Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 311 If you can't solve the problem, then solve the person who caused it!

The following morning, the Kanagawa team embarked on their journey to the Tokyo Dome.

The National Sports Championship Finals in Autumn will be held at 9:00 AM.

After a short journey, they arrived at the competition venue.

Outside the stadium, colorful flags fluttered and a large crowd of spectators gathered, demonstrating just how captivating the upcoming match was.

Upon entering the stadium, I was greeted by a cacophony of noise.

The stadium was packed with people, every seat filled, and countless spectators wore expressions of excitement and anticipation.

Among these spectators were basketball fans, people from Kanagawa, but mostly locals from Akita.

Shortly after, the players from both teams appeared on the field through the player tunnel.

"Kanagawa, Kanagawa!"

"Akita, Akita!"

"Mumu Gongyan!"

"Eiji Sawakita!"

……

As the players from both sides took to the field, the atmosphere in the entire stadium was instantly ignited.

Countless spectators cheered in unison, wave after wave.

As the host of the Autumn National Games, the Akita team has a clear home advantage.

This can be seen from the scale of the event.

However, Kanagawa also has many supporters, especially a group of female fans in the side stands who are particularly eye-catching.

They were all wearing the same T-shirts with a chibi version of Kogure's face printed on them, cheering for Kogure in unison.

Their energy and passion added a bright touch to the scene.

That's right, they are none other than 'Kogure no Mikoto'!
It's clear that they've done a lot of preparation behind the scenes, from slogans and costumes to synchronized movements; every detail reveals their love and support for Kogure.

At that moment, Kawada stared blankly at the audience seats on the left.

He wasn't attracted by her beauty, but rather by a familiar figure.

Her name is Aono Mai, who will become Kuraki Mai in the future!
What Kawada found hard to accept was that Aono Mai had clearly also become a member of 'Kogure no Mikoto'.

She was firmly on his side yesterday, giving him unconditional support and encouragement.

However, the situation has now taken a dramatic turn.

His distant cousin, Mai Aono, suddenly changed her stance. Instead of cheering him on, she publicly expressed her support for his opponent.

Aono Mai's sudden change left Kawada bewildered; he couldn't understand what had caused it.

Is appearance really that important?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!
In addition, Kawada also spotted a familiar, tall figure next to Aono Mai.

He is none other than Kawada's younger brother—Kawada Mikio!

"Mai, Mikio, what are you doing sitting there!"

Kawada, filled with rage, stormed up to Aono Mai and Kawada.

This section of the stands is clearly where Kanagawa supporters gather.

This made him feel betrayed!
"Brother, I'm sorry!"

Kawada apologized instinctively, his appearance appearing timid and disproportionate to his enormous size.

While the Kawata brothers were talking, Coach Domoto's eyes immediately focused on the younger Kawata.

The potential that Kawada possessed deeply attracted Coach Domoto's attention.

In Coach Domoto's view, Kawada is definitely a rough diamond.

Coach Taoka once told Uozumi that in basketball, height is the greatest talent!

When Kawada returned, Coach Domoto began to investigate Kawada's background.

Okawada was somewhat sullen, but he still revealed all the details about his younger brother.

"Kawata, this matter should be addressed sooner rather than later. After the tournament, bring your younger brother to Sannoh for training."

Despite Kawada's personality flaws, Coach Domoto still valued him highly.

In order to unlock Kawada's potential, Coach Domoto decided to personally develop a training plan for him.

In addition, Kawada will train with the Sannoh players to build rapport in advance.

Once Xiaohetian Junior High School graduates, they can quickly integrate into the Sannoh Industrial system.

"Coach, thank you on behalf of my good-for-nothing brother!"

Kawada quickly bowed and thanked him. Although he was usually very strict with Kawada, it was mainly because he was disappointed in him.

……

The warm-up was over quickly!
The players returned to the bench and began making final preparations for the match.

Beep~
As the referee blew his whistle, the starting lineups for both sides began to take the field.

Kanagawa fielded its main lineup, consisting of the four giants of Shohoku and Fujima.

Center: Akagi

Ohmae: Naito

Komae: Mumu

Shooting Guard: Mitsui

Point Guard: Fujima

They were selected as the starting lineup from the beginning, and they have developed good teamwork during this month-long training camp.

