Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

The whistle blew to start the second half, and Shohoku gained possession of the ball.

As Miyagi Ryota dribbled past half-court, Miura Dai's point guard stepped up and reached out to try and disrupt his dribbling.

Miyagi's shoulder slumped, he switched the ball from his right hand to his left, twisted his body to the left, and shot in like an arrow.

Miura Dai's point guard lost his balance and stumbled. When he looked back, Miyagi had already stepped into the three-point line.

Miura Dai's power forward rushed in from the side to cover, and Miyagi passed the ball from his right hand to his left, making a change of direction and getting past the defender cleanly.

The center rushed out from under the basket, spreading his arms to block him. Miyagi didn't slow down, his eyes sweeping over Akagi Takenori, who was left wide open under the basket.

With a flick of his wrist, Miyagi delivered a bounce pass that landed precisely in Akagi's hands.

Akagi caught the ball right below the basket, grabbed it with both hands, jumped, raised the ball overhead, and slammed it down onto the basket.

"Bang!" The basketball hoop made a loud noise.

"Yay! Gorilla dunk... Gorilla... Gorilla!" The Shohoku bench started cheering.

The audience erupted, and those who had been dozing off in the stands instantly woke up.

In the stands of Ryonan, Aida Hikoichi was startled.

"What incredible speed! This number 7, Ryota Miyagi! His breakthrough speed is amazing."

Offense and defense transition. Miura Dai's number 4, Murasame, received the ball outside the three-point line, dribbled two steps, then lowered his shoulder and charged towards the basket. In the first half, he used this move to break through Shohoku's defense countless times.

But this time, as soon as he stepped into the free throw line, Takenori Akagi rushed at him from the front.

Murasame tried to change direction, but Rukawa Kaede closed in from the side, his long arm stretching out like a pair of pincers, blocking his path of breakthrough.

Two people, one on the left and one on the right, blocked his path to break through.

Murasame was forced to pass the ball, which slipped through the gaps in the crowd. Ryota Miyagi suddenly appeared from the side, reached out and intercepted the ball, launching a quick counterattack.

"Quick attack!"

Miura Dai's defense was quick, and the two players had already retreated inside the three-point line.

When Miyagi stepped into the three-point line, there was a person standing in front of him and another person chasing behind him.

Without slowing down, he flicked the ball behind him with his right hand, passing it behind his back without looking. The ball went under the defender's arm and bounced precisely into the hands of Rukawa Kaede, who was following up from behind.

Rukawa Kaede had already stepped into the free-throw line when he received the ball. He gathered the ball, jumped, stretched out his body in the air, held the ball above his head with his right hand, and slammed it down hard on the basket.

"Clang...!" A one-handed slam.

Another gasp rippled through the stands.

"Wow... number 11 jumped so high."

"Ah... Lukawa... Lukawa..." This was the scream of the three members of Rukawa Kaede's cheerleading squad.

On the court, Shohoku is now a completely different team compared to the first half.

Miyagi could tear apart Miura Dai's defense every time he had the ball. He was as fast as lightning, his changes of direction were clean and crisp, and his passes were precise.

Miura Dai's point guards were driven to despair by him, their power forwards suffered ankle pain from his fakes, and their centers were tricked into spinning in circles by his passing feints.

Akagi was like an insurmountable mountain in the paint. He grabbed rebounds one after another, his blocks on defense were like swatting flies, and on offense, he would slam dunks when he got open.

Rukawa's breakthrough was flawless, a seamless change of direction, acceleration, and jump. The defenders at Miura Dai were like wooden stakes in front of him, unable to even reach out when he beat them.

Miura Dai was stunned. Their defensive formation was torn apart by Miyagi, their inside game was disrupted by Akagi, and their outside game was riddled with holes by Rukawa.

The ball was forced into a turnover as soon as it was passed, the shot was blocked as soon as it was released, and the rebound was snatched away by Shohoku as soon as it bounced up.

Shohoku launched a 13-0 counterattack.

