Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 334 Zebei: The city is full of tricks, I want to go back to the countryside!

As Sendoh made rapid progress, Nobe Masahiro kept a close eye on Sendoh's every move.

He leaned forward, ready to cover for his team at any moment.

However, at that moment, Sendoh displayed exceptional court awareness.

He noticed Nobe Masahiro's defensive position and then made a passing feint.

It was so realistic that Nobe Masahiro instinctively turned to look at Inoue Toyoki.

Unfortunately, Sendoh did not pass the ball.

Taking advantage of Nobe Masahiro's momentary lapse in concentration, Sendoh quickly rushed into the paint.

Nobe Masahiro realized he had been tricked and hurriedly turned around to try to defend himself, but it was too late.

Having gained enough space to make a move, Xian Dao leaped up and delivered a tomahawk-style slam.

Bang~
Sendoh, separated from Nobe Masahiro, dunked the ball into the basket with one hand.

Poor Masahiro Nobe, he finally became the first player to debut for Sannoh Industrial, but ended up as a background character.

Hua Hua Hua~
Sendoh's playing style was elegant and graceful, and the audience in the stadium erupted in cheers, captivated by Sendoh's series of brilliant moves.

Nobe Masahiro shook his head in frustration, a look of annoyance on his face.

Fearing that Nobe Masahiro might be affected, Fukatsu quickly asked with concern, "Nobe, are you alright?"

If Masahiro Nobe also runs into trouble, Sannoh Industries' situation will be even worse.

"I'm fine!"

Nobe Masahiro shook his head; he didn't care about personal honor or disgrace.

Besides, being blocked by someone isn't something that hasn't happened before.

A blue-collar power forward like him, focused on defense and rebounding, is destined to become a background figure.

This is similar to Patrick Ewing, the NBA's most famous "backdrop" player. Due to his solid skills, he performed well on both offense and defense, making him a rare player who excelled in both areas.
This is why Ewing became a target for some players, who constantly tried to score over him and make him the backdrop for their challenge.

Among the many brave warriors who dared to take on challenges, some players succeeded.

This includes Jordan.

In addition, Pippen and McGrady also faced off against Ewing head-on and both succeeded.

Even Schmitz, who isn't particularly gifted physically, managed to dunk over Ewing.

The player who made Ewing the most embarrassed was 'Little Bug' Muggsy.

As Ewing attempted a jump shot, Muggsy Bogues, who is only 1.6 meters tall, delivered a spectacular block, leaving Ewing stunned and in disbelief.

When it was Sannoh Industrial's turn to attack, Fukatsu dribbled the ball past half-court at the right moment and began to organize the team's attack.

Not far away, Ikegami said to Zekita with feigned arrogance, "Zekita, my defense is better than last time. This time I will definitely limit your performance."

In order to make Sawakita act impulsively, Ikegami was prepared to sacrifice himself.

So he took the initiative to provoke Zebei.

"How dare a defeated opponent claim to be brave!"

Zebei looked at Ikegami with disdain. Although Ikegami's defense was good and far more threatening than his teammate Ichinokura Satoshi, he was destined not to be his opponent.

"Then let me see your capacity!"

"You'd better be prepared to get smashed by me."

Provoked by Ikegami, Sawakita reached out for the ball.

Fukatsu was somewhat helpless, but out of trust in Sawakita, he still passed the ball over.

After receiving the ball, Zebei pointed to the ground with his left hand and said, "Remember, I'm going to make a jump shot here!"

"Can't you be a little more creative? These are all tricks that Kogure has already used."

Ikegami couldn't help but mutter a complaint, though he was clearly on high alert.

Zebei was a little annoyed. Didn't he want to innovate?
That's simply because he doesn't have the brains!
Suddenly, Zebei broke through with the ball.

Then he was shocked to find that Ikegami was standing still and had been easily passed by him.

Zebei: This is not scientific!
During the national tournament, Sawakita and Ikegami faced off. Although Ikegami was unable to limit his performance, Sawakita acknowledged his defensive abilities.

Normally, if Zebei wanted to surpass Ikegami, he wouldn't have to do it all in one go.

After completing the breakthrough, Zebei's body reacted instinctively, rushing straight to the basket.

"Hey, weren't you going to shoot a basket here?"

Just as Zebei was about to dunk, Ikegami's voice suddenly rang out.

Zebei's body stiffened, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He first glanced regretfully at the basketball hoop that was so close at hand, then turned back to the audience in surprise.

