Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 314 I will limit your score to 30 points or less!
shuh~
The basketball hits the net!

Matsumoto Minoru breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to save face somewhat.

"Matsumoto, great pitch!"

The Akita players surrounded Matsumoto Minoru, and the atmosphere became noticeably more relaxed.

With Matsumoto Minoru's basket, the Akita team successfully broke the scoring deadlock and effectively boosted their morale.

Furthermore, Akita's lead has returned to double digits.

When it was Kanagawa's turn to attack, Fujima quickly dribbled the ball past midfield.

"Zebei, how many points have you got so far?"

Kogure chatted casually with Sawakita.

"27 points!"

While speaking, Zebei's lips curled up noticeably, as if even an AK47 couldn't contain his rage.

This guy is practically turning into a crooked-mouthed dragon king!
Kogure resisted the urge to tear his mouth open.

Don't you even think about how you got those 27 points?
"You have the nerve to say that? You got 18 free throws on 9 shots!"

Kogure couldn't help but make a comment.

In the first half, after learning that the referee favored the Akita team, Sawakita transformed into the "son of Jingdezhen" and managed to get 18 free throws using the "Eighteen Falls with Clothes on the Clothes" technique.

With 18 free throws, Sawakita's scoring surpassed Kogure's!
"9 shots and 18 free throws, does that look familiar?"

Kogure pondered for a moment, then his face lit up with sudden realization.

Isn't this exactly the feat that gOat accomplished in the playoffs?
Based on Kogure's understanding of the NBA, before that Lakers vs. Timberwolves playoff game, the NBA record for the fewest free throw attempts (15 or more) in a single game should belong to Durant, with a ratio of 15 free throws to 15 free throws, a mere 1:1.

How did gOat achieve a 1:2 ratio? Those who know, know.

Nine shots and 18 free throws—that's a record that the NBA will likely never break.

Unfortunately, even with the referees' help, they still couldn't avoid being defeated by the Timberwolves.

"I will limit your score to 30 points or less!"

Kogure stared at Sawakita with an unprecedentedly serious expression.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Zebei smiled wryly. He admitted that Kogure was stronger than him, but even if he was stronger, he couldn't limit him to less than 30 points.

He has already scored 27 points, and with 17 minutes left in the game, it is almost impossible to limit him to under 30 points.

"Then let's wait and see!"

At that moment, Fujima passed the ball to him.

Kogure extended his right hand, but instead of catching the ball, he casually slapped the basketball.

The basketball's trajectory changed instantly, flying towards the right corner.

At the same time, Mitsui happened to appear in that location.

As the basketball flew towards him, he instinctively reached out his hands and caught it.

Kogure clearly anticipated Mitsui's move in that play.

At this point, Matsumoto Minoru was still two and a half body lengths away from Mitsui.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mitsui decisively jumped up and shot.

His body stretched out to the extreme in the air, his movements fluid and swift, an instinctive reaction formed through countless practices.

Matsumoto Minoru quickly mustered all his strength and jumped up.

His fingers almost touched the basketball, but he ultimately missed the mark.

The basketball spun in the air, tracing a near-perfect parabola before falling straight into the net.

A confident smile appeared on Mitsui's face. Even without entering Flame Man mode, he was still unable to stop him.

After this three-pointer, Akita's lead was reduced to 7 points.

At this moment, Kanagawa has completely gained momentum.

Offense and defense reversed!

Fukatsu slowed down the pace and dribbled the ball slowly past the halfway line.

"Fukatsu!"

In order to embarrass Kogure, Sawakita reached out for the ball.

Fukatsu frowned, but for the sake of team unity, he still passed the ball over.

The moment Fukatsu passed the ball, Kogure immediately stepped forward, engaging in a confrontation with Sawakita while his eyes were fixed on the trajectory of the basketball.

Sawakita fought back with all his might, and although he was at a disadvantage, he still managed to receive the pass.

Without hesitation, Kogure immediately used Death Coil.

His defense was impenetrable, like an invisible net that trapped Zebei firmly.

Zebei was overwhelmed and completely at a disadvantage.

He tried everything he could, using all sorts of feints, but he still couldn't break through Kogure's defense.

Under Kogure's defense, Sawakita looked disheveled and lost his usual composure.

"Damn it!"

Zebei grew increasingly anxious, yet felt utterly helpless.

Kogure pressed closer, forcing Sawakita toward the border.

Seeing that he was about to be forced to the sideline, Zebei was startled and instinctively wanted to pass the ball.

