanagawa team's lineup advantage is particularly prominent.

After changing the lineup, the Kanagawa team has been revitalized.

They started playing aggressive offensive basketball, and the pace of the game was noticeably faster, with attacks often ending in less than ten seconds.

Coach Tajiri reminded his players during the timeout to stay calm and not be affected by the opponent's rhythm.

Unfortunately, in the actual match, Fukuoka players were inevitably affected and fell into the opponent's rhythm.

As a result, Hakata's attack also sped up.

This is not good news for the Fukuoka team, as it causes them to lose energy even faster.

Coach Tajiri had to call another timeout, but the effect was not as obvious as expected.

By the end of the first half, the Kanagawa team's lead was not very large, barely a double digit.

On the Fukuoka bench, Coach Tajiri frowned as he watched the starting players leave the field.

He could sense that the Fukuoka players' stamina was affected, and some were even experiencing shortness of breath.

This shows that the situation in the game was quite unfavorable for them.

To avoid being worn down by their opponents, Coach Tajiri decided to make substitutions, preparing to use a semi-regular lineup to compete against the Kanagawa National Team, giving the main players more rest time.

"If Kenjiro Itakura were still here!"

Coach Tajiri sighed.

Not long after, the second half officially began.

The Kanagawa team changed its lineup again, this time combining Shohoku and Ryonan.

Center: Uozumi

Ohmae: Naito

Komae: Ikegami

Shooting Guard: Sendoh

Point Guard: Mu Mu

Seeing the Kanagawa team change their lineup again, Coach Tajiri couldn't help but feel a little worried.

He stood on the sidelines, his eyes fixed on the field.

This is not the first time the Kanagawa team has adjusted its lineup during a match, and each change has made the situation more unfavorable.

Besides having a headache, Coach Tajiri was so envious of Kun that he turned purple with envy.

As a coach, who wouldn't want to coach such an 'all-star' lineup, especially when the opposing team includes Kiminobu Kogure, the first national high school player in history?

What you can't have always seems more alluring!
While Coach Tajiri was lost in thought, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

The Fukuoka team still displayed excellent teamwork, but ultimately it was a semi-main lineup, so the intensity on both offense and defense was bound to decline.

Kanagawa seized the opportunity and further widened the score gap.

The Kanagawa team launched a relentless offensive, establishing a 20-point lead in less than five minutes.

"not good!"

Coach Tajiri, standing on the sidelines, frowned deeply. He knew very well that if no action was taken soon, the balance of the game would completely tip.

He immediately made a decision to send out his strongest players in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

This decision had an immediate effect, preventing the Kanagawa team from widening the score gap.

However, such a change is undoubtedly extremely disadvantageous for the Fukuoka team.

Because once the key players are removed, the Kanagawa team will further widen the score gap.

In this way, Coach Tajiri can only rely on his main players, but the main players cannot get enough rest, and over time, they will inevitably find it difficult to maintain their competitive state.

After Fukuoka fielded their strongest lineup, the match became increasingly intense.

The competition between the two sides has entered a heated phase, with every ball being contested with extreme intensity.

The audience held their breath, their eyes glued to the field, afraid of missing a single exciting moment.

On the field, the Kanagawa players ran like the wind, tirelessly pushing themselves.

Under Kogure's organization, he constantly created opportunities for his teammates to make easy moves.

The Fukuoka players appeared somewhat passive, almost being led by the nose.

Shortly after, Nohisa Suzuki broke through Uozumi's defense and scored a layup.

Hu~hu~
After turning back to defend, Suzuki Nobisuke gripped his knees tightly with both hands, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for breath.

His gaze was somewhat unfocused, revealing a tired look in his eyes.

He is the core of Fukuoka and a pillar of their interior defense.

The team couldn't do without him; he had to stay on the field and didn't get any rest.

Not only that, he also had to engage in close-quarters combat with his opponents at all times, having fought against Akagi, Uozumi, and Naito. He was practically a tough guy on top of a tough guy.

Faced with such an opponent, he could only go all out and dared not relax at all.

Unfortunately, he had three different opponents, while he remained on the field the whole time, without getting a moment's respite.

In terms of strength, Suzuki Nohisuke is stronger than Akagi and Uozumi, but he can't withstand the opponent's gauntlet-style attack.

Kogure saw an opportunity and said, "He looks like he's about to die. Uozumi, Naito, give it your all!!"

Taking advantage of your weakness to finish you off, Kogure naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass.

