Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The halftime break passed by second by second in Kogure's anxiety.

The whistle blew to start the second half.

Having finished warming up, Sakuragi Hanamichi stood up from the bench.

When Sakuragi entered the game, the four members of Sakuragi's team in the stands instantly came to life.

Takamiya Nozomi was the first to stand up, cupping her hands around her mouth, her voice so loud it shook the entire stands: "Sakuragi! It's up to you! Don't let him airball the first shot of the game!"

Da Nan chimed in, "Don't embarrass yourself, Hanamichi! If you really can't do it, just pass the ball!"

Sakuragi ignored him.

He walked on the court with an expression that wasn't his usual smug grin, but rather a deep, confident one.

Seeing Sakuragi finally take the field, the Ryonan team members perked up.

Jun Uozumi stood under the basket, hands on his hips, watching the red figure walk onto the court.

During last summer's training camp, he fought against Sakuragi countless times under the basket and knew how freakish that guy's physical abilities were.

At that time, Sakuragi was a beginner who had only been playing basketball for two months. Many of his skills were still rough, but he could wreak havoc in the paint just by relying on his jumping ability, strength, and rebounding instinct.

Sendoh stood outside the three-point line, a lazy smile returning to his lips, but his eyes were different now; this time they were filled with caution.

Ikegami, Koshino, and Uekusa also became more vigilant. The month they trained with Sakuragi last year had left a deep impression on each of them.

Coach Taoka stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, face stern, and turned to say something to Hikoichi Aida behind him:

"Watch the next match closely. Sakuragi's strength is no less than Rukawa's, and after half a year of training, he's probably even stronger."

Yan had already opened his notebook, pen clutched in his hand. Hearing Coach Taoka's words, his eyes widened, his jaw nearly dropping. Not worse than Rukawa? Even better?

On the court, Sakuragi walked up to Jun Uozumi, put his hands on his hips, looked up at the 202cm tall guy, and grinned.

"Boss Monkey, I'm not going to hold back this time. Are you ready?"

Jun Uozumi looked down at Sakuragi, his face expressionless, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. This guy, still so disrespectful.

"Bring it on! Let me see how much you've improved."

Sakuragi chuckled and turned to run back to his spot.

The second half of the game begins, and Shohoku has possession of the ball.

Yasuda received the ball at the baseline and dribbled it across half-court. He was more cautious than in the first half, keeping his racket low, his body slightly turned to the side, and using his shoulder to protect the ball.

Uekusa was pressing close in front of him, his hand constantly waving in front of Yasuda's line of sight, but Yasuda didn't panic this time and steadily dribbled the ball across the halfway line.

After crossing the center line, Yasuda's first thought was to find Sakuragi.

Sakuragi was standing on the right side of the three-point line, reaching out for the ball.

But Sendoh and off-road vehicles react faster.

Sendoh positioned himself directly against Sakuragi, keeping his body low to the ground, and placed one hand between Sakuragi and the ball, blocking the straight path of the pass like a wall.

Off-road came around from the side and stood between Sakuragi and the basket, blocking his angle to break through after receiving the ball.

The two people, one in front and one behind, sandwiched Sakuragi in the middle.

Yasuda's pass couldn't get the ball out.

Sakuragi didn't just stand there waiting. He moved his feet and sprang forward like a marble, first taking two steps back beyond the three-point line to create distance between himself and Sendoh, then suddenly turning back and cutting towards the basket.

Sendoh was keeping up, but Sakuragi changed direction too quickly, and Sendoh's shoulder was thrown half a body length behind.

Just half a body length away, Yasuda passed the ball over with a bounce pass. The ball bounced once on the floor and landed in Sakuragi's hands.

The moment Sakuragi caught the ball, Sendoh was already right there with him again. Their bodies collided with a dull thud.

Sendoh's chest pressed against Sakuragi's arm, his hand outstretched in front of the ball, blocking Sakuragi's shooting and passing angles.

"Come on, Sakuragi, let me see how much you've improved," Sendoh said.

Without hesitation, Sakuragi bent down, shielding the ball around his waist, slumped his right shoulder against Sendoh's chest, and then charged towards the basket like a truck with its accelerator pedal fully pressed.

Purely physical confrontation.

There were no feints, no changes of direction; it was just a head-on confrontation.

Sakuragi's shoulder pressed against Sendoh's chest as he slowly drove towards the inside line. Sendoh was forced back two steps, stumbled, and almost lost his balance, but he gritted his teeth and followed, his hand never leaving Sakuragi's sight.

As Sakuragi stepped into the free-throw line, Jun Uozumi pounced on him from under the basket, blocking Sakuragi's path between him and the rim. His long arms were raised high, completely obscuring the sky in front of Sakuragi.