In order to keep his word, Zebei had no choice but to give up the scoring opportunity that was within his grasp.

Zebei tried to shift Ikegami's center of gravity, but Ikegami remained standing still, unmoved.

"Go ahead and throw!"

Ikegami stretched out his arms, ready to jump and block.

No matter what moves Zebei makes, he always remains unchanged in the face of change.

Given Zebei's pride, he was certain that Zebei would vote!

Otherwise, why would Zebei have returned?

"Damn it, this isn't like the script!"

Seeing that Ikegami remained unmoved, Sawakita felt a deep sense of helplessness.

Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and jumped up towards the pool.

Ikegami kept a close eye on Sawakita's every move, not daring to relax for even a moment.

The instant Sawakita left the ground, Ikegami leaped up with all his might, attempting to disrupt Sawakita's shot.

Despite Ikegami's best efforts, Sawakita's jumping ability was clearly superior.

Aside from their ability to fight, Ikegami is inferior to Sawakita in every other aspect.

Zebei's longer stay in the air gave him more opportunities to adjust.

When Ikegami began to fall, Sawakita was still at his peak.

During this process, Zebei also used a difficult move called a fadeaway jump shot.

Zebei leaned back, forming a dangerous angle with the ground, but he still maintained a stable shooting posture.

Zebei's fadeaway jumper created enough space for him, making it extremely difficult for Ikegami to contest.

However, despite losing his balance, Ikegami reached out with his hand in a claw-like shape and suddenly attacked Sawakita's right eye.

This startled Zebei instinctively, causing him to tilt his head back and look up at the ceiling.

At the same time, Zebei threw the basketball in his hand.

"not good!"

When the basketball was released, Zebei had a bad feeling because he hadn't controlled the shooting angle and power.

Ikegami's right claw did not touch Sawakita; it was merely a threat.

Whether the referee will make a ruling depends mainly on the strength of the referee's enforcement.

Of course, it's possible that the referee didn't see it due to the angle.

bang~
Ikegami fell awkwardly to the floor, managing to brace himself with his hands before collapsing, but he was not injured.

bang~
As Zebei had predicted, the basketball hit the front edge of the rim and bounced out of the paint.

As luck would have it, the basketball flew right towards Zebei.

Even more coincidentally, just as Sawakita was about to reach out to catch the ball, Ikegami got up from the ground.

thump~
With a crisp sound, Ikegami was successfully hit in the head by a basketball.

Ikegami stumbled and fell to the ground again.

You can tell from the sound that this is a well-nourished mind. The basketball bounced into the paint, and Uozumi, using his wingspan advantage, managed to grab it before Kawata could react.

"Immortal Path!"

Uozumi immediately passed the ball to Sendoh.

Ryonan launched another quick attack, but it was more of a formality, as only Sendoh and Matsumoto Minoru posed a threat.

Uozumi and Inoue Toyokori weren't fast enough, and Ikegami hadn't gotten up from the ground yet.

Even so, the Sannoh players instinctively and quickly returned to defense.

After being blocked by Fukatsu, Sendoh immediately stopped and waited for his teammates to return to their positions.

On the other side, Minoru Matsumoto also stopped.

This inadvertently exacerbated the physical exertion of the Sannoh players.

The two looked at each other and said nothing.

This is Ryonan's strategy: to exhaust the stamina of Sannoh's main force as much as possible.

They tried their best to maneuver in the first half, leaving the outcome to the second half.

Soon, the Ryonan players returned to their positions smoothly.

Ikegami rubbed his head, feeling a dull ache, and his left ear was ringing.

The basketball just hit his left ear.

Ikegami's hearing was not greatly affected, and it recovered rapidly over time.

"Ze Bei, congratulations, your attempt to show off failed! As expected, you'll never be as good as Kogure!"

Although Ikegami verbally belittled Sawakita, he actually took him very seriously.

The pressure from Sawakita is greater than that from Mitsui, Sendoh, and Matsumoto Minoru, and second only to Kogure.

The second-best high school student in the country, well-deserved!

Nevertheless, Ikegami still believed that Sawakita was far inferior to Kogure.

It's like taking an exam. Kogure got 100 points and Sawakita got 99 points. They seem to be only one point apart, but in reality, it's because the maximum score is only 100 points.

If you put them at a higher level, such as the NBA, Kogure could become a key substitute, or even a starter on some weaker teams.

Sawakita is at best a college star, not even an NBA benchwarmer, let alone someone trying to emulate Kogure.

This is the fundamental difference between the two!
"Damn it, why can Kogure always pull off a cool act, but I can't?"

