Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Ryota Miyagi stood on the sidelines, his mouth never closing since Sakuragi and Rukawa's one-on-one match began.

His gaze followed the two figures on the field back and forth, like two bolts of lightning striking across the court.

The sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor was sharp and piercing, while the thuds of basketballs hitting the floor were fast and frequent.

"Kogure," Miyagi turned his head, his voice low but filled with undisguised shock, "Are all the newcomers this fierce these days?"

Kiminobu Kogure stood beside him, his eyes behind his glasses fixed intently on the field.

His expression was similar to Miyagi's; his mouth was slightly open, his chin was slightly drooping, and he looked as if he had been frozen in place.

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice a little dry: "Indeed...very powerful."

On the court, Rukawa Kaede has the ball and is facing Sakuragi's defense.

He kept his waist low, the ball weaving between his legs, the rhythm sometimes fast, sometimes slow, like a percussion piece without sheet music.

Sakuragi stood before him, arms outstretched, his center of gravity lower than ever before, his eyes fixed on Rukawa's waist. He wasn't watching the ball; he was watching his waist.

This is a defensive lesson learned from Yumikawa Eiki: the ball can deceive, but the center of gravity of the waist cannot.

Rukawa Kaede's right shoulder suddenly sank.

Sakuragi's center of gravity shifted to the right by an inch.

Rukawa switched the ball from between his legs to his left hand, pulling his body to the left and changing direction.

Sakuragi's ankle twisted, his body was pulled back, and his center of gravity swayed, but he gritted his teeth and followed.

Rukawa changed direction again. The third time.

Sakuragi stumbled, completely losing his balance, and veered half a step to the left.

Rukawa seized the opportunity and, like an arrow released from a bow, sliced ​​through Sakuragi's side.

His first step was as fast as lightning, his shoes making a screeching sound as they hit the floor. His second step was into the free-throw line, and by the third he had already jumped.

His body stretched out in the air, and he held the ball overhead with his right hand to dunk.

"Bang!"

Rukawa Kaede slammed the ball into the basket with one hand, causing the basket frame to shake violently and make a dull creak.

He hung on the basket, then let go and fell, his feet landing on the floor with a dull thud.

This was his seventh goal.

Rukawa bent down to pick up the ball, dribbled it twice, and walked back to the three-point line.

His chest heaved faster than before, and his breathing became heavier.

He glanced at Sakuragi, who was continuing to press forward on defense, and saw that there were many more beads of sweat on his forehead than before.

This was the first time Rukawa had encountered such a formidable opponent.

In the past, he could get past opponents with just one crossover, or at most two. The defenders would either be shaken off or unable to keep up with his speed.

But Sakuragi is different. This guy is too fast and strong. You can't shake him off with just two feints.

Every breakthrough requires full effort. Every change of direction must be executed flawlessly. Every jump must reach its highest point. Only then can you break through his defense.

Seven goals, seven all-out efforts.

Rukawa's physical condition was starting to give him trouble. His calves were starting to ache, and his breathing was becoming erratic.

He stood outside the three-point line, dribbling the ball, his eyes fixed on Sakuragi's defensive positioning.

Sakuragi stood in front of Rukawa, his center of gravity lower than before, one hand outstretched in front of Rukawa's line of sight, the other outstretched to maintain balance.

His defensive pressure was like a net, starting to tighten and become denser from beyond the three-point line.

Rukawa took a deep breath and began his eighth attack.

He made a feint to break to the right, then suddenly changed direction to the left, passing the ball from his right hand to his left, and twisting his body in the process.

He was still fast, but a beat slower than before; his stamina was starting to give out.

Sakuragi's center of gravity was shifted, and Rukawa cut in from the left.

He stepped onto the free-throw line, gathered the ball, and jumped. Rukawa's right hand held the ball as he sent it towards the basket.

However, Sakuragi Hanamichi's speed in chasing back was extremely fast. The half step that Rukawa had just faked out was caught up with the moment Rukawa jumped.

The ball's speed was ridiculously fast; it struck first despite being launched later, and then slapped down with its right hand raised high.

"Snapped!"

The palm slammed solidly onto the ball, which hit the backboard with a loud thud and bounced back a long distance.

Another slammed block.

It was exactly the same shot that Gaiji made earlier.

When Rukawa landed, he staggered a bit, his calves buckled and his knees bent, but he quickly regained his balance.

He turned around and watched Sakuragi run over and scoop up the ball.

Hehehe...

Sakuragi stood outside the three-point line with the ball in his arms, grinning and showing off his white teeth. His smugness was practically overflowing. "Finally, it's my turn to attack, genius."

Rukawa Kaede didn't say anything. He walked over to Sakuragi, bent down, and opened his arms.

His breathing hadn't completely calmed down yet. His chest was heaving more violently than before, and sweat was sliding down his forehead.

Offense and defense shift.

Sakuragi stood outside the three-point line with the ball, dribbling it twice in his hand at a slow pace, as if he were taking a stroll. He looked at Rukawa, who was squatting in front of him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Then he dribbled the ball, turned around, and leaned his back against it.

Back-to-the-basket one-on-one.

Ryota Miyagi, standing on the sidelines, widened his eyes upon seeing this action.

His lips twitched, and his expression was as if someone had poked a sore spot. He was all too familiar with this move; he had just been pushed all the way from the three-point line to the basket by this move.

Rukawa Kaede frowned slightly, placed his hands on Sakuragi's lower back, bent his knees, and lowered his center of gravity.

His defensive stance was much more standard than Miyagi's; his core was more tightly tucked in, and his calf muscles were taut like rocks.

But he couldn't hold on any longer.