It was at this moment that Kogure discovered an opportunity and unleashed even more astonishing power.

slap~
Kogure pushed past Sawakita and made the steal.

The basketball rolled onto the floor, and someone touched it. It stumbled and rolled into the paint area, where it was eventually caught by Ito Yu.

After securing the basketball, Ito Yu forcefully rammed into Kagata and scored a layup.

His strength is even greater than that of Hanagata, which can be seen from his weight.

As Ito Yu scored a goal, Sawakita breathed a sigh of relief.

After this ordeal, Zebei was still shaken and decided to try a different way of playing.

In short, he didn't want to face Kogure head-on and planned to score by using tricks.

To put it simply, the current Kogure is like Sawakita in the story's timeline, while Sawakita is like Rukawa.

Scoring on Kogure's head is incredibly difficult.

Unfortunately, Zebei was destined to be disappointed.

In order to keep his promise, Kogure began to focus more on keeping an eye on Sawakita.

At first, Sawakita planned to try to shake off Kogure by using positioning.

However, it was all for naught. Kogure's positioning was far superior to Sawakita's, causing Sawakita to waste his efforts.

After his attempts failed, Zebei began to seek cover from his teammates.

Unfortunately, Kogure, with his superhuman reflexes and sixth sense, anticipated the attack and prevented Sawakita from succeeding.

"Damn it, how can I get rid of him?"

After yet another unsuccessful attempt, Zebei clutched his hair in anguish, his eyes bloodshot.

Kogure, focused on defense, was like an impenetrable wall, and Sawakita was unable to score easily.

shuh~
Not long after, Kogure made another steal, grabbed the basketball, and launched a fast break.

In just three seconds, Kogure dashed into the paint area.

With the added bonus of his 'Glide' nickname, he completed a behind-the-back dunk with a between-the-legs catch.

Bang~
As the deafening sound of the rim exploding rang out, the entire stadium fell silent instantly.

The next moment, thunderous applause and cheers erupted, and countless fans' faces were filled with excitement and joy.

The 'Kogure fans' collectively screamed, and a few sensitive female fans even trembled with excitement and rolled their eyes.

In an instant, the entire stadium transformed into a vibrant and enthusiastic sea of ​​energy.

On the sidelines, Aida Yayoi couldn't help but rub her legs. Out of professional ethics, she suppressed her excitement and anxiously asked her assistant Nakamura, "Nakamura, did you get the shot?"

At that moment, Nakamura was carrying a video camera.

Yayoi Aida specifically requested this camera for "Capturing the Shining Moment".

"Fortunately, I live up to my fate!"

Nakamura gave a thumbs-up, flashing a boyish smile. "As expected of my great partner!"

Aida Yayoi breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but praise him.

On the court, Kogure released the basket and landed on the floor.

He glanced up at the electronic scoreboard and saw that the Kanagawa team was still down by three points.

At this point, with 12 minutes remaining in the match, the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Akita team.

beep~
Coach Domoto stood up and immediately called a timeout.

It's unclear what he said during the timeout, but the Akita players' morale soared again after the timeout ended.

For the sake of the team's victory, Sawakita temporarily abandoned the idea of ​​scoring and ran around aimlessly with Kogure.

The match continued, and as time went on, it began to intensify.

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

A group of spectators had gathered at the entrance to the restrooms inside the stadium.

Many people share the same thought: they would rather hold back for now and prepare to unleash their potential during the next break.

Unfortunately, neither side has applied for a suspension.

On the court, the players' sweat dripped onto the floor, the two sides went back and forth, the score kept changing, and every point was accompanied by cheers or sighs from the fans.

During this process, the players' breathing became heavy, and their stamina was rapidly depleting.

Thanks to its superior lineup, Kanagawa gradually gained the upper hand.

Even the substitute players mostly possess the level of core players in strong teams, constantly injecting fresh blood into the team and maintaining its vitality on the field.

Not long after, the Kanagawa team changed its lineup again, deciding to use the 'best defensive lineup' to defeat the Akita team.

Center: Uozumi

Ohmae: Naito

Komae: Mumu

Guard: Ikegami

Point Guard: Amu

Since fouling out, Naito has stayed on the bench to conserve his energy.

Naito is practically a fresh force now, not to mention the other players.

With his tall stature, long arms, broad shoulders, and thick waist, coupled with his fierce appearance, Uozumi exudes an almost overwhelming presence under the basket.

Akagi and Uozumi are evenly matched in defense, but Uozumi has a slight edge in terms of presence under the basket.