The coach of Miura Dai was so anxious on the sidelines that he stomped his feet and called a timeout, but the situation didn't change after the timeout, and Shohoku's momentum had already picked up.

In the stands, Maki Shinichi's gaze fell on the white number 11 on the field.

Rukawa Kaede had just completed a steal and fast break, scoring with a clean and crisp layup.

"You said the real show is just beginning."

Maki Shinichi looked at Sendoh. "You must be talking about number 11, Rukawa Kaede. He really does look a lot like you, Sendoh, from last year."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "But... you're still a bit green."

Sendoh was taken aback when he heard this.

His gaze shifted from Rukawa Kaede to the Shohoku bench. The red number 10 was still sitting there, arms crossed, legs crossed, his face full of impatience that screamed "This genius is about to play."

Sendoh's lips twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but then he closed them again.

Ten minutes ticked by second on the scoreboard.

Miyagi and Rukawa kept moving around on the court, each sprint, each jump, and each confrontation consuming their energy for those ten minutes.

Coach Anzai stood up from his chair and called a timeout.

The whistle blew.

"Rukawa, Miyagi, you two step down. Sakuragi, Mitsui, you two go up."

Sakuragi Hanamichi sprang up from the bench, as if someone had pressed the launch button, instantly transforming from "bored" to "ready to go".

Mitsui Hisashi followed him onto the stage.

A buzz of discussion arose from the stands.

"Why was someone else chosen?"

"Who's number 10? The one with the red hair."

"What is Shohoku doing? Making a substitution at this crucial moment when they need to catch up?"

When the coach of Miura Dai saw Shohoku's substitution, he also substituted players number 7 and 11.

He immediately became excited, his voice brimming with barely concealed thrill: "An opportunity! They changed their personnel themselves! Seize this chance and take them down!"

The members of Miura Dai looked at each other, and their faces, which had turned pale from the beating, regained some color.

In the stands, Shinichi Maki frowned, looking puzzled.

"What's going on? They substituted out the two key players who just came from behind, and brought on two players who haven't played before. What is Shohoku's coach thinking?"

Sendoh didn't answer. His gaze fell on the court, on the red number 10, and the lazy smile on his face slowly deepened.

Seeing Sakuragi enter the game, everyone from Ryonan perked up.

Jun Uozumi leaned forward a few degrees, his hands resting on the back of the seat in front of him. Fukuda's eyelids lifted slightly. Koshino and Uekusa sat up straight in unison, even their breathing becoming softer.

The timeout ended, the game resumed, and Shohoku had possession of the ball.

Kogure serves from the baseline, and the ball lands steadily in Sakuragi Hanamichi's hands.

Sakuragi dribbled past half-court, holding the ball and standing outside the three-point line, opposite Miura Dai's number 4 Murasame.

Sakuragi took a step, his right shoulder slumped down, and his body, like a tank starting up, rolled towards Murasame.

The two bodies collided with a dull thud. Murasame's eyes widened suddenly. He felt as if a stone had hit his chest, and he took half a step back, his shoes screeching on the floor.

Sakuragi didn't stop. His second step was even faster, and by the third he was already inside the free-throw line. Murasame was left behind, his face flushed red, gritting his teeth as he chased after him.

Sakuragi caught the ball and jumped. His body leaned slightly back in mid-air, his hands raised above his head, assuming a shooting stance. Murasame caught up from behind, lunging at him and swatting the ball away.

Sakuragi's wrist suddenly shifted in mid-air.

He switched the ball from his right hand to his left hand, pulled it to the left, and shifted his entire body position halfway in the air.

Murasame's hand was already out of control, and his palm landed solidly on Sakuragi's right forearm.

"Snapped!"

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.

At the same time, the referee blew his whistle: "Goal stands, penalty one more time."

Maki Shinichi's gaze fell on the red number 10. His eyes narrowed, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The way this red-haired number 10 plays looks so familiar.

Engage in physical contact, tough it out and drive in, then jump to draw a foul...

Maki Shinichi suddenly realized that he did the same thing when he played basketball.