Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 155 Zebei's Weakness

Seeing Sendoh gain momentum, Sawakita Eiji beckoned to Fukatsu Kazunari during his attack.

After Fukatsu dribbled the ball past half-court, he passed it to Sawakita, who held the ball at the top of the arc. Facing Sendoh Akira's defense, the two stood face to face, and the noise in the arena suddenly subsided a few notches.

Zebei lowered his center of gravity, pushed off with his right foot, and quickly moved sideways to cut in from the left side of Sendoh.

The explosive force of the first step was like a white lightning bolt cleaving through the air. Sendoh was somewhat prepared, but he was still taken aback by the sheer speed of Sawakita's initial burst. He moved sideways to follow, but Sawakita's shoulder had already brushed past him.

After cutting in, Zebei faced Ikegami Ryoji's help defense. He used the same change of direction to cleanly and neatly shake off Ikegami and drove to the basket to jump.

Jun Uozumi took a step to the side from under the basket and leaped into the air, his massive 202-centimeter frame completely blocking the layup route.

Zebei leaped into the air, holding the ball in his right hand. With a gentle flick in the air, the ball flew past the fingertips of Uozumi's blocking hand and bounced off the backboard into the basket.

The audience in the stands erupted in cheers. Shouts of "Sawakita! Sawakita! ————" exploded from the Sannoh support group, echoing repeatedly under the dome. Sannoh's ace was finally starting to unleash its power.

Sendoh once again had the ball at the top of the arc. This time, Sawakita came right up to him, lowering his center of gravity, spreading his arms wide, and his eyes gleaming with undisguised fighting spirit.

He looked directly into Sendoh's eyes and spoke, each word laced with provocation and anticipation: "Come on! Let's continue, let's settle this once and for all."

Sendoh grinned, a smile that held both a lazy composure and a roused fighting spirit. He turned to the side, leaning his back against Sawakita's chest, cupping the ball in his hands, and began—a back-to-the-basket move, a direct assault.

The force of the shoulder slamming into Zebei's chest was like a heavy hammer. With one blow, Zebei retreated two inches. With two blows, Zebei retreated another two inches. With three blows, Zebei's feet scraped against the floor with a harsh screech.

Zebei gritted his teeth and held on, but the shock surging in his heart was almost overflowing. How could this guy's strength be so much stronger than when they fought two years ago when they were still in junior high school? So strong that even he couldn't withstand it.

Sendoh moved close to the free-throw line, creating half a body's width of space before flipping and jumping, leaning back slightly and flicking his wrist out.

Kazunari Fukatsu rushed in from the wing to help defend and interfere, his fingers almost brushing the edge of the ball. The ball bounced off the rim. Under the basket, Jun Uozumi used his back to firmly block Masashi Kawata, pushed off the ground with both legs, and jumped up, grabbing the offensive rebound with both hands at the highest point.

After landing, Kawata Masashi quickly lowered his center of gravity to block Uozumi, thinking that Uozumi was going to attack. However, Uozumi did not turn or force a shot, but steadily passed the ball back to Sendoh on the outside. Sendoh received the ball, faked out Sawakita's help defense, and then shot.

The ball arced through the air, and whoosh, it went in.

The two then began exchanging blows.

Sawakita relied on his speed; his first step, change of direction, and drive were all incredibly fast. He shook off Sendoh's defense and drove to the basket, effortlessly chipping the ball over Uozumi's block.

Sendoh relies on his post-up game, using his weight to drive in and then turn and shoot. One is graceful and agile, the other is hard and physical. These two completely different playing styles create a stark contrast on the same court.

In the stands, both teams' supporters chanted the names of their respective ace players. A roar of "Sawakita!" exploded from the Sannoh contingent, followed by a shout of "Sendoh!" echoing from the Ryonan stands. The two names clashed back and forth under the dome.

Goro Domoto of Sannoh crossed his arms and gently stroked his chin with his fingers.

