Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 378 Mike Okita, Devastated

Kogure delivered a devastating blow to Mike and Okita right from the start!
"If I hadn't been caught off guard, you wouldn't have scored so easily. Now it's my turn!"

Mike Okita was very frustrated, but he didn't get discouraged.

This is just a ball; it doesn't prove that Kogure is a hundred times better than Rukawa!
I hope you can do it!

Kogure's expression became more serious. Since he was so insolent, he didn't mind helping him correct his ways.

As a senior, one must always maintain a supportive attitude towards the younger generation to prevent them from suffering the harsh realities of society.

Full Power Twilight, now online!

Not far away, Mitsui said to Rukawa with schadenfreude, "That kid's going to be in trouble!"

Mitsui and Kogure have known each other for nearly two and a half years and often have one-on-one duels, so how could Mitsui not be familiar with the meaning behind Kogure's expression?

In short, once Kogure gets serious, the consequences will definitely be dire.

"How miserable!"

Rukawa Kaede empathized with this, and his gaze toward Mike Okita held a touch of sympathy.

Like Mitsui, Rukawa often gets 'beaten up' by Kogure.

Unlike others, Rukawa Kaede became more courageous with each setback and never backed down.

This is also the reason why Kogure admires Rukawa the most!
At this moment, Ebina had the ball past midfield.

Ebina visibly relaxed after discovering that Mitsui was defending him.

Although Mitsui's defense was also good, he didn't want to face Kogure even more.

Ebinagi never wanted to experience that suffocating defense again.

"This way!"

Immediately, Mike Okita leaned against Kogure and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

Ebina was hesitant, but she still gritted her teeth and passed the ball over.

pop~
Just as Mike Okita was about to receive the ball, Kogure suddenly exerted his strength, forcefully squeezed in, stretched out his long arm, and completed the steal first.

Mike Okita was pushed aside, staggered, and almost fell to the ground.

Compared to Kogure, Mike Okita's performance was undoubtedly much weaker.

The referee didn't blow the whistle because Kogure's defense was clean and efficient.

The basketball bounced on the floor and then flew towards the frontcourt.

Ebina was the closest, so he wanted to steal the basketball.

Just as he was about to touch the basketball, Kogure snatched it away first.

With a casual dribble, Kogure easily broke past Ebinagi and drove straight to the basket.

This time, Mike Okita used all his strength and appeared under the basket at top speed.

Kogure leaped up to face Mike Okita's defense and easily flicked the ball into the basket with a fingertip layup.

sigh~
Mike Okita was helpless in the face of this.

Kogure's height, wingspan, and jumping ability are all superior to his, and his fingertip layup release point is very high, leaving him helpless.

"This layup technique..."

Mike Okita looked on in amazement; how could he not recognize it as the famous Fingertip Basket?

The Iceman has only been retired for a few years, but his influence remains.

Mike Okita, who played basketball in the United States, naturally imitated the fingertip layup technique.

Unfortunately, he could only achieve a superficial resemblance; he couldn't actually apply it in a competition.

Offense and defense reversed!

Mike Okita shouted at Kogure's retreating figure, "That last shot doesn't count, I haven't even launched an attack yet!"

Beside him, Ebina Yoshika frowned.

Mike Okita seemed to think that the shot was Ebina's mistake.

He became the scapegoat!

Soon, Ebinayo carried the ball past the halfway line.

Just like in the previous round, Mike Okita once again asked Ebina for the ball.

For the sake of team unity, Ebina had no choice but to pass the ball to Mike Okita again.

This time, Mike Okita was much more cautious, fearing that Kogure would steal the ball again.

After receiving the ball, Mike Okita immediately broke through with the ball.

Kogure quickly shifted his feet to the side, blocking his opponent's path to break through.

bang~
Suddenly, the two made physical contact.

Mike Okita's expression changed slightly; he felt as if he had bumped into a wall.

He directly experienced the disparity in their abilities during the confrontation!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Kogure closed in and immediately used Death Coil.

For a moment, Mike Okita looked extremely disheveled.

Suddenly, Kogure noticed a flaw.

pop~
Without hesitation, Kogure swung his long arm and made a steal.

Mike Okita felt his hand go empty and immediately sensed something was wrong. He turned around and rushed towards the basketball.

Unfortunately, Kogure was faster than him and didn't even need to turn around.

After securing the basketball, Kogure immediately dribbled down the court.

Mike Okita waved his arms rapidly, frantically chasing after Kogure's figure.