"understand!"

Uozumi and Naito exchanged a glance, both revealing sinister smiles.

The thought of stepping over the nation's top center ignited their fighting spirit.

Soon, Kanagawa launched another attack.

Uozumi took the initiative to move to a lower position, and Suzuki Nobisuke had no choice but to drag his tired feet to follow.

Kogure immediately passed the ball to Uozumi, who then switched to back-to-the-basket mode.

Suzuki Nobisuke mustered his strength and tried his best to stop it.

Uozumi has successfully mastered the back-to-the-basket singles technique, but he is still far inferior to Suzuki Nobisuke.

However, Uozumi's main goal was not to score, but to quickly deplete Suzuki Nobusuke's stamina.

bang~ bang~ bang~
Uozumi adopted a hand-to-hand combat stance, repeatedly ramming into Suzuki Nohisuke.

The two were evenly matched, and Suzuki Nohisuke had to go all out, causing his stamina to deplete even faster.

At that time, the NBA had not yet introduced the five-second back-to-the-basket violation rule, not to mention that the rules of the island nation's high school league were linked to Fiba.

As a result, Uozumi and Suzuki Nohisuke fought hand-to-hand for a full twenty seconds.

As the attack time was about to end, Suzuki Nohisuke, panting heavily, revealed a weary smile.

Just then, Uozumi passed the ball back to Kogure.

Without a doubt, this is a case of shifting blame; anyone unaware of the situation might think that Uozumi has inherited the future of gOat.

At this moment, Kogure took his position in the Gyu-Horn area.

As soon as he received the basketball, the Fukuoka point guard immediately came to meet him.

Using his body's swaying and rhythm, Kogure found an opening for the shot, then leaped high, his arm outstretched, and flicked the ball with his fingers.

Straight-arm jump shot!

This was the first time he had ever executed a straight-arm jump shot in the game!
The basketball seemed to come alive, tracing a relatively flat arc as it hurtled straight toward the basket.

shuh~
The basketball swished through the net, making a crisp sound as it hit the rim.

Even when it's a blame game, Kogure still manages to hit the target perfectly.

"As expected of Kogure, he got an assist so easily!"

Uozumi glanced at Suzuki Nobisuke and revealed a long-lost smile.

Playing with Kogure is so relaxing; if things continue like this, he might even get a triple-double.

As is well known, Uozumi is a center with playmaking abilities.

The game continued, but the situation was extremely unfavorable for the Fukuoka team. *Thump!*
Perhaps due to fatigue, the Fukuoka team's offense ended with a series of missed shots, and Naito secured the rebound.

Soon, Uozumi received the ball again in the low post.

Suzuki Nobisuke felt a headache coming on, but he still gritted his teeth and went to meet him.

As expected, Uozumi once again engaged in hand-to-hand combat with all his might.

shuh~
Soon, Kogure received another pass from Uozumi and made another shot despite the defense.

Hu~hu~
Suzuki Nobisuke's chest heaved violently, his legs felt unsteady, and it was as if he was stepping on cotton. He seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and even standing had become extremely difficult.

At that moment, he felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

He was well aware that his body had reached its limit.

However, he still tried his best to cheer up and fight to the best of his ability, even when he was physically exhausted.

Unfortunately, God did not wish.

Due to severe loss of physical strength, Suzuki Nobisuke's steps were no longer light, and each sprint seemed extremely strenuous, as if his heavy legs were bound by invisible chains.

As a result, his performance on both offense and defense can be described as disastrous.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Kanagawa team launched wave after wave of fierce attacks.

The numbers on the scoreboard began to change rapidly, and Kanagawa's lead grew larger and larger.

Standing on the court, Suzuki Nohisuke looked at the scoreboard, his heart filled with mixed feelings, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and exhaustion.

Inside the stadium, supporters of the Kanagawa team cheered and erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

With 7 minutes remaining in the game, Kogure successfully hit a three-pointer, giving Kanagawa a 30-point lead.

Seeing that there was no way to turn the tide, Coach Tajiri had no choice but to substitute the main players off the field.

Coach Anzai also made five changes to his coaching schedule, sending in the water cooler.

Despite being water dispenser operators, they are still quite capable.

They had finally gotten the opportunity, so naturally they didn't want to miss it.

As a result, the gap between the two sides continued to widen.

Not long after, the long whistle signaling the end of the race finally sounded.

With a significant advantage in roster strength, the Kanagawa team ultimately emerged victorious.

