Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 323 Winning isn't scary, but it's embarrassing if someone is missing!
After the match, the emotions of both sides' spectators were like a rollercoaster, with some happy and some sad!
The fans of Hainan Affiliated High School were heavy-hearted, their previous passion and energy gone.

The Hainan players who remained on the field fell silent, their eyes filled with helplessness and disappointment.

Despite finally managing to take Ryonan's star center, Uozumi, off the court, Ryonan still held a commanding lead.

The thought of this made them even more frustrated.

Third-year player Kazuhiro Ikeda looked up at the sky, still unable to stop the tears from flowing.

This was his last game in high school, and he never expected it to end like this.

He experienced the peak of Hainan High School, and entered the national top four as a key player.

However, Hainan Affiliated High School subsequently fell into a slump, failing to achieve any results for two years – a truly tragic situation.

Coach Gao's brows were furrowed, and his expression was extremely gloomy; his position as head coach was already in grave danger.

This loss means they will lose the chance to participate in the Winter Games.

In the past two years, Hainan High School has not won any honors, nor has it participated in any national competitions.

This is undoubtedly a great irony for Hainan High School, which is known as a "king" and "ever-victorious".

On the other side, the Ryonan team was immersed in the joy of victory, celebrating their hard-won win.

This means they have successfully secured their ticket to the Winter Games.

Their cheers echoed through the stadium, a stark contrast to the silence of the students from Hainan High School.

Uozumi's expression was somewhat complicated; while he expressed his joy, he also felt a little embarrassed.

Winning isn't scary, but it's embarrassing if someone is missing!
This phrase is often used to describe a team that performs better after losing its star player, thus making the absent star player "awkward".

In the NBA, this phenomenon is also known as the 'Ewing effect'.

In the 1999 playoffs, Ewing suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals and had to leave the game. The Knicks were tied 1-1 after the first two games.

After Ewing left the game due to injury, the Knicks went on a winning streak, eventually eliminating the Pacers 4-2 and returning to the NBA Finals after 5 years.

In fact, the Knicks did not get any better without Ewing.

In the 1999 playoffs, the Knicks' journey to the Finals as the eighth seed was also inseparable from Ewing.

在他出战的11场比赛中，尼克斯取得了8胜3负的战绩；而在他缺阵的9场比赛中，尼克斯仅取得4胜5负。

Needless to say, during the regular season, the team's winning percentage was close to 60% when Ewing was on the court, but it dropped to 45% when he was off the court.

While celebrating in Ryonan, the Shoyo team was also filled with joy.

They were not happy for Ryonan's advancement, but rather for Uozumi's withdrawal due to injury.

Without Uozumi, the Optimus Prime, anchoring the paint, Ryonan's winning percentage will definitely drop significantly, and they don't even have a capable interior player.

Because Ryonan not only injured Uozumi, but also their blue-collar center, Inoue Toyokori.

As a result, Ryonan's inside players are now only Sugata and Fukuda.

Sugata is too thin, and Coach Taoka is consciously trying to transform him into someone like Ichiro Sato or Ajin.

Fukuda is another story altogether. You can't expect him to clean up after his teammates like a blue-collar worker, especially since his defense is really not good.

Fukuda isn't bad at defense; rather, he has an overly strong offensive drive and is only interested in showing off.

As for having other Ryonan players temporarily fill in at center, the effect will definitely be minimal.

Both Sendoh and Ashin have height comparable to inside players, but their physicality and weight mean they are destined to struggle to establish themselves in the paint.

In this way, what was originally Ryonan's biggest advantage has become a disadvantage.

Unless Uozumi plays despite his injury, Ryonan's paint will be in serious danger.

Mitsui couldn't help but exclaim, "Fujima, you guys are so lucky!"

"Sometimes, luck is also a kind of strength!"

Fujima was filled with joy at the thought of having a good chance of lifting the Winter Selection Championship trophy.

"However, don't be too happy yet. There's a saying that extreme heat leads to death. Before the final verdict is given, anything is possible!"

Seeing Fujima's smug expression, Kogure couldn't help but shake his head.

If Shohoku is careless, they could really be defeated by Ryonan, after all, Ryonan still has Sendoh, Matsumoto Minoru, Ikegami, Jin, and Fukuda.

Even without a qualified inside player, if you have an excellent shooting touch, you might actually be able to shoot the opponent to death.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me!"

Fujima thought Kogure's words made a lot of sense, and began to calm himself down, focusing his mind on tomorrow's match.