His speed was very fast, almost on par with Rukawa Kaede.

Just as Kogure was about to step into the three-point line, Mike Okita finally caught up.

Chi~
Just then, the sound of shoes rubbing against the floor rang out.

Kogure made a sudden stop, and Mike Okita, unable to brake in time, crashed straight in.

By the time Mike Okita reacted, the two had already separated by three steps.

With no one guarding him, Kogure stretched out his body and made a three-pointer.

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

Instead of immediately returning to defense, Kogure asked Mike Okita, "Does this shot count?"

"It's just one point, I'll get it back in no time!"

Even though Mike Okita has a thick skin, he had to admit that this shot was a mistake.

He did indeed lose this round of attack and defense.

However, this does not mean he will admit defeat.

As a player who has been featured in the NBA, Mike Okita is more proud than the average player.

As expected, Mike Okita raised his hand again for the ball in the next round.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was the team leader!

Ebina looked at Meiko without thinking, and the latter nodded after a slight hesitation.

It must be said here that the leader of the Buri team is not Mike Okita, but Ko Kwang, and Mike Okita is only second in rank.

Although Mike Okita and Mitsuaki Nagato are both second-year players, Mike Okita is ultimately an outsider with no roots.

However, many viewers who rarely watch football don't care about these things; they prefer to judge people by their appearance.

Whoever plays well and has better stats will be considered the team leader.

Does it feel familiar?

Isn't this just a pack of gorilla hunters?

The brilliance of the name and Mike Okita are like the future Heat's Wade and gOat.

While Mike Okita's stats may seem more impressive, the real star of this Buri team is Gao Guang.

Furthermore, in terms of importance to the team, Mike Okita is not as prominent as Ming.

This is ultimately an era where the inside game reigns supreme!
In fact, the future Wade and gOat will be the same!
gOat's stats may seem impressive, but most of them come from 'simple plays', such as fast breaks, defensive rebounds, and six-step moves, and he is extremely fond of passing the buck.

gOat primarily blames Wade and Bosh, and most of the key plays are also handled by the latter two.

In short, Mike Okita's position in the Buri team can be compared to that of gOat.

Of course, the two are also very different.

Mike Okita's playing style is elegant and beautiful, a stark contrast to gOat's ugly style.

Mike Okita catches the ball with both hands and adopts a triple threat stance.

Kogure didn't close in, maintaining a step's distance from Mike Okita. Mike Okita took a probing step, then changed direction and broke through.

However, even though Mike Okita tried his best, he still couldn't break through Kogure's defense.

Soon, under Kogure's pressure, Mike Okita almost lost control of the ball and had to grab it with both hands.

pop~
Kogure, quick-witted and agile, swung his long arm and once again made a steal.
"Huh, where's my ball?"

Mike Okita, who was about to pass the ball, found his hand empty, and his pass went nowhere.

Kogure dribbled down the court again, and Ebina immediately reacted and lunged at him.

As a result, Kogure quickly changed direction, and Ebina could only watch helplessly as the other flew past him.

The breakthrough was achieved with ease.

Thanks to Ebina's intervention, Mike Okita caught up in time, and the two rushed towards the basket side by side.

During this process, Kogure's ball control rhythm and footwork changed.

Despite his discomfort, Mike Okita kept biting Kogure.

Suddenly, with the abrupt change in rhythm of the Euro step, Mike Okita stepped on his right foot with his left and lost his balance.

bang~
Mike Okita fell face-down to the ground in a disheveled manner.

Bang~

Kogure drove to the basket and dunked with a reverse crossover.

What about this ball?

Kogure landed on the ground and looked at Mike Okita, who had just stood up.

"Calculate!"

Mike Okita could only grit his teeth and swallow the bitter pill.

"However, our duel has only just begun!"

Mike Okita refused to give up easily; no matter what, he was determined to score a goal over Kogure and defend his dignity.

Soon, Ebina once again dribbled the ball past midfield.

Mike Okita, as always, raised his hand again for the ball.

This time, however, Ebina pretended not to see it and began to organize the team's attack.

He knew very well that if things continued like this, the match would be over.

Under Mitsui's defense, Ebinayoshi struggled to make progress.

Ming Gaoguang had no choice but to step forward and set a screen.

With the help of Meiko's cover, Ebina was able to temporarily escape Mitsui.

Akagi and Mitsui immediately switched positions.

Ebina tried it out, and Akagi almost snatched the basketball away.