Uozumi was in front, and Sendoh was on the side; the two burly men sandwiched Sakuragi between them.

Sakuragi didn't force himself on her.

His eyes caught sight of the basket out of the corner of his eye. After Uozumi lunged out from under the basket, the area under the rim was empty. A tall, red figure was moving towards that open space.

Takenori Akagi.

Sakuragi flicked the ball from his waist, making a low pass that went under Uozumi's armpit, bounced off the floor, and landed precisely in Akagi's hands.

Akagi caught the ball right below the basket, with no defender in sight. He grabbed the ball with both hands, bent his knees, jumped, stretched his body to its maximum range in the air, held the ball overhead, and slammed it down onto the basket.

"Bang...!"

The rim made a loud bang, and the entire basket frame shook violently back and forth.

The bench chanted again, "Gorilla dunk! Gorilla dunk!"

Akagi landed and glanced at the Shohoku bench. The bench immediately fell silent, still reeling from the punch he had just received.

Akagi turned around and ran towards the backcourt. As he passed Sakuragi, he reached out and patted him on the shoulder, praising, "Great pass."

Sakuragi grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said confidently, "That's right, watch this genius lead you to catch up and defeat Ryonan."

Coach Anzai sat in a chair, his hands clasped over his stomach, laughing heartily.

Lingnan launched an attack.

Akira Sendoh held the ball beyond the three-point line, his eyes scanning the court.

Jun Uozumi positioned himself under the basket, with Akagi behind him and his hands outstretched as he called for the ball.

But Akagi stood firmly behind him like a wall, unmoving. To make matters worse, Sakuragi Hanamichi was positioned on the weak side, less than two steps away from Uozumi, ready to double-team him at any moment.

Two big men, one on the left and one on the right, completely shut down Ryonan's inside game.

Sendoh abandoned the idea of ​​passing the ball. He took a step and faced Kogure Kiminobu's defense. Sendoh simply lowered his shoulder and made a simple change of direction, which made Kogure move half a step away.

Jump and shoot.

The ball arced high and swished through the net, the net flipping upwards with a "whoosh".

Shohoku launches an attack.

As Yasuda prepared to receive the ball at the baseline, a figure with a red pompadour hairstyle ran over from the side.

"I'll do it!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi stretched out his hand, his eyes radiating an aura of "Stop talking nonsense and give it to me." Kakuta, who was serving, hesitated for a moment, then instinctively passed the ball to him.

Sakuragi receives the ball and dribbles it across half-court.

The Ryonan team members were all stunned for a moment. Why was Sakuragi doing the work of a point guard?

Sendoh was the first to react, lowering his center of gravity to meet him. He moved quickly, instantly closing the distance between himself and Sakuragi, one hand outstretched over the front of the ball, the other outstretched to maintain his balance.

Sakuragi bent down, shielding the ball to his left side, and rammed his right shoulder directly into Sendoh's chest, still relying on his physical strength to take the hit.

The two bodies collided with a dull thud. Sendoh was pushed back half a step, staggered, but gritted his teeth and regained his balance, pressing his body against hers again.

Sakuragi continued to back down his defender, pushing forward. One step, two steps, three steps. Like a bulldozer, he carved a path through Sendoh's defense, stepping onto the free-throw line and jumping.

Sakuragi held the ball with both hands, leaning slightly back in the air, assuming a shooting stance. Uozumi, who was rushing in from under the basket, jumped almost without hesitation, his huge hand swatting the ball towards him.

Sakuragi's wrist suddenly shifted in mid-air.

The ball was switched from the right hand to the left hand, and Uozumi's hand couldn't stop, his palm slamming solidly onto Sakuragi's right forearm.

"Snapped!"

The referee blew his whistle.

The ball flew out of Sakuragi's hands, wobbling towards the basket. It bounced off the front edge of the rim, then grazed the top edge of the backboard before finally wobbling into the net.

The referee's gesture was clear: "Goal stands, penalty one more time."

The Shohoku bench erupted in chaos.

The first-year students on the bench jumped up from their seats and cheered.

Coach Taoka stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, his brow furrowed.

He stared at Sakuragi, who was shooting free throws, for two seconds, then suddenly turned around and asked Aida Hikoichi behind him, "How many fouls does Uozumi have now?"

Yan Yi was engrossed in taking notes in his notebook when he heard Taoka's voice. He quickly flipped to the data statistics page, swiped his finger down, and looked up to answer, "Second time, Coach."

Taoka nodded, turned back, and his gaze returned to the court. His lips moved, as if he were talking to himself: "I hope that was just an accident."