……

The following afternoon at 2 p.m., the winter selection finals finally began under the expectant gaze of the audience.

Coach Taoka waved his hand and fielded a lineup of Ikegami, Fukuda, Matsumoto Minoru, Ajin, and Sendoh.

That's right, the center forward is Ikegami!

In Slam Dunk, Ikegami is the number one in muscle strength, handpicked by Takehiko Inoue.

This can be seen from his weight and his confrontation with Amu in the storyline.

Ikegami: 183 cm tall, 83 kg.

Amu: 184 cm tall, 79 kg.

Next, let's look at the physical stats of Shohoku's center, Hanagata.

Flower size: 197 cm, 83 kg.

Hanagata is 14 centimeters taller than Ikegami, but they weigh the same.

With Ikegami's strength, he could easily hold off Hanagata.

Unfortunately, Hanagata is a typical soft-touch center forward.

Aside from catching Hanagata off guard at the beginning, Ikegami was repeatedly thrown around by Hanagata in the later stages of the game due to the huge difference in height and wingspan.

Even with his outstanding one-on-one defense, he still couldn't stop Hanagata's jump shot, especially since this 197cm center could even do a fadeaway jump shot.

As a result, Ikegami was inevitably defeated.

Furthermore, Ryonan failed to protect the rebounds well, allowing Hanagata and Kishimoto to grab several offensive rebounds.

Even though Sendoh and Matsumoto Minoru went all out, Shoyo still maintained a firm advantage.

By the end of the first half, Ryonan was already down by a full 15 points.

On the Ryonan bench, Coach Taoka frowned, pondering a solution.

If things continue like this, this match will likely end in defeat.

Suddenly, Uozumi stood up from his seat.

"Coach, let me play!"

To prepare for this moment, Uozumi deliberately kept it a secret from the coach and opted for conservative treatment.

"no!"

Coach Taoka was unaware of Uozumi's ulterior motives, but he still resolutely rejected his request to play.

If Uozumi plays, the team's speed could potentially turn the tide, but that would be a gamble with Uozumi's basketball career.

If they win the bet, Ryonan might win the Winter Selection Tournament.

If he loses the bet, Uozumi's basketball career will come to an end, and it may even affect the rest of his life.

Coach Taoka is not a gambler; he has the principles of a coach and will not gamble with a player's basketball career.

For the sake of Uozumi's basketball career, he would rather forgo a championship and force Uozumi, who wanted to play with an injury, to the bench.

"But, Coach..."

Fish was unwilling to accept this.

"No buts. If you still consider me your coach, then listen to me!" Coach Taoka's expression was sharp, and under his gaze, Uozumi reluctantly sat down.

To avoid discord between the coach and players, Coach Taoka grabbed Uozumi's shoulder and said, "Uozumi, we need to take a long-term view. I hope we can make it into the national top four in this winter tournament!"

"Coach, I understand, but I'm just a little unwilling to accept it!"

"Who wouldn't be willing to accept this!"

Coach Taoka looked up at the sky; he, too, longed for the championship.

He coached Ryonan for eleven years without winning any significant honors. It would be a lie to say he wasn't envious of the Winter Selection Tournament championship.

However, Coach Taoka simply couldn't overcome the mental hurdle of letting this affect his prized student's basketball career.

It was at this moment that Sendoh interjected, "Senior Uozumi, you should focus on recovering from your injuries. We might not necessarily lose!"

Sendoh had lost his usual carefree attitude, and his eyes were unusually serious.

Encouraged by Sendoh, Matsumoto Minoru then spoke up: "That's right, we still have hope!"

"Kill Xiangyang!"

Ikegami roared and raised his right fist to the sky.

"Kill Xiangyang!"

Under his leadership, the Ryonan players responded enthusiastically, and their morale clearly rose.

In the stands, Kogure said to Mitsui and the others, "It seems there's still a chance this match will change; Ryonan might not lose!"

Akagi said in a deep voice, "Whether Ryonan can win the match will probably depend on the performance of Sendoh and Matsumoto."

"Not necessarily!"

Mitsui shook his head, then his gaze fell on a tall and handsome player.

If Ryonan wants to turn the tide, three-pointers are definitely the most important way to catch up.

In Ryonan's lineup, Sendoh, Matsumoto, and Ikegami all have excellent three-point shooting skills, but the best one is not them, but Jin Soichiro!
As the top scorer in Kanagawa during the story's run, you can call him a system player, but you can't question his three-point shooting ability.

He is also the most accurate three-point shooter in Slam Dunk, making every single shot in every shot footage.

