Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 356 The Pacers' Call

After Kogure scored the first goal, Archibald's expression became unusually serious.

His expression was serious, revealing an unprecedented level of earnestness.

Archibald felt an invisible pressure from Kogure.

At this moment, he began to realize that his opponent, Kogure, was not to be underestimated.

He can only save face if he goes all out.

If he were still in his prime, he would never be afraid of an opponent like Kogure.

However, reality is cruel; he has been retired for a full ten years, and the years have left indelible marks on him.

These past ten years have caused him to lose his former speed and agility, and his physical strength is far from what it used to be.

He is no longer the superstar who once dominated the court.

As time went by, he suffered from the disadvantage of age in his confrontation with Kogure.

Archibald took a deep breath and quickly adjusted his mindset.

He did not give up; as a former superstar, he is still proud of himself.

In addition, he is not without advantages; he can make up for his lack of physical fitness with his experience and skills.

Soon, Kogure launched another attack.

Archibald lowered his center of gravity, his eyes fixed on Kogure, carefully observing his opponent's every move.

To win this duel, he must fight with his mind.

Unfortunately, Kogure's strength far exceeded his expectations.

For the second goal, Kogure used his opposite foot in the "Kogure Kiminobu dribble" to easily shake off Archibald's center of gravity.

In the instant that Kogure passed by him, he even saw Archibald's astonished expression.

Archibald has been away from the NBA for too long and has rarely paid attention to the development of the NBA since retiring.

Therefore, his knowledge of 'Kogure Kiminobu's extraordinary abilities' was completely blank.

Even if he understood, there was nothing he could do about it.

shuh~
Kogure easily scores another layup!

2:0
Hua Hua Hua~
As Kogure quickly left and scored another goal, the spectators cheered.

After all, this is Archibald, who, even after retiring for ten years, is still far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

This can be seen from the previous challengers.

Among these challengers were high school students like Sawakita and Moroboshi, but they had no chance against Archibald.

Archibald didn't pass the ball immediately, but asked Kogure, "What's the name of that dribbling technique you just used?"

"Kogure Kiminobu is truly exceptional!"

Kogure answered truthfully, stating that with the promotion of Drexler, Mullin, and Bird, the naming rights to 'Sam God' had been usurped by Kogure.

This also allowed Kogure to gain initial influence in the United States.

Archibald frowned. He had never heard of this technique before, and if he was not mistaken, it must be a newly developed dribbling skill in recent years.

"Sigh, I'm out of touch!"

Archibald sighed inwardly, realizing that it was precisely because he had fallen behind that he had ended up in such a miserable state.

"continue!"

Archibald picked up the basketball and passed it to Kogure again.

The next moment, Kogure broke through with the ball again, his movements almost identical to the previous round.

The difference this time was that he used the same-side foot.

Archibald was unaware that 'Kogure Kiminobu's Extraordinary Abilities' possessed two transformations, and by the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late.

He was once again defeated by Kogure.

This time, Archibald risked his life, relentlessly chasing Kogure despite his old and crippled legs.

To be fair, Archibald, who was already 46 years old, still had a little oil left in his mailbox, and he still managed to catch up with us.

In the NBA, Archibald is known for his outstanding speed and agility, coupled with his excellent ball control, making him unstoppable in one-on-one matchups.

That's why Archibald was nicknamed "Little Elf".

Furthermore, Archibald's mid-range shooting is remarkably accurate.

With his ability to drive and shoot effectively, coupled with high efficiency, Archibald is often able to dismantle defenses on offense.

Finally, there's the point guard's primary responsibility—passing. He has good passing skills, enjoys sharing the ball, and often makes creative passes that can drive the entire offense.

This is also the main reason why he was able to have a place in the era of giants.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel joke on Archibald.

He had just won both the scoring title and the assist title, reaching his personal peak, but then suffered a serious injury the following season, playing only 35 games before being sidelined for the rest of the season.

On the court, Kogure's ears twitched as he heard footsteps coming from behind him.

snort~
Without hesitation, Kogure abruptly stopped.

With a screeching sound, the person came to an abrupt stop.

Thanks to his extensive match experience, Archibald reacted quickly and didn't fall too far behind Kogure.