Sakuragi arched his backside, causing Rukawa to sway and take a step back. Sakuragi arched his back again, and Rukawa took another step back.

Sakuragi, like a bulldozer, slowly and steadily pushed Rukawa all the way from the three-point line to the basket.

Upon reaching the basket, Sakuragi gathered the ball, jumped, and gently flicked it with his right hand, sending it off the backboard into the hoop.

Rukawa jumped, but his jumping height was noticeably lower than at the start of the game after his physical condition deteriorated, and his fingertips were still a distance away from Sakuragi's wrist.

Miyagi watched this scene from the sidelines, his lips twitching even more noticeably.

He knew that Sakuragi was going to win.

Although Sakuragi had just scored his first basket and the score was still 7-1, Miyagi could see that Rukawa's stamina was almost depleted, while Sakuragi's back-to-the-basket moves were relentless: push, push, push, jump, layup.

Simple, direct, and effective.

The ensuing one-on-one duel unfolded exactly as Miyagi had predicted.

Sakuragi's second attack: a post-up move, pushing from the three-point line to the basket, and banking the ball in. 7-2.

The third time, he backed down his opponent, pushed the ball to the basket, turned, jumped, and made a layup. 7-3.

The fourth time, a post-up move, this time Rukawa tried to steal the ball from the side. Sakuragi immediately turned, trapping Rukawa behind him, and after driving to the basket, jumped and put the ball in over Rukawa's head. 7-4.

Rukawa Kaede's breathing became heavier and heavier.

The fifth and sixth times, Sakuragi still used his back to the basket. Rukawa's defense became increasingly weak; his knees couldn't bend anymore, his center of gravity couldn't be lowered, and the force with which he pressed his hands against Sakuragi's waist was decreasing.

7 to 5. 7 to 6.

On the seventh attack, Sakuragi changed his tactics.

He no longer turned his back. Facing Rukawa, he dribbled directly towards the inside, used his shoulder to push past Rukawa, drove to the basket, jumped, and laid the ball in.

Rukawa was pushed back two steps, staggered, and it was too late to catch up.

7:7.

Rukawa gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment, but his body could no longer keep up with his will.

His legs felt like they were filled with lead, and each step required twice the strength of usual.

On his eighth attempt, Sakuragi once again made a strong drive and easily scored a layup.

7 to 8. Sakuragi has taken the lead.

On the ninth attempt, Sakuragi continued his powerful drive. Rukawa tripped and nearly fell, barely managing to keep up, but Sakuragi had already jumped. The ball bounced twice on the rim before rolling in.

7:9.

The air on the sidelines seemed to have been sucked away, leaving only the players' breathing and the thud of the basketball hitting the ground.

On the tenth offensive possession, Sakuragi stood outside the three-point line, neither backing down nor driving hard.

He looked at Rukawa Kaede, who was squatting in front of him, knees bent, but unable to keep his balance. His chest heaved violently like a bellows, sweat streamed down his face, his lips were dry, and his face was pale.

Sakuragi dribbled the ball once, gathered it, and jumped.

He pulled up for a three-pointer.

His body leaned back slightly in the air, and with a flick of his wrist, the ball slid from his fingertips, tracing a high arc.

Rukawa jumped up, but his jump height was less than seven-tenths of his usual height, and his fingertips were still far from the ball.

The ball reached its highest point and then began to fall.

"Whoosh."

Hollow-core netting.

10:7.

"Hehehe..."

A deep laugh came from the entrance of the stadium.

The onlookers then realized that Coach Anzai had walked in without anyone noticing.

Ryota Miyagi was the first to react, his body stiffening instantly. He bowed slightly, his voice filled with respect: "Coach Anzai!"

Coach Anzai nodded at him, his smile unchanged, and said slowly, "Miyagi-kun is back. Good luck from now on."

Gongji bowed slightly again: "Yes!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi ran across the field, taking three steps at a time to reach Coach Anzai, hands on his hips, chin held high, and a wide grin stretching to his ears.

"Dad! Did you see that?!"

Sakuragi, beaming with smugness, declared, "This genius just beat that stinky fox!"

When he said "stinky fox," he deliberately turned his head to look in Rukawa Kaede's direction to make sure the other person could hear him.

Coach Anzai looked up at Sakuragi's smug face and chuckled a few times.

His eyes narrowed even more, and the wrinkles on his face gathered together like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"Sakuragi-kun," Coach Anzai's voice was unhurried, carrying a kind of admiring tone, "you're very strong."

Hearing Coach Anzai's praise, Sakuragi Hanamichi's smile widened even further.

"Hahaha, of course! I'm a genius!" Sakuragi's voice grew even louder.

Rukawa Kaede walked to the sidelines, picked up a towel, wiped his sweat, and drank water.

Then he sat there, replaying the one-on-one fight in his mind.

Every round. Every drive. Every defensive play. Every moment of helplessness as Sakuragi pushed me from the three-point line to the basket.

Coach Anzai walked over.

"Did you discover any problems with yourself during your one-on-one match with Sakuragi just now?"

Rukawa Kaede remained silent for a few seconds.

"In physical confrontation," Rukawa Kaede said, his voice hoarse, "I'm no match for him."

Coach Anzai nodded.

"That's right. But technically speaking, Sakuragi might not be as good as you in some details right now. Dribbling, shooting, footwork, he's still a little worse than you in those areas."

"But he's smart and knows how to use his physical advantages."

Coach Anzai's gaze fell on the court, where Sakuragi was standing and talking to Yanai, gesturing wildly and looking smug.

"Physical contact is an indispensable element in modern basketball games."

Coach Anzai turned his head and looked at Rukawa's profile. "To go further, physical strength and stamina are indispensable."

Rukawa Kaede nodded.