Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 321: Uozumi is injured and leaves the stage!

"Buri is so disappointing. I thought they could cause some trouble for Hainan High School!"

After the match, Coach Taoka kept muttering to himself, expressing extreme dissatisfaction with Buri's performance.

Buri's performance in this match can be described as collapsing at the slightest touch, completely failing to demonstrate the fighting spirit and tenacity expected.

Coach Taoka frowned, trying to recall every detail and figure out why Buri had lost.

Soon, he found the reason.

First, Wuli's attack was completely disorganized.

Second, it cannot limit Amu's performance.

Both of these reasons are related to Amu.

Buri's point guard, Ebina, possesses excellent playmaking abilities and can always pass the ball to where it is most needed.

However, Ebina was still a first-year student.

In her matchup against Maki, Ebina's inexperience was laid bare.

Under Maki's tough defense, Ebina's playmaking ability was greatly limited, and she lacked sufficient experience in dealing with the situation.

With his hands tied and feet restricted, his organizational skills were rendered ineffective, and he became disconnected from his teammates.

As for Amu's performance, needless to say, his breakthrough ability is almost unbeatable, and Wu Li simply couldn't find a way to limit Amu.

Once Buri chooses to double-team him, Amu will promptly pass the ball to a teammate who has an opportunity.

It can be said that Hainan High School won this game easily mainly due to Amu's performance.

After analyzing the situation, Coach Taoka took a deep breath. He needed to find ways to limit Maki and develop practical measures.

"Luckily, we in Ryonan still have Ikegami!"

Coach Taoka never expected Sendoh to defend Maki; that would have been a waste of time.

Instead of doing that, it would be better to exchange an inferior horse for the opponent's superior horse.

Ikegami: Am I a low-class horse?

In addition to Ikegami, there's also Uozumi providing backup under the basket.

Amu's style is almost identical to gOat's. As long as there is a strong center under the basket, his efficiency will be greatly reduced unless he uses a six-step layup.

Unfortunately, Amu did not master that skill.

As for Maki choosing to shoot, that played right into Coach Taoka's hands.

Shooting can indeed kill, but that doesn't include Amu.

After devising his strategy, Coach Taoka revealed a confident smile.

The advantage is mine!

……

The following day was also the day of the winter qualifying finals, with the winner securing a spot in the winter competition.

The first match: Shohoku vs. Tsukubu!
This match was intended to warm up for the next game, as Tsukubu was no match for Shohoku.

Coach Tsukubu and the players were well aware of their own limitations; they were just there to keep the prince company.

In order to maintain their form and prepare for tomorrow's game, Xiangyang fielded a semi-main lineup.

Even so, Tsukubu was still at a disadvantage.

This scene left Coach Kazumi Kawasaki looking gloomy and dejected.

"Coach Anzai is right, talent is the most important thing in competitive sports!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki sighed. The team he had painstakingly built was utterly defeated by the opponent's semi-main lineup.

It's not that his players don't work hard, but rather that Tsukubu simply doesn't have any exceptionally talented players.

This can be seen from the height of the Tsukubu players; it's almost impossible to find a player over 1.8 meters tall.

This is also the main reason why Tomokazu Godai, who is only 180 cm tall in the story, plays power forward.

Because Tomokazu Godai is already the second tallest player on the team.

Even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without rice; no matter how hard Coach Kazumi Kawasaki tried, he couldn't lead Tsukubu to any further.

Tsukubu has reached the limit of his abilities. No matter how excellent the tactics he devises, he needs the right people to implement them.

"It seems it's time for me to leave Tsukubu!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki adjusted his glasses, his eyes flashing with complex emotions, a mixture of reluctance and determination.

He poured his heart and soul into building the team from scratch, from weak to strong, but ultimately it still couldn't stand on the national stage.

He knew very well that Tsukubu had reached its limit and could no longer support his dreams.

All good things must come to an end. Despite his reluctance, as an adult, he knew he had to make a choice.

To realize his dream, he decided to accept a team's offer and start a new challenge.

As expected, Shoyo easily defeated Tsukubu and secured a spot in the Winter Tournament.

Lingnan and Hainan Affiliated High Schools were filled with envy, but what could they do when they didn't get a good draw?

Not long after, the two teams took to the field.

The stadium instantly erupted in chaos, with fans shouting and cheering as if they wanted to lift the roof off.