Mitsui's three-point shooting has become inconsistent due to a two-year hiatus.

Of course, Mitsui is different now. His three-point shooting is accurate, fast, and consistent, even surpassing that of A-Shen.

Before long, the highly anticipated second half finally began.

Hanagata won the jump ball again, and just as Fujima was about to receive the ball, Sendoh suddenly rushed out from the side and made a steal.

"not good!"

Fujima turned around and gave chase.

Just as Sendoh was drawing everyone's attention, he suddenly and discreetly passed the ball with his back to the goal.

At the top of the arc, beyond the three-point line, A Shen received the ball and immediately shot.

Caught off guard, Nan Lie could only wave his hand and watch the basketball leap past his fingertips and fly towards the basket.

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

That was the soft sound of the divine wind!
"Ah Shen, well done!"

Sendoh stepped forward and gave Ajin a high five.

slap~
That wasn't the sound of a high five, but the sound of a basketball being slapped.

It turns out that Matsumoto Minoru deliberately slowed down the speed of the defensive retreat.

When Hanagata inbounded the ball from the baseline, Matsumoto Minoru pounced on the basketball like a lurking cheetah.

Minoru Matsumoto made the steal and drove straight to the basket.

"Innocent!"

Kishimoto stood under the basket, trying to block.

The two jumped up at the same time. Matsumoto Minoru began his aerial maneuver, using a pull-up bar to avoid the block, and then with a slight flick of his right hand, the basketball flew towards the basket.

Beep~
The referee blows the whistle.

shuh~
The basketball spun around the rim once before finally falling in.

"Green team's number 9 committed a foul, Blue team's number 10 gets a free throw."

The referee immediately delivered his verdict.

"Who are you calling naive!"

Minoru Matsumoto landed on the ground and immediately responded.

"I was naive, okay!"

Kishimoto pursed his lips. Ever since Coach Kitano brought him to Shohoku, he hadn't been swearing like he had in the original story.

He admired Matsumoto Minoru, who was in the same grade, but considered himself no match for him.

Last year, Minoru Matsumoto's performance was absolutely amazing.

shuh~
Minoru Matsumoto calmly sank the free throw, completing the 2+1 play.

In less than a minute, Xiangyang's lead shrank from 15 points to single digits.

Bang bang bang~
At this moment, Fujima clapped his hands loudly to attract the attention of his teammates.

"Everyone, cheer up! The enemy is strong, and we can only defeat them by going all out."

Encouraged by Fujima, the Shohoku players became noticeably more focused and did not repeat the same mistake.

Coach Kitano was very pleased with this, believing that Fujima could become a qualified coach even if he didn't become a basketball player.

The game continues, and anyone with eyes can see that the pace is getting faster and faster.

Both teams displayed a strong desire to attack, focusing their energy on offense.

For a time, the two sides went back and forth, neither willing to give an inch, and the numbers on the scoreboard fluctuated like a roller coaster.

Cheers erupted from the stands as people cheered for their favorite players.

Although the Xiangyang team still maintained their lead, their lead was gradually eroded, and the gap narrowed little by little.

The reason is simple: it rained three-tenths of an inch in Ryonan.

Ajin, Sendoh, Matsumoto, and Ikegami all demonstrated excellent three-point shooting ability, with key players showing hot shooting touch and extremely high efficiency.

Fukuda: Aren't you going to take me with you?
Even Hanagata and Kishimoto have a certain level of confidence in open three-pointers, but Fukuda is the only one who can't.

At that moment, Fukuda understood Groudon's frustration in Pokémon and really wanted to give them a Precipice Sword.

With seven minutes remaining in the game, Ryonan, led by Sendoh and Matsumoto, finally tied the score, making the game suspenseful again.

At this moment, the Ryonan players were in high spirits, seemingly about to unleash a major explosion.

If the opponent is allowed to continue this momentum, the balance of the game could tip rapidly.

However, it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious!

beep~
The experienced Coach Kitano decisively requested a timeout from the referee.

As the whistle blew for a timeout, the Shohoku players quickly gathered around Coach Kitano, awaiting his instructions.

"Guys, we can't let them score so easily anymore."

Coach Kitano knew very well that this was a critical moment and he had to make some adjustments to limit Ryonan's offensive rhythm.

He asked the players to strengthen their defense, increase their pressure, and force Ryonan to make mistakes.

Coach Kitano specifically pointed out Ryonan's Jin, instructing Minami to play serious defense and not let Jin easily receive the ball or score.

(End of this chapter)