The two jumped up one after the other, and Archibald was surprised to find that Kogure jumped very high.

If you also consider height and arm span, Archibald's interference would be very difficult to achieve.

In mid-air, Kogure stretched out his body, flicked his wrist slightly, and threw the ball towards the basket.

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

3:0
Kogure smiled, having completely dominated his duel with Archibald.

At this moment, more and more viewers joined in cheering for Kogure.

Archibald stood with his hands on his hips, took a few deep breaths, and looked somewhat forlorn.

He had done everything he could, but he still couldn't stop Kogure from scoring.

If this continues, he even risks having his head shaved.

Old age is insecure!

Archibald grew increasingly frustrated at the thought.

Kogure noticed Archibald's change in mindset and decided to go easy on him a little.

The reason is simple: the title Archibald never appeared.

If nothing unexpected happens, this is related to the way he broke through.

As for Archibald's absence in the first round of attack, it was mainly because he wasn't serious at that time.

Furthermore, there are also interpersonal relationships involved in basketball!

Even if a title appears, it can take several days to activate.

If you really offend Archibald, he won't want to associate with you anymore, and you'll be in deep trouble.

bang~
On the fourth shot, Kogure deliberately entangled Archibald for a long time, but his shot ultimately missed.

Archibald glanced at Kogure in surprise, subconsciously assuming that Kogure only had three tricks up his sleeve.

He didn't think much of it; instead, he visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's my turn!"

Archibald's eyes regained their confident gleam.

Archibald has always been very confident in his ability to break through defenses.

Compared to before, he no longer held back and chose to go all out.

He still retains NBA-level offensive capabilities, but due to his physical condition, it will be difficult for him to maintain them for long.

Kogure used Death Coil again, and to outsiders, his defense remained unchanged.

But only the two people involved knew that Kogure, who seemed to be playing hard on defense, was actually deliberately letting the opponent win.

During the struggle between the two, Kogure vaguely heard a system notification.

Without hesitation, Kogure deliberately created an opening, allowing Archibald to break through.

As the two passed each other, Archibald finally realized something was wrong. However, he didn't stop and drove to the basket for a layup.

3:1
Archibald landed on the ground and looked at Kogure in surprise.

Kogure shrugged and winked at Archibald.

Read my eyes and act accordingly!

Archibald immediately understood and gave Kogure a grateful look.

As he bent down to pick up the ball, Kogure looked at the prompt.

[Special title detected - Little Sprite, progress 1%]

If nothing unexpected happens, this title is likely related to a breakthrough.

Soon, Kogure passed the ball to Archibald.

For the rest of the time, the two played a game of tag, taking turns hitting the ball, creating quite a lively scene.

Outside the arena, Sendoh looked at Kogure with surprise.

Compared to Sawakita, Moroboshi Dai, and Okawata, Sendoh is more intelligent, and he also understands Kogure better.

After all, Sendoh had once been Kogure's sparring partner and knew some of his habits.

"Maybe I'm overthinking it?"

Sendoh scratched his head, too lazy to think any further in order to avoid wasting brain cells.

10:10
Ten minutes later, the two were tied.

Both sides only need to score one more goal to win the match.

At this moment, Kogure has possession of the ball.

Archibald is on high alert.

In the ensuing entanglement, Kogure forcefully broke through Archibald, preparing to finish with a magnificent gliding dunk.

Bang~
Click~
Then, something unexpected happened.

Kogure seemed to have overestimated the quality of the basketball hoop at the outdoor court, and he ripped it off.

After staggering a couple of steps, Kogure finally regained his balance and stared speechlessly at the basketball hoop in his hands.

Maru, you've damaged public facilities; it looks like you'll have to pay compensation!

At that moment, everyone was stunned, staring at Muguru with surprised and uncertain eyes.

Bang bang bang~
Suddenly, Archibald led the applause.

At Archibald's signal, a thunderous cheer and applause erupted from the crowd.

Whether it was a gliding dunk or tearing the rim off, it all left the audience in awe.

Even in the NBA, such a scene is extremely rare.

In the last two years, O'Neal has contributed a few times.

