Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Shinichi Maki stood at the top of the arc with the ball, which bounced back and forth between his right hand and the floor.

Less than three minutes into the game, they were down by five points. Personally, he was dunked on by a first-year player early on, and then blocked by the same first-year player on the defensive end.

The cheering area in Hainan was still chanting, but the volume was noticeably lower than at the start, with thousands of eyes fixed on the two people at the top of the arc.

Maki Shinichi looked up at the red-haired guy in front of him. Sakuragi Hanamichi's defensive stance was exactly the same as before: his center of gravity was low, his arms were outstretched, his toes were raised, and his eyes were fixed on Maki Shinichi's waist.

Maki Shinichi started moving, stepping forward and to the right with his right foot while simultaneously shifting his shoulder to the right, the ball bouncing between his right hand and the floor. A standard feint to the right.

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

Maki Shinichi pulled his right foot back the instant it touched the ground, caught the ball with his left hand, pulled his body to the left, and changed direction. As the ball bounced back from his left hand to his right hand, he flicked his left shoulder to the right again, making a second feint.

Sakuragi's foot glided over, landing half a step inside the three-point line, his center of gravity still intact.

Seeing that two feints failed to shift the opponent's balance, Maki Shinichi made a third feint.

His right foot touched the ground, his body weight shifted to the right front, and the racket bounced back extremely low, almost touching the floor.

Sakuragi finally moved, shifting his weight half a body length to the right.

Maki Shinichi cut in, his left shoulder grazing Sakuragi's chest as he passed the ball with his left hand, pushed off the ground to accelerate, and successfully broke through.

But Maki Shinichi wasn't relaxed at all. He used three feints, giving it his all, to finally shake off the first-year rookie's defensive center of gravity.

He had played in national tournaments and faced countless top defenders, but the red-haired man in front of him had the fastest lateral movement, the best ability to adjust his center of gravity, and the strongest physical confrontation he had ever seen.

He had just driven into the free-throw line when a huge shadow loomed over him from the side.

Takenori Akagi moved laterally from the left side of the penalty area. His timing for the defensive intervention was extremely precise; at the very same second that Shinichi Maki broke past Sakuragi, he had already started moving.

Maki Shinichi didn't stop. He jumped one step inside the free throw line, leaned back slightly in the air, and held the basketball above his head with his right hand.

Akagi's large hand followed closely behind, slapping down from the front, his fingertips brushing against Maki Shinichi's wrist with a snap.

The ball left the player's hand. The referee's whistle blew simultaneously. The basketball bounced off the rim and rolled into the net.

"Beep!"

The goal stands, and a penalty is awarded.

Maki Shinichi landed from the air, steadied himself, then moved his right wrist, which had been slapped by Akagi, and walked toward the free throw line.

In front of the Hainan substitutes' bench, Gao Touli tapped his folding fan lightly in his palm.

"Amu is truly enraged."

"But that's normal. Getting dunked on by a rookie right at the start of the game, anyone would lose face." He paused, his folding fan snapping open and then closing again. "But Amu, you know..."

Maki Shinichi bent his knees slightly at the free-throw line, pressed down on his wrist, and released the basketball, which swished through the net with a whoosh.

"Once you get serious, you won't stop."

Shohoku's offense begins. Miyagi dribbles at the top of the key, waiting for his teammates to get into position. Mitsui cuts from the baseline, using Akagi's screen to create space at the 45-degree angle. Rukawa roams the weak side. Inside, Akagi Takenori, with his back to the basket, plants his feet in front of Takasago, firmly blocking him behind him, and beckons for the ball.

Miyagi lobbed the ball into the paint.

The ball arrives just as the player arrives. Akagi catches the ball, backs down Takasago, jumps and shoots after reaching the basket. The ball spins around the rim and falls into the net.

"Good shot!" Miyagi clapped his hands and ran back.

Takasago stood with his hands on his hips, watching Akagi turn and run back. He had used all his strength to hit Akagi in the back, but he still couldn't break through.

Offense and defense shift.

Maki Shinichi dribbled the ball past half-court again, and Sakuragi closed in on him once more.

This time, Maki Shinichi didn't pause. His breakthrough was more direct, a change of pace, rather than a feint.

He accelerated from two steps beyond the three-point line, lowering his center of gravity to an extremely low position, the ball bouncing low and fast between his right hand and the floor. Sakuragi's sliding steps kept pace with precision, his shoes scraping the floor with a sharp sound, his chest pressing against Maki Shinichi's shoulder once again.

But Maki Shinichi was faster this time. His first change of direction shifted Sakuragi's center of gravity by half a body length, and then his second acceleration drove him straight into the paint.

But as Maki broke through, he already had a judgment in his mind. This red-haired guy's defense wasn't based on jumping or speed alone. His stability of center of gravity, explosiveness in lateral movement, and ability to judge feints were the most seasoned he had ever encountered.

Fujima relies on rhythm, Fukatsu on experience, but this first-year student relies on monstrous physical attributes and defensive habits he seems to have learned from nowhere. Every time you try to break through his defense, you have to go all out.