The Akita team remained unchanged, sticking with the same starting lineup.

Center: Masashi Kawata, 193 cm tall, 92 kg, second-year student
Ito Yu, 193 cm tall, 89 kg, third grade
Kozen: Eiji Sawakita, 185 cm tall, 77 kg, first grader
Shooting Guard: Minoru Matsumoto, 184 cm tall, 77 kg, second-year student
Point Guard: Kazunari Fukatsu, 181 cm, 75 kg, second year
After discovering that Kogure and Sawakita were matched up, Kawada visibly breathed a sigh of relief and was filled with schadenfreude.

Zebei stared at Kogure, who was standing not far away, his expression more solemn than ever before.

At the same time, his eyes also revealed a strong fighting spirit.

He is never afraid to challenge strong opponents, even when facing what is known as the strongest high school student in history.

At the referee's signal, Akagi and Kawada stood in the center circle and began the jump ball.

The referee then tossed the basketball up, symbolizing the official start of the game.

Perhaps due to excessive excitement, Kawada's attention became somewhat scattered, and by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

Akagi easily passed the ball to Fujima, and then rushed forward.

Fujima quickly crossed the halfway line and waited for his teammates to take their positions.

At that moment, Sawakita came to stand in front of Kogure.

He was surprised to find that Kogure seemed to have grown taller again.

"Kogure, you've grown taller again?"

"It's grown about 3 centimeters. How about you?"

Kogure answered truthfully.

Zebei fell silent because he had only grown 1 centimeter taller.

Back when he first met Kogure, their heights were about the same, and he even had a slight advantage.

In just one year, Kogure not only caught up but also grew a head taller than him, which made him feel incredibly inadequate.
"This damn talent!"

In the past, it was always others who envied Zebei's talent.

Now, Sawakita actually envies Kogure's talent.

"Ball here!"

Kogure immediately reached out for the ball.

As the team leader, he naturally takes the first shot.

Fujima passed the ball without hesitation.

At the same time, teammates also took away their respective opposing players.

For a moment, only Kogure and Sawakita remained on this side. At this instant, all the eyes of the audience were focused on the two of them, anticipating their showdown.

Kogure stared intently at Sawakita, as if searching for an opportunity to break through.

Zebei was on edge, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Suddenly, Kogure moved.

He first feinted with both hands, then forcefully slammed the ball against the floor, making a crisp sound.

Kogure suddenly leaned forward, breaking through with an almost unstoppable momentum.

This series of actions caught Zebei off guard. Even though he reacted quickly, it was too late.

Zebei could only watch helplessly as Kogure brushed past him, dribbling the ball straight to the basket.

Before Sawakita could turn around and chase, Kogure suddenly stopped, leaped up, and threw the ball toward the basket.

Compared to the national tournament, Kogure's pull-up jump shot has made significant progress, becoming both faster and more consistent.

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

The LV10 pull-up jump shot is no joke.

Zebei was not surprised by this shot.

However, he remained even more vigilant.

Offense and defense reversed!

As soon as Fukatsu dribbled the ball past half-court, he immediately demonstrated his leadership and began directing the team's attack.

Soon, Ito Yu stepped forward to cover for Sawakita.

Using Ito's screen, Sawakita temporarily shook off Kogure and quickly rushed towards the basket.

Without hesitation, Fukatsu immediately chose to pass the ball.

However, Sawakita did not easily shake off Kogure.

In the blink of an eye, Kogure and Sawakita were charging towards the basket side by side.

The two jumped up almost simultaneously. Sawakita didn't pass the ball, but instead made a high lob over Kogure's defense.

Sawakita's layup release point is very high, and even with Kogure's physical attributes, it is still difficult to block, and he can only interfere.

The basketball leaped past Kogure's fingertips and flew towards the basket.

bang~
Unfortunately, due to Kogure's strong interference, the high layup ended up missing.

It is well known that high-arcing layups are difficult to guarantee a high shooting percentage.

Upon landing, Zebei instinctively took a step back.

Despite his efforts to strengthen his combat skills over the past month, he still falls short of Kogure by a considerable margin.