Although the Fukuoka team suffered a crushing defeat, their tenacious fighting spirit won the approval of the audience.

“It’s such a headache!”

In the stands, Coach Domoto and the players looked at each other, deeply troubled.

Although the Akita team has a better roster than the Fukuoka team, the difference is only slight.

If the Kanagawa team uses the same approach against the Akita team, it's hard to guarantee that the Akita team won't follow in the footsteps of the Fukuoka team.

"Fukatsu, you must control the pace of tomorrow's game and not let the opponent lead you by the nose."

Coach Domoto solemnly instructed the team's point guard.

"Coach, leave everything to me!"

As one of the nation's top point guards, Fukatsu is quite confident in his abilities.

I trust you to get things done!

Coach Domoto smiled with satisfaction. Having a top point guard like Fukatsu would undoubtedly be very beneficial to the team's operation.

Fukatsu not only possesses excellent playmaking and passing abilities, but his composure and leadership also greatly enhance the team's stability.

At this moment, Coach Domoto's gaze fell on Kogure again, and he immediately felt even more troubled.

Fukatsu is indeed excellent, but there is always a clear gap between him and Kogure.

This can be seen from the performance of both sides in the game.

In addition, Coach Domoto also thought of a headache-inducing problem.

In tomorrow's match, which position will Kogure play?

However, there were people present who were even more troubled than Coach Domoto.

Looking at the strangely behaving maniacal Okawata, Matsumoto asked, "Okawata, what's wrong with you?"

At this moment, Kawada clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly.

At this moment, he was more devout than ever before.

He really didn't want to face off against Kogure again; that agony was something he didn't want to experience again.

In short, it's better to sacrifice your friends than yourself; let the other teammates face off against Kogure.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about tomorrow's game!"

Kawada waved his hand casually, but he was actually still thinking about how to avoid a direct confrontation with Kogure.

Coach Domoto frowned slightly, then turned to Sawakita and said, "Sawakita, your defense is the best, so Kogure is in your hands now!"

"I?"

Zebei pointed to himself, speechless with emotion.

Since being discouraged at the training camp, Zebei has become very self-aware.

Although he made progress again during this period, he believed that he was no match for Kogure, and that with Kogure's exaggerated rate of progress, he was likely to fall even further behind.

"Zebei, don't you have any confidence in yourself?"

Coach Domoto naturally noticed Sawakita's hesitation.

"Of course I'm confident, but hasn't it always been Kawada and Kogure facing off in the past?"

Zebei was still somewhat unwilling and wanted to shift the blame to Okawada, who often bullied him.

Upon hearing what Sawakita said, Kawada's face instantly filled with tension, fearing that Coach Domoto might change his mind.

Kawada then glared fiercely at Sawakita, his eyes filled with threat and warning.

"Compared to Kawada, you are more suitable! Sawakita, you are our team's ace, and this difficult task is entrusted to you."

Coach Domoto shook his head, setting the tone.

Zebei reluctantly agreed, his face crestfallen.

Minoru Matsumoto watched with envy.

Coach Domoto just discussed it with Fukatsu, Kawada, and Sawakita, but not with him.

He also wanted to gain the coach's attention, but Coach Domoto didn't seem to value him.

This can be seen from his precarious position within the team.

Despite possessing such outstanding abilities, he has never received the attention he deserves from the team.

During the national tournament, whenever Coach Domoto decided to make a substitution, he was the first player to be substituted.

This greatly damaged Matsumoto's confidence, as if his efforts and talents had been ignored.

Last year, he received countless admirers and praises, but with the arrival of Zebei, his status plummeted, and he felt like an insignificant supporting character.

This huge disparity in status left Matsumoto Minoru feeling deeply confused and lost, and subsequently doubted his own abilities.

In order to gain the coach's attention, he often practiced alone, hoping to prove his worth with sweat and hard work and regain the coach's approval.

However, despite his extra efforts, the team's tactical system did not seem to have a place for him.

He began to consider transferring to a school where a team could truly appreciate his talent.

Thinking about this, Minoru Matsumoto recalled his private meeting with Coach Taoka more than a month ago.

In order to persuade Matsumoto Minoru, Coach Taoka naturally made many offers.

However, Matsumoto Minoru still harbored feelings for Sannoh Industries and did not immediately agree.

"Perhaps transferring to Kanagawa would be a better choice!"

At that moment, Matsumoto Minoru seemed to have made up his mind.

(End of this chapter)