Akagi rushed over again to cover the defense.

This time he learned his lesson. He stood with his feet parallel and his hands raised high above his head, without pressing them down.

Having learned his lesson from the previous 2+1 play, Akagi understood Maki Shinichi's ability to draw fouls. He didn't jump, denying Maki Shinichi the opportunity to close in and draw a foul.

But Maki saw this, and he abruptly stopped and jumped in front of Akagi, leaning back slightly, and released the ball with his right hand. The ball flew over Akagi's outstretched fingertips and landed steadily in the basket.

Akagi looked back at the falling net; he had made the right defensive choice, but Maki still managed to score. That's the Hainan ace's ability to break through defenses.

The two teams then entered into a long back-and-forth battle of offense and defense.

Shohoku goes on offense. After crossing half-court, Miyagi lobs the ball to Akagi. Takasago grits his teeth and heads up. Akagi receives the ball, posts up, turns and jumps. Takasago's arm is raised to its limit, but Akagi's release point is 10 centimeters higher than his. The basketball hits the inside of the backboard and bounces in.

Hainan attacks. Maki Shinichi once again faces Sakuragi at the top of the arc, breaking through to the edge of the penalty area after a series of crossovers. This time, he doesn't shoot; he sees Ajin cutting along the baseline and delivers a bounce pass. Ajin catches the ball and is about to jump when Mitsui's defense is already on top of him.

A-Shen was forced to pass the ball back to Kiyota at the top of the arc. Kiyota drove towards the basket, but Rukawa's defense was impenetrable. Kiyota used his speed to make a strong drive to the basket and jumped, but Akagi rushed over and slapped the ball away.

The ball was received by Mitsui and passed to Miyagi.

Shohoku launched a fast break, but Maki Shinichi and Kiyota quickly returned to defense.

This time, Miyagi passed the ball to Rukawa on the right wing. Facing Kiyota's close defense, Rukawa cut in and pulled up for a jump shot. The ball bounced twice on the rim but didn't go in.

But Sakuragi rushed in from the weak side, grabbed the offensive rebound over Maki Shinichi, and jumped up to put it back in for a basket.

Hainan goes on offense. Maki Shinichi is closely guarded by Sakuragi, so he passes the ball to Takasago in the low post. Takasago backs down Akagi, tries to push him twice but can't move him, and his turnaround jump shot is directly interfered with by Akagi and goes wide.

Akagi grabbed the long rebound and immediately passed it to Miyagi to launch a fast break.

Miyagi accelerated past half-court, but Hainan's defense retreated quickly. Maki Shinichi and Ajin had already returned to the vicinity of the free-throw line. He flicked the ball to the right, and Mitsui was already standing outside the three-point line. He caught the ball, bent his knee, and shot, meeting Ajin's outstretched hand.

Three points go in.

The numbers on the scoreboard are widening minute by minute.

The audience in the stadium all felt the same way: Shohoku was dominating Hainan on the court.

It's not about destroying a single point, but about suppressing the entire front.

Akagi turned Takasago into an ATM in the paint, and Takasago couldn't withstand his defense at all.

The other Hainan players tried to help defend, but as soon as they collapsed, the ball was passed to the outside. Mitsui had already hit two three-pointers over A-Shen. Kiyota couldn't stop Rukawa's breakthrough and mid-range shot. Sakuragi's mid-range shot was also very accurate. Even if they missed, Akagi and Sakuragi could still grab the rebound together.

Meanwhile, Hainan's offensive end fared even worse.

Takasago was completely shut down by Akagi on offense, with almost no scoring opportunities. Muto's inside offense was also stifled by Akagi's defense under the basket. Mitsui stuck to Jin like a leech, and Jin couldn't shake him off even after three off-ball plays.

Kiyota certainly has the drive, but every time he gets to the basket, he gets blocked by Akagi and Rukawa. After being blocked twice in his attempts to finish at the basket, Maki stopped passing the ball to him.

The Hainan team only has one reliable scorer left... Maki Shinichi.

He went one-on-one against Sakuragi at the top of the key, again and again.

Every breakthrough required his full strength. The red-haired kid's defense was constantly being adjusted. The same change of direction stopped working after the third time, forcing Maki Shinichi to switch to a new combination technique. His stamina also began to decline significantly.

After breaking through, they still had to face Akagi's help defense and Sakuragi's double-team from behind.

Sometimes he would choose to take a strong shot, and sometimes he would pass the ball, but his teammates couldn't score, and the rebounds were grabbed by Akagi and Sakuragi.

He single-handedly carried Hainan's offense, but no matter how strong one person is, they can't save the team from a point difference.

In the 11th minute of the first half, Akagi received the ball in a low position again and scored with a backheel shot against Takasago.

Hainan 27:38 Xiangbei.

11 points difference.

Gao Touli finally couldn't sit still any longer. He jumped up from his chair, the folding fan snapping shut and almost breaking in two. He gestured for a timeout to the referee's table.