Zebei clenched his fists instinctively, his composure crumbling.

During this period, Zebei's temperament and mindset were naturally not as good as they were during the storyline.

"Then you better watch out, I'll be shooting from that spot again in a bit!"

Zebei smiled confidently. If he hadn't been startled just now, he would definitely have been able to make that shot.

"Then you definitely won't make the shot!"

Ikegami was not intimidated by Sawakita at all, because he was mentally prepared to be beaten to a pulp.

Before the match began, Coach Taoka repeatedly instructed Ikegami to ignite Sawakita's competitive spirit.

Coach Taoka discovered Sawakita's weakness during the national tournament, but he didn't use it during that match.

Because it was a match destined to be lost!

This match was different. Due to Matsumoto Minoru's transfer, Ryonan further narrowed the gap with Sannoh Industrial High School.

In addition, Sannoh Industrial is missing Ito Yu and is also negatively affected by the last game.

No matter how you look at it, Ryonan has a chance of winning.

Coach Taoka even sought advice from Kogure for this.

As everyone knows, Kogure is definitely the most powerful player to snipe Sannoh Industrial.

If it weren't for Kogure, Sannoh Industrial would have won three consecutive national championships until they were defeated by Shohoku in the story's final year.

Things are different now. After winning their first championship, Sannoh Kogyo managed to become runners-up for the next two championships.

As everyone knows, two runners-up cannot be combined to form a champion!

Looking back through the long history, it seems that only gOat will be able to synthesize it in the future!

Of course, fans other than those who follow the gorillas were not convinced.

After successfully provoking Sawakita, Ikegami began to move around the field.

It's less like they're running for position and more like they're walking a dog.

His positioning was completely unpredictable; he did whatever made Zebei uncomfortable.

Zebei dared not leave Ikegami unattended, so he had no choice but to follow.

At this moment, Sendoh passed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru again.

At this moment, Ichinokura Satoshi appeared hesitant.

He knew Matsumoto Minoru's ability to break through defenses, but he didn't dare let him shoot freely.

In the instant that Ichinokura Satoshi hesitated, Matsumoto Minoru seized the fleeting opportunity.

Upon receiving the ball, Matsumoto Minoru adjusted his posture almost immediately, preparing to shoot.

Ichinokura Satoshi finally realized what was happening and hastily jumped up to interfere.

However, Matsumoto Minoru's height advantage is particularly obvious.

At the same time, Minoru Matsumoto is also a great jumper; players who can pull off a layup are generally good jumpers.

Despite his best efforts to interfere, Ichinokura Satoshi was still unable to reach the basketball.

shuh~
The basketball went in cleanly, barely touching the rim; to the uninformed, it would look like an airball.

A loud cheer erupted from the audience.

At the same time, the Ryonan players ran over to give Matsumoto Minoru a high-five.

Satoshi Ichinokura could only shake his head helplessly. He hated this type of player the most, especially since Minoru Matsumoto knew him very well.

Although Satoshi Ichinokura knew Minoru Matsumoto well, he never restricted Matsumoto's performance during the team matches.

This is awkward!
To become a true defensive expert, one must also possess certain physical qualities; otherwise, one will end up like Murong Fu, merely a figurehead.

You agree, right, you idiom master!
Soon, Sannoh Industrial made a comeback.

Zebei had just crossed half-court when he immediately moved to the shooting position from the previous possession.

He must fight back!
Ikegami followed closely, preparing himself while giving Uozumi a wink.

Uozumi nodded slightly. The two were not only teammates, but also classmates and deskmates, and they knew each other well.

Often, just one glance is enough to guess what the other person is planning.

"Fakatsu, I'm empty, I'm empty!"

Zebei reached out for the ball, his contemptuous tone seemingly a response to Ikegami's provocation.

Fukatsu frowned slightly, but still passed the ball to Sawakita.

Zebei subconsciously shrugged his shoulders first, then pulled up and threw.

Ikegami also jumped up, stretching his arms out high to try and obstruct Sawakita's view.

Zebei leaned back again, and the moment the basket reappeared in his sight, he released the basketball.

The moment he shot the basketball, Zebei had a feeling that the ball was bound to go in.

Just then, a huge figure leaped up from behind the pool.

Uozumi braced his left hand against his shoulder above the pool, jumping higher than usual, and swung his right hand straight at the basketball.

"No way!"

Upon seeing Uozumi suddenly appear, Sawakita's eyes widened in utter horror.

(End of this chapter)