In terms of prestige, Hainan Affiliated High School surpasses Lingnan High School.

Hainan High School has dominated Kanagawa for 14 consecutive years. Although it has been somewhat weak in the last two years, its strong foundation still gives it a large number of supporters.

To increase the excitement of the competition, the Kanagawa organizing committee specially invited the four stars of Shohoku High School.

The four giants of Shohoku were seated in the front row, together with the Shoyo team.

From this vantage point, Kogure could clearly see the "Ever-Victorious" banner behind the Hainan Affiliated High School's bench.

Even though they haven't made it to the national level in the past two years, what's puzzling is that Hainan High School's "Ever-Victorious" slogan has remained unchanged.

At this moment, Fujima took the initiative to switch seats with his teammates and sat next to Kogure.

The meeting of the two handsome men certainly attracted the attention of many viewers, especially female viewers.

After exchanging greetings, Fujima spoke first: "Kogure, which team do you think has a better chance of winning?"

"Lingnan!"

Without hesitation, Kogure blurted it out.

After a slight pause, Kogure added, "Of course, the two teams are not that far apart in strength, and Hainan High School also has a chance to win. The final result will depend on their performance on the day."

Despite Maki's amazing performance in the last game, Hainan High School's main lineup is still somewhat inferior to Ryonan High School's.

The strongest players at Hainan Affiliated High School are A-Mai and Ikeda Kazuhiro; the rest of the main players are only at the level of a starting lineup on a strong team.

Ryonan is different; they have Sendoh, Matsumoto, and Uozumi, as well as top 3D player Ikegami.

Of course, Hainan High School has a better roster depth than Ryonan High School.

The training intensity of the two teams is similar, but the role players from Hainan Affiliated High School have better talent and are stronger.

Unfortunately, only five players can play basketball at a time.

"My opinion is the same as yours!"

Fujima nodded, then changed the subject, saying, "If Ryonan successfully advances, who do you think has a higher chance of winning, us or Ryonan?"

"Lingnan!"

Kogure answered truthfully.

Fujima was somewhat surprised by Kogure's reaction and quickly asked, "Why?"

There's an old saying in the NBA: "Only defense can win championships!"

Upon hearing Kogure's words, Fujima fell silent.

Shohoku really had no defense, while Ryonan's defense was excellent.

The fish stay in the inner pond, while the fish stay on the outer pond!
Unless Shohoku has a hot streak, Ryonan has a better chance of winning the championship trophy.

While the two were talking, the match officially began!
Coach Taoka waved his hand and fielded Uozumi, Fukuda, Ikegami, Matsumoto, and Sendoh. Ryonan's starting lineup was undeniably strong, but it had a weakness: the power forward position!
The power forward, also known as the second center, is mainly responsible for hard work in this era. Rebounding, defense, and positioning are essential, and Fukuda, who is primarily an offensive player, is clearly not up to the task.

Furthermore, due to Minoru Matsumoto's joining Ryonan, Fukuda's and Matsumoto's functions overlapped.

In fact, Fukuda is better suited to be the sixth man in this Ryonan team.

Coach Taoka was quite troubled by this.

Ryonan originally had a blue-collar power forward named Inoue Toyoki, but unfortunately, he injured his toe in yesterday's game.

Although it was just a minor injury, Coach Taoka still kept him on the bench for the sake of the player's health.

In this situation, Coach Taoka could only hope that Uozumi would help Fukuda clean up his mess.

Uozumi: Me?

On the field, Uozumi and Ikeda Kazuhiro came to the center circle, ready for the jump ball.

The two stared at each other, as if a strong electric spark had ignited between them.

One is one of the three veteran centers, and the other is one of the three newly emerging centers.

Most importantly, their styles are quite similar.

Therefore, the duel between the two became the second biggest highlight of the match.

As for the biggest highlight, it is naturally the showdown between the aces.

Sendoh VS Maki!

Unfortunately, the audience was destined to be disappointed, because it wasn't Sendoh keeping an eye on Maki, but Ikegami.

Beep~
During the jump ball phase,

Uozumi and Ikeda Kazuhiro jumped up almost simultaneously.

Kazuhiro Ikeda has better dynamic qualities, but his static qualities are much worse, making him comparable to a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Uozumi, on the other hand, is completely different. He has better static qualities, and as an ape-like creature, his arm span is significantly greater than his height.

bang~
With a dull thud, the two players hit the basketball almost simultaneously, remaining evenly matched until the ball finally flew out of bounds.