Beep~
However, at that moment, a sharp, piercing whistle rang out.

"Red Team #4 commits a blocking foul!"

The referee made a blocking foul gesture, and his voice echoed throughout the stadium, drawing the attention of all spectators to that moment.

Kogure looked incredulous, feeling extremely wronged because he was certain he hadn't committed a foul.

He believed it was a misjudgment and even doubted whether the referee had actually seen what had just happened.

On the other side, Zebei stared at the referee in disbelief.

Only your opponent knows how wronged you are!

Many viewers also discussed the ruling, believing it to be a misjudgment.

Coach Taoka immediately stood up and began to protest to the referee.

However, the referee had no intention of changing the decision; instead, he warned Coach Taoka.

Seeing this, Kogure took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

No matter how unwilling he was, the verdict was final and he had no choice but to accept it.

Although it was somewhat unfair, Zebei still shamelessly stood at the free throw line.

If God does not take it, he will suffer the consequences!
Swish~ Swish~
Sawakita made both free throws, scoring two points for the Akita team.

When it was Kanagawa's turn to attack, Fujima quickly dribbled the ball across half-court and then used Naito's screen to break through.

Ito immediately switched defenses, Fujima steadied himself for a moment, and then passed the ball to Naito, who was cutting towards the basket.

Kawada immediately stepped in to help defend, but Naito still managed to dunk over Kawada despite his defense.

Beep~
Suddenly, the referee's whistle blew again.

Naito was shocked by the referee's decision when he thought he was about to receive an additional penalty.

"Red team number 9 commits an offensive foul!"

As the referee's voice rang out, Kawada blinked, his mind filled with confusion.

He felt that the referee today seemed different from usual.

As for the difference, it might be that my eyesight isn't very good.

Naito took a deep breath and, without arguing with the referee, had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

The game continued, and from the very first minute, both teams were giving their all, with every ball being contested fiercely.

Both sides come and go, refusing to give in to each other.

The audience's eyes were glued to the field, afraid of missing a single exciting moment.

The fans' emotions fluctuated with the pace of the game, with shouts and cheers rising and falling as they encouraged their respective teams.

However, the most active person on the field was not the player, but the referee!

In just five minutes, the Kanagawa team had committed a total of seven fouls, which is rare in high school basketball games.

In contrast, the Akita team committed only one foul in total.

With the referee's help, the Akita team steadily gained the upper hand and was about to gain a double-digit lead.

Soon, Shohoku launched another attack. Naito received a brilliant pass from Kogure and slammed the ball past Ito Yu to finish with a powerful dunk.

Beep~
Suddenly, the sharp, piercing whistle rang out again.

Naito turned his head in a daze and found that the referee was indeed looking at him.

This time, Naito was again ruled an offensive foul.

The referee even gave a reason, believing that Naito raised his elbow during the dunk.

"I didn't commit a foul!"

Naito clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger, and stood menacingly in front of the referee, determined to argue his case.

In just five minutes, he committed three fouls under special scrutiny from the referee.

The referee was startled by Naito's ferocious appearance and instinctively took a step back.

After realizing what had happened, the referee shouted sternly, "Red Team Number 9, watch your words!"

"But……"

Naito wanted to continue explaining, but Kogure forcibly took him away.

He didn't want Naito Ayumi to follow in his footsteps.

Seeing that Naito already had three fouls, Coach Taoka immediately made the decision to substitute him.

Before Naito left the court, Kogure said earnestly, "Naito, misjudgments are also part of basketball!"

Speaking of this, Kogure couldn't help but think of gOat.

It is well known that gOat's opponents are often misjudged.

In some important games, gOat sometimes gets more free throws than the entire opposing team, especially when he's playing like a "kneeling ape".

After their dramatic kneeling performance, the Lakers doubled their free throw attempts, taking the lead in the league and averaging double-digit more free throws per game than their opponents.

Naito's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"Naito, I have a piece of advice for you. If you can't solve the problem, then solve the person who caused it!"

Kogure patted Naito on the shoulder and silently made up his mind.

He realized that, perhaps because Akita Prefecture was the host, the referee's ruling was clearly biased towards the Akita team.

(End of this chapter)