Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Ryota Miyagi controlled the ball past half-court, keeping his feet low, and quickly moved the ball between his left and right hands.

Kenji Fujima didn't rush in to snatch the weapon. He kept his center of gravity low, his arms outstretched, and his eyes fixed on Miyagi.

Miyagi's right shoulder suddenly sank, and he shot forward to the right like a marble. Fujima was thrown back half a step, but he didn't falter and moved sideways to catch up.

Miyagi's second step was even faster; he bent his knees to the limit and used his speed to cut into the free-throw line.

Shohoku's zone defense collapsed much faster than he had expected. As soon as he stepped into the free-throw line, Hasegawa Kazushi came over from the wing to help defend, his two long arms outstretched like two fans, blocking his way.

Miyagi didn't force his way in; Mitsui Hisashi stood outside the three-point line, and when Hasegawa rushed over to help defend, he left Mitsui wide open.

With a flick of his wrist, Miyagi delivered a bounce pass. The ball bounced once on the floor and landed precisely in Mitsui's hands.

Mitsui, who was in an open position, jumped to receive the ball, flicked his wrist slightly, and the ball slipped from his fingertips.

The arc is both high and stable.

"Swish." The needle went into the net.

5:3.

In the stands, Coach Taoka's eyes lit up, and he continued to explain things to the Ryonan players around him.

"Xiangyang deployed a 1-3-1 zone defense, with four tall players over 1.9 meters standing in the paint, completely blocking the restricted area, making it extremely difficult to score inside."

The most effective way to break this deadlock is through outside shooting, especially from a highly accurate three-point shooter like Mitsui.

Shohoku's lineup is clearly well-prepared, specifically designed for Hainan. If a team doesn't have two or three top-tier three-point shooters, they'll have a very difficult time against Shohoku's lineup.

He paused, then his lips twitched slightly: "Fujima, as captain and coach, has indeed put in a lot of effort."

As the game transitioned from offense to defense, Fujima dribbled the ball past half-court. His pace remained as relaxed and unhurried as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard.

Miyagi pressed herself against him, this time even closer, her chest almost touching Fujima's arm.

Fujima didn't break through. He gathered the ball, jumped, and pulled up for a jump shot. Miyagi followed suit, stretching out his arm to block, but Fujima's release point was too high. His body leaned back slightly in the air, and with a flick of his wrist, the ball flew past Miyagi's fingertips.

"Whoosh." It went two centimeters long and went into the net hollowly.

7:3.

In the stands, Coach Taoka's words began to come true, as if they were a prophecy.

Shohoku's offense has once again become bogged down.

Miyagi dribbles the ball, scanning the entire court. This time, Mitsui Hisashi is tightly marked by Hasegawa on the right side, with Hasegawa's hand constantly outstretched in front of Mitsui's line of sight, interfering with his angle of receiving the ball.

Miyagi turned his attention to the inside, where Akagi and Hanagata were boxing out under the basket, but the two tall players, Takano and Nagano, kept their eyes on the passing lanes, and the ball couldn't be lobbed in at all.

Miyagi gritted his teeth and chose to rely on his speed to force his way through. His first step was still ridiculously fast, Fujima was shaken off, and Miyagi drove into the paint.

However, Shohoku's zone defense collapsed so quickly it was like a reflex. As soon as Miyagi stepped into the free throw line, Takano and Nagano surrounded him from both sides, their long arms completely blocking his passing and shooting routes.

Miyagi managed to slip the ball through the crowd to Akagi under the basket.

As soon as Akagi received the ball, Hanagata's back pressed against him, and Takano turned around and lunged to double-team him, his long arms waving in front of him, making the basket invisible.

Akagi was forced to pass the ball to Rukawa on the outside. Just as the ball left Akagi's hands, Hasegawa's long arm stretched out from the side and intercepted it again.

Hasegawa tapped the ball, sending it bouncing towards midfield. Fujima was the first to rush forward and scoop it up.

Fast attack.

Fujima dribbles the ball forward, while Miyagi desperately tries to get back on defense.