With his ability to break through defenses, he simply couldn't get past Akagi's defense.

It was at this moment that Ming Gaoguang successfully drove into the paint.

Ebinagi immediately chose to pass the ball.

pop~
Just as Ebina passed the ball, a large hand suddenly appeared from the side and forcefully snatched it away.

"careful!"

Just then, Mike Okita finally reminded them, albeit belatedly.

It was Kogure who was trying to steal the ball; he was marking Mike Okita while preparing to intercept.

As expected, Ebinayo was unable to break through Akagi's defense and had no choice but to pass the ball.

Without hesitation, Kogure rushed towards Ebina and successfully made a steal.

After securing the ball, Kogure prepared to launch a fast break.

Mike Okita quickly closed in, trying to slow down Kogure's pace.

Meanwhile, Ebina, who had lost the ball, also rushed up, attempting to double-team him.

Kogure had no intention of breaking the double team, and after delaying for two seconds, he delivered a bounce pass.

Mike Okita felt a chill under his crotch and saw the orange basketball speeding through the small door.

"Oops!"

At this moment, Ebina Yoshimi had a bad feeling.

His teamwork with Mike Okita to double-team Kogure created a four-on-three situation in the frontcourt.

Sure enough, Mitsui, who was unguarded, received the basketball.

Katsumi Ichiro panicked and rushed toward Mitsui, but it was too late.

Mitsui made no adjustments and hit a three-pointer.

sigh~
As the sharpshooter in Slam Dunk, Mitsui naturally seized the opportunity.

With Shohoku scoring another goal, they have established a double-digit lead.

11:0
Poor Buri team, they haven't scored yet due to Mike Okita's unauthorized actions.

"I know this shot doesn't count, since neither of us attacked."

Kogure spread his hands and continued to provoke Mike Okita.

Mike Okita's mouth moved, but he didn't know what to say.

After these few rounds of competition, he finally realized that Rukawa Kaede wasn't exaggerating.

Kogure is indeed a hundred times better than Rukawa!
So here's the question: how could such a powerful player emerge from a country that the NBA has always considered a basketball wasteland?

Kogure's strength is clearly beyond the level of the competition; at least Mike Okita has never encountered such a monstrous opponent in the American high school league.

Compared to Kogure, even Iverson, who defeated him last year, is at least a level below him.

While Iverson was strong in high school, he had many flaws and wasn't strong enough to demoralize Mike Okita.

哔～
It was at this time that Buri requested a pause.

Both teams' players quickly left the field, and Coach Kazumi Kawasaki stared at his players with a serious expression.

The starting players in Buri were filled with anxiety, and they all kept their heads down, not daring to look directly at the coach.

Staring at the score on the electronic scoreboard, Kazumi Kawasaki even considered tanking.

However, this was the first match of the joint finals.

Losing by too much will cause the team's morale to plummet, which will be detrimental to the next two games.

To secure a ticket to the national tournament, the fewer losses in this match the better.

As for defeating Shohoku?

Do not make jokes!
Kazumi Kawasaki was well aware of the disparity in strength between the two sides.

In short, Buri was at a disadvantage in all five positions.

In short, losing less is winning!

Coach Kawasaki Kazumi organized his thoughts and then said, "Everyone must pay attention, Shohoku's offensive rhythm is very fast, and we must not be affected by their rhythm."

We must slow down the pace of the game so that we can better leverage our strengths.

Remember, we must proceed steadily and surely, avoid rushing into attacks, and patiently seek opportunities.

"Yes, Coach!"

The Buri players responded in unison.

At that moment, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki looked at Mike Okita.

Mike Okita bears the main responsibility for Buri's poor start.

"Mike, don't be discouraged. You may not be a match for Kogure right now, but I believe that as long as you keep working hard, you will definitely succeed in the future!"

Coach Kazumi Kawasaki admitted that he was lying through his teeth.

Because he didn't think Mike Okita would be able to defeat Kogure in the future.

However, Mike Okita is very confident in himself.

"Coach, I understand. I will definitely do my best to contribute to the team."

Mike Okita wasn't headstrong.

During the remaining time, Coach Kazumi Kawasaki did not forget to encourage the players.

He was mentored by Coach Anzai, so his ability to give motivational speeches is naturally quite good.

"Now get back on the field and win this game!"

Encouraged by Coach Kazumi Kawasaki, the Buri players rekindled their fighting spirit.

(End of this chapter)