Of course, the audience subconsciously overlooked the quality of the basketball hoop.

After Shaquille O'Neal burst onto the scene, NBA basketball hoops were noticeably reinforced.

The quality of basketball hoops in outdoor basketball courts is already inferior to that in the NBA, let alone now.

"you win!"

As the applause gradually subsided, Archibald took the initiative to hug Kogure.

Kogure frowned, tilted his head back, and held his breath.

As everyone knows, Brother Ni has a rather strong body odor, especially after strenuous exercise.

Ni Ge already has a strong body odor, and after strenuous exercise, the smell is unimaginable.

This has led to an unwritten rule in the NBA that players must shower and use perfume or deodorant after a game before being interviewed by reporters.

When it comes to body odor, Kogure immediately thinks of Duncan.

Duncan's armpit odor is quite famous, and Popovich and many Spurs players have publicly complained about it more than once.

After Duncan retired, Popovich hoped that Duncan would not come back because he would always leave his dirty jerseys lying around, making the locker room a mess.

Kogure mustered his spirits and did not refuse Archibald's enthusiasm.

To gain a foothold in the NBA, he must adapt to the body odor of foreigners.

At this moment, Archibald asked, "Friend, I haven't yet asked your name?"

"Knight, my name is Kogure Kiminobu!"

"What, Mu Mu Gongyan!"

Archibald's eyes widened instinctively, just like Ronnie Fields and Garnett had a few days earlier.

"Could it be that Kogure Kiminobu's superhuman ability is a technique you invented?"

"Yes, but I referenced the 'whip' dribbling technique used by European players."

Kogure did not hide anything and chose to tell the truth.

"Dude, tell me the truth, have you ever fought Bird?"

"I played a few times, but I lost every time!"

Kogure knows all too well how formidable Larry Bird was after his recent retirement.

This guy clearly still has All-Star level skills, but he insisted on retiring early just to save face.

Otherwise, with Bird's skill and ability, playing for several more years would definitely not be a problem.

All I can say is, he truly lives up to his reputation as the king of cool!

"That's normal, isn't it?"

Archibald wasn't surprised; Bird was different from him—one had only recently retired, while the other had been retired for ten years.

It was at this moment that the host arrived on stage, dragging a suitcase.

"Congratulations to this friend for narrowly defeating Archibald and winning the prize provided by XX Company!"

As soon as the host finished speaking, applause rang out again.

After the host handed the suitcase to Kogure, he weighed it in his hand and found it to be quite heavy, indicating that there were quite a few prizes.

Before leaving, Kogure took the initiative to exchange contact information with Archibald.

Archibald will be in Chicago this week.

Because of Kogure's excellent interpersonal skills, his demonstrated potential, and Archibald's influence, Archibald offered to mentor Kogure in his spare time.

Kogure can come to see him anytime he has time.

On the way back, Zebei seemed to remember something and clearly regained his confidence.

Sendoh asked curiously, "Sawakita, what's wrong?"

"Kogure narrowly lost to Archibald, while my score against Archibald was 8-11. Does this mean the gap between me and Kogure isn't as big as I thought?"

When this was mentioned, Zebei's face lit up.

The sky cleared, the rain stopped, and Zebei felt like he was back to normal!
Sendoh, with his hands behind his head, glanced sideways at Sawakita and said, "Is it possible that Kogure went easy on us?"

Zebei waved his hand and said matter-of-factly, "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Archibald is an NBA legend, how could Kogure possibly hold back!"

Sendoh shook his head and said nothing more.

Sure enough, you can never wake up a person who is pretending to be asleep.

By the time they returned to the entrance of Farragut Academy, it was nearly dusk.

At that moment, Kogure noticed that Akagi and Mitsui were standing at the door, listlessly carrying stones.

Upon seeing Kogure, the two immediately came to greet him.

Kogure asked curiously, "What's wrong with you guys?"

"The Indiana Pacers just called, they're looking for you!"

Mitsui looked at Kogure with envy; this was an NBA team.

Moreover, Mitsui strongly suspects that the person making the call was Larry Bird.

Mitsui was also a member of the McDonald's training camp.

(End of this chapter)