Sakuragi caught up from the weak side, and the two of them moved in almost sync, attacking Fujima from the left and right.

Fujima stepped into the free-throw line, jumped up, and held the ball with his right hand. Miyagi and Sakuragi jumped at the same time, their four hands blocking the ball.

But Fujima didn't send the ball towards the basket.

He spun his hand in the air, and the ball flew out from behind him, as if it had eyes, towards Nagano Mitsuru who was following behind.

When Nagano received the ball, there was no one in front of him. He jumped easily and sent the ball into the basket with his right hand.

9:3.

Miyagi received the serve, dribbled across half-court, and faced Fujima's defense. His poor start made him somewhat impatient.

Facing Fujima's defense, he once again chose to rely on his speed to break through, hoping to disrupt the opponent's defense by using his signature move to drive into the paint.

Miyagi had just stepped into the free throw line.

However, Shohoku's zone defense had figured out his tactics. Takano and Nagano collapsed in advance, and the two big men surrounded and double-teamed him like two walls, even blocking the passing angle.

Miyagi made a hasty move, pushing the ball out of his hand with a distorted posture and his wrist not fully extended. Takano Akira swung his hand, slapping the ball away, sending it bouncing towards the center of the court.

Fujima retrieved the ball again and launched another counterattack.

Rukawa was the first to get back on defense. His speed was ridiculously fast, and he had already retreated to inside the three-point line when Fujima had just crossed half-court.

Fujima didn't slow down. He stepped into the three-point line, and facing Rukawa's defense, he stopped abruptly and pulled up for a fadeaway jump shot. His body took a big step back in the air. Rukawa's hand came over to block it, but the ball still flew past his fingertips.

"Whoosh." 11 to 3.

Shohoku's offense was completely overwhelmed by Shoyo's zone defense giants.

Mitsui on the outside was tightly marked by Hasegawa and couldn't even touch the ball.

Every time Miyagi and Rukawa penetrated the paint, they were met with two or even three pairs of long-armed defenders quickly double-teaming them.

Akagi fared even worse under the basket, getting double-teamed by Hanagata and Takano as soon as he received the ball, leaving him no room to turn around.

With Fujima orchestrating the offense, Shohoku's game became increasingly smooth. Every pass he made was perfectly timed, and under Fujima's guidance, Shohoku operated like a precise machine, running calmly and methodically.

On the Xiangbei side, problems arose on both offense and defense.

When the offense stalls, the mentality becomes more anxious. The more anxious one is, the more mistakes one makes. And the more mistakes one makes, the wider the point difference widens.

This is a vicious cycle, growing bigger and bigger like a snowball.

In the stands, Coach Taoka frowned deeply, his gaze fixed on the Shohoku bench.

Coach Anzai sat in a chair with his hands clasped in front of his stomach, his expression as calm as still water, showing no sign of urgency.

Taoka's lips moved slightly, his tone full of confusion: "At this point, why hasn't Coach Anzai called a timeout? Why hasn't he made any tactical adjustments? What is he waiting for?"

On the court, Miyagi had the ball again. This time, he faked out Fujima and cut to the vicinity of the free-throw line. Before Shohoku could double-team him, he took a deep breath and jumped. This time, he chose to shoot himself.

The ball was pushed out of my hand with a decent arc, but I used too much force, and it bounced off the back of the rim.

"Rebound!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood out from a group of tall people.

Hanagata was to his left, and Takano was to his right. Both of them were taller than him, but neither of them could jump to his height or speed.

Sakuragi's right hand firmly grasped the backboard, and when he landed, his knees bent slightly to cushion the impact.

Without pausing, he jumped again, the second jump even faster than the first.

Hanagata had just reacted and was about to jump again to block the shot, but Sakuragi had already taken to the air, raised the ball above his head, and gently pushed it with his right hand, sending the ball off the backboard into the basket.

16:5.

Behind the flower-shaped lenses of his glasses, his pupils suddenly contracted.

So high. So fast.

Hanagata has never seen an opponent with such a high jump and such a high speed during the second jump in the prefectural tournament.