He watched as Sendoh once again backed down Sawakita and made a turnaround jump shot, his eyes narrowing slightly, his tone carrying a rare scrutiny and assessment: "Sendoh Akira. This is the first time I've seen a point guard with this style of play in Japanese high school basketball. With his height, strength, back-to-the-basket skills, and passing vision, he could easily play small forward or power forward, but he chose point guard. His point guard position is very similar to that guy on the Lakers."

As Zebei received the ball at the top of the arc again, he suddenly realized that the person in front of him had changed. Ikegami Ryoji lowered his center of gravity and spread his arms to block him.

Sendoh retreated to the weaker side to keep an eye on Matsumoto Minoru. Sawakita snorted and muttered, "So you're running away already. You're too scared to fight me head-on?"

He lowered his center of gravity and swerved past Ikegami. Ikegami's defense was already in place, and he followed up with the first step by moving sideways. But Zebei's change of direction was too fast, and he brushed past him on the second step.

Sawakita drove into the paint, jumped to meet Uozumi Jun's block attempt, and just as the ball left his fingers, a blue figure soared into the air from behind Uozumi.

Sendoh Akira abandoned Matsumoto Minoru, took two steps to the side from the weak side, jumped from behind Uozumi, and slammed the ball into the backboard.

On the sidelines, Shigeichi Taoka clenched his fist tightly: "That's it!"

Sendoh has discovered Sawakita's biggest weakness: once this top high school player in Japan gets into a rage, all he sees is the basket, and he will never pass the ball.

Sendoh deliberately gave up facing off against Sawakita at this crucial moment and took the initiative to retreat to a help defense position. This ability to read the game and his overall vision made Taoka even more proud. This was the genius he had finally managed to recruit from Tokyo.

Uekusa passed the ball to Sendoh, who calmly dribbled across half-court, waiting for his teammates to get into position and for Uozumi to get into position.

This time, instead of using a back-to-the-basket move against Zebei's defense, he suddenly lowered his center of gravity and made a strong physical drive, his right shoulder hitting Zebei's chest, causing Zebei's center of gravity to shift by half a beat.

Sendoh cut inside the free-throw line, drawing a double team in the instant he stopped and jumped, his body as straight as a javelin, flicking the ball with his wrist. The ball passed between Fukatsu and Nobe's fingers as they tried to block it.

Swish, a pull-up jump shot goes in.

Having been blocked by Sendoh, Sawakita became even more agitated. He called for the ball again, and after receiving it, he lowered his center of gravity and used his speed to forcefully break through Ikegami's defenses. This move was faster than any of his previous ones, and Ikegami was completely outmaneuvered.

But just as he broke through the pool, Sendoh suddenly rushed in from the side, his arm precisely cutting into his dribbling path, stopping the ball in front of Sawakita's astonished gaze.

Minoru Matsumoto immediately chased after him from behind, jumping up to chase after Sendoh's hat.

The moment Matsumoto's hand came slapping towards him, Sendoh paused slightly in mid-air, waiting for the hand to hit his arm before slamming the ball into the basket.

Clang! The basketball hoop shook violently.

The referee blows the whistle, white number 6, defensive foul. One free throw awarded.

The Ryonan substitutes' stands erupted in cheers.

After landing, Matsumoto Minoru stood still, looking down at the hand the referee was pointing at, then looking up at Sendoh Akira's back as he walked towards the free throw line.

He slowly opened his mouth and finally realized that the guy opposite him hadn't paused in the air for half a beat to adjust his movements, but was deliberately waiting for him to foul so he could get a 2+1.

Is this Ryonan's trump card? It's not just about brute force, it's also about brains.

Sendoh stepped to the free-throw line and received the ball from the referee. The Sannoh supporters in the stands were making a huge racket. Sendoh dribbled the ball twice, bent his knees, raised the ball, and flicked it with his wrist.

The ball traced a clean, crisp arc, and the penalty was scored.

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