This is an advantage in terms of body size!

"The moment to decide the outcome has arrived!"

Led by Kogure, Kanagawa's 'best defensive lineup' made its debut with an impeccable performance.

Coach Domoto watched this scene with a furrowed brow and a heart full of anxiety and unease.

Faced with such a lineup, Akita's attack will inevitably face a great challenge.

If a countermeasure cannot be found quickly, the match will be extremely disadvantageous for the Akita team.

Coach Domoto began a rapid analysis, trying to find the weaknesses in Kanagawa's lineup.

The Akita players looked at each other, clearly feeling the pressure.

The audience on the sidelines felt the tense atmosphere, filled with excitement and anticipation.

They instinctively held their breath, watching the field intently, afraid of missing any detail.

Soon, the Akita team launched another attack.

Fukatsu dribbled the ball past half-court and was immediately pressed by Maki.

The two engaged in a fierce battle. Although Fukatsu was stronger, he was still inferior, not to mention that Fukatsu's physical strength was greatly depleted and he was no longer in his prime.

So, under pressure from Maki, Fukatsu had no choice but to grab the ball with both hands and prepare to pass it out.

slap~
Amu slammed his fist on the basketball, knocking it down.

This scene is similar to the one a year before the plot when Maki faced off against Fukatsu.

The difference is that their experiences are completely identical.

It was no longer Maki who was in a sorry state, but Fukatsu!

What goes around comes around, and this year it's my turn!
After making the steal, Amu immediately dribbled down the court.

Besides Maki, the other Kanagawa players also launched their attacks.

Fukatsu immediately caught up, but Maki passed the ball to Kogure first.

Sawakita tried his best to entangle Kogure, but Kogure easily broke through and rushed towards the basket.

Kawada had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to meet him.

Kogure jumped up to face Kawada, who raised his hands high and also leaped up.

However, Kogure's resistance was in no way inferior to Okawata's, and crucially, it was accompanied by momentum.

bang~
In mid-air, the two collided fiercely. Kogure raised his right hand high and slammed the ball into the basket over Kawada.

Bang~
beep~
At that moment, the sound of the basket exploding and the whistle rang out almost simultaneously.

Okawada landed on the ground and instinctively took two steps back, but he couldn't stop the momentum and finally fell to the ground with a thud.

it hurts!

Kawada winced in pain and gasped for breath, because he had accidentally bumped his genitals.

After a while, he finally calmed down and stood up again.

That's how men are; they can often recover quickly after a short break.

"White team's number 8 committed a defensive foul, Red team's number 4 gets a free throw."

At this point, the referee delivered his verdict.

At the referee's signal, Kogure stood at the free-throw line, and without dribbling, he shot the ball directly.

After throwing the ball, he didn't even look at it and turned around directly.

shuh~
Behind him, the sound of a basketball swishing through the net could be heard.

After scoring this goal, the Kanagawa team finally broke the deadlock and successfully tied the score.

Both sides are back on the starting line; however, the two teams are in completely different form.

"Press and defend!"

The next moment, the Kanagawa team reversed their strategy. Instead of returning to defense, they unleashed the Akita team's signature move – tight pressing.

Akita players are naturally very familiar with pressing defense.

However, they were not in good condition and seemed somewhat powerless.

Nevertheless, their eyes remained resolute.

Even though their bodies were nearing their limits, no one was willing to give up, especially since the competition would end soon.

Thanks to his familiarity with tight defense, Ito Yu successfully passed the ball.

As soon as Matsumoto Minoru received the basketball, Ikegami immediately clung to him.

At the same time, Maki and Naito pretended to pounce on him.

Seeing this, Matsumoto Minoru instinctively wanted to pass the ball to Fukatsu.

Suddenly, Amu stomped his foot, forcibly stopping his steps, and used the reaction force to turn around, lunging straight at the basketball.

slap~
Before Fukatsu could receive the ball, Maki had already made a steal.

At this point, every possession of the ball becomes extremely important.

Both teams rushed towards the basketball, and in the ensuing chaos, Kogure successfully grabbed it.

"not good!"

Sawakita and Matsumoto, who were closest to him, suddenly changed their expressions and rushed towards Kogure.

However, Kogure did not shoot; instead, he passed the ball out.

Outside the three-point line at the bottom corner, Ikegami stretched out his hands, feeling as smooth as Dove chocolate as he made the pass.

He didn't need to make any further adjustments and quickly threw the basketball in his hand.

(End of this chapter)