In this situation, the referee had no choice but to let the two players jump the ball again.

After this incident, the competition proceeded smoothly.

The two teams quickly got into the game and began a fierce battle.

In the initial stage, both sides mainly engaged in probing.

With a superior lineup, Ryonan displayed a powerful offensive from the start.

Not to be outdone, Hainan High School quickly responded.

For a time, the players from both sides were exchanging blows on the field, neither giving an inch, making for a dazzling spectacle.

In the repeated offensive and defensive transitions, both sides demonstrated an extremely high level of competition.

As time went on, the competition entered a heated phase!

Not long after, Amu looked at the pond in front of him and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Ikegami is arguably his second most hated defensive player, even more so than Fukatsu.

As for who is the defensive player that Maki hates the most, it is naturally none other than Kogure.

Although Ikegami cannot completely stop Maki, Maki will have to expend more energy and be less efficient if he wants to break through Ikegami's defense.

What pains Amu the most is that Uozumi is still stationed in the Ryonan restricted area.

With fish living inside and a pond outside, Amu couldn't help but feel somewhat disheartened.

They're just messing with him!
Besides Amu, the core inside player of Hainan Affiliated High School was also restricted.

In his confrontation with Uozumi, Ikeda Kazuhiro was suppressed.

This surprised many people!

Although Uozumi's contributions on the offensive end were not significant, his role on the defensive end was unparalleled.

With Uozumi specializing in defense, Ikeda Kazuhiro suffered greatly from being defended.

Ryonan naturally let this opportunity pass and seized the chance to gain the lead.

Among them, Minoru Matsumoto demonstrated excellent competitive form.

He not only limited the performance of his counterparts, but also provided a guarantee for the team's offensive system.

Hainan High School did not lose heart. Coach Gao quickly adjusted the tactics and further increased the frequency of pick-and-roll.

For a time, Hainan High School replicated the tactical approach of the Utah Jazz.

Maki is Stockton, while Ikeda and Hiroshi are Malone.

Hainan High School employed a series of precise pick-and-roll tactics, resulting in a back-and-forth scoring trend between the two sides, successfully preventing Lingnan from further widening the point gap.

At the end of the first half, Ryonan led by 7 points.

If Fukuda hadn't missed several open shots, Ryonan would have had a good chance of gaining a double-digit lead.

During halftime, both coaches continued to arrange their lineups.

Soon, the second half of the game began.

Ryonan's situation remains very favorable. The team's tactics are well executed, and they frequently score on offense, effectively reducing the opponent's scoring efficiency.

However, this situation lasted for less than five minutes, and the circumstances seemed to change in an instant.

During a scramble for a rebound, Uozumi unfortunately stepped on an opposing player's foot.

This caused him to collapse to the ground in pain, unable to continue the match.

In the stands, the faces of the four stars from Shohoku and the players from Shoyo were not very good.

Because they remembered the events that had happened at Hainan High School in the past two years.

At this moment, Mitsui asked curiously, "Did you guys see that? Whose foot did Uozumi step on just now?"

“The people standing behind Uozumi just now were Kazuma Takasago and Maki. It must be one of them.”

Fujima analyzed it.

Akagi blurted out instinctively, "That must be Takasago!"

Generally speaking, ace players are not assigned to these dirty jobs.

"It's not Takasago!"

Kogure defended Kazuma Takasago, believing that Takasago shouldn't be blamed for this.

Takasago: I'm so touched!
"Could it be Maki?"

"It's him, it's him!"

As he answered, Kogure couldn't help but squint his eyes.

In the manga, it can be seen from the shot of the sneakers that it was Maki who was using Akagi as a stepping stone.

Therefore, Takasago is innocent.

This also reminded him of that old friend.

That old friend was not Kun Ge, but gOat!

Of course, besides stepping on people's feet, gOat will also push people in mid-air and maliciously elbow them.

As for whether Amu did it intentionally or accidentally, that's a matter of opinion.

Only those involved truly know this.

After Uozumi was injured, the Ryonan players immediately surrounded him and inquired about his injury with concern.

Uozumi quickly stood up, but he was limping and eventually had to be helped off the field.

For Ryonan, Uozumi's injury and departure from the game was undoubtedly a huge blow. His absence left Ryonan without its most important anchor in the paint, greatly weakening its defense and rebounding.

(End of this chapter)